Chapter 395: Admiral Aokiji… Defected!
As if he had guessed Aokiji's doubts,
Fujitora shook his head. "Back then, Sengoku was willing to tolerate the Celestial Dragons' Buster Call. Now, when the Navy can benefit from scandals unrelated to the Marine Alliance—growing stronger in the process—do you really think he'd refuse to look the other way?"
The Marine Alliance's commanders hadn't directly participated in the aristocrats' schemes—they simply pretended not to notice.
Remember back then—
Crocodile's kingdom-stealing plan, Doflamingo's toy empire—both treated civilians like expendable insects.
As long as the truth didn't go public, weren't they still counted among the Seven Warlords?
Aokiji took a deep breath, visibly conflicted. "I don't believe you."
Lately,
as one of the Navy's highest combat forces, he had spent most of his time inside the game, too busy to pay attention to the real world.
He needed to see it with his own eyes—to confirm whether the darkness Fujitora spoke of was being buried by the Marine Alliance.
Whoosh...
His snowmobile, [Silver Wing], buzzed as frost spread like wings behind it.
In the blink of an eye, Aokiji disappeared from sight.
Shanks watched him go, not trying to stop him.
The Adventurers' Guild was a haven for free will. It didn't bind anyone.
Once Aokiji saw the truth, he would make his own decision.
"Shanks!"
Luffy, now somewhat recovered, ran toward him excitedly.
In his youth,
Luffy had been inspired by Shanks's guidance—and the promise tied to the Straw Hat. That was what had set him on the path to become the Pirate King.
They weren't just friends—they were mentor and heir.
And yet—
looking at the excited Luffy, Shanks forced a smile and said, "Luffy… I'm sorry. I'm no longer a pirate."
He had once been the one to lead the way.
Now, he'd let go of the pirate identity first.
That guilt weighed on him.
"Shanks?"
Seeing him apologize, Luffy scratched his head in confusion. "Why apologize? Adventurers are awesome too!"
Shanks blinked in surprise.
Luffy reached up and pressed the straw hat on his head—the one Shanks had given him—then laughed loudly.
"No matter what, I'm going to be Pirate King!"
To him,
being Pirate King wasn't about some promise or conquering the Grand Line.
It was the embodiment of absolute freedom.
It had started with his longing for the sea, then exploration of Arad Continent, followed by the zombie world adventure.
For Luffy, the ability to go anywhere, to chase endless adventure—that was the dream.
"Luffy…"
For a moment, Shanks's vision blurred.
The figure before him shimmered like an echo of Captain Roger.
He smiled. "You already are the Pirate King, Luffy."
The freest person in the world—
wasn't that what Pirate King meant?
Luffy tilted his hat and grinned. "You too, Shanks—you're the super awesome Adventure King!"
"Am I?"
Shanks laughed, then turned serious. "Flattery won't help. I'm still not letting you have the Ghost General."
Adventure and growth were filled with danger.
He had blocked Aokiji only to prevent the Straw Hats from being crushed before they had a chance to blossom.
But he wasn't their babysitter—he wouldn't coddle them.
"The future's going to be exciting!"
...
"Aokiji—attack!"
The scorched, ruined land was blackened from flames and saturated with demonic energy.
The Seventh Flame King had fused with Akainu, forming a blazing armor around him.
Even someone as strong as Mihawk was beginning to tire under the coordinated assault of thousands of elite marines.
His once-fluid demonic energy was now sluggish.
Then—
Akainu spotted Aokiji riding in on his snowmobile, skating across the fractured terrain.
Delighted,
he shouted. Even if Mihawk was strong, he was only just below top-tier.
To take him down, the Marines would need to pay a high price.
But now, with Aokiji here—
two Admirals and thousands of elite marines could crush him effortlessly.
"That's Admiral Aokiji!"
"Mihawk, you're finished!"
The marines' morale surged as they spotted Aokiji's fast-approaching figure.
"Damn…"
Mihawk loved a good fight—but he wasn't suicidal.
He was stronger than Akainu alone.
But surrounded by elite marines, he hadn't been able to defeat him.
In his current state, if Aokiji joined, escape would be impossible.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Mihawk frowned.
Something felt… off.
None of the marines noticed it yet,
but Aokiji neither responded to Akainu's calls nor glanced at the ongoing battle.
He didn't lift a hand.
The snowmobile didn't slow down. It simply sped across the battlefield—headed toward Jiang Family Town in the distance.
"Aokiji?!"
Akainu froze. He couldn't believe Aokiji was just… leaving.
"This isn't a time to be lazy! Aokiji, what are you doing?!"
The Flame King armor reached out with molten claws, shredding Mihawk's sword shadows.
Inside, Akainu growled in fury.
The fusion distorted his voice, making it sound like a devil's growl.
Aokiji didn't even turn back.
All he wanted now was to get to Qin Family Town, disengage from combat,
and see for himself if what Fujitora said was true.
"Aokiji! Ignoring orders—do you want to be dismissed?!"
Molten rock flowed beneath Akainu's feet, melting the ground in his rage.
He didn't want to lose this chance to kill Mihawk.
The second most powerful member of the Adventurers' Guild, after Shanks—eliminating Mihawk would be a huge blow.
He still remembered Shanks breaking the Navy's walls.
This was his chance to redeem that humiliation and earn glory for the Marine Alliance.
"I'm sorry. I need to leave the Navy temporarily… to find the truth."
Aokiji's voice echoed across the battlefield, as if suppressing something within.
Silence.
Then came the stunned gasps of elite marines—
the mockery and curiosity of pirate and isekai players.
Leave the Navy… temporarily?
The Marine Alliance wasn't a corner store—there was no such thing as temporary leave.
Defection.
That word filled everyone's minds.
One of the Navy's top powers—Admiral Aokiji—was defecting?
Most people couldn't believe it.
They thought maybe some illusion-class player was sowing chaos to undermine morale.
But once reality set in—
the Marine Alliance's soaring momentum collapsed like a landslide.
"Demon Steps, Seven Stars!"
Seizing the stunned silence,
Mihawk erupted with a storm of demonic energy.
A long, river-like sword slash cleaved through the encirclement of elite marines.
He used the gap to flee toward the distance.
"Mihawk… Aokiji!"
Akainu's eyes widened in fury.
Waves of lava surged, the Flame King armor spiraling upward like a tornado in hot pursuit.
"Without your marines to stall me—you're no match for me!"
Mihawk glanced back,
and his black sword exploded into countless shards, each one slashing at Akainu.
The Flame King armor shredded under the assault.
Thud.
Akainu, still unwilling to give up, thrust out a massive lava claw—
but Mihawk evaded it.
A dagger formed purely from demonic energy
pierced through the magma hand, then drove through Akainu's abdomen, pinning him to the ground.
"Aokiji… traitor!"
Seriously wounded, Akainu could no longer fight.
He pounded the ground in fury.
The scorched battlefield trembled under his fists.
The elite marines stood frozen,
none daring to approach.
Some had already reported the news.
The Marine Alliance HQ was about to be rocked.
Aokiji… defected!
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