Chapter 588: The Heartless Man
Mythical Zoan Yamata no Orochi form!?
Ian looked toward the Marines' position where Kaido was. Although he had guessed that Kaido, the big boss of the Beast Pirates, was likely a Zoan Devil Fruit user, he couldn't help but be shocked when he learned that Kaido's Devil Fruit was actually a Mythical Zoan of such an evil, ferocious beast.
He couldn't imagine what Kaido, such a mighty and imposing giant of a man, would look like after transforming into Yamata no Orochi. However, he did realize that only a beast like Yamata no Orochi could command the Beast Pirates, right?
Those who reached the level of an Emperor purely through Haki and physical combat without Devil Fruit powers were extremely rare. Unless they were exceptionally gifted, it was very difficult to achieve. The pirate world was vast, and Ian had only seen two such people: Red-Haired Shanks and Hawk-Eye Mihawk. They were truly few and far between.
Moreover, Ian remembered that Kaido sought Doflamingo to provide Artificial Devil Fruits precisely to build a pirate crew where "every member is an ability user." Since his subordinates were all ability users, Kaido himself couldn't be an exception.
From this, Ian also thought of his own Orochi card. In fact, the prototype of the Orochi card also originated from Yamata no Orochi, both being legendary creatures. However, in Ian's case, the Orochi provided him with some special abilities in the form of a card, while for Kaido, it manifested as a Devil Fruit...
As for which Orochi was stronger, Ian had no idea...
Just as Ian was thinking this, a change occurred on the Marines' side.
At that moment, the three Marine Admirals were gathered around the bound Kaido. Although they had captured Kaido several times before, the Marines never dared to let their guard down. Moreover, the war with the Whitebeard Pirates seemed unlikely to continue, so capturing Kaido in front of the world would be enough to at least preserve some of the Marines' and the World Government's dignity.
"Do you think the lightning Ian struck Kaido with just now caused serious damage?" Kizaru asked. "How long do you think it'll take Kaido to wake up?"
"I don't know. But..." Aokiji shook his head and said, "Ian's move was probably the same one he used on us back on Sabaody Archipelago, right? At that time, a tenth of Sabaody was destroyed. The power was definitely strong enough! I estimate Kaido won't wake up for a while..."
"Then we have more trouble... We'll have to escort this guy together..." Kizaru said somewhat irritably. "I hope he wakes up when we're back at Marineford. Otherwise, he'll probably destroy another ship!"
Akainu, hearing Aokiji and Kizaru mention Ian, snorted coldly and looked down at his hands.
The condition of his hands was actually more severe than everyone imagined. At the time, in the sea of fire, he hadn't thought much. He curled up his entire body, using his arms as much as possible to withstand the impact of the flames. Now, while the rest of his body was fine, his arms—from his fists to his elbows—were completely immobile, frozen in a clenched fist position.
Akainu even suspected that his arms had completely necrotized... He hadn't expected the flames unleashed by Ian and Fire Fist Ace together to be so powerful!
Just then, a female Marine Commander with a waist sword ran over. Behind her followed a Marine dressed as a ship's doctor. She came to Akainu's side, saluted, and said, "Admiral Sakazuki, Vice Admiral Tsuru has assigned this doctor to you. Your injuries need immediate treatment!"
Normally, seeking medical treatment for injuries was a normal thing. However, for some reason, Akainu suddenly felt angry.
He felt that this statement wounded his pride!
He was a proud Marine Admiral, the highest-ranking among the three Admirals, and now a little girl was sending a doctor to him? Did she really think he was finished!?
So, when the Marine ship's doctor stepped forward to examine his injuries, Akainu angrily swung his hand, sending the doctor flying.
"Go back and tell Vice Admiral Tsuru that I'm fine!" Akainu said with a stern face, turning away without looking back.
Aokiji and Kizaru, witnessing this, remained silent. They understood Akainu's temper.
The doctor who was thrown aside got up, looked at the female Marine Commander with a aggrieved expression, and asked for help, "Commander Kuina, look..."
That's right, this female Commander was Kuina. She was originally part of the Marine Headquarters' Staff Department. After the fighting stopped, the meticulous Vice Admiral Tsuru had sent her over to treat Akainu's injuries first. However, she hadn't expected to be bluntly rejected by Akainu.
Kuina frowned, saluted again, and said, "Admiral Sakazuki, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is also very worried about your injuries..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru held the rank of Vice Admiral, and Akainu, in his anger, might not care about her authority. So Kuina thought that invoking Fleet Admiral Sengoku's name would work.
