"Holy crap!" Drake blurted out yet again.
When one lacks a sophisticated vocabulary, a well-timed "holy crap" is the only way to navigate the world. This was far from the first time Drake had resorted to such a phrase today, but honestly, he couldn't help it. His education simply hadn't prepared him for this level of insanity. He couldn't think of a single fitting idiom to describe the storm of emotions swirling inside him.
Conqueror's Infusion!
It was definitely Conqueror's Infusion. Drake didn't claim to know every secret of the One Piece world, but he knew enough. The power Whitebeard had just unleashed was a skill mastered only by the absolute elite among those born with the "Qualities of a King."
Anyone capable of wielding this power was a genius among geniuses—the definitive "ceiling" of combat in this world.
In Drake's memory, only figures like Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard were confirmed masters of this art. However, in the original history of the Paramount War, Whitebeard shouldn't have been able to use it due to his failing health. But now, he had.
Clearly, the world had changed. The legendary "scripted death" was officially off the table.
But more than being shocked, Drake was electrified. That was Conqueror's Infusion! If he could master that power, he wouldn't just be a major player; he would leap into the ranks of the world's absolute pinnacle of strength.
"Whitebeard..."
For the first time since the chase began, Akainu, who had been hounding Drake's every step, actually stopped.
He was clearly stunned by Whitebeard's display of Infusion. His expression grew deathly serious as he cast a glance back at the panting, exhausted Drake. Drake's nerves were taut; if something went wrong now because of him, he would never forgive himself.
Akainu remained expressionless.
Just as Drake braced for a final, all-out charge from the Admiral, Akainu flashed a sinister, chilling smile. That look sent a sudden jolt of panic through Drake's chest. In the next instant, Akainu turned and rocketed in the opposite direction.
Drake froze for a second before cursing under his breath. That old fox! Akainu's intent was blindingly obvious: he was going to destroy the pirate's ships!
Drake chained his teleports, desperately trying to close the gap while staying wary of a sudden ambush. He couldn't rule out the possibility that Akainu was using the ships as bait to lure him into a trap.
But Drake soon realized something that made his heart sink: his teleportation couldn't keep up with Akainu's sustained travel speed. Due to his waning stamina, the intervals between his "blinks" were getting longer. If Akainu turned to attack now, Drake wasn't entirely sure he could evade it.
However, Akainu didn't turn. His singular goal was to trap the pirates in Marineford. Without ships, they were caged animals. No matter how strong Whitebeard was, the Navy held the home-field advantage with three top-tier Admirals. If it came down to a war of attrition where no one could leave, the Navy would pay a steep price in blood, but the Whitebeard Pirates would be erased from history.
His first target was clear: the Moby Dick, the pride and joy of the Whitebeard Pirates for decades.
"Look! What is Akainu doing!?" The Whitebeard Pirates spotted the Admiral's movement immediately.
Under Whitebeard's orders, the Moby Dick had already reached the mouth of the bay, preparing for the full retreat. As long as the distance stayed manageable, the Division Commanders could easily make the jump back to the deck. They hadn't been overly worried. Though nearly two-thirds of their allied fleet had been destroyed, the remaining vessels were enough to carry everyone back to the New World.
But they could not—would not—accept the loss of the Moby Dick.
"All units, fire! Stop Akainu at any cost!" The crew on the flagship braced themselves. The Moby Dick was more than a ship; it was their home, a vessel that carried years of memories and scars from countless battles.
"Defend the Moby Dick with your lives!!"
The pirates unleashed everything they had—cannons roared, snipers took aim, and Fruit users pushed their abilities to the limit. But since the Division Commanders were still concentrated around Whitebeard in the plaza, the defenses at the harbor were dangerously thin.
Bang! Bang! Bang! "Fire!" Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sudden uproar at the harbor drew the attention of the entire battlefield. No one expected a Marine Admiral to go "base-racing" like this.
"Akainu is attacking the Moby Dick!" The Division Commanders' faces turned ashen. The war was in its final moments—was the Navy truly prepared to sink the entire island just to kill them?
"Look there!" Izo shouted, pointing at a dark blur moving with impossible speed toward Akainu.
It was a black dot that vanished and reappeared in rhythmic flashes, closing the distance to the Admiral.
"It's Ace's brother!" the Commanders cried out.
Drake's intention was written across the sky: he was going to stop Akainu alone. The Commanders were moved beyond words. First, the boy had healed their Father, and now he was chasing down an Admiral to save their home. It was a display of sheer, unadulterated gallantry.
In reality, Drake wasn't thinking about gallantry at all. He just knew that if the Whitebeard Pirates were trapped and slaughtered here, Ace would never leave! If Ace stayed to die with his crew, then the entire point of this rescue mission was moot.
That was a scenario Drake refused to entertain.
But he wasn't a suicidal fool. He knew he was no match for Akainu in a fair fight. There was still a massive chasm between them. If he failed to recognize that, he'd be dead within minutes. Arrogance in this world was a one-way ticket to the grave.
He just needed to stall the "Red Dog" for a moment!
"Whitebeard Pirates..." Akainu moved with the speed of a vengeful god, reaching the harbor in seconds. Bullets and shells passed harmlessly through his elemental body.
"Great Eruption!"
Magma flooded from Akainu's arm as he prepared to deliver a crushing blow to the Moby Dick.
"Ah... no... the Moby Dick is finished!" "No!" a pirate screamed, falling to his knees. "How can we face Pops and the Commanders if we lose the ship!?"
Just as despair threatened to swallow the crew, a startled shout rang out.
"Look! What's that?"
The pirates looked up to see a dark silhouette rapidly expanding behind Akainu. A man was hurtling through the sky, blade in hand, aimed straight for the Admiral's back.
"Drake..."
Luffy, Ace, and Sabo all watched with bated breath.
"The Dragon Rises from the Sea, the Flame-Wave Breaks the Slag—Only the Rainbow Remains!"
A crimson blade-light tore through the heavens, leaving a trail like a setting sun across the sky, as Vale D. Drake struck with everything he had.
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