54. Copy Blackbeard, Double Devil Fruit!

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The warship set off and sailed toward the Red Line overnight.

The mission to support Fleet Admiral Sengoku was successful, and they also managed to capture the notorious pirate Gage and dismantle the Heavy Ax Pirates, so there was no reason to stay any longer.

Akira had initially wanted to spend the night on the island to rest and leave the next morning, but that idea was unanimously rejected.

Even the injured Sengoku was against it.

It wasn't that they feared a pirate siege—after all, with Vice Admiral Garp, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and two Marine powerhouses, their lineup could even give the Whitebeard Pirates trouble.

What they were most concerned about was Akira's safety.

They worried that some reckless pirates might launch an attack, putting Akira at risk, which would be a significant loss.

Akira had no choice but to agree.

At this point, his combat strength was still lacking compared to the top-tier fighters.

He could only wait until the future when his strength would reach the level of an emperor through system experience, shedding this image of weakness.

On the deck.

Akira leaned against the railing, smoking a cigar and gazing out at the sea.

All was quiet.

Tread Tread.

The sound of footsteps came from behind, and Sengoku, now bandaged, joined him.

"Akira, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing, just lost in thought," Akira replied, shaking his head as he snapped out of his daze.

He took out a cigar and tossed it over. "Here, have one."

"Thanks!" Sengoku accepted. Although he didn't smoke often, he didn't mind using nicotine to calm his nerves at this moment.

The two smoked in silence for a while.

As the cigar in his hand was about to burn out, Sengoku suddenly spoke up. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Akira looked at him in confusion. "For what?"

"On the night you unleashed your Conqueror's Haki, I walked by you and sent all the admirals out of headquarters."

Sengoku flicked the cigarette butt away, watching it disappear into the sea.

His gaze shifted around before he finally looked up, somewhat embarrassed, and continued, "Even without me saying it, you probably noticed my little maneuver."

"Yes, I did feel panicked and threatened."

"For the position of Fleet Admiral, I used my influence to overshadow you, trying to ensure you couldn't make any achievements."

Akira smiled.

He raised his hand and patted Sengoku's shoulder, reassuring him. "It's in the past, don't worry about it."

"You really don't mind?"

"We're adults, not kids. If I were in your shoes, I'd have done the same."

Akira nodded confidently.

He genuinely didn't hold a grudge against Sengoku for his actions.

After all, no one could predict what would happen in two months, and even Akira wasn't entirely sure when he decided to implement the "Honey Plan" and "God of Wealth plan."

If even he was uncertain, it was natural for others to doubt him.

Sengoku had his reasons for being cautious, and given his influence, which he earned through his strength and life experience, it was only fair.

The position of Fleet Admiral isn't anyone's private property. Everyone competes fairly, showcasing their abilities.

You can't expect Sengoku to just step aside, right?

If Akira were in Sengoku's position, he wouldn't have given up such a significant advantage either.

"I'm glad you understand."

Sengoku was relieved to hear that Akira's words were genuine.

When he decided to step down from the position of Fleet Admiral and instead work with Akira to bring an end to this era of great pirates, he had been worried that Akira might still be wary of him because of what had happened before.

If that's the case, then he's at a loss for what to do.

Fortunately, Akira isn't the narrow-minded person Sengoku had mistakenly thought.

"Anyway, the outcome is good, right?" Akira laughed, shaking his head and exhaling a puff of smoke.

"Yeah, that's why I admire you."

Sengoku sighed, full of emotion. "You've accomplished so much when no one else could. That's something I couldn't have done."

"Don't sell yourself short. In fact, I should be thanking you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"For not stopping me when I was carrying out my plan."

Akira raised an eyebrow slightly. Although he was well-prepared, he hadn't expected the level of cooperation from within, especially from Rosinante, Sengoku's adopted son, who had diligently carried out his duties over the past two months.

"I wanted to disrupt it, but you didn't give me a chance."

Sengoku shrugged, tossing his finished cigar away, and taking another one from Akira. He lit it and continued, "The Honey Plan involved the newspaper office and Gion."

"Gion clearly wasn't going to listen to me."

"And the idea of giving Marines wives and encouraging them to return to uphold justice...I won't lie to you."

"At the time, I thought it was a ridiculous plan, absolutely bound to fail."

"I was waiting to see you fail, so why would I stop it? As for the God of Wealth plan, that was even more out of my reach."

"My good friend Zephyr was already on your side, and I wasn't in Marineford, so how could I interfere?"

