"I'll leave his safety to you, Eugene," Akainu said, looking at the empty hole left by the magma. It was now safe to say that this fruit gave the ability to accelerate. However, until the ability was fully understood, one still had to remain vigilant. After all, Devil Fruits' abilities were very different, and if something happened to the Tenryuubito due to one mistake, Akainu would be in big trouble.
Eugene was especially skilled in speed, and his eagle form was incomparably fast. And the fact that he could block the path in an instant was a great proof.
Besides, their gazes were close, and Akainu trusted Eugene completely. Even if the boy was the owner of a fruit related to speed, he would have no way to escape or harm the Holy Charm.
- You can rely on me, Sakazuki.
Eugene's eyes were sparkling - in his eagle form, he was not only incredibly fast, but also had excellent dynamic vision. Just now, he clearly saw Murphy's movements accelerate about ten times, but he was still able to distinguish them.
While Akainu was talking to Eugene, Murphy was also talking to Sheila.
"Sheila," Murphy spoke to Sheila, but his eyes were constantly on Akainu, so as not to miss a surprise attack.
- What's happened?
"Listen carefully. I will soon find a way to throw you into the sea. You must swim straight to Fishman Island without looking back. Swim as fast as you can." Murphy's voice was calm, but he spoke very quickly.
"Ah..." Sheila cried out, but her voice was immediately drowned out by Murphy's words.
- Saint Charm ordered to capture you alive, but once you are in the water, none of them will be able to catch you. So you can safely run.
Murphy thought Sheila was worried about whether she could escape, so he explained.
- No... you must run with me too!
- That's impossible. It doesn't matter to any of them whether I'm alive or dead, but they have to do something to me. Especially Akainu and Yujin - their main target is me, the one who attacked the Tenryubito. That's why I can't escape with you. The sea may prevent them from capturing me alive, but it won't stop Akainu if he decides to kill me. If I escape to the sea, not only will I be killed without a chance to resist, but you won't survive either. Do you understand?
Now Murphy was as calm as the sea surface.
A man who had never seen Akainu in combat might have hoped for luck and believed that the two of them could escape across the sea. But Murphy was different - he knew all too well how strong the enemy was. So he rejected the plan without hesitation.
However, that didn't mean there was no way out. With his newly acquired ability and his rapidly increasing points, he had another plan. But if Sheila stayed around, not only would she risk getting hurt, she would also become a burden to him. And if he could help her escape, it would only benefit them both.
- No! They'll kill you!
- Shut up! You're just a hindrance, staying here will only slow me down. Don't worry, your escape route is in the water, and mine...
- Hey, you!
A red light flashed and a magma-like fist suddenly fell upon them.
Murphy's eyes never left the enemy, and as soon as Akainu began to move, he reacted instantly.
Ten times the speed!
Murphy, along with Sheila, jumped up lightly and dodged instantly. He vaguely noticed that Akainu's attack was not aimed at his vital parts - it seemed like he was planning to capture him alive after all.
As soon as Murphy landed, Akainu's hand was aimed at him again.
The same trick again.
Magma Meteorite!
Another magma-like fist flew towards him, and this time Murphy could clearly see that the Magma Meteor was aiming for his legs.
Ten times the speed!
Boom!
Boom boom!
Murphy didn't stop, continuously dodging Akainu's attacks and trying to get closer to the sea, looking for an opportune moment.
However, while moving quickly, he keenly noticed something strange. Akainu would become one of the Marines' strongest fighters in the future. Now, even though he was a vice admiral, he was in his prime, and his strength was still at the top tier among the Marines. Even if his goal was to capture him alive, would ten times his speed be enough to dodge so easily?
It must be understood that Murphy was ready to use fifty-fold and one hundred-fold speed at any moment if he needed to save his life. These two levels of acceleration were very stamina-draining, but in a critical moment he would not spare any effort to use them.
However, Akainu's attacks did not pose the expected threat, and he could only deal with them using ten times his speed.
With slight bewilderment, he quickly moved towards the shore.
More magma streams rushed towards him, but Murphy still dodged them easily. Having become accustomed to the frequency of the attacks, he dodged them without difficulty and even had time to look at Akainu's expression.
Wait, where is Akainu?
The next moment, an imposing figure with enormous pressure appeared before his eyes.
- Ah! - The sudden attack made Sheila scream in fear.
Fifty times the speed!
They barely managed to dodge Akainu's fist.
Boom!
Another large hole appeared on the ground. This attack did not contain magma, only regular Armament Haki. But this strike passed within millimeters of Murphy's shoulder, an extremely dangerous moment.
Looks like it was a grab move!
After dodging the attack, Murphy did not stop and continued to accelerate towards the sea. He glanced at Eugene, who was guarding the Tenryubito. Fortunately, this extremely fast wielder of power did not interfere.
Previously, before he ate the fruit, the opponent had intercepted him with a single wing beat. Now, even with periodic acceleration, he probably wouldn't be able to match the speed of this Zoan fruit user.
The reason is simple - Murphy's base speed was too far behind Eugene's. If Eugene were to engage, Murphy would have to use continuous 100x speed to even withstand his onslaught.
But then his stamina will undoubtedly drop sharply.
Phew!
There was heavy breathing nearby. Murphy glanced at her and frowned. Although Sheila was pressing her lips together, trying to hold back the sounds of her breathing, the pallor of her face and the large beads of sweat indicated that the situation was very bad.
What's happened?
She shouldn't have been hit by the attack!
Maybe because of the sudden change in speed?
At 10x speed there was no noticeable discomfort, but at 50x it became obvious.
Luckily, his own body was strong enough that he hadn't had that problem yet. Plus, they were already close to the sea, and Sheila wouldn't have to go through fifty-fold acceleration a second time.
"So you can move even faster!" Akainu said.
Although Murphy was already close to the shore, Akainu didn't seem to be worried at all. In fact, he had long noticed that they were heading towards the sea, and even deliberately held back, allowing them to do so.
Judging by the direction, they were clearly trying to escape across the sea - that was obvious. With a mermaid swimming well, it was clear exactly how they were planning to escape.
After they escape into the sea, no one present will be able to catch them alive. But as we know, no one will calmly watch how successfully they escape. And if they cannot be caught alive and cannot be allowed to escape, the only thing left is to kill them. In this case, even the Holy Charm will have nothing to say. Then, it is enough for him to melt this section of the sea along with them. Otherwise, it would be necessary to specifically catch the owner of the power of speed on land, which would make the process very difficult.
However, the development of events ultimately exceeded his expectations...
Only one person escaped into the sea.
- Remember my words, don't look back, run as fast as you can.
Already approaching the shore, Murphy threw Sheila forward without hesitation.
In mid-air, Sheila looked back and saw Murphy's calm gaze, Akainu's surprised face, and Saint Charm's stunned expression.
Something crystal clear flashed through the air, her eyes filled with tears, and she screamed: "Murphy, you have to survive!!!"
She described a perfect parabola, landed smoothly in the water, and then without hesitation swam into the depths of the sea. She was no fool, and she understood Murphy's logic. She would not fail him.
At that moment, she felt both grief and excitement, and also demonstrated her special talent - to think up many things on her own...