"Hmph!"
Akainu snorted coldly. His legs bent slightly, then with a boom, he kicked off, sending the surrounding snow flying like cannonballs as he charged at Carlos. His right arm turned crimson red, waves of heat rolling off his entire body as he threw an utterly unadorned punch at Carlos's chest.
Carlos neither dodged nor retreated. He drew a deep breath, wrapped his right hand in Armament Haki, bent his legs, and launched himself forward as well, meeting Akainu's crimson magma fist with his own.
Boom!
A dull roar rang out as a powerful shockwave spread in every direction, sweeping snow into the sky...
Bzzzz...
The two men faced each other in midair, fists locked, their faces cold. The air trembled as visible ripples continuously spread outward. Before the snow within ten meters of them could fall, it was shattered into nothingness and dispersed into the air.
The Magma-Magma Fruit really was formidable! Carlos inwardly exclaimed.
The most terrifying thing about the Magma-Magma Fruit was not its high temperature, but its dreadful explosive force and impact, like a volcanic eruption. Its endless eruptions would eventually burn through everything standing in its way!
Carlos now experienced the Devil Fruit's power firsthand. At the start of their clash, they had been evenly matched. But as the stalemate continued, Akainu's fist seemed like a miniature volcano, powerful force erupting from it again and again. The force grew ever stronger, gradually making Carlos feel strained.
Realizing that the longer the stalemate continued, the worse the outcome might become, Carlos immediately reduced his strength. He was then blasted away by a punch, carving a deep trench through the snow as he landed.
Fortunately, with Carlos's powerful body, a fall like that was nothing. He was not injured, merely somewhat disheveled.
Hell Hound!
Just as Carlos