Boom!
Akainu slammed his fist onto the table. "Ten!?"
His furious gaze swept across the assembled Marines. "Didn't I order you all to continue the full-scale extermination of pirates in the first half of the Grand Line? Why are there so many Supernovas this year!?"
His rage burned.
For the past ten years, Akainu had personally ensured that no more than three pirates reached Sabaody Archipelago each year.
In fact, fewer than one Supernova per year had made it to the New World under his watch.
The only exceptions were three years ago when he had let Ace and Sabo slip through his fingers.
But other than that, he had been the executioner of the Supernovas, and the number he had killed had already reached double digits.
Now, because of his preoccupation with becoming fleet admiral, he had momentarily turned his attention away.
And what happened?
A record-breaking number of rookies had reached Sabaody—more than in any year in history.
Akainu clenched his jaw.
He cast a disdainful look around the room, filled with powerful Marines, yet he felt that none of them were worth relying on.
Then, he thought of Kuke.
Kuke's subordinates were also powerful, yet they were fiercely loyal and efficient.
Meanwhile, his own subordinates were lazy, incompetent fools.
"Who are they?"
Akainu snatched the dossier from the intelligence officer.
Flipping through the list, his eyes quickly locked onto a few names.
"Eustass Kid… Killer…"
The most notorious Supernova this year.
A flash of murderous intent flickered in his eyes.
"Monkey D. Luffy… Roronoa Zoro… Basil Hawkins… Scratchmen Apoo… Jewelry Bonney… Capone Bege… Urouge… Kalifa…"
His gaze lingered on several names.
Luffy.
"Monkey D…?" Akainu's expression darkened. That cursed initial again.
And then, his attention shifted away from the high-bounty male Supernovas.
Instead, his eyes fell on the two women among them: Jewelry Bonney and Kalifa.
The dossier included their photographs.
Both were young.
Both were attractive.
Akainu had no personal interest in women.
But seeing two female Supernovas in the same generation triggered a thought.
Every powerful, renowned female pirate in the world eventually ended up joining the Sun and Moon Pirates.
The gender imbalance in piracy was stark. For years, female Supernovas were a rarity.
And now, two had appeared in the same year.
He narrowed his eyes.
"What are their backgrounds?"
A suspicion took root in his mind.
Were they truly just pirates?
Or… something else?
His gaze drifted toward the intelligence officer.
The intelligence coming in was from the World Government.
The officer gave a subtle nod and tapped a specific page in the dossier.
It was Kalifa's file.
Akainu flipped to it.
The contents were different from the standard intelligence.
It confirmed his suspicion.
Kalifa was a World Government spy.
Her true identity and mission were detailed.
Ten years ago, the World Government had begun selecting young girls from within their controlled regions.
They were trained intensively, conditioned from childhood, and molded into perfect spies.
Over a decade ago, Stussy had attempted to infiltrate the Sun and Moon Pirates.
The plan had failed.
Stussy had defected to Kuke's side.
The Five Elders had been furious.
Upon reflection, they concluded that the failure wasn't due to poor planning.
It was because Stussy had not been raised by the World Government from the start.
Her loyalty had not been absolute.
The infiltration plan had been sound.
And they refused to abandon it.
Thus, Kalifa had been trained from childhood, preparing her for this moment.
This year, with the ten-year mark approaching, the time had come.
If Kalifa could gain entry into the Sun and Moon Pirates and acquire even the smallest fragment of useful information, then her mission would be worthwhile.
Akainu nodded in approval.
Flipping through her records, he saw the extensive training she had undergone.
Eleven years ago, she had been chosen.
For over a decade, she had been indoctrinated, trained, and brainwashed.
Her loyalty to the World Government was beyond question.
Now that he understood their scheme, Akainu let out a cruel smirk.
It reassured him that the World Government was actively working to crush the Sun and Moon Pirates.
He snapped his fingers.
A surge of magma erupted in his hand.
Instantly, the dossier burst into flames.
All records of the Supernovas—including Kalifa's true mission—were incinerated.
No one else needed to know.
Not even the admirals.
"This batch of Supernovas… where are they now? They haven't reached the New World yet, have they?"
"They're already at Sabaody Archipelago, sir."
A lethal gleam flashed in Akainu's eyes.
"Good.
"When I ascend as Fleet Admiral, I will pave my path with their corpses.
"I will remind this world that Sakazuki does not coexist with criminals."
Akainu stood abruptly.
It was time to move.
"Issho, Aramaki—you're coming with me.
"It's time for the world to recognize you as admirals."
He turned to Fujitora and Ryokugyu, the two newly appointed admirals.
They were powerful but untested.
While their reputations existed, they had not yet established fear.
Even within the Marines, doubt lingered over whether they truly deserved the rank of admiral.
This mission would fix that.
Eliminating the Supernovas at Sabaody would cement their status as the highest military force of the Marines.
"This year's batch is so dangerous that we need this much firepower?"
Kizaru raised an eyebrow.
Bringing Akainu and two admirals just to deal with rookies seemed excessive.
This force could wipe out entire empires.
Akainu didn't bother explaining.
He had two concerns.
First—Silvers Rayleigh was at Sabaody.
Second—Luffy's lineage.
That cursed name Monkey D. made him uneasy.
Bringing more firepower was a precaution.
And besides—this was also about making a statement.
"If we can capture a Sea Emperor," Akainu murmured, "executing one of them during my ascension would be even better."
His ambition burned hot.
Supernovas were acceptable.
But if he could eliminate a Yonko, it would be a true victory.
Nothing would shatter the pirate world's morale like the public execution of an emperor.
"Have there been any movements from the New World monsters?"
Akainu asked, though he already knew the answer.
He wanted to attack the emperors.
But he knew the World Government wouldn't allow it—not with Kuke still active.
The intelligence officer responded quickly, deliberately omitting any mention of the Sun and Moon Pirates.
"Whitebeard and Kaido have not left their strongholds.
"Red-Haired Shanks' movements remain unknown—his location is untraceable."
Akainu frowned.
No openings.
"Unfortunate," he muttered.
He had hoped for one of them to wander into his domain.
"Forget it. Supernovas will have to do."
He turned back to his men.
"Prepare the fleet.
"We set sail for Sabaody Archipelago immediately."
Three massive warships departed from Marineford.
A small fleet.
But on board were three of the Marines' strongest forces.
Akainu.
Fujitora.
Ryokugyu.
Along with a battalion of elite forces.
It was the largest deployment of Marine power in the past ten years.
A storm was about to descend upon Sabaody.
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DONT FORGET POWER STONE
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