Naruto: Copy System#623+624: Akainu Makes His Move, Akainu vs. Mihawk

“So, how does freedom feel?” Shin asked Hina, who was staring out at the endless sea.

Hina shot him a sideways glance but said nothing. She already knew the news had spread like wildfire across the seas: A new member had joined the Kuja Pirates.

She was branded, tied to this crew for good.

There was no going back. In the eyes of the Marines, she was now a disgrace. Returning was impossible.

“Shin, there’s some important intel here. You should take a look,” Robin said, walking over with a newspaper in hand.

“Important intel?”

Shin took the paper from her and saw the headline:

Blackbeard had betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates, murdering the 4th Division Commander, Thatch, in the process.

The article also mentioned that the 2nd Division Commander, Ace, was now hunting him down.

“Whitebeard cares more about his ‘sons’ than anything. This is going to get messy,”

Robin could feel that the sea’s fragile peace was about to be shattered.

“Marshall D. Teach is no simpleton,” Shin remarked. “The three scars on Shanks’s eye were left by him.”

Reading the article, Shin knew a major event was imminent.

The Summit War would be on a scale that dwarfed even Roger’s execution—this was going to be a real, all-out battle.

And one of the key players was Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors. Even though Shin had defeated him and stripped him of the title of “World’s Strongest Man,” Whitebeard was still a force to be reckoned with.

But with Shin in the picture, who knew if the Summit War would even happen?

The Marines had to consider him now.

“He’s that strong? And he was just a low-ranking member of the crew... He must have some serious ambitions,” Robin said, her gaze turning thoughtful.

She was a truly intelligent woman and could infer from Shin’s comment that Blackbeard was a man with grand designs.

In the original story, though Whitebeard died, both his crew and the Marines ended up as losers.

Whitebeard was dead, Marineford was in ruins, and Blackbeard emerged as the ultimate winner.

He broke out a crew of the world’s most dangerous criminals from Impel Down, stole Whitebeard’s Devil Fruit power—and became one of the Four Emperors.

“It’s got nothing to do with us. We’ll just sit back and watch the show,” Shin said, setting the paper aside.

There was definitely a good show coming, and it seemed that even with his presence, Blackbeard’s plans were still on track.

For Shin, the Summit War was nothing more than entertainment.

“Whitebeard may be good to his sons, but he would never tolerate a traitor, especially one who murdered another one of his own.” Robin added, a similar look of detached amusement on her face.

————

The Kuja Pirates’ ship sailed slowly toward Amazon Lily.

They weren’t heading back to the New World just yet, they planned to stay on the island for a while.

Shin had originally intended to return to the New World, but with a major event about to unfold on the Grand Line, he decided to stick around.

At the same time, Akainu, who had been on his way to the New World, changed course and headed for Reverse Mountain.

“That useless fool Crocodile is dead. Looks like I’ll have to handle this myself,” Akainu muttered, his eyes narrowed.

He had ordered Crocodile to eliminate Mihawk, but now Crocodile was dead before he could even complete the mission.

Now, Akainu had to handle it personally.

He had no personal grudge against Mihawk, he just saw him as a threat.

The man was too close to one of the Four Emperors, Shanks. Under normal circumstances, Akainu wouldn’t have made a move—Mihawk was every bit as strong as he was.

But now, Mihawk was severely injured and hadn’t fully recovered.

It was the perfect time to strike!!

As for how he’d justify it later, that was simple. He could just fabricate a crime.

But the entire plan hinged on one thing: Mihawk had to die.

————

In the East Blue, the Straw Hat Pirates were sailing toward the Grand Line.

“Finally, the Grand Line!” Luffy’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Though they had lost Nami as their navigator—they had gained Mihawk!

He didn’t plan on staying with them forever, but for now, he was on board. He’d even helped them out of a few jams, like dealing with Smoker.

In the original story, Luffy had only escaped thanks to his father.

This time, Mihawk had handled it.

Even though he’d been seriously injured by Shin, taking down someone like Smoker was still a piece of cake.

They had no idea that Akainu was on his way to kill them.

Luffy’s luck was really something else. He hadn’t even reached the Grand Line, and now an Admiral was coming for his head.

Just as they finally made it over Reverse Mountain and into the Grand Line, they saw a Marine warship waiting for them.

“Why is there a warship here? They’re not here to arrest us, are they?” Usopp asked, his voice trembling with fear.

“Akainu??” Mihawk’s sharp eyes spotted the man standing on the deck, staring right at them.

“Looks like he’s here for me.”

Mihawk was certain. They weren't after Luffy—they were after him. He could guess why.

Even though he was one of the Seven Warlords, the Marines would never pass up a chance to eliminate him. If they took out one Warlord, they could always recruit another. It was no loss to them.

“Who’s Akainu?” Luffy asked, looking at Mihawk with a clueless expression.

Mihawk shot him a look. He already knew Luffy’s grandfather was Garp, but the kid was acting like a complete idiot.

How could he not know who a Marine Admiral was? Even the most ignorant person should know that.

Mihawk didn't dwell on it. He knew what kind of person Luffy was.

“A... an Admiral is here to kill us?”

Usopp swallowed hard, looking like he was about to wet himself. A Marine Admiral—the ultimate authority in the Navy.

They were just rookies starting out. To an Admiral, they were insects. An enemy at that level definitely wasn't here for them.

Like Mihawk said, he was the real target.

“You guys should leave. Akainu is here for me,” Mihawk said. He didn’t want to drag them into his mess. He’d grown fond of them over the past few days and had even started training Zoro.

