Monster

"Honestly, I didn't know what to do with you."

Bullet sighed and shook his head helplessly.

He spread the fingers of his right hand and bent down, pressing it against the warship's deck beneath his feet.

Whoosh!

Purple light surged from his body like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing the entire vessel.

Amid the pirates' cries of alarm.

The hull shrouded in purple light rapidly began to change.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Whether steel or stone, all of it was transformed by the purple light into a strange flowing substance.

With a sweep of Bullet's hand, the constantly surging purple torrent immediately spread outward at high speed.

Like a rainbow bridge stretching for thousands of meters, it extended from the center of the inner bay, crossed over the towering wall, and landed on the plaza!

When the purple light faded.

The shattered warship had become a magnificent bridge spanning a thousand meters.

This series of changes was completed in the blink of an eye.

Looking at the bridge spanning the inner bay and the plaza, pirates and Marines alike were dumbfounded.

Only then did Whitebeard let out a breath of relief and shout again, "Everyone! Get onto the stone bridge and enter the plaza!"

"Fine, I'll see this through to the end. I don't want to hear you nagging again, old man Whitebeard."

Bullet raised his right hand high and spread his fingers.

At the end of the stone bridge above the inner bay, purple light immediately swirled and split into strips of purple bands that shot out like nimble whips.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds and thousands of whips danced through the air, continuously extending as they shot in every direction.

Swish, swish, swish!

The spreading whips wrapped around pirates and prisoners one after another like vines.

Even pirates still soaking in the sea were cinched by the whips and hauled out of the water.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The whips retracted, dragging pirate after pirate back and roughly flinging them onto the bridge.

Thud, thud!

Dull impacts rang out in quick succession.

In mere moments, the stone bridge was packed with people.

Sengoku clenched his fists and roared through gritted teeth, "Bastards! Destroy that bridge immediately! Don't let the pirates enter the plaza!"

Whoosh!

Before Sengoku had even finished speaking.

A golden beam shot out from the Justice Fortress toward the bridge.

"Kizaru! I won't let you have your way!"

A phoenix wreathed in blue flames flapped its wings and streaked across the sky like lightning, spreading its broad wings to block the golden beam head-on.

"Phoenix Marco, I wonder whether you can withstand this old man's magma power?"

On the ground, Akainu, his body billowing with smoke, raised his right fist and was about to fire magma at Marco.

At that moment, Jozu turned his entire body to diamond, stomping the ground with booming crashes as he charged straight at Akainu.

"Flash Collision!"

"Hm?"

Watching Jozu come thundering toward him, Akainu turned and launched a magma-coated punch, smashing Jozu's massive body into the ground.

After blasting Jozu away, Akainu was about to turn and destroy the stone bridge.

"Purgatory Asura Slash!"

"Rose Dance!"

Two charging figures rushed in, crossing past Akainu from his left and right.

Slice! Slice!

Akainu's towering body was instantly cut apart cleanly, turning into chunks of magma flesh scattered across the ground.

With only half his upper body remaining, Akainu lay on the ground with an enraged expression.

"One after another. You really are irritating flies."

Crimson magma rolled and surged, spraying upward like a fountain before reforming Akainu's towering body.

Looking at Shiryu and Vista standing before him with swords in hand, Akainu's expression darkened terribly.

"I hate rebels most of all, Shiryu. Are you ready to die?"

Akainu's cold, murderous gaze fell upon Shiryu.

Shiryu was equally indifferent as he slowly raised Raiu in his hand.

"The Marines of today are so hypocritical, they make me sick."

"Akainu, in some ways, you and I are no different."

"Shut up! Great Eruption!"

Akainu curled his lips, and a terrifying torrent of magma surged from his right fist.

The rushing crimson magma radiated terrifying heat.

If it struck them head-on, they would undoubtedly die!

Shiryu and Vista did not dare clash with Akainu head-on, even though both were powerful swordsmen.

Just as the two leaped away from where they stood.

Vast streams of black energy rapidly spread over, forming a large patch of ink-black darkness beneath Akainu's feet.

A strange sight appeared.

The magma continuously flowing across the ground actually began to slowly sink into the dense darkness.

Akainu frowned and looked up.

"Zehahahaha! Marine Admiral Akainu, I'll be your opponent."

Seeing Dark Vortex swallow every drop of magma Akainu had fired, Teach's face immediately broke into a smug grin.

He swaggered over to stand before Akainu, extending his left hand as black energy appeared in his palm and began to spin.

"Blackbeard? What the hell are you supposed to be?"

Clear contempt appeared on Akainu's face. He clenched his right fist and punched directly at Teach's face.

"Dark Water!"

Teach spread his left hand. The dark energy in his palm spun rapidly, unleashing a powerful pull.

The gravitational force of darkness dragged Akainu's right fist toward him, making Akainu's expression flicker.

He saw the magma on his right fist slowly recede, revealing the fist beneath its black glove.

"Zehahahaha!" Teach threw back his head and laughed wildly.

"My Dark-Dark Fruit can nullify Devil Fruit powers."

"Any ability user will be restrained before me!"

"Aka—"

"Shut up!"

Before Teach could finish, he saw deep black Armament Haki appear over the right fist he had drawn in.

Akainu's powerful Haki easily cut off the Dark-Dark Fruit's pull.

Then, before Teach's horrified eyes, that black-gloved fist slammed heavily into his chest.

Bang!

Crack, crack, crack!

With a dull collision, Teach's chest seemed to have been struck by a meteor. His breastbone shattered across a wide area, and his entire chest seemed to cave in.

"Puaaaargh!"

Teach's eyes bulged from their sockets. The soul-rending agony nearly made him pass out on the spot.

His body flew away like a cannonball, knocking dozens of pirates and Marines off their feet along a straight line.

On the shattered ground, Teach lay sprawled like a dead dog, blood continuously spilling from the corner of his mouth.

At that moment, only one thought remained in his chaotic mind.

Damn it! Why am I so weak? Akainu is another monster! His magma was clearly countered by my Dark-Dark Fruit! How could he still be this powerful?

Teach deeply doubted.

Even after obtaining the Tremor-Tremor Fruit he had dreamed of for so long.

Would he be able to defeat inhuman beings like Akainu and Bullet?

Just as he was thinking this, two incomparably vast and violent auras suddenly descended from the sky, crashing down onto the plaza of Marine Headquarters.

Amid the rolling clouds of dust, two mountain-like, towering figures appeared to Akainu's left and right not far behind him.