The Holy Master was miserable…
First he'd turned himself into an ordinary bystander and sat quietly at the counter drinking—only to get booted over by Teach's men. Now someone wanted an angel to kill him for no reason?
Seriously. Did I wrong any of you!?
Keisha lifted a finger. Her aura folded away, and her battle attire slipped back to its original dress.
"Hu… hu…"
With the pressure gone, Akainu gulped air greedily. For a heartbeat just now… he'd thought he was dead. He wanted to strike back, yet couldn't even summon the courage to lift a hand. It wasn't just a gap in strength—it felt like being crushed by a higher species.
"You're right. By principle, I should kill them," Keisha said with a pleasant smile.
The demon "father and son" froze.
Wait—she's serious!?
In an instant both of them flared fully, no longer suppressing their presence. Cold, sinister, suffocating power flooded every corner of the tavern.
Keisha didn't so much as blink. "But—sorry. You know this tavern's rule: no fighting."
She'd already parsed Liang Bing's memories: if the tavern gets smashed, Ronn will hang you up and beat you. Keisha had zero interest in testing that.
Crisis averted, the two demons exhaled in relief.
Akainu, meanwhile, went black-faced.
You're kidding me, right? You're an angel—what are you afraid of Ronn for? If he mouths off, cut him down!
He swallowed his temper and asked, low and even: "Fine. Tell me—what is your doctrine?"
Annoyed as he was by Keisha's little "tease," her earlier words had resonated with a man of Absolute Justice. He wanted to hear the shape of her justice.
Behind the bar, Ronn arched a brow.
Oh boy. Class time. Where's my notebook…
Keisha began by outlining Liang Bing's "Decadence & Freedom"—and emphasized what it would do in the short term: a surge in pirates, slavers, and every sort of criminal at sea.
Akainu's expression sank. The seas were barely balanced now—Navy, Four Emperors, Shichibukai. Skirmishes daily, but manageable. A tidal wave of fresh pirates would shatter that balance and plunge the world back into chaos.
"Exactly. Which is why it must be eradicated," Keisha said, settling back comfortably with a sip. "As for my doctrine—it is theocracy. It doesn't fit neatly here. The god judges all lesser civilizations; divine judgment is the most just. Too… macro. It's how we administer the Known Universe."
She tipped her head. "So let's simplify…"
Time slid by.
Until she finished, Akainu sat stock-still, arm frozen midair with a brimming glass he'd forgotten to drink. Her words echoed in his skull. Especially—If war must erupt, then let it erupt. How grand. Justice admits of no doubt.
When he finally came back to himself, he regretted not taking notes.
"Remember this," Keisha's crystalline voice rang through the tavern, like an angel catechizing mortals. "Upon the shackled, let flames descend. The fallen are not to be forgiven. You will sow just order across this world—no matter the cost."
Akainu's gaze blazed. In that instant, he looked upon her the way one looks upon a god they've worshipped all their life.
He ascended—his Absolute Justice sublimated to an even higher creed.
Ronn could already picture a future as Fleet Admiral: Akainu on the rostrum, voice like thunder—"We are born from flames that sear the sinful. We shall purify decay, and in the name of Justice cast down darkness!"—and a tidal roar below: "We swear our lives to Justice!"
War was coming. Bigger than Marineford. And Doflamingo and Akainu would be the two hands that push both sides into it.
"Angel… Lady Keisha—your words, I will carve into my heart. Given time, just order will become the greatest order of this world."
The always-steady Akainu spoke with a tremor he couldn't hide.
Rayleigh leaned toward Ronn, whispering, "This guy's ideology is dangerous. What'll the Five Elders say if they hear this?"
"Probably sacrifice him to the heavens," Ronn murmured. "Right now the World Government's order is the only 'greatest' one allowed."
Rayleigh nodded. "Wonder if Marine HQ's canteen is any good. Might sneak in for a bite."
Ronn: "???"
Whatever the jokes—Akainu was now very dangerous. If he saw a Celestial Dragon butcher a commoner in the street, he might really cry "In Justice's name!" and flatten the Dragon's head with Hound of the Underworld.
Akainu laid a thick bundle of belli on the counter and rose.
"Lady Keisha, I'll take my leave. I must impress this doctrine into every Marine heart."
"Wait," Keisha stopped him. "That witch has already granted power to the decadent. If you meet them, you might not be able to kill them—yet."
She closed her right hand in the air. A double-edged blade flared into existence, its edges glowing red. She held it out to him.
"Take the Flameblade. Let them come to judgment."
Heat rippled through the tavern as the sword manifested.
Akainu accepted it. When the edge kissed the air, ripples spread like water. At the same time, usage protocols blossomed in his mind.
A heartbeat later, his eyes flashed red. He muttered, "With this sword… maybe I can kill those two monsters. And while I'm at it, that old fossil Rayleigh."
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