Chapter 589: Kaido's Divine Intervention
Ian was now utterly enraged!
When Kaido woke up, everyone had already noticed the situation over there, so he saw clearly when Kuina’s figure was swallowed!
Damn it, a Navy Admiral, and you actually dodged at a critical moment!? Don’t you know that there are your Navy soldiers behind you!?
Well, Ian also knew that with Akainu’s ruthless nature, the lives of ordinary Navy soldiers were never something he cared about. This kind of thing was indeed something he would do, very normal for him. After all, he was injured, so it was understandable that he didn’t want to face Kaido head-on.
But… but behind you was my sister!
Earlier, when Akainu’s hands turned to glass, Ian had considered whether to cripple his hands, but he gave up on the idea. He was here to stop this war, and if a Navy Admiral were to be crippled, the shame would make the Navy not rest until they had revenge. Perhaps at that time, both sides, driven by rage, would only leave Shanks’ influence to de-escalate the situation…
However, fate is so unpredictable. If Ian had known that Akainu would avoid the fight due to his injured hands, resulting in Kuina being affected, he would have killed Akainu, even at the cost of escalating the war!
Ian wasn’t the only one seeing red—Zoro was too! He had also recognized Kuina’s figure, so when Ian charged out, Zoro didn’t hesitate. Biting down on his blade, he charged out as well, both of their eyes burning with intense killing intent. Ian rushed straight for the head of Kaido’s Yamata no Orochi form, while Zoro leaped into the air, attacking Akainu mid-flight!
The sudden turn of events left both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy in a daze. They couldn’t understand why Ian and Zoro were acting this way, but the Whitebeard Pirates didn’t need to think too much about it. They only needed to know that Ian was their family, and if he wanted to fight, they would fight!
Without waiting for Whitebeard’s command, the pirates swarmed towards the Navy!The war that seemed almost over was now once again in turmoil, and even showing signs of escalation.
“What the hell is going on!?” Sengoku broke out in a cold sweat. He clearly saw the murderous look in Ian’s eyes. “Who is that Navy Lieutenant!? Why has she provoked Ian like this!?”
“That’s Lieutenant Commander Kuina!” White Hunter Smoker, who was about to charge forward to confront the pirates, stopped when he overheard Sengoku and explained, “She might be friends with Ian because she’s also from the East Blue…”
Smoker had seen kuina and Ian’s confrontation back in Marineford. He could sense that although Kuina and Ian were fighting, they were probably familiar with each other.
“Damn it!” Hearing Smoker’s words, Sengoku couldn’t help but feel annoyed. He thought, “What the hell, Akainu? How did you mess up so badly!? You’ve stirred up such a big mess?”
In mid-air, Akainu, leaping, couldn’t risk using his hands to block Zoro’s strike. His hands were fragile now; applying even a little force might shatter them. Thus, he took Zoro’s blade on his chest.
However, Zoro now possessed a faint Haki. His dual swords struck Akainu’s chest, causing two wounds and sending him crashing to the ground with great force.
With a loud thud, Akainu landed awkwardly on the ground, glaring up at Zoro as he fell. His anger surged within him.
“You bastard! Even such minor characters… When did it become acceptable for any cat and dog to lay a hand on an Admiral!?”
Ian had already reached Kaido’s Yamata no Orochi head. Raising his hand, he swung his blade, engulfed in blazing flames, aiming to sever the snake’s neck to rescue Kuina. However, his strike only penetrated a few inches deep!
It’s worth noting that Ian’s “Wicked King Immolation Slash” could even cut through seastone. Yet, the damage inflicted on Kaido was minimal. This guy’s body strength was truly outrageous.
Earlier, when Kaido broke free from the seastone shackles, Ian noticed that he relied on his own strength, even under the restriction of seastone. Not only did he possess such an incredibly strong steel body, but his strength was also astonishing. No wonder he became one of the most troublesome Emperors for the Navy.
As Ian gritted his teeth, preparing to continue his assault, he suddenly noticed that the snake body formed by Kaido’s transformation was trembling slightly.
“Huh!?” Turning his head, Ian discovered that the huge mouth at the skull’s location was gradually opening!
“What the hell is going on!?” Kaido himself was also surprised. He could feel a tremendous force pushing open the snake’s skull from the inside!
Kuina wasn’t swallowed. Although bitten by the snake’ skull, just as the ferocious mouth closed, Kuina also transformed into her Asura form. With three swords in her hands, she pressed one sword against the upper jaw, another against the lower jaw, and then slowly applied force. Astonishingly, she forcibly pried open Kaido’s already closed mouth!
This scene was witnessed by many, who, amazed and stunned, watched Kuina in her three-headed, six-armed Asura form!
“Another… another Mythical Zoan!?” Sengoku almost dropped his glasses. Having never seen Kuina before, he couldn’t have imagined that there would be such a female Navy officer in his own ranks…
“Kuina!!” Ian was both shocked and delighted. He immediately stopped what he was doing and rushed over to help Kuina escape from the snake’s mouth.
