Chapter 48: On the Brink of Defeat
Somewhere in the waters of the Grand Line, a massive Marine ship with three enormous sails was moving at high speed toward the North Blue. Numerous Marines were busy carrying out their duties on the deck.
Inside the ship was a spacious office. Bookshelves filled with books and documents stood against one of the walls. Photographs of Marineford hung on the walls, along with pictures of several pirates and the bounties on their heads. In the center of the room stood a large desk, behind which sat a tall, muscular man.
He wore a red shirt beneath a white Admiral's coat bearing the word JUSTICE. A white cap rested on his head, and his hands were covered by black gloves.
This man was none other than Sakazuki, better known as Admiral Akainu of the Marines.
He sat behind his desk, gazing through the window at the endless sea while waiting for the moment when he would finally meet his student.
Yes, Akainu was the one who would personally bring Kai to Marineford. He had asked Sengoku himself for permission to retrieve his student, and Sengoku had agreed.
Now, Akainu was on his way to the North Blue.
Taking a deep breath, he quietly murmured,
"Your time has finally come, Kai."
Although he had agreed with Sengoku's decision to leave Kai in the North Blue for another three years, a year later, Akainu received a report from Yamakaji.
According to the report, Kai had already mastered everything Yamakaji had taught him. The man had reached the point where he no longer knew what else he could teach his student.
After learning this, Akainu spoke with Sengoku again, hoping to obtain permission to bring Kai back ahead of schedule. However, Sengoku refused, and the two began arguing once more.
"Akainu, enough with this talk about Kai! I've already told you that three years must pass. Not a day more, not a day less. Do you understand? Now get back to work and stop bothering me!" Sengoku snapped.
Hearing those words, Akainu clenched his fist tightly. He had no intention of giving up so easily.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, why don't you understand? Yamakaji has already taught Kai everything he can. He doesn't even know what else he can teach the boy! I believe Kai should be brought back now so I can continue his training!" Akainu argued.
"I don't care, Akainu. I've already made my decision," Sengoku replied coldly.
Having said his final words, Sengoku ignored Akainu and returned to the documents on his desk.
Realizing that the conversation was over, Akainu slammed the door shut in frustration and stormed out of the office.
Remembering that conversation, Akainu let out a deep sigh and glanced at his desk. Two gift boxes sat on top of it, one long and the other small.
I think he'll like these, Akainu thought.
Knock... knock... knock...
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Akainu said calmly.
A Marine entered the office, saluted, and delivered his report.
"Admiral Akainu, our ship has just entered the waters of the North Blue. We should reach the main base in..."
Before he could finish, another Marine rushed into the room. He was holding a Den Den Mushi.
"Admiral Akainu! Emergency... Ha... ha..." The Marine was breathing heavily, struggling to catch his breath. "Urgent news! We've just received a distress signal from one of our Marine ships!"
With that, the Marine opened the lid of the Den Den Mushi.
"Attention! Attention! This is Junior Lieutenant Jim, serving under Senior Lieutenant Kai in the North Blue! We've discovered a pirate who destroyed one of the Marine bases in the North Blue! Lieutenant Kai is currently fighting him on the island! According to Lieutenant Kai, this pirate is incredibly powerful! I don't know how much longer Kai can hold him off, so we urgently need reinforcements! These are our coordinates!"
After the message ended, the Den Den Mushi fell silent.
A heavy silence settled over the office.
Until that moment, Akainu had remained calm. But after hearing that a pirate had destroyed a Marine base and that Kai was fighting him alone, he abruptly rose from his seat. Disbelief flashed across his face.
Could it be a pirate from...
He didn't even need to finish the thought.
Akainu immediately turned toward the first Marine.
"Change course immediately! Head for these coordinates and increase the ship's speed!"
The Marines understood the urgency in their Admiral's voice. Without asking any questions, they hurried off to carry out his orders.
Kai, please hold on. I'm coming.
Akainu's concern for his student continued to grow.
---
Elsewhere — In the Center of the Island
BOOOOOOM! BAAAM!
A massive cloud of smoke rose into the air. Kai emerged from its center.
"Ha... ha... ha... Damn it! That cursed elephant! His skin is incredibly thick, and his regeneration is ridiculous! None of my attacks are dealing enough damage!" Kai gasped.
He was leaning against a tree with one hand while tightly gripping his sword with the other.
He looked toward the cloud of smoke. His mist had already alerted him that the enormous elephant was charging straight at him at tremendous speed.
Without hesitation, Kai leaped to the side.
