Chapter: 15

Chapter: 15

John finally managed to calm down as he put the encounter with Bell-Mere behind him.

Seeing that she was in trouble, he threw the bag of rubbish at the thug as a reflex to help her.

That was the extent of his recollection; by the time he regained awareness, he found himself witnessing her petrified form and the last thug pinned to the ground.

Under normal circumstances, such a lapse would have caused John concern, but in the current situation, reaching his destination was all that mattered, rendering his memory lapse insignificant.

This mentality caused what little memory he had of the event to fade even faster.

The final stretch of his journey lay ahead, the path clear and unobstructed. Rei's house was only a short distance away, drawing nearer with each step.

He could only hope that the little girl had made it safely to her mother's side and that his message had convinced her to be ready to leave as soon as he arrived.

As he rounded the final corner, his destination came into view. With just a few more steps, he would finally be reunited.

In an ideal world, this moment would mark the culmination of his journey: enduring hardships, reuniting with his family, escaping the island, and devising a plan to save Cynthia.

A tender dream, almost within his reach, shattered like fragile glass under the weight of what he heard behind him.

"And where do you think you're going?" The words sliced through the air like icy blades, accompanied by the crushing force of a massive hand reaching out to grab him, pulling him back into the harsh reality he had been trying to avoid.

Caught from behind, John couldn't see his attacker, but when he glanced down at the hand holding him, he recognised the distinct appearance of one of the world's most infamous Devil's Fruit powers. With a gasp, he said in shock, "Akainu!"

Instant recognition caused Akainu to raise an eyebrow, scepticism creeping into his thoughts.

After a moment, Akainu asked, "Do you know me?" Perplexed by the situation, he considered the possibility of his Devil Fruit being recognised but remained doubtful. In the Blue Seas, few knew of such fruits, often dismissing them as mere sailor stories.

Not waiting for John to answer, he already thought of the reason. With unwavering certainty, he concluded, "Marie must have told him!"

The reports did mention his connection with Marie. In a way, this seemed to confirm it.

After some rough mental gymnastics, Akainu had already labelled John a pirate and tightened his grip.

While Akainu was still putting the pieces together, the giant lava hand continued to hold John tightly. Despite Akainu seemingly controlling its heat, it still caused John a severe burning sensation.

After a moment of silence, Akainu's voice thundered, "Where is she?" The demand for an answer carried an intensity that sent tremors down John's spine.

Agony ripped through John's body, each nerve screaming in protest. 'Who... who are you talking about?' His words barely escaped his lips, drowned by the deafening roar of flames that enveloped them.

As his patience grew thin, Akainu increased the intensity of the heat, causing the air around him to twist and distort in waves of blistering heat.

John winced, his face contorting in agony as the searing heat scorched his flesh.

"The woman you were seen with in town a few days ago, where is she? Tell me!" Akainu's tone hardened, a hint of annoyance seeping into his voice. He realised that time was of the essence; if he didn't solve this quickly, tragedy would strike again, a cost he could prevent this time.

John's mind raced, but he could only think of the one woman he had been seen with in town. But why would Akainu be interested in her?

John's mind raced, trying to make sense of Akainu's demand. The image of the woman he had been seen with in town flashed in his mind, but why would Akainu be interested in her?

Noticing John's hesitation, Akainu brought him closer to his face and repeated his question, this time less politely. "Where is she?" His tone grew sharper, and the veins on his forehead pulsated dangerously.

Though killing John would be effortless, Akainu restrained himself. Capturing Marie was his priority, and John might still prove useful in achieving that goal.

Nearly fainting from the searing pain, John felt his consciousness slowly slip away, his vision blurring. He glanced involuntarily to the side where Rei's house stood.

Akainu noticed John's subtle movement. Acting quickly, he created a dome to cover the house, sealing off any chance of escape.

When he saw John's face crumple in shock, a sense of triumph surged within Akainu. He knew he had found his target, relishing in the knowledge that victory was within his grasp.

He tossed John aside, his usefulness exhausted, and turned his attention back to the task at hand.

