Chapter 503: The Supernovas
What Enel released was a smaller-scale version of "Ten Thousand Thunderbolts!"
Originally, this technique was one he had planned to use in conjunction with the Ark Maxim to destroy Skypiea. Now, without time to cover Marine Headquarters with thunderclouds, he could only release a smaller-range version.
But even so, it was astonishing enough. As lightning bolts rained down, several Marine warships docked at the port were struck, instantly disintegrating in the flashes before bursting into raging flames. Some lightning bolts struck the sea surface, causing intense flashes to ripple across the water. As for those that unfortunately fell into the crowd, they were even more terrifying. The unlucky Marine soldiers hit by them instantly had black smoke billowing from their bodies, turning them into charred lumps that collapsed to the ground.
The Marines gathered at the port were now in complete chaos, desperately scattering to avoid being struck by the ceaselessly falling lightning. They had no mind left to attack Ian and his crew's ship; all they cared about was saving their own skins.
"Damn it! I never expected that long-eared guy Ian brought along to be this strong!"
Watching this scene, Sengoku's heart turned cold.
Seeing the Ark Maxim rise to over a hundred meters in the air, a height the Marines could do nothing about, only Vice Admirals could use Moon Step to leap up there, but... but...
What if that long-eared guy fired another lightning ball like that? And Ian would also strike at the Vice Admirals!
At such a critical moment, Sengoku didn't want to lose any more Marine combat power, so he could only watch helplessly as Ian's ship flew higher and higher, then stopped at a certain point in the air, turned, and began moving forward.
"We can't stop him!" Vice Admiral Tsuru, remaining calm, spoke up. "We have to let him go!"
"Bastard! That kid Ian is a complete bastard!"
Seeing the mess at the port, Sengoku couldn't help but rage. "Where's Aokiji!? Didn't I tell him to keep an eye on Ian? How did this situation arise!?"
A Marine soldier timidly raised his hand to report, "Marshal, we actually found Admiral Aokiji, but... but for some reason, he's been sleeping, and no matter how we call him, he won't wake up..."
Matthew's Sleep-Sleep Fruit enforced a mandatory ten-minute slumber. Unless the sleeper's body was stimulated, they wouldn't wake up before the time was up, no matter how much commotion occurred in the Marine base.
Perhaps a slap to the face could wake him, but the question was, did these ordinary Marine soldiers dare to do that?
Sengoku wasn't a fool. He immediately realized that Aokiji had fallen victim to Ian's scheme.
Taking advantage of Kizaru leaving the island, Ian had neutralized Aokiji. If one carefully analyzed Ian's escape plan, they would find it truly cunning.
The reason for putting Aokiji to sleep was to prevent him from using Ice Age to freeze the entire port while the Wind Dial was activating. The Wind Dial's power was limited; if the seawater froze the ship along with it, it might not be able to take off!
And if Kizaru had been present, his Glint-Glint Fruit possessed powerful anti-air capabilities, likely allowing him to shoot down the Ark Maxim after Ian and his crew ascended!
Sengoku had been absolutely right to use those two to monitor Ian. With them around, Ian couldn't use the Ark Maxim to escape Marine Headquarters. Conversely, as long as those two were absent, even Sengoku couldn't stop them. This wasn't about strength but about countering specific abilities.
When Sengoku realized this, though he gnashed his teeth in frustration, he was helpless.
There were too many things he hadn't anticipated. That kid Ian had been planning to escape Marine Headquarters from the very beginning, but he had kept all his backup plans hidden until the last moment, leaving the Marines with no contingency to respond.
"Hahaha!" Vice Admiral Garp laughed heartily as he watched Ian's ship disappear into the distance. "Who would have thought that the 'Strategist' Sengoku would be outsmarted by a brat!"
"Shut up, Garp!" Sengoku glared at him angrily. "No one thinks you're mute if you don't speak!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru crossed her arms and asked Sengoku, "What now? You heard what he said at the end. He doesn't care about losing his Warlord status..."
"Then strip him of it!" Sengoku clenched his fists in resentment. "His actions are a blatant provocation against the Marines."
"Judging by the direction he's heading, it's toward Sabaody Archipelago!" Tsuru mused. "From what he said, it seems he wants to get the Pacifista? Could it be that he caught wind of Admiral Kizaru leading the Marine Science Unit to test the Pacifista on Sabaody, and that's why he's going there? Does he intend to seize the Pacifista himself?"
"If that's all it is, then it's fine!" Sengoku gritted his teeth. "But what worries me most is that Ian might have sensed something. Maybe my house arrest made him suspicious. He might have guessed the Marines' intentions and is rushing back to help the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Have Admiral Kizaru capture him!" Tsuru suggested. "We should also send more reinforcements from here. We don't know when Admiral Aokiji will wake up. Maybe he can go too?"
