Chapter 107: Cooperation??

"Hahaha, an Admiral, two vice admirals, and over a dozen rear admirals—it seems we've caught ourselves a big school of fish this time!" 

Blackbeard stood atop the warship's mast, laughing maniacally. To him, the navy below was nothing more than a pile of fish waiting to be slaughtered. He didn't take Akainu seriously at all!

Akainu clenched his fists involuntarily, gritting his teeth, but surprisingly remained silent.

Although Akainu despised and hated pirates, yearning to eliminate every last one of them, it didn't mean he was reckless.

On the contrary, Akainu's mind was both shrewd and calculating. Otherwise, former Fleet Admiral Sengoku wouldn't have entrusted him with the task of scheming against Whitebeard Pirates' Maelstrom Spider Squard!

Back during the Summit War, Akainu fought desperately because he knew victory wasn't entirely out of the navy's grasp!

If only those two—Aokiji and Kizaru—hadn't held back, the navy might have dealt with Whitebeard's Pirates before Buggy and the others arrived, and things wouldn't have ended up in the mess they are today!

But now, with only Akainu as their top combat power and Blackbeard's crew boasting at least three high-level fighters—Blackbeard himself, Shiryu, and, if Domino is counted, four—Akainu understood all too well the danger they were in.

Seeing Akainu's blackened expression and silence, Blackbeard's arrogance grew. He laughed loudly, "Hahaha! They say Akainu's the toughest of the three admirals, but now it seems he's just a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong!"

Even so, Akainu didn't reply, his face growing darker as one of his arms turned into bubbling magma, releasing thick smoke!

"Hahahahaha! What's the matter? Want to fight?!" 

Blackbeard remained unfazed. One hand transformed into a claw emitting black smoke, while the other clenched into a fist radiating a faint glow.

At this moment, Buggy stretched out his hand, stopping Blackbeard. "Alright, calm down! Don't be rash!"

Blackbeard was momentarily stunned. He looked at Buggy, puzzled. "What, you're not planning to kill him here?"

As a pirate, the obvious course of action when confronting Akainu, the so-called "Mad Dog," would be to kill him as quickly as possible. But strangely enough, Blackbeard didn't sense even a hint of killing intent from Buggy right now.

Or did Buggy have some other plan?

Blackbeard couldn't figure out what Buggy was up to, but he reluctantly lowered his hand, dispersing the black smoke and glow.

Buggy glanced at the red dog below, whose expression was still grim, and chuckled, "Admiral Akainu, do you want to talk?"

Akainu snorted coldly, "I have nothing to discuss with pirates!"

Buggy spread his hands with a playful smile, "Are you sure?" 

Akainu furrowed his brow; the threat in Buggy's words was unmistakable. If they didn't talk, it was likely to lead to a fight!

Neither Doberman nor Onigumo spoke, instead tightening their grips on the long swords in their hands, standing resolutely behind Akainu. Regardless of the decision Akainu made, they were committed to carrying it out without hesitation!

After a long silence, Akainu finally nodded. He wasn't ready to die yet! The pirates hadn't been dealt with, and he had too much left to accomplish!

Seeing this, Buggy smiled, leaping down to stand in front of Akainu. "That's right! Shanks has become a Fleet Admiral—doesn't this just prove that the navy and pirates are all part of the same family?"

Akainu's fist clenched, a large '#' forming on his forehead!

Noticing Akainu's anger, Buggy decided not to poke the bear any further. He pointed to the cabin and said, "How about we find a private place to talk?"

Akainu frowned, and Blackbeard mirrored his expression. The others around them were confused about what Buggy was up to.

Blackbeard voiced his dissatisfaction, "Hey Buggy, is there something you can't say in front of us? We're family now!"

Buggy smiled and replied, "There are things I can't share yet because the timing isn't right. I'll tell you when it is!"

With that, Buggy turned his attention back to Akainu, who, after a moment's thought, chose not to refuse and began walking toward the cabin, Buggy following closely behind with a smile.

Doberman and Onigumo remained still, their eyes fixed intently on Blackbeard and Domino.

Blackbeard felt a surge of dissatisfaction, gritting his teeth as he contemplated following them forcefully. 

He couldn't quite grasp what Buggy was planning, but even without that knowledge, he was determined to interrupt the meeting between Buggy and Akainu, hoping to disrupt Buggy's scheme!

Just as Blackbeard raised his foot to advance, he suddenly sensed a sharp presence approaching, causing the hairs on his neck to stand on end.

Startled, Blackbeard turned to a shadowed corner, where he found Shiryu lurking, a long sword gripped firmly in his hand, staring at him with cold intensity.

In an instant, Blackbeard's expression cleared, and he retracted his foot in confusion.

His earlier anger had clouded his judgment, but this wasn't the time to confront Buggy!

Not until he became the president of the Cross Guild, at least!

Meanwhile, the conversation split into two threads as Buggy accompanied Akainu to his private office.

Akainu took his seat behind the desk, waiting for Buggy to initiate the discussion.

Buggy, however, took his time, picking up the teapot and teacup from the side cabinet before walking over to Akainu's side and sitting down.

He poured two cups of tea, set the teapot aside, and pushed one cup towards Akainu, saying, "Please enjoy the tea!"

Akainu frowned, not bothering to glance at the tea before him. With impatience, he replied, "Cut out the formalities, Buggy the Clown. Let's get straight to the point!"

"Don't rush," Buggy smiled, taking a sip from his cup before continuing slowly, "Admiral Akainu, I'm actually quite pleased—"

"You'll be rewarded! In my eyes, you're the only one who can truly be considered a real Navy officer!" 

Akainu scoffed, "No need for that. I'm not desperate enough to seek validation from a pirate!"

Buggy shook his head, "Admiral Akainu, pride and prejudice are the two mountains that weigh down people's hearts! If you can't let go of these burdens, you won't truly see the world!"

Akainu frowned upon hearing this, yet he chose not to refute it this time.

Buggy continued, "Setting aside our identities as navy and pirates, let's talk about the heroes of the world—Yonko Buggy and Admiral Akainu, you and I!"

Akainu glared at Buggy, clearly growing impatient with his slow, casual demeanor. In a deep voice, he said, "Whether you're a hero or not, what is it that you want?"

Buggy felt helpless. Under normal circumstances, Akainu shouldn't be so dismissive at this moment; he should be cooperating with him for their act! 

When the time came, Buggy planned to dramatically speak about Big Mom and Kaido and make grand statements. He envisioned saying that Aokiji and Kizaru were mere watchdogs, while the Revolutionary Army's Dragon was the one making real moves. 

He wanted to highlight how the Celestial Dragons were nothing more than dried bones buried in the ground. But it was all for naught since Akainu showed no inclination to play along!

Buggy sighed, setting down his teacup. "Let's put it this way, Admiral Akainu: do you want to join forces with me to eliminate all the pirates in this world?"