(Vol 4) CHAPTER - 28 { Factor Elimination Part-1 }

Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Akainu and Blaze glared at each other.

"Hai, enough you two. Sengoku, what's the plan?"

Vice Admiral Tsuru stopped the two as she asked Sengoku. Kizaru and Aokiji leaned forward and paid more attention to the upcoming plan.

Sengoku exhaled a breath and took on a solemn expression.

"We will go after the Devil. The five elders have already sent the troops, we need to prepare immediately to head to New World."

As Sengoku finished, everyone in the room went silent until Grap slammed his fist on his palm and grinned.

"Then what's there to discuss? I will ready the ships!"

Grap stood up and left the room, soon the others also felt, Sengoku was alone in the office at last.

"Haah…"

He sighed and rested on the chair. Sengoku has grown old, and it won't be long before the position of the Fleet Admiral is changed.

He still remembered the first time he heard about the Devil, Akuma, it was in a poem.

It goes:

Far Far away,

In the land of darkness.

There resided a tiny, Insane red creature,

Awaiting until the Sanity returns.

Time went in years,

It grew to feed on liars.

Not long ago when the Devil escaped,

In the land of darkness, desolation came.

Green forest, brown trees,

Wooden houses, children's freed.

Desperate Devil was in hungry,

But stopped as Sanity arrived.

Blunder their fates,

Stupid their mistakes.

Separate ways they went,

Even though two paths meet.

Sanity and Insanity, one on side,

Devil be or Angel, death alike.

Even until now Sengoku could only understand half of the poem. It was very famous in his younger days.

Sometimes he would wonder, was the Devil real or was everything created to scare little children.

But now, in his elderly years, Sengoku personally witnessed the Devil's empire.

"What exactly will the end be?"

* * *

In the Marine Headquarters, numerous Navy warships were ready to set sail any moment.

Each of the Admirals led more than 300 warships, hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Even so, their movements weren't caught by any of the pirates in Paradise.

The Marines did it quickly, and gathered all the ships and soldiers for war.

Within two days, a fleet of more than 1.5 million soldiers, all the four Admirals, tens of Vice Admirals and thousands of ships sailed.

If it was a few years ago, none of the Four Emperors would like to fight this fleet.

But now, Marines could only exert control over the two seas and the first half of GrandLine, Paradise.

Yes, North Blue and South Blue were already under the Devil a few months ago when the Marines found it out.

Only the Fleet Admiral Sengoku remained in the Marine Headquarters, as it was his job to maintain it.

On the bow of the leading warship, Akainu crossed his arms over his chest and gazed at the blue sea horizon.

The Navy warships had traveled and reached near Sabaody Archipelago.

Soon enough, the huge trees appeared in Akainu's vision. On the land, tens of people gathered in crowds.

Surprisingly, these people didn't look to be in proper conditions. Some were injured, wounded, not one looked good. Their skin purple and black, bloodshot eyes, ragged clothes and beastly expressions.

"So this is Undead."

Akinu was seeing it for the first time unlike Kizaru and Aokiji. The virus which Akuma had spread in Sabaody Archipelago was very terrifying.

Boom!

A beam of light shot at the people, which blasted them off. Red blood, pieces of flesh and bones scattered on the land.

The one who shot that beam of light was Kizaru with his unconcerned face.

"We detour."

Akainu gave his orders, as he was assigned the one to lead the fleet on behalf of Sengoku.

The huge fleet of Navy warships detoured around Sabaody and went slightly further.

"Coat the ships!"

The soldiers responsible for coating the ships in airtight bubbles dispersed and started their work.

The device they would be using to coat the warships was created not long ago and was very useful. It could help to coat a ship within half a day.

"Do you think it's safe to go underwater? Fish-Man island is already one of the Devil's territories."

Blaze came next to Aokiji and asked with worry in his voice. Blaze became a Marine Admiral not long ago so he wasn't really aware of their full strength.

"It's do or die. If there's a trap, we will die. If there's no trap, the Devil will likely die."

Aokiji responded with a serious but also uninterested expression.

"We can only hope for the best."

Aokiji completed his words then headed inside the warship to rest temporarily. Blaze stood there on the deck with empty eyes.

"I have a really bad feeling…"

Muttered Blaze, he turned and leaped from the deck of one warship to another.

The reason for the Marines to go through underwater, was because they didn't have any choice.

It was an emergency, and the other routes were either blocked or destroyed by the Devil's Pirates.

And going over the Red Line was impossible, as they needed to transport the warships as well.

So, the only option left was underwater near the Fish-Man island, which was Akuma's territory.

After a day, all the Navy warships were finally coated with airtight bubbles.

"All dive!"

With Akainu's order, all the warships dived in the water and sank down to the bottom.

* * *

Fish-Man island___

Akuma stood at the edge of the island, his hands were in his pockets.

Behind him were many people. Among which, one was just too big to be unnoticed.

"Sob. Sob. I am scared!"

Shirahoshi cried as tears rolled down her cheeks, which were then wiped by Joker using a very small handkerchief.

"Don't cry, Don't cry. See this. Peekaboo!"

Joker, who was on her shoulder, let out his tongue and grinned at Shirahoshi with his white makeup on.

Shirahoshi bit her lower lips, she really wanted to say that Joker wasn't being funny in the slightest.

"Child, you must compose yourself. We trained for this moment, right?"

With her tiny wings, Dance flew in the air and came before Shirahoshi. Pain, pity and grief were hidden in her eyes.

'I caused this child to be a toy in the Devil's hands…'

Dance turned gloomy as she thought about all those months she and Shirahoshi spent together.

Shirahoshi might not know, but Dance did. Shirahoshi's family were all killed by Akuma back when Fish-Man island was invaded by the Devil's Pirates.

All this time, Shirahoshi thought that her family was captured and trapped by Akuma. As long as she worked hard, she could see or even free her family.

"Shirahoshi, you will have only one chance. If you fail, you with all your race will face extermination."

Akuma said with an indifferent face. His words, however, were terrifying in Shirahoshi's ears.

'E-Extermination!'

Shirahoshi turned pale in fright. She quickly nodded her head and stayed silent without crying anymore.

Joker glanced at her, and sighed. Dance on a rock and sat down to relax her wing muscles.

Few hours passed, Akuma's eyes caught some small shadows in the water further away from the Fish-Man island.

With his strong observation haki, Akuma saw a huge fleet of Navy warships.

A strange feeling came in his heart, Akuma pulled out his hands from his pockets and clenched them tightly.

"Marines, this will be your grave."