A second later, the elephant burst out of the smoke and crashed into the tree without even attempting to stop.
CRAAACK!
Almost nothing remained of the unfortunate tree after the impact.
Grant turned toward Kai and roared,
"Hey, little Marine! Stop running away! I'm sick of playing cat and mouse with you! Get over here, you weakling!"
In response, Kai raised his middle finger.
The gesture infuriated Grant even more, and the enormous elephant charged toward Kai again.
Sensing his opponent's approach, Kai took a deep breath and tightened his grip on his sword with both hands.
Calm down. Focus. I need to figure something out. He must have a weak point. I just need to find it—or hold him off a little longer until reinforcements arrive.
Having made his decision, Kai used Mist Soru.
He moved swiftly and silently toward Grant. In the blink of an eye, Kai appeared beside the right side of Grant's abdomen. He moved so quickly that Grant barely had time to understand what was happening.
Kai raised his sword above his head with both hands, gripping the hilt so tightly that the veins in his arms became visible.
"Mist Sword Style: Mist Slash!"
With those words, Kai swung his sword down with tremendous force. A massive flying slash burst from the blade and struck Grant directly in the abdomen.
"AAAAAAARGH! YOU BASTARD! THAT HURTS!" Grant roared in fury as a sharp pain tore through the right side of his stomach.
A huge wound opened where the attack had struck, and blood began pouring from it.
Grant's face twisted with rage. It was now obvious that he had completely lost his temper.
Realizing that his opponent was furious, Kai saw his opportunity. Without wasting another second, he continued his assault.
"Kira Kira no Mi: Mist Clone Technique!"
"Mist Blade!"
"Mist Soru!"
Kai began using the full power of his Devil Fruit.
Several misty figures appeared beside him, taking on human shapes. Each clone held a sword made of mist.
Over the past few years of training, Kai had learned how to create several clones and control them with ease. Although the clones couldn't inflict any serious damage on Grant, they could distract him and create openings for Kai's real attacks.
The clones rushed toward Grant simultaneously. Kai moved alongside them, attacking from different directions and delivering the genuine strikes while the clones mimicked his movements, creating even more confusion.
Each individual attack was weaker than the first Mist Slash, but the sheer number of attacks and the relentless pressure irritated Grant more and more. Under the constant assault, he was finding it increasingly difficult to defend himself properly.
Finally, Grant lost his patience.
"That's it! You've really pissed me off, Marine! Now I'll show you my true power!"
With those words, Grant raised both enormous front legs and slammed them into the ground with tremendous force.
BAAAAM!
The earth trembled. A massive crater formed at the point of impact, sending even more dust and smoke into the air.
The shockwave was enough to temporarily interrupt Kai's assault and halt the movements of his clones.
Grant seized the opportunity and began transforming, taking the final form of his Devil Fruit—a hybrid form combining the features of a human and an elephant.
Kai was already beginning to tire. Breathing heavily, he sensed the drastic change in his opponent. The wounds he had inflicted on Grant were rapidly disappearing thanks to the latter's regeneration.
Kai knew the battle was turning against him.
In his hybrid form, Grant's strength and speed would increase considerably. Kai could feel his arms and legs trembling from the strain.
When the transformation was finally complete, Grant looked at Kai and spoke with furious satisfaction.
"Congratulations, Bloody Mist! I never imagined there would be someone in the North Blue who could force me to take this form! For that, I'll kill you quickly so you won't have to suffer."
He delivered his final words in a chilling voice.
Then, Grant began walking toward Kai at a leisurely pace.
Kai frowned but tightened his grip on his sword, refusing to retreat even a single step.
Both men were preparing to begin the next round of their battle when they suddenly heard approaching footsteps and shouting.
Turning toward the noise, Kai and Grant saw a group of Marines running toward them alongside Jim.
"Kai, hang on! We're coming to help you!" Jim shouted.
Hearing his voice, Kai wanted to yell at them to stay back. This place was far too dangerous for them.
But that moment of distraction became his greatest mistake.
Noticing that Kai had taken his eyes off him, Grant smiled.
This is my chance.
In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of Kai and launched a devastating punch.
Kai sensed the danger. For a moment, it felt as though time itself had slowed down. His mist warned him of the incoming attack, but it was already too late to dodge.
At the very last second, Kai began transforming his body into mist, hoping to avoid the damage.
However, just as his transformation was halfway complete, Grant's fist turned black with Armament Haki and slammed into him with monstrous force.
BOOOOOOM! BAAAAAM!
CRACK!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!"