Sal, without hesitation, took the telescope from Rayleigh and directed it toward the indicated location.
In the distance, at the very edge of the island, a half-hidden warship lay in wait. It was hard to make out unless you really looked. Proudly standing on its bow was a dark-haired beauty—his masterpiece, created during the battle at the summit, Akainu's "Kimeme."
"Where is that guy, Akainu, hiding? Is he planning to take advantage of the situation?" Sal grumbled.
"Maybe, Roger, for what you've done, Akainu hates you to the core, and he'll kill you if he gets the chance. So, are you still planning to chase down Blackbeard or not?" Rayleigh remarked sarcastically.
Rayleigh's words made Sal think. He wanted to pursue Blackbeard. With his ship's speed, Blackbeard would find it hard to escape with his damaged vessel. He would only have the power of the "Quake-Quake" Devil Fruit to turn the world upside down.
But Akainu's presence, lurking in the shadows and watching him, posed significant problems. If he were to intervene in the heat of battle, things would go very differently.
"Let's not chase Blackbeard for now; we'll move closer to Akainu and see if he attacks us. It would be even better if he did. The importance of eliminating a common enemy isn't much less than the importance of capturing Blackbeard," Sal decided.
"As you say," Rayleigh nodded.
As Sal's ship headed toward Akainu, Akainu's ship swiftly veered to the side, moving even faster than Sal's. Clearly, the admiral's ship had been modified, making it a first-class vessel in terms of sea speed.
Seeing Akainu's reaction, Sal frowned, understanding the situation. If they came to frustrate me, I have no choice but to abandon the pursuit of either side.
If Sal had just a bit more strength left, he would have continued the chase after Blackbeard. In such a case, even Akainu on the enemy's side wouldn't have scared him.
"Let's go to the island first. It looks like someone is tied up there. We'll see what's happening," Sar decided.
As Sal's ship approached the shore, Blackbeard and his men steered their ship further away. Confirming that Sal wasn't pursuing them, this gang of scoundrels couldn't resist making an arrogant declaration:
"Cursed Roger, we won't bother with him for now; first, we'll conquer Whitebeard's territory. The remains of the old times mean nothing to us!"
"Once we establish ourselves as part of the Four Emperors, we'll deal with him, ha-ha," Blackbeard laughed hoarsely.
Clearly, the Blackbeard Pirates didn't know that Sal was the new member of the Four Emperors...
Meanwhile, Akainu, dressed in a strict professional suit with long black hair tied in a ponytail, had a figure hidden by her clothing, yet her curves were admirable. Her usual outfit had been replaced with a women's red suit, giving her a heroic and bold appearance, resembling a professional strong woman.
Akainu stood on the bow of her ship, observing the movements of Sal and his crew. She planned to wait until they were defeated, then emerge and play the role of the jackal.
To her surprise, her plan didn't succeed, and she was spotted by her opponent. In that case, her only choice was to avoid confrontation for the time being. After all, she was well aware that she couldn't match Sal, not to mention that Dark king Rayleigh was also nearby.
Nevertheless, she wasn't going to give up on her second hated target—Sal. For now, she had to annoy him, as she couldn't attack Blackbeard's Pirates as she wished. She knew that Blackbeard and Sal were already arch-enemies, both openly and secretly.
"Sal, when I truly lead the naval fleet, I will settle accounts with both of you," Akainu hissed.
One of her subordinates—a rear admiral—approached her and reported:
"Admiral Akainu, we've found traces of the 'Black Bull' pirates in the waters of the Island of Rishan. Your Excellency, are we really not going to pursue Pirate King Roger? Recently, what concerns the fleet the most is the Pirate King known as the New Four Emperors."
Faced with questions from her subordinate, Akainu suddenly smiled. Her delicate features were as noble and beautiful as a blooming rose.
Her subordinate was momentarily stunned. In all the years of serving under Akainu, he had never seen her smile so brightly. Perhaps, being a woman isn't so bad.
"No, although it's important to chase down despicable pirates, your safety is most important. As your superior, I am obliged to protect you," Akainu said softly.
Her words, spoken in a gentle tone, deeply touched the hearts of many naval officers, just as she had anticipated. After a few days of interacting with her subordinates, she had learned to build relationships in her new role.
"Admiral Akainu, I am a burden to you." "We will follow you for life," said one of the officers.
"Admiral, I was wrong. I shouldn't have doubted you," added another with a sense of gratitude.
Akainu smiled and dismissively waved off their words, as if she had become a different person.
"It's all right, I know you're loyal to me. Now let's catch the rest of the pirates; there's no time to delay in the current situation," Akainu commanded authoritatively.
The sailors immediately stood straight and saluted, their morale soaring sky-high.
"Yes, Akainu-sama..."
The sailors returned to their posts, steering the ships and cutting through the waves.
Soon they whispered to each other:
"I think Akainu has become better."
"I think so too. The admiral's behavior lately is no weaker than before. The guys at headquarters are talking nonsense, saying Admiral Akainu has become weaker because she became a woman. They say she's the weakest of the three admirals. I'll shut their mouths when I get back."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, Lady Akainu is beautiful and strong, she's a goddess in my heart. I won't let those bastards insult her."
At the word "goddess," all the surrounding naval officers widened their eyes in disbelief, holding their breath. They looked in bewilderment at the one who uttered that word. "Dude, are you serious?" — they whispered internally.
Akainu paid no attention to the conversations of her subordinates, but as she turned and looked at the sea, an unusual gleam sparkled in her eyes.
Yes, she had changed. Since experiencing the tumultuous period after transforming into a woman, her female identity and physiology had gradually begun to influence her. Previously, she never cared about her appearance, but now she carefully tidied up after waking. What concerned her even more was that Sengoku and the higher-ups of the World Government had the same idea and were actually planning to appoint Aokiji as the next fleet admiral. This she would never accept.
Being the Navy Admiral is her lifelong goal, and she is willing to give everything for it. She had started changing to become who she is now.
To the World Government and the world, she presented herself as no less powerful than before. Then with an iron fist, she intimidated the pirates and, in the end, earned the respect of the fleet through her friendly attitude towards people.
In just 10 days of hard work, her reputation in the fleet had noticeably improved, and some naval officers who previously feared her magically came over to her side. Her standing in the fleet slowly rose to new heights.
Thinking about how to turn the desperate situation around, Akainu's face flushed with excitement.
"Aokiji, how will you react when I turn my contradictions against you? I can only be the next fleet admiral!"
No matter what means she has to use, she will become the new admiral, even if the higher-ups of the World Government believe that a woman is not worthy of being an admiral