However, this only angered Akainu even more!
"Shut up!" Akainu turned around, his face dark, and said to Kuina, "Since when does a mere Commander like you have the right to give me orders!?"
"..."
Not only Kuina, but even Aokiji, who was nearby, frowned upon hearing this.
Aokiji knew very well that Akainu was actually expressing his dissatisfaction with the outcome of the war. From the very beginning, Akainu had been the one orchestrating this war. Whether it was receiving Blackbeard Teach or gradually surrounding the Whitebeard Pirates, Akainu had put in a lot of effort. He had hoped to achieve complete success in this war—killing Whitebeard and crushing his crew. But in the end, due to Ian's interference, the Marines had to fall short of success, and even Akainu himself was injured.
Given this situation, could you expect Akainu to feel good about it!?
However, no matter how resentful you are, you shouldn't take it out on a girl...
Aokiji recognized Kuina. He knew she was the Commander who had fought Ian at Marineford before. As a rising star the Marines intended to cultivate, Aokiji felt that Vice Admiral Tsuru sending Kuina was already showing enough respect to Akainu.
Aokiji wanted to say a few words for Kuina, but he also knew that he and Akainu had conflicting philosophies within the Marines. Now that Akainu was already angry, if he spoke up, it might backfire.
However, to Aokiji's surprise, Kuina was far more determined than he imagined. She wasn't intimidated by Akainu's reprimand. Instead, she stood at attention and said with righteous indignation, "Admiral Sakazuki, this is not giving you orders! As a Commander, I indeed have no right to order you. I am merely carrying out the orders I received. Please don't make things difficult for me!"
As she spoke, Kuina looked at Akainu with unwavering eyes, showing no sign of backing down!
Although many years had passed, the unyielding spirit in Kuina's bones had not changed. Even when facing a Marine Admiral, she remained the same.
She was not afraid of power or authority. Even Aokiji couldn't help but silently praise Kuina.
But to Akainu, such a tone was a direct confrontation. He was inherently a heartless man who placed great importance on hierarchy. He couldn't help but roar at Kuina, "Get lost! Where did you come from..."
However, before he could finish, a voice suddenly came from behind!
"I see... So you little dog Akainu are injured..."
Hearing this voice, the three Marine Admirals' expressions changed simultaneously. They could tell it was Kaido's voice!
This guy... woke up so quickly!?
Turning around sharply, they saw Kaido pushing himself up from the ground. The damage Ian had inflicted was severe, and Kaido's injuries hadn't fully healed, but he had indeed woken up!
It was said that a wounded beast was the most dangerous, and Kaido perfectly embodied this statement. Just by pushing himself up, he exuded a powerful sense of oppression.
"Fall back! Fall back quickly!" Aokiji shouted loudly to the stunned guards around.
Kizaru reacted the fastest. He raised his finger and fired several consecutive lasers, hitting Kaido's wrists. All the lasers struck the same spot, creating a hole in Kaido's wrist.
However, such an attack couldn't stop Kaido. He let out a furious roar, using all his strength to snap the Seastone shackles binding him!
The numerous Seastone shackles, which had been hastily applied, shattered into countless fragments as he broke free. Without the restriction of Seastone, Kaido's right hand suddenly transformed. From his fist to his arm, it turned into a "monster" covered in scales!
The front end looked like the head of a flood dragon, with horns, but it also resembled a snake. This was part of Kaido's Yamata no Orochi form!
This monster, whether it was a snake head or a dragon head, opened its terrifying mouth full of sharp teeth and lunged toward Akainu's position.
Akainu reacted, instinctively preparing to counterattack. But just as he was about to move, he suddenly remembered that his arms had been vitrified!
"Damn it!" Unable to form magma fists, Akainu cursed under his breath and immediately leaped to dodge!
He might not have thought much about dodging Kaido's attack—it was just an instinctive reaction. But he forgot one thing!
Behind him stood Kuina and the Marine ship's doctor!
Kuina could have dodged too, but if she did, the doctor behind her would have lost his life!
So, without thinking too much, Kuina immediately drew her Wado Ichimonji and stood in front of the terrified doctor!
With a crack, Kaido's transformed Yamata no Orochi head failed to bite Akainu but swallowed Kuina whole...
Ian saw this scene, and in an instant, his eyes turned red!
"Akainu!!! I'll fuck your ancestors!!!"
He pushed off the ground and charged toward that direction...