“He’s strong, right? I might not be a match for him, but I’m not running away,” Luffy said with a huge grin.

No matter who the enemy was, he would never back down.

<><><><><><><><>

Mihawk looked at Luffy, honestly a little touched. But even if Luffy did try to help, he’d be completely useless. They weren’t even in the same league—unless his grandfather Garp showed up.

But even then, Garp couldn’t openly help his pirate grandson.

“Marine Admiral Akainu is not someone you can fight. Staying here will only get in my way,” Mihawk said, standing up with his broken blade in hand.

Although Yoru was severed, he hadn’t discarded it. It was his life. He would never abandon it. Besides, even broken, it was still one of the twelve Supreme Grade swords, a legendary weapon.

Akainu wasted no time on words. He attacked, a torrent of magma shooting toward Mihawk.

Luffy’s ship, the Going Merry, was caught in the line of fire.

Usopp was so scared that he dropped to the deck and squeezed his eyes shut, convinced this was the end.

“Is my dream going to die here before it even begins?” Sanji muttered.

Zoro just stared at Mihawk, silent. He didn’t know if Mihawk could handle Akainu. If he couldn’t, they were all dead.

As the fist of magma flew toward them, Mihawk showed no fear.

“Go.” After speaking, he charged towards Akainu, ignoring his grievous injuries.

“Let’s run!” Usopp said to Luffy through gritted teeth.

It wasn’t that he was a coward, staying here was just suicide. This was an enemy they couldn’t possibly handle.

Besides, Mihawk wasn’t even their crewmate. He was an outsider.

“No. If it wasn’t for Mihawk, we would’ve been caught by Smoker. I’m not abandoning him,” Luffy said firmly.

Call him stupid, call him an idiot—he wasn’t leaving.

Usopp’s eyes went dim.

Looks like he’d signed up with a moron for a captain. This was probably it.

“SINK THAT SHIP,” Akainu ordered his men, referring to the Going Merry.

The Marines on the warship followed his command without hesitation. He was an Admiral, after all. Who were they to disobey?

A volley of cannonballs rained down on the Going Merry.

BOOM BOOM—!!!

A series of explosions lit up the sky, but every cannonball detonated mid-air. Mihawk had sliced through them all with a single strike—along with Akainu's magma fist.

His razor-sharp gaze locked onto the Admiral.

Mihawk didn't waste time asking why he was under attack. He wasn't an idiot—Akainu was here to kill him. Words were pointless now.

Only power would settle this.

As he delivered that slash, the wounds from his fight with Shin tore open, blood soaking through his shirt. That battle had nearly killed him, leaving him in rough shape.

Now, facing Akainu, he knew he wasn't a match. Even at full strength, he might not be able to beat Akainu, let alone now, in his injured state.

————

“Mihawk, you die today,” Akainu said, his eyes glinting with cold light, as if he and Mihawk had some deep-seated hatred.

Mihawk didn’t reply. He dragged his wounded body forward, his broken blade coated in Armament Haki as he slashed at Akainu.

“<Dark Hound!>”

Akainu met the attack without fear, his arm turning into rolling magma.

The two powerhouses clashed, their attacks boiling the very sea around them. Mihawk’s slash split the ocean, while Akainu’s magma sent clouds of steam into the air.

As for the Straw Hat crew, who had wanted to help, they quickly realized they were completely out of their league. They couldn’t even get close.

“Let’s go. We can’t help here,” Usopp yelled at Luffy.

They were just getting in the way.

It was better to leave and at least save themselves.

Zoro and Sanji said nothing.

Normally, they didn’t show their captain much respect, but in a situation like this, they would follow his lead. If Luffy didn’t leave, they wouldn’t either.

Besides, Zoro owed Mihawk for the training. He couldn’t just abandon him.

The clash ended in a stalemate, but it was clear Mihawk was in bad shape.

...

“Mihawk, with those injuries, you’re no match for me,” Akainu said calmly.

He was taking advantage of the situation, but he didn’t care. He didn't give a damn about his reputation. All that mattered was eliminating the threat of Mihawk.

“<Inugami Guren!>”

His arm transformed into magma, then into the head of a molten dog that lunged at Mihawk. The power of a Logia fruit was truly terrifying.

Akainu was like an erupting volcano, a massive threat. Even a Yonko couldn’t guarantee a win against him—except for Shin, of course.

For Shin, killing Akainu was a one-move affair.

But for the other Yonko, it would be a bloody, drawn-out battle, with the outcome uncertain.

Akainu was incredibly tough and fought with a suicidal ferocity.

Mihawk slashed with a green sword aura, meeting the molten dog head-on. The sword aura tore through the dog and continued toward Akainu.

Akainu didn’t even bother dodging. The slash wasn’t coated in Armament Haki, so his elemental form was immune. With elementalization, he was practically immune to all physical attacks.

It was an incredibly overpowered ability.

Even a great swordsman like Mihawk was at a disadvantage. Akainu used Moonwalk and charged straight at him.

“It’s over. He can fly. We can’t win,” Usopp said in despair.

“You’re already scared, and you haven’t even faced him yet,” Zoro said, glancing at Usopp. But he knew Usopp was a coward and didn’t expect him to help.

“Should we make a move?”

Zoro ignored Usopp and asked Luffy. Mihawk was in a bad spot. If they didn’t help, he’d be defeated soon.

This was a nightmare for the Straw Hat crew. They had just entered the Grand Line, and now Akainu was here to kill them. Although the target wasn't them, they were still in deep trouble.