"And I suspect...you must have prepared some contingency plans."

Sengoku took a long drag from his cigar, his sharp eyes gleaming with wisdom as he looked at Akira and quietly said, "With the cunning you've shown, it's impossible you didn't foresee all this."

"Well, Sengoku, your praise is making me giddy. Please, keep it coming." Akira suddenly joked, lightening the mood.

"Eh... Hahahaha!"

Sengoku was momentarily surprised, but then burst out laughing.

The laughter was hearty and carefree, echoing across the sea.

Akira watched with a smile on his face.

After a while, Sengoku finally stopped laughing and waved his hand. "Enough talk, there's no point in dwelling on it. Anyway, you'll be the Fleet Admiral in the future, and I'll be an Admiral. I'll fully support your orders."

"It's a blessing for the Marines to have an Admiral with such a broad perspective like you."

Akira said with genuine admiration, "It's a shame not all officers are like you."

"You mean..."

Sengoku's eyes flickered slightly, and he couldn't help but glance at the warship following behind them.

Inside, the two old Vice Admirals were still lying quietly in their beds.

"What do you plan to do next…"

"Fleet Admiral Akira, Admiral Sengoku!" Before Sengoku could finish, Sakazuki approached.

"What's wrong?" Akira asked.

"Gage might be dying," Sakazuki said quietly.

Akira and Sengoku frowned simultaneously.

Exchanging a glance, they headed toward the ship's prison.

In the prison, Gage's face was as pale as a sheet, and his breathing was weaker than before.

If nothing changes, he likely won't survive the night.

"Gage was tough. When I fought him, I had to give it my all; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to capture him."

"Honestly, if he hadn't been distracted by you, I think the battle would have lasted much longer."

Sengoku explained in a low voice.

When two strong men fight to the death, unless one is significantly stronger, the battle isn't easily won.

Sengoku was indeed stronger than Gage, but not by enough to make victory a sure thing.

To win, Sengoku had to exert all his strength with every move, targeting Gage's vital points with each strike.

Everyone present understood this harsh reality, so they remained silent.

"It's a shame about that powerful Press-Press Fruit," Sakazuki sighed, his tone laced with concern. "Who knows where it'll end up? If a pirate eats it, we might face another Gage."

The atmosphere immediately grew tense.

Powerful pirates commit countless atrocities, leaving a trail of innocent civilians in their wake. The Marine generals and soldiers risk their lives to capture these criminals, yet instead of executing them immediately, they are sent to Impel Down, where they are kept alive and fed daily to ensure they don't die.

A large part of this strategy is because of Devil Fruits.

There's no such thing as a useless Devil Fruit, only users who don't know how to wield their powers properly.

This saying is both right and wrong.

It's right because the effectiveness of a Devil Fruit truly depends on how the user develops and applies its powers. If someone with a Zoan-type Fruit manages to awaken their abilities, even a basic Zoan can become legendary.

But it's also wrong because Devil Fruits are inherently ranked in terms of power.

Take Zoan-type Fruits, for example. The Mythical Zoan Fruits have a much higher potential ceiling and baseline power than regular Zoan types.

If a Mythical Zoan and a regular Zoan are both developed to their maximum potential, the Mythical Zoan will generally dominate.

In the past 800 years, no one has reached the pinnacle of the world with just an ordinary Devil Fruit.

Most powerful pirates owe their strength largely to the potent Devil Fruits they possess.

Unless someone is a powerhouse like Gol D. Roger who doesn't rely on a Fruit, or if their execution would bring greater benefits than the risks of their Devil Fruit falling into the wrong hands, it's usually better to imprison these pirates in Impel Down rather than execute them.

Executing a powerful pirate on the spot might feel satisfying, but if their potent Devil Fruit ends up in someone else's hands, especially someone even more dangerous, a new menace would arise.

Why take that risk?

"Damn it!" Sengoku punched the cage in frustration.

Gage, who was now on the brink of death, possessed one of the most formidable abilities—the Press-Press Fruit.

If such a Fruit ended up in the hands of an ambitious individual, it was clear this era of great pirates would become even more chaotic.

Akira, however, wasn't as anxious. 

Knowing the plot, Akira was aware that this Devil Fruit would eventually be eaten by the future Marine Admiral, Fujitora, if all went according to plan.

But still...

"Letting this Fruit slip away would be a waste," Akira thought.

