Adrian had never intended to kill them from the start.
The reason was simple.
If they died, who would he extort next?
In his eyes, whether it was Garp, the Admirals, or any other Navy personnel—they were all just crops of chives: cut one harvest, they'd grow back, cut again, over and over. That was how you maximized profit. Killing them would be nothing but killing the hen for its eggs.
Someone who did that would have to be a fool. Adrian wasn't stupid—and he wasn't reckless. So from beginning to end, what the Navy's attack represented to him was merely an annoyance, not a mortal duel to the death. Beating them was enough. Keeping them alive ensured more future gains. Later he could kidnap Luffy again, collect ransom from Garp, and run another profitable bandit operation.
So he beat them—but did not slaughter them.
Hearing that, Garp exploded. "You son of a—do you think I'm some egg-laying hen?!!!" He was furious. The implication that he and the Navy could be used repeatedly as a cash source outraged him. And the worst part—he couldn't beat this bastard.
No—Adrian's time-based ability made him a nightmare. Catching him was nearly impossible. If the Marines couldn't take him down, he would simply treat the Navy like a free buffet, coming back to dine whenever he pleased. The weak would be in real danger.
"See you next time, old man Garp." Adrian waved with a smile and vanished from Garp's sight.
Garp stood in stunned silence. Then, furious, he swore. "Damn it! I never want to see you again, you worthless brat!!!" That "see you" from Adrian wasn't a casual farewell; it hinted at future extortion—another kidnapped relative and another ransom demand. Garp understood, and his anger turned to curses. This man was beyond shame.
Garp's mind hardened: "From now on, Luffy should be a Navy kid under my watch." Rather than let Luffy roam and be snatched again, better to keep him under Garp's eyes at Marine HQ—less chance for Adrian to grab the boy and squeeze money out of the old hero.
…
"Madara—retreat." Adrian moved to Madara's side and said it quietly. Madara immediately withdrew Susanoo and prepared to leave with Adrian.
But Akainu stepped forward, stopping them. "You two heinous criminals—don't think you can escape!" He raised his hand and unleashed another massive Magma Fist. The molten fist surged toward them, the heat wavering in midair.
"Akainu, are you looking for death?" Adrian raised an eyebrow from midair. He drew his blade—Ruribana—and with one cut split the magma fist clean down the middle.
At his level, Akainu's strength was nothing special. He was merely arrogant. No more, no less.
"Pathetic pirate—how dare you mouth off." Akainu snarled.
Adrian simply kicked. Akainu was caught off guard. The blow sent him flying; he smashed through a building before collapsing in the wreckage. "No brains, just bone-headed pride," Adrian sighed, letting his Armament Haki dissipate. Fighting a Logia user required Haki, but dealing with Akainu had been trivial.
"Yellow Monkey—are you going to intervene?" Adrian glanced at Kizaru.
Kizaru blinked. "Ah…nah. I'm not risking these old bones. You're too strong." He raised both hands in surrender. Better to half-heartedly stall than get pulverized.
In the aftermath of Adrian and Garp's clash, the explosion had wiped out the Den Den Mushi network used to live-broadcast the battle. The stream had gone dark—no need for the Admirals to strain themselves for show. A little caution saved them the humiliation of going all out and getting cornered.
Adrian regarded Kizaru with a hint of approval—smart man. No need to press the advantage.
"Leave, Madara." Adrian signaled. Madara followed. The two dashed toward Loguetown's harbor.
Kizaru exhaled, relieved. Both of those men were nightmares to face head-on; if they had stood their ground, Kizaru would have merely been pummeled—or worse. Their departure felt like the end of the fight.
…
At the port, Lucci launched into attack—Rokushiki: Pistols!! His Haki-coated claws ripped into Aokiji's (Kuzan's) body. But where the wound opened, ice quickly formed and filled the gash; Aokiji's flesh knit back as if nothing had happened.
Elementalization.
As a Logia of Ice, Kuzan could preemptively elementalize himself to avoid harm. If he read the timing of an attack with Observation Haki and then shifted into his element, even Armament-wrapped strikes would fail to land. Elemental forms are nearly invulnerable—unless the enemy strikes without giving any opportunity to read their move, or unless the attacker's Haki is strong enough to override it.
But then—thwack!—a figure appeared beside Kuzan and delivered a blistering kick. Kuzan flew over a thousand meters before slamming onto the frozen sea, coughing blood.
"Cough—cough!" He spat blood and raised his head to look. Two silhouettes stood where the fight had been. One of them was Adrian. Kuzan immediately guessed what had happened here.
Aokiji had frozen the sea to prevent ships from fleeing, and Hashirama had been holding the line defensively, protecting one ship's crew. It turned into a protracted stalemate—without a decisive burst of Haki, a winner wouldn't emerge in hours. Days, even weeks, could be required.
Aokiji's defensive style never exploited the cheap options like Akainu might—otherwise the battle would have been decided quickly. It became a war of attrition, and that favored the Navy's endurance—but only to an extent.
"Hard to deal with, huh? You really made a mess." Adrian scanned the scene and understood. Kuzan had frozen the waters; Hashirama had been defending; there was no easy capture. The Navy's deployment had failed to net them this target. Pity.
Adrian considered abducting Kuzan too—maybe even kidnapping the other Admirals. He'd contemplated it during the battle, but the reality was harsh: catching and binding three Admirals and Garp—each nearly Emperor-tier—was too risky. Holding them captive would take days; the World Government wouldn't sit still. Odds of success were slim without massive backup, and time was his enemy as much as it was theirs.
So he chose the easier marks—second-generation marines and pirates, big-name sons and daughters—people whose ransoms were valuable but whose capture was feasible. Ultimately, his dream was daring: kidnap a Celestial Dragon. That ransom would be astronomical—a true SSS-level bandit score. But for now, smaller game was better.
Kuzan breathed a sigh of relief at Adrian's words; the worst-case scenario had been avoided.
"Let's sail." Adrian told his crew. He felt a twinge of amusement at Kuzan's disbelief—did Kuzan truly think Adrian could be stopped?
"Are you serious?" Kuzan muttered.
"Try to stop me if you dare," Adrian's gaze chilled. Kuzan felt that pressure and wisely stepped back. One man opposing Adrian alone would invite death.
"Do as you will," Kuzan murmured, baffled.
Adrian drew Ruribana into Shikai; the blade's searing heat melted the ice-track Kuzan had made, carving a channel wide enough for two ships. With that, Adrian and his group boarded and set sail, leaving Aokiji to watch.
"This is dangerous," Kuzan whispered as Adrian's fleet departed. "A group like that will cause chaos."
Not long after, Akainu and Kizaru arrived at the port, breathless and furious.
"Kuzan—why didn't you stop them?" Akainu demanded, enraged. He was roughed up and humiliated—especially remembering the kick that had sent him flying and smashed his pride as well as his bones.
"I couldn't stop them," Kuzan answered truthfully. If he'd been able to, he'd already be marshall-admiral by now.
"Okay, Sakazuki, we couldn't stop them. And Kuzan's only one man." Kizaru tried to calm his furious colleague, but the memory of that devastating kick left Akainu's face dark and his wounded pride raw.
…
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/MugiwaraTL