Journey to One Piece

245. Let the world see pain

Whitebeard, who was just standing and watching everything, was a little shocked at how the two Straw Hat pirates wreaked havoc. However, this did put a smile on his face.

"Everyone, we can't let the Straw Hats take all the credit for the war... Can we? Hahahahaha... Show the Marines what the Whitebeard Pirates are made of."

"Yosh..."

"Ace has great brothers... Show them that Ace is our brother too."

"We can't let the brothers steal all the spotlight... Everyone, let's show them that Ace is our brother too."

Jozu, Vista, and the other division captains of the Whitebeard Pirates soon came down onto the battlefield and led the charge. The Marines also started pushing back and engaging the pirates. While no normal Marine would approach the Straw Hats, they could definitely deal with the lower ranks of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Meanwhile, Kizaru once tried to attack Whitebeard, only to be stopped by Marco. Marco was steadfastly by Whitebeard's side for his safety. Aokiji was the only one sitting beneath the platform of Ace, his expression grave. Akainu was missing, having gone off to attend to something else.

The Marines hadn't encountered the start they had expected, and this was already a bad sign. The Gorosei had already contacted Sengoku and asked him to disable the cameras. However, even though Sengoku had dispatched people to find the cameras, they couldn't locate them. The main reason for this difficulty was that the cameras seemed to be moving around frequently, and since the live feed was not exactly in sync with the actual video, they were finding it very challenging to locate the drone cameras.

With every passing minute, Sengoku was growing more irritated, but there was nothing he could do. The Revolutionary Army had hijacked some of the live feeds and had even broadcasted their own live footage in various locations. This posed another problem that the Marines were currently facing in many parts of the world.

Ken, who was stationed behind the Whitebeard Pirates, was dealing with the Marine ships attempting to launch sneak attacks on the Whitebeard-affiliated pirates from behind. It was here that Ken unexpectedly encountered someone he hadn't anticipated meeting so soon.

Sakazuki Akainu.

After their initial encounter, Akainu had departed to handle other pirates affiliated with the Whitebeard Pirates. However, now that Ken was present, they crossed paths once again. Akainu was on a ship heading to confront the other ships that had just emerged from the water using the coating. Ken, who was flying, noticed his presence, and Akainu noticed him too.

The moment Akainu saw him, he attacked.

"Meteor Volcano"

He sent molten boulders hurtling towards him through the air. Ken calmly looked at the flying molten boulders and extended his palm in front of him, whispering,

"Shinra Tensei."

This caused the boulders to be sent straight back the way they came. Akainu witnessed this and took personal charge of his own attack that was now hurtling back. Some of the boulders scattered and dropped into the sea, producing a sizzling sound and enveloping the surroundings with steam. However, Akainu couldn't unleash his full abilities; the ship wasn't his 'home ground,' so he had to be cautious about not damaging it.

"Bansho Tenin."

Ken didn't give his opponent time to ponder his next move. He employed gravitational force to draw Akainu towards him. Akainu attempted to resist the pull, but it eventually overwhelmed him, causing parts of the ship to break.

Realizing there was no escape from the impending attack, Akainu prepared himself by strengthening his arm with Armament Haki and molten lava. Notably, Ken's Observation Haki surpassed Akainu's; he was on the verge of glimpsing into the future. Having practiced Haki for an extended period, significant progress was almost inevitable for Ken.

However, this didn't imply that Akainu was significantly lagging behind in Observation Haki. He was quite close to Ken's level in this regard. If Haki could be measured on a scale of 100, Ken's Haki would rate around 70, while Akainu's at that point was around 65.

Ken, though, lacked the same proficiency in Armament Haki, as he had begun training only a few months prior, leaving much ground to cover. Akainu soon approached Ken, ready to strike. Despite witnessing the ineffectiveness of physical attacks, Akainu was compelled to try.

Yet, Ken opted to play with his opponent. Just as Akainu neared Ken, he abruptly halted in mid-air. The gravitational pull ceased, rendering him immobile in the air.

"Akainu-san!"

"Admiral Akainu!"

The Marines shouted. Akainu resorted to using Moon Walk to escape his immobilized position, but he remained trapped. The Vice Admirals had warned him about Ken's gravitational attack, and now he was experiencing its full force.

"Shinra Tensei."

Ken shouted, propelling Akainu away in a direction devoid of ships, only vast ocean. Akainu didn't plunge into the ocean; instead, he used Moon Walk to levitate in the air.

He soared past, refraining from attacking Ken and merely observing him.

"Your ability is linked to your eyes, isn't it? Just like your brothers," Akainu stated. Ken hadn't anticipated the furious Admiral to engage in a logical conversation. Perhaps this keen observation and ability to exploit weaknesses was why Aokiji had lost to him. Akainu possessed a penchant for pinpointing vulnerabilities and meticulous observation.

"Your silence confirms my assumption. I've reviewed the footage. Your eyes exhibit rings when you activate your gravity-based ability and turn red when you nullify physical attacks, implying that I can hurt you if I manage to land a hit," Akainu explained. Ken paused briefly before applauding.

"They call you a mad dog, but you are quite the husky it seems Akainu." Ken said, which made Akainu furious. "You are right, my abilities are linked with my eyes and though not all, it does have quite the significance. You know why I am telling you this? It's because you understand against whom you are actually dealing."

"Let the world see pain for the first time."

"Shinra Tensei."