A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

Chapter 915 Now that things have come to this, there's no other way but to sacrifice Akainu's face.

The New World, the Torant Sea.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Akainu, upon receiving the Five Elders' order to "temporarily retreat and await further instructions," immediately flew into a rage.

You know, they just issued the order for a 'general offensive in three days' yesterday, and it has already been communicated to all the navy personnel they brought. And yet they want to retreat the very next day?

Changing orders frequently will only damage the navy's prestige and its own reputation!

"If we just retreat like this, where will I put my pride?!" Akainu protested to the Five Elders.

Immediately afterwards, Akainu heard a sarcastic remark that infuriated him.

"What does your pride matter? It's worthless compared to the lives of Celestial Dragons!!"

"Don't think that just because you're a mere admiral, you're above all else. Even a fleet admiral would have to carry out my orders!!"

"A soldier's orders are to be obeyed; you just need to follow them!"

"If you don't want to do it, we can replace you anytime! Don't be ungrateful!!"

"What?? You really want those 3 navy men to their deaths? Just for your worthless pride? Or do you want to use their lives to accumulate your own military merits?"

The Five Elders vented their anger and then hung up the phone, while Akainu sat in his office, his lungs practically bursting with rage.

Those bastards!!

How could they have the nerve to say such a thing?!

For the sake of face? For the sake of military merit? Am I that kind of person?

Who ordered me to bring the naval forces here a few days ago? And who gave themselves the order to launch a full-scale attack on Whole Cake Island in a couple of days? Wasn't it you five old codgers who just sit in Marlenejof drinking tea and chatting?!

As a naval admiral who rose through the ranks based on military merit, I have always acted in accordance with military orders, doing everything in my power to punish evil and restore peace and tranquility to the seas. And now these five old geezers are turning around and slandering the justice in my heart?

The more you endure, the angrier you become; the more you back down, the more you feel you've lost out!

Enraged, Akainu's clenched fist uncontrollably spewed forth fiery magma, which dripped onto the table, scorching it black, burning holes in it, and sending up plumes of white smoke.

In just twenty minutes, Sengoku, in Marineford, and Akainu, in the Torrent Sea, reached a rare consensus on a certain point of view.

Akainu has always considered himself a tough soldier, adhering to 'absolute justice'. He obeys his superiors' orders 100% and shows no mercy to any unstable factors he encounters, such as pirates, revolutionaries, and World Government rebels, even if it means harming civilians!

But this time, he really had a ridiculous feeling of 'what the hell I'm being ordered around by'!

Strict adherence to orders is essential for soldiers, as it is what makes an excellent army. However, frequent changes in orders are also undesirable in military matters, as they would cause those who issue commands to lose credibility. A force that has lost credibility, no matter how well-equipped, how steadfast in its soldiers' beliefs, or how ingenious in its strategist's plans, will struggle to exert sufficient combat power, and may even experience desertion during battle.

Akainu certainly didn't want to see the future Navy filled with cowards who would run away before or during battle. That's why he always showed his subordinates enough authority, ruthlessness, and absolute obedience to all orders from their superiors!

But now, even such a person is unwilling to obediently submit and follow the Five Elders' orders to take the soldiers back!

The pirates were right in front of him. As a Marine Admiral, how could he possibly retreat without a fight?!

The call with the Five Elders had ended, but Akainu was still sitting in his seat, lost in thought. He felt it was necessary to contact Fleet Admiral Sengoku!

Unfortunately, Sengoku's Den Den Mushi couldn't get through because he was currently talking to Kizaru.

"That's the situation. Continue the operation and bring 'The Joker' Buggy to justice as soon as possible! The mages' stance is still undecided, so don't focus on dealing with them for now. As for 'Fire Fist' Ace..."

At this point, Zhan Guo hesitated for a moment.

Having finally gotten this opportunity, he actually wanted to capture Ace, lure out Whitebeard, wipe out his pirate crew, and thus increase the Navy's influence.

As for whether the navy would become enemies with the five major powers of the New World at the same time, Sengoku was not worried.