"That's the only option!" Sengoku said gloomily.
Let's set aside the situation at Marine Headquarters for now. On Sabaody Archipelago, not far from Marineford, chaos was also erupting.
When news spread that someone had struck a Celestial Dragon at the Number One Auction House, the pirates on Sabaody were now like startled birds, desperately trying to escape the island.
A Marine Admiral was about to arrive, and when the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat would suffer. Others would be caught in the crossfire.
At the entrance of the Number One Auction House, a large group of Marines surrounding the area were locked in a fierce battle with three monstrous pirates.
Needless to say, these three were the Straw Hat Pirates' captain Luffy, the Kid Pirates' captain Eustass Kid, and the Heart Pirates' captain, Trafalgar Law.
The eleven rookie pirates with bounties over 100 million had gathered on Sabaody. After Luffy and his group knocked out the Celestial Dragon at the auction house, they had fought their way out together. They already knew a Marine Admiral was coming and were now trying to break through.
Perhaps driven by a spirit of rivalry, Luffy, Kid, and Trafalgar Law each demonstrated their Devil Fruit abilities to the Marines.
Interestingly, when Luffy saw Kid's Magnet-Magnet Fruit, which could attract metal for attacks, he was quite surprised and blurted out, "Huh!? Why does your ability look a bit like Ian's?"
Not just him, but even Zoro and Nami, who had witnessed Ian's Iron Sand Sword ability, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it does look similar!"
Kid didn't understand. He had no idea who Luffy was referring to as "Ian." But Trafalgar Law, hearing this, was startled. He spun around and asked Luffy, "Who did you just mention?"
"Ian!" Luffy said.
"Ian!?" Trafalgar Law looked stunned. "The Shichibukai, Black Dragon Ian!?"
"Huh? You know him too!" Luffy grinned foolishly.
But before he could finish laughing, Trafalgar Law suddenly grabbed him by the collar. "You know Ian-san!? Tell me where he is!"
"Hey, what are you doing?" Luffy protested. "Talk nicely! Why are you grabbing my clothes?"
Trafalgar Law released Luffy and calmed down. "Straw Hat-san, you just called Ian-san 'big brother,' which means you know him. Please tell me where he is now. I beg you! I set out to sea to find him!"
"But I don't know where he is either!" Luffy said. "We did adventure together before, but we split up later."
"Think carefully... This is very important to me!" Trafalgar Law urged.
However, before Luffy could respond, Kid suddenly spoke up. "I didn't expect you to know such a big shot, but if I may be blunt, is this really the time to talk about that? If you're not leaving, I'm going!"
By then, the Marines surrounding them had been mostly dealt with. The three pirate crews were about to go their separate ways to escape, but at that moment, Trafalgar Law spoke up. "Straw Hat-san, I'll go with you!"
Zoro rested his hand on his sword hilt. "Following us doesn't guarantee you'll see Ian!"
"That's my business!" Trafalgar Law said. "I have to try!"
So Luffy and his group had no choice but to let Trafalgar Law tag along.
Not long after Luffy and the others split up, Kizaru arrived at Sabaody on a Marine warship. As a cannonball exploded, Kizaru, standing on it, officially announced his landing.
After stepping onto Sabaody, Kizaru spoke into a black Den Den Mushi on his wrist, trying to contact his nephew Sentomaru.
But just then, another Den Den Mushi on his other wrist suddenly rang.
Kizaru was surprised. When he answered, Sengoku's voice came through.
Upon learning that after he left, Ian had taken the opportunity to escape Marine Headquarters and was flying toward Sabaody on a flying ship, Kizaru didn't know what to say.
He scratched his head, hesitating whether to first capture the pirates on the island or prepare to intercept Ian.
But at that moment, a pirate, hoping for a lucky shot, fired a gun at Kizaru from a distance. The bullet passed through Kizaru's body, and at the same time, made up his mind.
He would catch these lawless pirates first...
The power of the Glint-Glint Fruit erupted in the next instant. The pirate who tried to ambush Kizaru was obliterated by a Flash Kick, reduced to dust. Even the massive mangrove tree nearby was caught in the explosion and collapsed.
The overwhelming strength of a Marine Admiral made Kizaru unstoppable, as if entering an empty land.
As he advanced, Kizaru asked everyone he met if they had seen his nephew Sentomaru. Unfortunately, every pirate who saw him panicked and attacked him, refusing to answer his questions, forcing him to eliminate them in the end.
Until he encountered the first calm person.
Hawkins was sitting by the roadside, performing a divination for himself. When Kizaru appeared and asked him a question, all the members of his crew were terrified, trying to drag Hawkins away to escape.
But Hawkins said expressionlessly, "Don't worry. I don't see my own death in the cards. On the contrary, today, a benefactor will come to my aid..."