Now Akainu could focus all his attention on Marie. Even if she was less injured than the report claimed, it would be impossible for her to escape his grasp without his permission. And if she was foolish enough to try brute force, she would be no better than all those who had tried before her.

As he watched the events unfold, John's pain was momentarily forgotten as he yelled, "You're going to kill her!"

Ignoring John's pleas, Akainu turned up the heat, enlarging the domes now that he was certain there was someone inside.

"Stop!" John's desperate cry echoed, tears streaking down his face as he struggled to rise, only to falter, his insides searing with pain. "Why?" he pleaded, his voice raw. "What have we done to deserve this?"

Cutting John off, Akainu declared, "She's a pirate. The Farseer has more crimes to answer for than I have time to list."

Kneeling on the ground, John cried out with the last of his strength, "Stop this before it's too late. There is no one of that name in the house, only innocent women and children."

"Pathetic lie," Akainu scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain as he looked down at John, exuding an air of superiority.

"The truth will come out soon," Akainu remarked, a smug grin playing on his lips as he kept the dome in place, making sure it stayed hot enough to burn out all the air. "Even if Marie doesn't try to escape, it's clear she's too weak to try now," he added, his arrogance palpable.

"What if you're wrong?" John's voice cut through the tense air, defiance lacing his words. "Where would your so-called justice stand then?" His voice reverberated, bouncing off the surrounding buildings in the empty street.

"I am justice!" Akainu's declaration dripped with self-righteousness, his tone unwavering.

"You're not justice; you're a monster!" John's words dripped with contempt, fuelled by a mixture of anger, frustration, and despair.

He felt a surge of righteous indignation sweep through him, but it was quickly overshadowed by a sense of helplessness as he realised the futility of his words, for it was all too late.

"Well said, boy, but it looks like you're in pretty bad shape. Need some help?" A voice asked from the shadows.

…

As he noticed several figures emerging from the darkness, Akainu's senses burned with a sense of foreboding, a warning bell ringing loudly at the back of his mind.

"Well, what do you say, John? Need a hand?" asked Marie, stretching out her bloody stump to help him up. "Oops, wrong one." Her tone was light, despite the seriousness of the situation, as she held out her other hand to help him.

Watching the interaction between John and Marie, Akainu's eyes darted to the dome. In a split second, he decided to remove it, revealing a sight so awful that even Akainu's stone facade cracked.

Inside, the wooden walls of the house had almost completely turned to dust. The interior was somewhat better preserved, a testament to Akainu's control over his strength and his intent to incapacitate Marie rather than kill her outright.

One bed held the charred remains of what appeared to be a woman, showing no signs of struggle, as if resigned to her fate. But that was not the worst of it. Next to the bed were several cribs, one with another burnt corpse, almost reduced to charcoal, slumped over the side of the bed, clutching something close to its chest.

The scene weaved a harrowing tapestry, illustrating the brutality of Akainu's actions.

John was devastated. Looking at the scene, he had expected the worst, but seeing it come true hit him harder than he could have ever imagined. The sight of the charred remains of Cynthia stirred a deep sense of sorrow and despair within him, overwhelming him with grief.

His mind went black until he felt something inside him shatter, a surge of emotion replacing his grief with an unbridled hatred.

The overwhelming sense of loss was starting to consume him from within.

In a heartbeat, every part of him cried out for vengeance; nothing less than Akainu's demise would satisfy him.

Ignoring Marie, John's glare intensified as he stared at Akainu's back with blood-red eyes and solemnly declared, "This is not over." His words hung in the air.

Once he made up his mind, the air around John started to change, spreading a strange chill throughout the area.

As if responding to his emotions, several multicoloured orbs gather around him, hovering for a moment and slowly turning golden before entering John's body, flooding his eyes with a golden glow.

Marie could see John's back slowly standing back up, and as she looked at his hair, she knew it was almost time.

What she didn't anticipate was John suddenly charging forward and lunging at the admiral, driven by his overwhelming fury.