"A future Admiral... I'd feel more secure if I nurtured him myself," Akira mused, his eyelids drooping slightly in thought.

The three of them lingered in the prison for a while longer before leaving, with Sengoku sighing in resignation.

After all, the doctor had confirmed that Gage's internal organs were shattered beyond repair. There was nothing more they could do.

But later that night, when everyone was asleep, Akira returned alone with a basket of fruit.

After observing silently for a while, he opened Gage's prison and stepped inside.

Activating his ability, Akira summoned a deformed leaf into his palm.

He then took out a pen and carefully wrote three words on it:

Marshall D. Teach.

As he wrote each character, Akira felt his stamina rapidly depleting.

"Miscalculation. I should've copied Blackbeard earlier when I was at headquarters," Akira thought, mentally noting to prepare more of Blackbeard's transformed leaves when he returned.

With that, he tossed the deformed leaf forward.

"Zehahaha, people are only as good as their actions!" The copy of Blackbeard Teach, without the dual Devil Fruit powers from Akira's memory, appeared.

Upon emerging, Blackbeard immediately greeted Akira.

Akira nodded lightly and pointed to Gage. "Extract his Devil Fruit."

"Alright, leave it to me," Blackbeard Teach said confidently. His hands became shrouded in dark mist as he slammed them onto Gage's body.

With a violent "bang," Gage's weak breath vanished instantly. He died on the spot.

Akira watched quietly.

In front of him, Gage and the fruit were completely engulfed by a thick black mist, like an impenetrable black liquid, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

After just one minute, the black mist began to dissipate.

Gage remained as he was, lifeless on the ground.

But the fruit in Akira's hand had undergone a significant change.

"Paramecia Press-Press Fruit," Akira remarked, picking up the fruit and examining it closely.

At that moment, a faint sound of someone gulping could be heard from the cell behind him.

Akira's sharp senses picked up on the sound immediately, even though it was likely made unintentionally. The prison was so quiet that even the softest noise echoed loudly, making the swallowing sound stand out like a blaring horn.

Akira turned his gaze toward the source of the sound.

"Heavy Knife, if I remember correctly, you possess a Paramecia-type fruit as well," Akira said, his tone cold.

"I-I didn't see anything," Heavy Knife stammered, his face pale as he quickly retreated to a corner of his cell.

Just moments ago, he had been silently grateful for surviving Vice Admiral Garp's assault. Though he knew he'd spend the rest of his life in Impel Down, he figured it was better than dying.

But now, his heart was filled with dread.

The acting Fleet Admiral in front of him had the ability to extract Devil Fruits from others' bodies.

If that were true, the Marines would have no reason to keep him alive.

Heavy Knife could only hope that Akira was solely interested in Gage's Press-Press Fruit and not in the Kilo-Kilo Fruit he had eaten.

But his hopes were dashed.

Who wouldn't want more Devil Fruits?

"Send him on his way and extract the Devil Fruit from his body," Akira ordered calmly.

Blackbeard Teach grinned, a sinister, toothless smile spreading across his face.

"Yes, sir," he replied, picking up the fruit basket and slowly advancing toward Heavy Knife.

"No!" Heavy Knife screamed in terror.

But soon, the prison fell into silence once more.

Akira walked away slowly, hands clasped behind his back.

[Host copied Blackbeard Teach, extracted the Press-Press Fruit and Kilo-Kilo Fruit to cultivate his subordinates—this action aids in the completion of Missions Two and Three, awarding 600 experience points.]

The next morning, as Akira, Garp, Sengoku, Sakazuki, and Kuzan were having breakfast together, a Marine soldier approached and reported the news that Gage and Heavy Knife had both died during the night.

"Hey!" Sengoku sighed deeply, losing his appetite.

Sakazuki and Kuzan remained expressionless. They had already accepted Gage's death the previous night, so this news didn't surprise them.

"Strange, how did Heavy Knife die?" Garp muttered to himself, gnawing on a chicken leg. "The world has its way of taking care of these things... maybe he chose to follow his captain in death."

Akira continued eating his breakfast, replying indifferently, "Possibly."

Garp nodded, brushing the matter aside. Though he had intended to send Heavy Knife to Impel Down, if the man had chosen to end his own life, there wasn't much to be done.

After all, in the grand scheme of things, the Kilo-Kilo Fruit was nowhere near as valuable as the Press-Press Fruit.

With the loss of the Press-Press Fruit, the fate of a minor Paramecia fruit seemed insignificant.