First, regarding the New World, Sengoku didn't want Akainu to get involved from the beginning, nor did he intend to make such a big show of things. Who knew the Five Elders would insist on going to such lengths? It's good that they've retreated now. Once Kaido, Big Mom, and the mages' battle is over, they can go and reap the rewards.

Then there was the question of whether capturing Bucky would attract Shanks' attention, to which Sengoku replied that he wasn't worried.

Everyone knows that, apart from Big Mom and Whitebeard, most pirates don't go to sea as a family. Even if two people are brothers or father and son, they may not be on the same ship. They basically do their own thing.

Looking back now, would Shanks really risk a full-scale war with the Navy to save a friend with mediocre strength whom he hadn't seen for over 20 years?

The answer is: Impossible!

Buggy is different from Ace. Ace was Whitebeard's 'son' and had been on his ship for three years, where he was treated like a brother by the division commanders. So if Ace is captured, Whitebeard will definitely come to rescue him!

But what about Buggy? His only connection to the Red-Haired Pirates is that he is an old friend of Captain Shanks, someone he hasn't seen for over twenty years. It doesn't have much to do with the crew members themselves.

Let alone whether Shanks himself would want to cause turmoil in the New World, even his crew wouldn't follow their captain's nonsense for a complete stranger like Buggy!

From this perspective, the Navy's concerns are not as numerous as one might imagine.

With that in mind, Sengoku gave his final order to Kizaru on the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "Bring back 'Fire Fist' Ace too!"

"……I see."

Kizaru put away the Den Den Mushi and looked at Sentomaru beside him. "Did you all hear that? Capture 'Clown' Buggy and 'Fire Fist' Ace. The rest can be ignored!"

Although Sentomaru had always followed Vegapunk, he wasn't a political novice and quickly understood Sengoku's plan: "Old man Sengoku wants to fight the Whitebeard Pirates? Why? Is he trying to restore the Navy's prestige?"

"We should just see through these things but not say anything. We should just follow orders."

"Don't worry, I'm the most discreet man on this vast sea!" Sentomaru shouldered his great axe, his face full of pride.

……

Under tree number 19 in the Sabaody Archipelago.

Gildarts, Cana, Ace, Bucky, and the others stopped running. There was a Pacifista in front of them, to their left, and to their right—they had finally been found and were surrounded on three sides.

"That's... Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?!"

Unlike Gildarts and Cana, who were new to the area, Buggy and Ace, who always paid close attention to maritime intelligence, immediately recognized each other's identities.

"Why are those kinds of people here?? And why are there three identical giant bears?!"

"Could they be triplets??"

Kana punched her dad on the head, speechless. "Idiot! Just look at the 'PX—' markings on them, you can tell they're not normal humans! I think they're probably robots, right?"

After she explained it that way, everyone agreed that it made sense, but...

"What kind of robot would use a bear's image as its template?!"

Before the group could figure out the reason, they heard the giant bear in front of them emit a mechanical electronic voice: "Target located 'The Joker' Bucky, launch an attack!!"

Immediately afterwards, the three pacifists opened their mouths and raised their hands.

Nine golden laser cannons suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes, emitting a rapid 'beep beep beep' sound.

"What?!" ×N

"Oh no!! Get out of the way!!"

Rumble—!!

Nine lasers were fired simultaneously toward the center, creating continuous explosions that blasted the area surrounding them into scorched earth.

"What terrifying attack power...!!"

Bucky, who was brought out of the danger zone at the last minute, couldn't help but turn around when he heard the sound. He was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and clicked his tongue in disbelief.

Stop looking around and focus, we're surrounded now!

Ignoring Buggy's underlings, there are now four combatants here: three Pacifistas. The four of them have a tacit division of labor: Gildarts and Ace each deal with one, and the last one is handled by Cana and Buggy working together.

"Can you handle this, brat?" Bucky stared at the big red nose, looking at Cana beside him with suspicion, as if he had great doubts about her abilities.

Realizing she might be underestimated, Kana immediately sneered: "I'm definitely stronger than you! I can handle this kind of guy with ease!"

