Three days later, Marineford.
Since the conclusion of the Summit War, this place had become the Revolutionary Army's base of operations. The surrounding buildings had been repaired and restored to their former state.
The headquarters of the Supervisory Council would also be established here, while the headquarters of the Judicial Assembly would be set up on Enies Lobby. As for the Marine Headquarters, it would continue to use the original facilities on G-1.
A massive execution platform had been erected in the plaza. Numerous Marine units were deployed around Marineford.
Reporters from major newspapers had arrived early in the morning, vying to be the first to report on the scene.
Meanwhile, people continued to arrive by ship, all naturally wishing to witness this unprecedented public execution of Celestial Dragons with their own eyes.
At that moment, Kong and Sengoku also stood on the execution platform. Looking at the situation around Marineford, they couldn't help but recall the previous Summit War. Their expressions were complex, and their hearts were filled with emotion.
How unpredictable fate could be!
One by one, Celestial Dragons were being escorted by Marine soldiers up the steps toward the execution platform.
Twenty-four in total.
The glass bubbles that usually covered their heads had been removed. They looked disheveled, having completely lost their former air of lofty nobility.
Yet, even now, many Celestial Dragons continued to hurl abuse.
"You damned scoundrel! Do you know who I am? Remove your filthy paws at once! Do you wish to die?"
"Release these cursed shackles immediately! Are you all truly seeking death?"
"You worthless trash! How dare you treat me this way! I'll have you all drawn and quartered! I'll kill every last one of you!"
...
A group of Celestial Dragons, even at this point, still failed to grasp their situation, clinging to the illusions of their former status.
At the head of the escort procession, a figure clad in a white Marine admiral's coat began to radiate a scorching heat.
This person was none other than the Marine Admiral, Akainu.
To be fair, Akainu wasn't exactly a villain. He too held a sense of justice in his heart, though his methods to achieve his goals could sometimes be extreme.
It was precisely for this reason that he was able to remain within the Marines and retain his position as an Admiral.
What frustrated him, however, was that not long ago, Lin Xuan had suddenly clapped him on the shoulder and inexplicably said, "Good job!" Akainu was utterly baffled.
Then, for some unknown reason, during this period, he had frequently been on the receiving end of scornful looks and even contempt from others within the Marines.
This infuriated Akainu to no end, putting him in a foul mood recently. Now, listening to the Celestial Dragons' incessant shouting in his ears, his anger boiled over completely.
"Shut your mouths, all of you! Or I'll kill you right now!"
As his words fell, waves of scorching heat began to radiate from his body, making it clear he wasn't joking.
He had always hated pirates, but he equally despised the Celestial Dragons!
He had never held these self-proclaimed nobles in any regard. In his eyes, they were even more detestable than pirates!
Many of the Celestial Dragons present were terrified by the intimidating aura Akainu unleashed and immediately fell silent.
However, a few who still couldn't read the room, upon seeing Akainu's anger, felt no fear. Instead, they began cursing even more fiercely.
"Hmph! A mere watchdog dares to order us around? Are you seeking death?"
"If this were the old days, with your current attitude, you'd already be a dead man!"
These few Celestial Dragons appeared utterly fearless, their insults particularly vile. They evidently still viewed Akainu as nothing more than a subordinate.
"You're asking for death!" Akainu roared.
Without another word, the magma within him boiled. His fist rapidly transformed into molten rock, emitting waves of white-hot steam.
Seeing this, the Celestial Dragons on site were thoroughly frightened, shrinking back and turning pale.
One of those who had just insulted Akainu stammered in terror, "Y-you... what are you doing?"
Just as Akainu was about to strike, a laugh suddenly rang out from the back of the crowd.
"Fufufufufu! Admiral Sakazuki, no need for such anger!"
Akainu's gaze shifted toward the source of the voice. Soon, he spotted a man at the very rear of the group: a blond, short-haired man wearing sunglasses, a pink feather coat, cropped pants, and pointed shoes.
"Donquixote Doflamingo? What are you doing here?" Akainu asked, somewhat surprised.
He hadn't noticed earlier that Doflamingo was also among the crowd.
Doflamingo's expression shifted subtly as he recalled the man with crimson red eyes who had recently found and defeated him. A trace of fear involuntarily surfaced in his heart.
However, his face showed no sign of this. Looking at Akainu, he smiled and said, "Admiral Sakazuki, let's make a deal. How about it?"
Akainu narrowed his eyes and asked with a cold laugh, "What kind of deal?"
"If you help me escape, I can supply you with a steady stream of Devil Fruits in the future. How does that sound?"
"My subordinate, Caesar, currently possesses a method for mass-producing Devil Fruits. I previously had close cooperation with the Beasts Pirates, helping Kaido build an army entirely composed of Devil Fruit users!" Doflamingo said with a smile.
At this point, he stared intently at Akainu and said meaningfully, "Are you truly content being subordinate to others? If you had an endless supply of Devil Fruits, you could also forge a powerful army in a short time!"
Listening to Doflamingo's words, a profound smile also appeared on Akainu's face.
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T/N:
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