The explosion raged for several long minutes. Marines across the island and civilians throughout Marineford stared wide-eyed at the smoke-shrouded battlefield, unable to look away.
"Atticus, stop!" A furious roar cut through the chaos, carrying the unmistakable anger of Fleet Admiral Kong.
"Zephyr, what are you doing?" Sengoku's voice trembled with shock and disbelief.
"Garp, Sengoku, hold Zephyr back!" Kong shouted again, veins bulging with fury.
"Brat, didn't you hear me tell you to stop?"
A deep thud shook the ground.
Blood sprayed.
As the smoke thinned, a figure crashed to the ground, soaked in red. Atticus lay face-down, his body twitching. A deep wound across his chest revealed bone, the sight alone enough to chill the onlookers.
"Cough… cough…" Atticus's face contorted like that of a tormented spirit, blood pooling beneath him.
The last of the smoke faded, finally revealing what had happened.
Fleet Admiral Kong knelt stiffly, eyes fixed on Akainu. The magma Admiral struggled to breathe, two blazing longswords still lodged in his chest.
Nearby, Zephyr strained against Sengoku and Garp's grip, his expression filled with a mix of rage and anguish.
"Let go of me. I need to check on Atticus." Zephyr's tone was low but heavy with fury.
"Zephyr… well…" Garp avoided his gaze, scratching his head awkwardly.
Sengoku looked no better, wearing an apologetic grimace.
Zephyr ignored them both, using Soru to appear beside Atticus. He knelt and lifted him carefully.
"Are you alright?" Zephyr asked, his brows tightening with worry.
Atticus coughed a few times, pale but still managing a faint smile. "Master, I'm fine."
He turned his head toward Kong. At first his expression remained blank, then he suddenly burst into hysterical laughter. He laughed despite the agony ripping through him, laughed until tears spilled from his eyes.
"Haha… haha…"
The sound echoed like mockery, slicing through the tension. Kong, Garp, and Sengoku all stiffened.
"What are you laughing at, brat?" Kong exhaled heavily as he stood.
"A Fleet Admiral, an Admiral, and a Vice Admiral… acting shamelessly. First interfering in the match, then attacking the victor. Truly impressive."
Atticus spat blood but kept smiling. "If you wanted something, you just had to say it. I'm a Marine cadet, not even an official Marine. It isn't possible for me to go against the orders of a Fleet Admiral, Admiral, or Vice Admiral. Following orders is the foundation of the Marines. But you promised not to interfere. Not once. Not twice. And yet you broke your own rule every single time. I don't understand it. I don't understand why you would even attack me at the end."
He stared at them as if staring straight into their souls.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, tell me… was this match rigged from the start? Was the victor decided long ago?"
Each word was sharp and deliberate.
Each sentence stung like a blade.
Inside, Atticus wanted nothing more than to make every last one of them pay. One day, when he gained the strength, he would turn against the Marines without hesitation.
"Bullshit…" Garp's face reddened with shame and frustration.
"In that case, Vice Admiral Garp, please give me an explanation." Atticus asked calmly.
"I…" Garp growled, chest heaving, like a caged beast ready to snap.
"Brat, let's talk about that later. Why didn't you stop when I told you to?" Kong tried shifting the conversation.
"Ridiculous. This was a life-and-death battle between me and that mutt. Both sides agreed that life or death didn't matter. You agreed as well, Fleet Admiral Kong, or did you forget so quickly?" Atticus said with disdain.
Kong rubbed his forehead, visibly exhausted and frustrated.
A transponder snail rang from inside his coat.
Kong inhaled deeply, pulled it out, then gave Atticus a complicated look.
After speaking quietly into it for a moment, he walked back and handed it to Atticus.
"It's the Gorosei."
Atticus accepted it calmly, though inside, a smile of victory bloomed.
This had all been his plan. His true goal was to speak directly with the Five Elders.
With his full power, Atticus could have worn Akainu down and killed him without resorting to his charged technique. He had intentionally allowed the higher-ups to intervene. Inside his Fire Domain, he could have finished Akainu at any point, though at some cost to himself.
But killing Akainu wasn't the priority. Gaining leverage was.
This chance to negotiate would never come again.
He walked a few steps away, making sure no one could overhear.
He lifted the transponder snail. "Hello."
"Atticus, good. Very good. I won't bother with introductions. This is the World Government Headquarters, and as for who I am… you should already know."
The aged voice carried power and authority.
"Yes, esteemed Gorosei. What are your instructions?"
Atticus answered with perfect politeness, his expression sincere.
"Haha… excellent. A promising young man indeed."
The transponder snail mimicked the elder's pleased laughter.
"Atticus. Could you let Akainu go this time? Both of you are valuable assets to the Government."
"Elders sama, this…" Atticus pretended to hesitate.
"I know about your feud. State whatever you want."
Atticus kept his expression reverent. "I have no requests. Serving the World Government is my honor. However… I have a younger sister, Hazel. I wish to—"
"We already know of your situation. When you become a Vice Admiral, you will gain full access to the World Government's intelligence network."
"Thank you, Elders sama."
"Any other conditions?"
"None. My lifelong dream is to become a Marine Admiral and purge the world of pirates."
His voice sounded filled with hatred and conviction.
"Very good. Then regarding Akainu…"
"I will not pursue the matter," Atticus replied firmly.
"Excellent. We'll leave it at that."
When the call ended, Atticus stood silently for several seconds, his back turned to everyone.
A cold smile curled at the edge of his lips.
Just wait. All of you just wait.
He exhaled slowly, suppressing the storm inside him. Now was no time to rebel. He needed patience, not pride.
Calm once more, he walked back to Kong.
"Fleet Admiral Kong."
"About Akainu…" Kong looked uncomfortable.
"Let that mutt live for now." Atticus said with open disgust. "But you should make sure he doesn't bark again. Next time, he won't survive."
Akainu twitched where he lay, glaring viciously and coughing up blood, enraged to the point of trembling.
"Can we announce the results of the match now?" Atticus raised an eyebrow. He was injured and exhausted.
And just like that, Akainu narrowly escaped death again.
The match officially ended with Atticus as the victor.
Next came the duel between Kizaru and Aokiji. The winner would face Atticus for first place. As for second through fourth place, he didn't care. His sights had always been on the top.
And so, Atticus was hospitalized once more.
_____
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