"Stop, you fool!" she yelled, but stopped in her tracks by what she witnessed, seemingly underestimating John's determination for revenge.

Golden specks swirled around John, filling him with newfound strength. Time seemed to stretch, each moment expanding into an eternity as John's thirst for vengeance surged within him.

Despite his inner turmoil, his body struggled to keep up with the intensity of his emotions; every step forward was a struggle.

Failing to hold back the rage any longer, a glowing, cracked copy burst forth from John's body with breathtaking speed, freezing his real body in place as the golden figure surged forward.

With each step, the shimmering apparition closed in on the dazed admiral, its ethereal form a stark contrast to John's rapidly weakening body collapsing to the ground.

Arriving at Akainu's side, the copy lifted his arm and struck forward at the target with an indomitable will.

As he punched forward with unbridled rage, his already cracked arm disintegrated into dust the moment his fist connected, disappearing into the air.

Desperation filled John's eyes as he looked at his shattering arm; even his best would never be good enough against the monsters of this world.

Standing there defeated, he looked back in shock when he heard Marie yell, "And what do you think you're doing? I need that body of yours intact!" He witnessed her grabbing his now collapsing body while she scolded him.

"Lucky for us, you've run out of steam and can't move anymore," she said, casting a wary glance over to Akainu, who still seemed to be in some sort of trance.

Confused by what he saw, John's eyes drifted towards Marie's voice as she carried his lifeless form, a wave of confusion washing over him.

He glanced down at his body, or what was left of it. It dawned on him with a chilling clarity - he was now nothing more than a ghost.

'How was it possible?' The surreal scene left him with a sense of unreality, his mind struggling to comprehend the nature of his current state.

Before he could make sense of the situation, a sharp sound pierced the air, commanding everyone's attention.

Akainu's eyes narrowed to the size of needles as he glanced downward, only to be propelled away with astonishing speed. A fist indentation was visible on his hip, evidence of the force behind the blow.

The unexpected turn of events left everyone in the surrounding area stunned, their minds grappling to comprehend the sudden shift.

Marie's intuition pricked at her senses as she glanced at the spot where John had been standing, but she found nothing there to explain the events that had unfolded.

Before she could go and investigate, she was interrupted by a voice that pulled her away from her train of thought.

"You got what you wanted, Marie. Let's get out of here before things escalate," urged one of the shadows behind them, the urgency in her voice echoing through the tense atmosphere. "I don't want to stick around and find out who just took a swing at that Marine. And believe me, he won't be down for long." The shadow cast a cautious glance at the fallen Akainu, emphasising the need for a swift departure.

"You're right, times of the essence," she admitted, a strange smile playing at the corners of her lips. Her cryptic words left John with more questions than answers, and a feeling of unease settled over him.

Akainu, seemingly unconscious, stared straight at them, unmoving. His eyes remained open, unblinking, slightly clouded but flickering with terror, betraying a crisis brewing within him as long-repressed emotions resurfaced.

"Let's go," Marie said eagerly, lifting John's body with ease, her eyes burning with fervour as she looked up. "It's almost time," she added with unwavering conviction, a hint of fanaticism creeping into her tone. Her excitement bordered on obsession, her gaze fixed on the full moon.

Trying to shake off the strange aura around Marie, the shadow's voice cut through the air with sternness. "Anyway, just remember, after this is done, we don't owe you anything in the future." His words were direct, leaving no room for negotiation or debate.

"Don't worry, I know." Marie waved them off dismissively. "Let's go. We need an unobstructed view of the sky. Fortunately, I'm aware of a spot that's just become available," she chuckled, her excitement tangible and her demeanour bordering on madness.

As the group walked away, John stood behind, his stunned expression fixed on his own body being carried away. Of all the strange things that had happened throughout the week, this one was far at the top.

When he looked at his own face, he could have sworn it had looked back at him and smirked.

Watching his body get further away, he sensed a strange weakness befalling him, forcing him to follow, making him realise that whatever was happening.

He still seemed bound to his physical form.