Chapter 39
Title: Actor Garp Enters The Show, Enraged Akainu
"Are you going to fight Akainu with me?" the Black Dragon inquired with curiosity.
Garp hesitated, then sighed after a moment, "I won't take action. I can't completely abandon the Marines just yet."
"Then how will you help me?" the Black Dragon asked.
Garp countered with a question, "What are your odds of defeating Akainu if you face him alone?"
The Black Dragon sneered, displaying disdain on his face, "Just Akainu? Don't bother asking; it's 100%."
Given the Black Dragon's incredible power, it was no wonder the Marines had dispatched two top-tier experts.
"I'll play passively," Garp explained.
"Heh, that's fine too," The Black Dragon smiled strangely, amused by the idea that Akainu was about to face his downfall while Garp played the role of an actor. Even in the Original during the Summit War, as a Marine Hero, he was still defeated by his grandson Luffy, funny indeed.
Thinking ahead, he mused, 'When Akainu loses the battle and gets sold, it will make quite a profit. Auctioning off a Marine Admiral at a Human Auction would be extremely exciting to consider. Starting price, four or five billion Berries!'
"What do I need to pay?" Xilan asked after calming down.
"Celestial Dragons! My identity is sensitive, so I can't act directly. You need to retrieve my grandson, Luffy!" Garp laid out his conditions.
Few dared to confront the Celestial Dragons, but the Black Dragon was undoubtedly one of them.
"By the way, I sold your grandson to the Celestial Dragons," the Black Dragon said slowly. "Don't you hate me?"
"That's right, I despise you for what you did to Luffy," Garp admitted, "But you also saved Ace once, and I'm a person who acknowledges debts. I have to thank you for that, so we won't owe each other in the future."
Garp added, "This time, it's just a fair trade."
"In that case, I will cooperate with you!"
----
Ten minutes later, the Marine battleships officially began to rise from the sea. Suddenly, dozens of warships appeared on the horizon, wasting no time as they unleashed a furious barrage aimed at Dressrosa.
Forty warships fired simultaneously, making the Buster Call seem tame in comparison.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannonballs rained down from the sky, turning Dressrosa into a sea of flames and an infernal landscape within minutes. On the island, people screamed in terror.
"Attack!" Akainu ordered, waving his hand. The battleships charged forward, racing towards the shore at full speed.
As an Admiral, Akainu led the charge.
"Meteor Volcano!" he commanded.
Countless magma fists rocketed into the sky before descending upon Dressrosa with devastating force. Akainu showed no mercy, caring little about the presence of civilians; Dressrosa was a den of criminals, and its remaining inhabitants were, in his eyes, also "criminals."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the city's center, a terrifying shockwave erupted, shaking Dressrosa to its core.
The effects of the Conqueror's Haki continued to ripple across the battlefield, causing Marine soldiers to fall to the ground, incapacitated with foam coming out of their mouth. The magma punches were also scattered in the air. Even Akainu, a seasoned warrior, felt a sense of dread, "What a strong Conqueror's Haki... Doflamingo is not st this level, could it be... ".
Akainu suddenly looked up, and as expected, the dark dragon was already looking down on him from the sky.
"Black Dragon!" Akainu bellowed, his anger palpable. "You dared to sell a Marine Vice Admiral at the Human Auction House. Today, I will end you!"
With Garp by his side, Akainu felt emboldened, and shouted to the 'Marine Hero', "Let's attack together!"
He activated his Soru technique, propelling himself forward at tremendous speed, closing the gap between himself and the Black Dragon in an instant. His fist, wreathed in molten lava, aimed to strike the Black Dragon's head with crushing force.
"Dark Hound!" Akainu unleashed the full power of his lava-based attack. This move was notorious for severely injuring Whitebeard during the Marineford War in the Original work.
"Small tricks!" The Black Dragon sneered and retaliated with his own devastating technique "Roar of the Black Dragon!" He opened his maw and released a torrent of dark energy in response.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
An explosion rocked the sky, as the dark energy annihilated the incoming magma fist. Countless fragments of molten rock scattered like fireworks.
While the attack failed, Akainu wore a wicked smile. By targeting himself, the Black Dragon had exposed his rear and left himself vulnerable to a counterattack from Garp.
Akainu turned his attention to the rear but found Garp conspicuously absent.
"Where is he?" Akainu muttered with disbelief.
He had expected Garp to launch a sneak attack, and it should have been a guaranteed success. But Garp was nowhere to be seen.
He shifted his gaze away and finally spotted Garp standing on the deck, organizing Marines to assist the wounded.
"Vice Admiral Garp!" Akainu roared, feeling his anger rise to a boiling point, 'Marshal Sengoku sent you here to fight alongside me, not tend to the wounded!'
"What's wrong, Sakazuki?" Garp looked at him with genuine curiosity.
"Why didn't you launch a sneak attack when you had the chance? The Black Dragon's back was exposed, and you could have inflicted significant damage with your strength!" Akainu raged, exasperated. "You had a perfect opportunity!"
"What? I didn't know about that tactic. You should have told me," Garp replied innocently. "Remember to give me a heads up next time. This old man's brain isn't as sharp as you young folks."
Akainu's face turned an even deeper shade of red. Did they really need to discuss this?
Furthermore, Garp had hung up the phone when he had tried to discuss tactics earlier.
"Don't get mad, Sakazuki. This time, I'll attack from the front!" Garp proclaimed, throwing off his Marine cloak and revealing a stern expression. He fixed his gaze on the Black Dragon with determination. "Now, it's time for me to get serious."
Akainu stared at him in silence, nodding silently.
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