Akainu was seriously starting to doubt reality.

He had timed it perfectly.

The moment the sword energy hit him, he retaliated.

If the sword energy could pass through the ship’s barrier, why couldn’t his fist?

This defied logic.

“Keep blocking if you dare.”

Kuke and Gion launched attacks simultaneously, targeting Akainu and Tokikake, who were standing outside the ship.

Both men quickly dodged.

As Akainu dodged, he caught sight of a small girl, Koala, on the ship. She was holding a toy gun, pointing it at him, making rapid “bang bang bang” sounds.

His mind snapped.

Gritting his teeth, Akainu continued to evade Kuke’s attacks while relentlessly attempting to breach the Radiant Eclipse’s defenses.

His mindset had gone from confident to shocked, and now, he was questioning his entire existence. All in a matter of minutes, his psyche had been toyed with.

“Jet Wind Blast!”

The ship’s rear exhaust ports gathered energy, using up all of the cola reserves onboard.

With a blast, the Radiant Eclipse launched into the sky, soaring several kilometers away before crashing into the distant ocean with a massive splash. The ship sailed gracefully on the water, drifting away without looking back.

Akainu stood frozen like a stunned chicken.

“Why? Just… why?”

Tokikake stood, completely dejected.

Everything had gone according to plan. So why had the result turned out so completely different?

“Admiral Sakazuki, what do we do now?”

Akainu’s eyes were lifeless.

It was as if his soul had been ripped from him.

After several attempts to call his name, Tokikake finally saw a flicker of awareness return to Akainu’s eyes, though it was more of a dazed confusion.

“A most amusing scene indeed. I didn’t expect such a unique ability. It seems like the Navy will have a hard time dealing with the Sun and Moon Pirates in the future,” said Bartholomew Kuma with a rare smile.

He sensed the murderous glares from Akainu and Tokikake but remained unfazed.

“Instead of glaring at me, you should be thinking about how you’re going to explain this mess. You lost the Devil Fruit and let the targets escape. Tsk, tsk,” Kuma said, almost sounding sympathetic.

“You guys are in serious trouble.”

Akainu’s face twitched.

Tokikake’s expression was one of utter despair.

Before they had set off, they had made solemn promises and signed off on military orders.

“I can’t wait to see how tomorrow’s newspapers report this,” Kuma added, metaphorically pouring salt into their wounds.

Before Akainu could explode in rage, Kuma disappeared in an instant.

“Arrrghhhh!!!” echoed Akainu and Tokikake’s screams of fury and frustration across the island.

“The battle is over? The Sun and Moon Pirates just left without a scratch?”

“Does that mean the Admiral lost?”

Reporters on their ships peered through their binoculars, desperately trying to make out what had just happened on the island.

They were too far away to see the full events clearly, but they had witnessed Kuke and his crew leaving casually, and shortly afterward, Akainu’s enraged screams echoed from the island. It didn’t sound good.

Could it be?

The reporters exchanged glances, coming to the same conclusion.

“Kuke must have defeated Akainu and seriously injured him. That must be why he screamed in pain!”

“The Navy’s strongest combat force has been beaten!”

“This is big news! We have to get this to headquarters immediately for publication!”

They excitedly began drafting headlines and stories, their imaginations running wild.

On the island, after venting their frustration, Akainu and Tokikake trudged miserably toward the shoreline.

Neither had ever experienced a defeat quite like this.

“What were we even doing? We failed to catch the enemy and even handed them a perfect Devil Fruit,” Tokikake muttered, clutching his head in anguish. He glanced at his severed arm, now a permanent reminder of his failure.

The despair threatened to overwhelm him.

Akainu wasn’t faring much better.

Even with all his strength, he had accomplished nothing. The humiliation was worse than being physically defeated. It gnawed at him.

Suddenly, the transponder snail rang.

Both men froze, their bodies tensing instinctively.

Tokikake gulped in fear, his trembling hand reaching for the transponder. “Admiral Sakazuki, it’s from Fleet Admiral Sengoku,” he whispered nervously.

There was no doubt what the call was about—it was to ask about the mission.

What were they supposed to say?

There would be consequences.

With a stiff expression, Akainu had no choice but to answer the call.

“Sakazuki, is the battle over? How did it go? Did you succeed? If Kuke isn’t dead, make sure to bring him back to Mariejois. We can’t let him die too easily. And don’t forget… the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. Make sure it’s kept safe and immediately delivered back here.”

Sengoku’s voice came through the transponder snail, calm and relaxed. He had a cup of tea in one hand while holding the snail with the other.

Since they had picked up the call, the mission must have been completed.

But the other end of the line remained silent for a long time. All Sengoku could hear was heavy breathing, as though someone was trying to contain something.

“Fleet Admiral Sengoku… the mission failed.”

“Good, just hurry back then, before anything unexpected—wait, what?! The mission failed?!” Sengoku shot to his feet, his face twitching.

“What happened? Did Kuke get away?”

Akainu stayed silent.

Sengoku’s expression darkened dangerously. The Navy and the World Government had worked together to create this elaborate plan, spending half a month preparing, only for Kuke to escape? Was it all for nothing?

“What on earth were you doing?!” Sengoku roared. “You can’t let him escape! Go after him now! And make sure that Devil Fruit is secured!!!”

Akainu remained silent.

“They’re already gone, and the Devil Fruit was taken,” he finally said.

Sengoku: “????”

“What’s wrong?” The door to Sengoku’s office opened, and one of the Five Elders stepped inside.

Sengoku froze.

What was he supposed to do?

What could he say?

Akainu, you’re messing with me, aren’t you?

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P.S.: This story was never completed, and I want to finish it. If you’d like to help me financially so I have the time to translate it as fast as possible, you can join me on my Patreon at Patreon. com / Emik01 and you can read up to chapter 45.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep