novelonline Chapter 485 The Navy's Hope
Chapter 485 The Navy's Hope
"We are already allies with the Land of Light!"
Borsalino, true to his reputation as a seasoned veteran of the Navy, spoke slickly while managing to salvage some of the Navy's dignity.
Kizaru deactivated his Giant of Light form and, surrounded by scattered light particles, flew through the air to Salino's side.
"It seems you still remember the treaty we negotiated. With that intimidating display just now, I thought the Navy was going to declare war on us behind the World Government's back and wipe out us 'evils'!" Kizaru said with a playful and teasing tone.
"Young people are ignorant! Don't mind him!" Salino explained with a smile, though he was sweating profusely.
Hashirama, who was standing nearby, heard the conversation between the two, especially Salino's last words. He had a lot of things he wanted to say, but he could only hold back for the sake of the bigger picture.
Kizaru was amused by Salino's words. He glanced at Hashirama, his elder, with amusement, then looked back at Salino with a smile and said, "Young people are ignorant. Your new Fleet Admiral, at such an old age, is also ignorant?"
After Kizaru finished speaking, he looked at the naval fleet in the distance on the sea. Salino understood the hidden meaning in his words very clearly: Kizaru was warning the navy of their hostile stance.
“Sakazuki is concerned about the young men in the navy, and we don’t want to start another war.” Salino finished speaking, glancing knowingly at Hashirama’s warship that hadn’t gone far on the sea. “Besides, haven’t you already rescued them? I think we should leave it at that!”
Kizaru's actions this time were driven by three reasons: first, Rayleigh's plea for help; second, Amazon Lily's status as an ally and trading center of the Land of Light; and third, a desire to help Hashirama gain fame.
Despite losing the battle just now, Hashirama's achievements surpass those of all the Marines in the Marineford War. His Sage Mode inflicted considerable damage on Kizaru's transformed Giant of Light.
If Kizaru hadn't been able to master and utilize a large amount of natural energy to quickly repair his body, Hashirama's attack could have been considered a serious injury to the enemy.
Given Hashirama's performance in this battle, and considering his registered age of just over twenty, his reputation within the Navy will undoubtedly rise again after this war, and he may even become the Navy's future hope and a potential successor to the Fleet Admiral.
Therefore, having achieved all three objectives, Kizaru indeed has no need to continue pressuring the Navy.
However, the fact that it is not necessary does not mean that it cannot be done. Kizaru, who held the reins of the matter, smiled and looked at Salino again, saying, "If you want me to back down, you will need to answer one question for me. Just one question."
Salino instinctively sensed something was amiss when he saw Kizaru's smile. He hesitated and said, "I'm just a mere admiral. I can't make decisions on many things, Kizaru-kun."
"It's a small matter, could you please tell me the exact location of my long-time online friend?"
After hearing Kizaru's words, Salino realized that Kizaru was still obsessed with Vegapunk's whereabouts, and he immediately became wary.
Salino, who had long served as the head of the Scientific Defense Force, understood all too well the immense value of scientists like Vegapunk to a powerful ruler like Kizaru, and to a major force on the high seas.
It was precisely because Salino knew all this that he couldn't tell Kizaru Vegapunk's location. This was both for the public good and for the sake of his friendship with Vegapunk, which they had developed over time.
"I don't understand what you mean, Brother Kizaru."
Upon hearing this, Kizaru's smile widened even more. Ignoring Salino's denial, he continued, "Admiral Kizaru, remember this: this is the second time you've deceived me. I hope there won't be a third."
After saying that, Kizaru took out a spare Den Den Mushi from his inner pocket and tossed it to Salino again. "Who will you give the Den Den Mushi to this time?"
Salino, who had just taken the Den Den Mushi, paused upon hearing those words. He truly hadn't expected Kizaru to dial the same Den Den Mushi from last time.
“I will keep it safe,” Salino said as he put away the Den Den Mushi. After putting it away, he said earnestly with a hint of pleading, “Also, please do not contact me unless absolutely necessary.”
"No one can predict what the future holds."
Kizaru left behind his last words, his figure vanished from the spot, and the next second he appeared on the sea, watching Rayleigh pulling two Devil Fruit users who were unable to swim, towards the island.
Kizaru's sudden departure interrupted Rayleigh's actions. Rayleigh looked up at Kizaru, who was standing on the sea as if walking on flat ground, and said, "I have rescued the person."
"Then please take them to a safe place." As Kizaru spoke, he manipulated the seawater to condense and deform, eventually turning it into a small boat, which he used to pull Rayleigh and the other two out of the seawater.
Rayleigh sat on a small, solidified seawater boat that was almost indistinguishable from a real boat, and curiously stroked the hull formed by the solidified seawater. "What an amazing feat."
As Rayleigh spoke, Luffy and Hancock, now isolated from the seawater and freed from its effects, recovered somewhat. They were also surprised by the small boat they were riding in, which was made of solidified seawater.
Luffy, in particular, bursting with curiosity, immediately took a practical stance and, taking advantage of Rayleigh's inattention, bit into the edge of the small boat's hull, which was made of seawater.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" The sturdy hull suddenly turned back into seawater the instant Luffy bit down, filling him with a mouthful.
"Luffy, are you alright?" Empress Hancock asked with concern as she stepped forward upon seeing the scene.
Rayleigh, noticing Luffy's actions, was speechless. He raised the oar he was holding, which was made of seawater, and hit Luffy on the head. "Luffy, this is not the time to fool around."
After saying that, Rayleigh grabbed the extra oar and threw it to Luffy, then calmly stated the urgent matter, "The Navy's fleet is very close to us. If we delay any longer, we will be surrounded by them."
With Rayleigh's reminder and supervision, Luffy realized the urgency of the situation and quickly grabbed the oars with Rayleigh, starting to paddle with all his might.
Above, Kizaru, who had been preparing an escape ship for Rayleigh and then disappeared, flew in mid-air, watching Rayleigh and the other two walk away, confirming that they had escaped the Navy's pursuit.
A dozen minutes later, after Rayleigh and the others had gone far away, Akainu's naval fleet finally arrived at the edge of the island.
Akainu and his crew took the lead, jumping off the warship and landing on the beach, whose environment had been completely altered by the battle.
The beach had now been transformed into a dense forest. Standing at the edge of the forest, Akainu spotted Salino and Hashirama sitting side by side on a protruding tree trunk.
Seeing that the two were alright, Akainu and Sengoku, who had come with them, both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Salino, how's the situation?" Akainu strode towards Salino.
Faced with this question, Salino suddenly had the idea of retiring. He said, "Hashirama is no match for Kizaru, and Luffy and Hancock have already been rescued by Rayleigh."
"Have Rayleigh and Amazon Lily completely sided with the Land of Light?" Akainu asked, frowning.
“Things haven’t come to that yet. Those pirates are all greedy for fame and fortune. They’ve only allied with the Land of Light for profit today. If the Land of Light can’t satisfy their desires in the future, they will surely turn against it,” Akainu said with great certainty.
Salino, seeing this, did not try to persuade him, but simply recounted the battle he had witnessed and how the events unfolded.
After hearing this, Akainu looked at Hashirama, who was resting, with a hint of surprise and admiration in his eyes.
At just over twenty years old, he possessed such strength, accomplishing what the entire Navy had failed to do: destroying the Giant of Light that Kizaru had transformed into.
"You did very well, don't be discouraged! As long as you keep working hard, I think you have a chance to defeat that man named Kizaru in the future," Akainu said, offering a rare moment of comfort.
Hashirama, displaying the fighting spirit of youth—unwilling to give up and unwilling to admit defeat—said in a defiant tone, "Next time, I'll win!"
If someone else had said those words, Akainu would have criticized them for being arrogant and for working hard and being down-to-earth.
However, after witnessing the giant thousand-armed Guanyin created by Hashirama himself and hearing Salino's description of the battle, Akainu and Sengoku, who was beside him, believed that Hashirama had a chance to catch up with Kizaru.
This hope is slim, but it's the only hope the Navy can find.
Therefore, Akainu, Sengoku, and Salino, these veterans of the Navy, were all willing to give Hashirama, this "young man," confidence and affirmation.
"Keep trying, I believe you can do it!" Akainu encouraged.
"If you encounter any problems in your training, you can come to me anytime!" Sengoku continued, while looking Hashirama up and down, pondering whether he should try to get Hashirama a powerful and suitable Devil Fruit to further enhance his strength.
Speaking of which, the Forest-Forest Fruit of that Green Bull Admiral was a perfect match for Hashirama, but unfortunately it already has an owner.
Sengoku felt a pang of regret, then made up his mind that after returning to the Navy, he would keep an eye out for suitable Devil Fruits for Hashirama.
After this battle, Hashirama became the only hope in the eyes of Akainu and other senior Navy officers who had a chance of catching up with Kizaru, and became their jointly recognized training target.
Upon returning to Naval Headquarters that day, in order to save face for the Navy and to further enhance Hashirama's reputation, the Navy's high command once again resorted to their traditional trick: forging battle reports.
They concealed the fact that Hashirama had gone to sea to capture Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. They claimed that when Hashirama was capturing Strawberry Luffy, he encountered Kizaru, and the two fought. Hashirama forced Kizaru to retreat, while Strawberry Luffy secretly escaped during the fight.
This fabricated battle report concealed the truth of Hashirama's defeat, focusing instead on Hashirama's claim that the newly appointed admiral had forced Kizaru, a formidable enemy, to retreat through a hard-fought battle.
At the same time, in order to avoid angering Kizaru, they deliberately obscured the outcome of the battle, only saying that it was a hard-fought battle that forced Kizaru to retreat, without mentioning who won or lost.
Soon, the fabricated battle report by the naval high command spread to naval headquarters and began to be published in newspapers, sparking heated discussions at sea.
The title of Hashirama, the newly appointed Wood Dragon Admiral, also became associated with Kizaru, and he quickly gained fame.
After all, since Kizaru appeared at Marineford, he has crushed everyone on the field with absolute invincibility, whether facing the Marines or pirates.
Now that the Navy has a new Admiral capable of forcing Kizaru to retreat, this undoubtedly greatly boosts the Navy's morale and makes all the major powers on the seas treat Hashirama, this new Admiral, with even greater caution. (End of Chapter)