“Run! The Marines are here!”

“As expected, the Marines won’t let these Supernovas off the hook.”

“Hide quickly! Don’t reveal your identity!”

Pirates lurking in the Sabaody Archipelago hurriedly concealed themselves, casting sympathetic glances at the Supernovas who remained out in the open, still making a show of their presence.

“The Marines are here? Just three warships?”

The Supernovas in Sabaody quickly received the news.

“They sent only three warships for us? Hah! The number of Marine ships I’ve destroyed is way more than that,” Kid sneered arrogantly as he fixed his gaze on the approaching vessels.

Hawkins leisurely pulled out his divination cards.

Bonney continued to devour her food.

“We’re different now. We’re not the kind to run at the sight of Marines anymore,” Luffy declared confidently.

Three warships.

Sailing in a triangular formation.

At the very front, a commanding and formidable figure stood on the bow—Akainu.

“That bastard Akainu… He’s about to become Fleet Admiral, and yet he still shows up personally. Is that really necessary?”

Most people recognized Akainu at a glance.

Their expressions drastically changed.

Only fear remained.

“Akainu?”

The Supernovas stared at him curiously, unafraid.

During their journey across the Grand Line, the last name they heard was Akainu’s.

“The most monstrous figure in the entire sea.”

The young and arrogant Supernovas weren’t just unafraid; they were actually excited as they fixed their gazes on him.

“We should run! That guy’s a monster!” Usopp pleaded desperately with Luffy and the others.

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.

None of them moved an inch.

They stared at Akainu with unwavering pride.

“If I defeat him, then I’ll truly be the freest pirate on the sea,” Luffy thought to himself. If he could defeat the strongest Marine, he believed he’d no longer have to worry about being hunted down by the Navy. No more running—true freedom.

Zoro, too, thought about taking down Akainu: “Even the Sun and Moon Pirates had to retreat against him. But if I can win…”

Zoro already knew.

The strongest swordsman in the world was Kuke.

Sanji had similar thoughts: “If we win, maybe Nami will come back. Maybe she’ll bring those Sun and Moon Pirates along with her?”

The more he thought about it, the better it sounded.

The warships docked.

Rather than hide, the Supernovas boldly stepped forward.

Nine Supernovas.

Encircling the port in a massive formation.

Each remained on guard, eyeing one another warily.

They all saw each other as competitors.

Defeating Akainu would bring unrivaled fame, and none of them wanted to let someone else steal the glory.

“A bunch of trash, and yet they dare to take the initiative against the Marines?”

Akainu looked at the arrogant Supernovas and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Capture them all. Don’t kill them.”

Akainu turned to Fujitora beside him.

It was his turn to act.

Fujitora silently drew his blade, and a deep purple energy radiated from it.

“Another admiral? This just got a lot worse.”

The Supernovas’ faces turned grim.

Against just Akainu, they still had confidence.

But with Fujitora added to the mix, they started to panic.

No matter how arrogant they were, they knew an admiral wasn’t someone to underestimate.

“Let’s join forces. Even if we can’t win, we won’t let them capture us,” Kid glanced at the other Supernovas.

The others nodded in agreement.

Preparing for battle.

Fujitora casually lowered his sword.

Gravity energy instantly pressed down on every single Supernova, forcing the ground beneath them to sink under the immense pressure.

“What is this power?!”

The Supernovas were dumbfounded.

It felt as if a mountain had been dropped onto their backs, making movement nearly impossible.

The physically weaker Supernovas collapsed into the shattered ground, completely immobilized by the crushing gravity.

Even the stronger ones, like Luffy and Kid—

Their bodies bent under the pressure, legs trembling.

“How is there such a massive difference in strength?!” Kid roared, unleashing all his power in an attempt to resist the gravity. He barely managed to straighten his back for a moment—only to be forced down again.

Luffy, too, roared in defiance, struggling in vain.

With just a single move.

In an instant.

Fujitora had crushed all the Supernovas.

The once-confident and arrogant Supernovas were faced with a brutal dose of reality.

Pinned to the ground, sinking into the fractured earth.

Their self-assurance shattered, buried beneath the weight of Fujitora’s power.

“Why is it still like this…?”

Zoro couldn’t accept it.

Back in Alabasta, when they faced Aokiji, they didn’t even get the chance to fight—but he knew they would have been annihilated.

After everything they had been through.

He thought they could finally stand up to an admiral.

Yet the result was the same—they were instantly overwhelmed.

Zoro gritted his teeth as blood trickled from his mouth, his muscles bulging with exertion. He pressed his hands against the ground, arms swelling like those of a giant, letting out a furious roar as he summoned every ounce of strength.

But as the gravity intensified, he was crushed down again.

The gap in power…

Wasn’t something that could be overcome through sheer will.

The Supernovas fought with everything they had.

Yet the outcome remained the same.

All of them lay exhausted, crushed into the shattered earth, unable to lift their heads.

They had lost all hope.

Fujitora had barely even tried, and they were already helpless. And standing beside him was the even more terrifying Akainu—there was no way out.

“I used to look down on the Sun and Moon Pirates for only managing a draw against an admiral. Now I see… they’re actually incredible,” Sanji and Zoro couldn’t help but think.

“So this is the strength of the newly appointed Admiral Fujitora… They say Ryokugyu is just as monstrous.”

“They truly possess strength on par with the previous admirals.”

“The Marines are becoming more terrifying than ever.”

“These Supernovas must finally realize how ridiculous their confidence was.”

“We should get out of here. These arrogant brats don’t deserve sympathy.”

Pirates hiding in the shadows suppressed their fear and hurriedly retreated.

“Take them away,” Akainu ordered with a wave of his hand.

A large number of Marines jumped forward, each holding Seastone handcuffs.

“Damn it! There’s no way I’ll be captured here! I’m Kid—(I’m going to be the Pirate King!)” Kid and Luffy roared.

Their bodies erupted with Conqueror’s Haki.

They managed to move their necks slightly.

But that was it.

“Just Conqueror’s Haki?” Akainu scoffed.

It wasn’t anything special.

And at their level, it was the weakest form of Conqueror’s Haki—it had no effect on an admiral.

No matter what the Supernovas tried.

Nothing changed.

They could do nothing to alter their fate.

And for the first time, they no longer had the arrogance to mock the Supernovas of previous generations.

They finally understood—it wasn’t that their predecessors were weak.

It was that the Marines were too strong.

“If I’d known, I would have sought out the Sun and Moon Pirates instead. At least they could stand against an admiral,” Bonney regretted her ignorance.

At that moment.

The Supernovas suddenly felt the crushing gravity vanish.

Freedom returned to them.

Splurt—

Many of them coughed up blood from the sudden relief.

But their eyes burned with renewed hope.

Regaining their freedom.

Meant they could escape.

As for fighting an admiral, they no longer had such foolish thoughts.

“Fujitora must’ve run out of power. His ability couldn’t last forever.”

“Even admirals have limits! One day, we’ll surpass them!”

“Run!”

Many Supernovas, feeling a surge of confidence, fled.

——

DONT FORGET POWER STONE

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep