If they had died together in battle, they could have at least accepted it. But the problem was—this wasn't a battle at all. It was a one-sided slaughter!
"Fortunately, Uchiha Madara didn't kill Akainu. Otherwise, we would have lost a very important combat power."
Kizaru rested his hand on his chin and sighed involuntarily.
When everyone heard this, they all nodded in agreement. What Kizaru said was absolutely right.
If Uchiha Madara had truly been ruthless and decided to kill Akainu at that moment…
With only five Vice Admirals present, there would have been nothing to stop him.
Uchiha Madara wouldn't even need to use half his strength. Just thirty percent of his power would have been enough to send the Vice Admirals—and the soldiers with them—straight to hell.
At this moment, Akainu, who had been unconscious, finally woke up after receiving treatment from the medical team.
When he opened his eyes and saw Garp and the others standing there, his emotions were mixed. For a brief moment, he felt relieved… but that was quickly replaced by deep shame.
Humiliation.
Absolute humiliation!
This outcome—Akainu himself hadn't expected it, let alone anyone else.
"Akainu, consider yourself lucky to have come back alive this time. Don't act recklessly like that again!"
"I told you before that the Kamui Pirates are not to be underestimated. But you didn't listen. You just had to pick a fight with Kronos!"
"And look at the result—wounded, and with so many Marines dead because of you. Do you really think your conscience can bear that?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marine Chief of Staff, stood with a stern face and directly scolded Akainu.
If it had been anyone else, Akainu would've already lashed out and started a fight. But the problem was that this was Tsuru—one of the most respected veterans in the entire Marine organization.
In the face of someone with such seniority and prestige, no matter how frustrated Akainu was, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and keep quiet.
Adding to that, even Garp spoke up:
"Akainu, I hope that after this incident, you'll learn something and stop charging ahead like before. Can you do that?"
"This time you were lucky. Otherwise, we might not be standing here talking to you right now."
Akainu sat there with a stern expression, silent and motionless, like a broken puppet. He neither responded nor argued.
Seeing him like this, the others didn't know what to say.
They all understood that Akainu was loyal to the Marines. His drive came from a genuine desire to bring honor to the organization.
But no one—absolutely no one—had expected things to turn out so disastrously!
"Akainu… you've done your best."
Garp tried to comfort him, worried that Akainu might crack under the weight of this defeat and never recover his composure.
After all, Akainu was one of the Marines' most important fighting forces. Rumors even said that the Five Elders had already chosen him as the next Fleet Admiral.
"Leave me alone for a while. The rest… is up to you."
Dragging his battered body, Akainu dismissed the others and sat in silence.
From time to time, he picked up a cigar and lit it, his brows furrowed, his face clouded with frustration.
For Akainu, this incident wasn't just a setback.
It was a crushing blow.
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[Naruto: I Don't Want Recognition]
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