After saying that, Cana stared intently at Bucky, as if waiting for his mockery. Then she could use her overwhelming strength to instantly kill the robot in front of her, and finally leisurely enjoy the clown's shocked expression.

Unexpectedly, Bucky didn't mock her. Instead, he breathed a sigh of relief and gave her a thumbs up: "That's good... I'll leave the rest of the battle to you!"

"Get lost!! Who's going to protect you?!"

Chapter 916 Armed Deployment

"Crush!!"

"Emperor Yan - Great Flame Ring!!"

"The radiance of a fairy!!"

Ten minutes later, accompanied by three earth-shattering sounds, all the residents of the Sabaody Archipelago witnessed a scene they would never forget: an unprecedented spectacle woven from a powerful white current, a fireball burning like the sun, and a dazzling light that gathered the power of the sun, moon, and stars.

This extraordinary sight came from area 19, reaching straight to the sky, and drew gasps of wonder from everyone on the island.

Some say it was a spectacle resulting from a battle between the navy and pirates; others say it was a reward from heaven for a certain red-nosed hero who punished the Celestial Dragons.

In short, the strange phenomenon that occurred on this day in the Sabaody Archipelago, along with the incident of 'Buggy the Clown beating up a Celestial Dragon,' was firmly remembered by the people of the entire sea after being reported by the Economic News Agency.

Back to the present, under Tree 19, the three pacifist machines are now destroyed, their bodies lying scattered on the ground. The mottled ground and the ironware emitting a faint, foul-smelling black smoke tell the story of a thrilling battle that has just taken place here.

The most chaotic one was the one that fought Gildarts. Under the cutting magic, it couldn't even last three minutes before being completely dismembered. The programs that made up its body's functions had lost all their power after the metal hardware was destroyed, turning it into scrap metal.

The machine that fought Ace had its clothes destroyed and parts of its body melted into molten iron by the high-temperature flames. It was now lying limp on the ground in a semi-solid, semi-liquid state, and had also lost the ability to continue operating.

The last Pacifista was the worst off, having been bombarded by the 'Fairy Radiance'. Now, this machine only had half a head and two hands that barely retained their shape. Apart from that, its entire body was shattered into irregular pieces of metal the size of fingers, scattered across hundreds of meters in radius.

Right now, the only person in the entire world who thinks these metals are still useful is probably Eustass Kid, the supernova who ate the Magnet-Magnet Fruit—these metals are useless for other things, but they are enough to assemble a giant iron arm.

Bucky's legs trembled, and his shaky eyes stared at Cana as if she were a strange creature: "You're so strong? I never would have guessed!"

From childhood, Cana was often praised for her high alcohol tolerance, but rarely for her strength. So when she heard Bucky sincerely exclaim that she was strong, she happily pinched his big red nose, accepting his flattery: "Well said! That's right, I'm that strong! Even if a hundred more of these robots came, I could easily take them down!"

After saying that, Cana stretched out her hand in front of Bucky and proudly showed off the black magic mark on her right forearm. It was a magic circle that stored magic power; otherwise, it would have been quite troublesome for her to activate 'Fairy Radiance' with her own magic power alone.

"You...you bastard...let go of my nose!!"

Bucky, whose nose was being pinched, let out a protest with a heavy nasal tone, but unfortunately, Cana seemed to be drunk and was playing with his red nose like a dice.

"Don't be so stingy, let me play with it for a while. I've never seen such an interesting nose before..."

Kana tossed the red round nose around for a while before listlessly returning it to Bakian. Then, under his resentful but defiant gaze, she asked, "I heard you also have the ability to tear things apart. Can't you do that?"

Bucky looked in the direction she was pointing and saw Gildarts chatting with Ace, and in front of him was a pile of PX-1 corpses cut into pieces by the Shattering Magic.

"The ability of a Devil Fruit to influence external objects is something only Paramecia-type Devil Fruit users can do after awakening, and there are very few Devil Fruit users who have awakened their powers in the entire ocean..."

Before the group could even get a proper rest, a voice suddenly rang out from the side.