Looking at Ian, although touched by his and Zoro’s quick arrival to save her, Kuina couldn’t help but softly reproach, “Big Brother Ian, you’re too impulsive. This way, others might find out about our relationship!”
“What does it matter if they know? Seeing your younger sister is dangerous, can you still hold back!?” Ian also glared at her, whispering, “We can just quit the Navy if it comes down to it!”
Kuina shook her head, unwilling to discuss the matter further with Ian.
However, at this moment, Kaido also saw Kuina’s appearance and couldn’t help but feel ecstatic.
The Mythical Devil Fruit abilities were unique to the Zoan-type Devil Fruits. Kaido was extremely surprised to see another user of Mythical Zoan abilities here, but more than that, he was filled with joy.
“Hahaha! Little girl, come with me! The Beast Pirates could really use someone like you!”
With that said, Kaido reached out towards Kuina!
“How dare you!” Ian roared, about to rush towards Kaido, but to his surprise, Kuina whispered, “Go help Zoro!”
Then she took the initiative against Kaido! Leaping up, the sword in her hand slashed towards the hand Kaido reached out!
Bang! The Haki emanating from Kuina’s sword clashed with the Haki on Kaido’s palm. Although her Haki strength couldn’t match Kaido’s, the immense power from her Asura Fruit immediately pushed Kaido’s palm away!
Those who witnessed this scene were stunned, especially the Navy. They couldn’t fathom that a Navy Lieutenant Commander could actually confront Kaido head-on!
It’s not that Kuina’s strength surpassed that of Garp, who was previously sent flying by Kaido. In fact, quite the opposite. Garp could match Kaido in Haki and physical prowess, but he was sent flying because he was at a disadvantage in terms of strength and physique.
While Kuina’s Haki and martial arts might not be as strong as Garp’s, her strength was enough to compensate for it, making it appear as though they were evenly matched.
Only Ian knew that while Kuina might be able to hold off Kaido for a moment, it wouldn’t be for long. Meanwhile, Akainu and Aokiji had resumed their battle with Marco and Enel, leaving only Fujitora to provide some gravitational assistance.
So Ian thought for a moment and immediately rushed over to help Zoro.
Akainu’s hands were incapacitated, but he still had his legs. At this moment, he was unleashing a barrage of Rankyaku kicks, clashing with Zoro’s flying slashes. His Rankyaku was incredibly powerful, able to disperse Zoro’s sword aura!
At that moment, Ian appeared from the side, thrusting his sword towards Akainu!
Akainu could only dodge, but Ian’s momentum was locked onto him. His relentless barrage of slashes targeted Akainu’s glassified hands!
Ian was now truly enraged. Damn it, even if the devil himself came today, he would still disable Akainu’s damn hands!
Akainu also sensed the unusual ferocity in Ian and knew this was bad. He had no intention of getting entangled with Ian. Raising his leg, he delivered several kicks, blocking Ian’s slashes before attempting to leap backward.
However, Ian had anticipated this. As soon as Akainu jumped, Ian suddenly abandoned his sword, freeing his right hand to grab Akainu’s ankle!
With pitch-black Armament Haki enveloping his hand, Ian firmly grasped Akainu’s physical form. Akainu reacted swiftly, sending another Rankyaku kick slashing at Ian’s shoulder!
Despite this, Ian showed no intention of dodging. He allowed the Rankyaku to strike his shoulder, its force breaking through his Armament Haki and drawing blood.
Simultaneously, black flames erupted from Ian’s hand that held Akainu’s ankle!
Akainu felt a sharp pain from his ankle, realizing he had been burned by Ian’s intense flames. He didn’t cry out, instead furiously kept on kicking Ian.
Blood splattered from multiple cuts on Ian’s body, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain. With a roar, he grabbed Akainu’s ankle and began to spin!
Akainu was hurled into the air by Ian’s grab!
After spinning a few times, Ian suddenly let go, flinging Akainu in Kaido’s direction!
Just like a thrown weapon, Ian launched Akainu towards Kaido. One could only imagine what Kaido, seeing this human projectile, would think in such a situation!
Instinctively, Kaido swung a fist horizontally at the incoming Akainu!
In mid-air, Akainu didn’t need to turn around to sense Kaido behind him. Feeling the gust of wind from the attack, he immediately attempted to use Geppo to dodge.
However, Akainu couldn’t fly, a limitation of his Devil Fruit ability. A mass of molten lava can’t possibly fly, so his usual aerial maneuvers were all performed using Geppo.
Of course, that was when he was in perfect condition…
Just as he kicked out with Geppo, Akainu felt intense pain in his ankle!
That brief distraction prevented him from taking off immediately, and then… Kaido’s arm struck him directly!
With a crashing sound, like glass shattering, the noise echoed across the entire battlefield!
The navy, witnessing this scene, were all stunned! They saw Akainu, under Kaido’s hammering arm, with his glass-like arms shattering into countless glittering fragments, falling from the sky…