"Sakazuki, about bringing Fairy Tail to Vegapunk—Marshal Sengoku approved this. Are you really ignoring a direct order?" Gion shouted sharply.
"Really… one or two like this, and this is why the old man said the Marines are weak these days. The pirates run rampant because the Marine leadership lacks backbone!" Admiral Akainu shook his head, exasperated.
"What did you say?" Gion's face darkened.
"Sakazuki, do you even know where you stand?" Akainu's voice was icy. "As a model of the Marines, you are walking alongside pirates. And now you want to lure wolves into the house, bringing the Four Emperors right to one of the Marines' most important strategic bases. Don't you think that's… absurd?"
Gion fell silent, unable to respond. Akainu's words hit hard.
"Fairies… Fairy Tail isn't like ordinary pirates!" she finally muttered, desperate.
"It's different, truly different. They're now one of the Four Emperors—the most powerful force on the seas. What reason could the Four Emperors have to find Vegapunk? If anything happens to him, it won't just be a loss for the Marines or the World Government—it will be a loss for the world itself!" Admiral Akainu's tone left no room for doubt.
"Stupid Akainu! You don't want us to speak honestly? Ugh, so irritating!" Bonney cursed under her breath.
"Vice Admiral Gion, if the Marines go back on their promises, we can't force you," Urrutia said calmly. "But for today, we will report everything truthfully to the President!"
"No… please… just give me a little more time. I—" Gion tried desperately to regain control of the situation.
"The island of Vegapunk will never fall into the hands of the Four Emperors. And since Jewelry Bonney is here…" Akainu's voice cut her off sharply. "I'll be taking you back myself!"
At the same time, his right arm began to magma-ize, radiating intense heat.
"Sakazuki, what are you doing?! There's a rule in the Marines—you cannot attack the Four Emperors casually! This will trigger a war!" Gion's eyes widened in alarm, and her heart thumped wildly. She knew Akainu's recklessness firsthand. On ordinary days, he could be reasoned with—but once his bottom line was crossed, the consequences would be catastrophic.
If he attacked Fairy Tail… no one could predict what would happen next.
"Stop it, Sakazuki!" Gion drew her sword and planted herself firmly before Akainu.
But Akainu remained unmoved.
Suddenly… clatter—
A strong wind whipped between the heavens and the sea, sending waves towering like mountains.
"Your conduct hasn't changed a bit, Sakazuki!" a deep voice boomed from the mast of the warship.
Akainu's eyes narrowed. On the mast stood a figure, his presence so imposing that the pupils of his eyes contracted sharply.
"Ah—" the Marines gasped.
Onboard, sailors screamed in panic.
"Th-That man… he… he's—"
"No way… why is it… why is the leader of the Revolutionary Army here?"
"Revolutionary Dragon! That's Revolutionary Dragon!"
Recognition spread like wildfire among the crew. Shock, fear, and disbelief contorted their faces.
"Revolutionary Army Dragon! What are your intentions here?" Gion demanded.
"Just passing through," Dragon replied calmly.
"Long, you insolent fool! How dare you show your face before me! Since you're here, you won't leave!" Admiral Akainu growled.
Compared to the world's number one criminal, Dragon, the whole Fairy Tail and Bonney affair suddenly became insignificant.
"Dog gnaws red lotus!" Akainu roared, swinging his magma-formed arm. His magma took the shape of a gigantic hellhound, lunging toward Dragon atop the mast.
Dragon, unmoved, gathered the wind around him. A dark green tornado collided with the fiery magma hound.
Boom!
The tornado and lava clashed—two unstoppable forces of nature. The high-temperature magma tore through the wind, but the tornado sliced through the hellhound.
"It's not over yet!" Akainu bent his knees, disappearing in an instant and reappearing before Dragon, unleashing a devastating magma punch.
Boom! The main mast of the warship splintered.
Dragon, moving like a shadow in the wind, appeared atop another mast.
"Based on our abilities, this fight has no immediate victor. Continuing is a waste of time. Let's end it here," Dragon said with calm confidence.
"The old man's ship isn't something you can stroll onto as you please!" Akainu's voice still carried authority.
But suddenly, the sea surged violently, whipping up waves like a tsunami. Even the highest-spec Marine warships struggled to stay upright.
Gion's face turned pale as she rushed to command her vessel, desperately trying to stabilize it.
After half an hour, the two warships finally survived the waves, battered but still afloat. The sailors' faces glowed with relief—they had survived a catastrophe.
"Damn it, Dragon bastard!" Akainu's scowl darkened further.
"Right now, Sakazuki," Gion said coldly, "you're not thinking about the Revolutionary Dragon. You need to figure out how to explain today's events to Marshal Sengoku!"
As the waves subsided, Ulu and the others disappeared along with Dragon, leaving chaos in their wake.
Over an uninhabited island in the New World, golden lightning streaked across the night sky.
"He's coming!"
"President~"