"Why? Why go this far? What conviction has kept you standing until now? Do you have a justice of your own in your heart, boy?"
Akainu looked at Jiang Lin, whose body had been burned by magma beyond all human recognition. For the first time, something stirred in his eyes.
Jiang Lin was clearly no ordinary pirate with nothing to believe in. Something powerful within him had to be driving his actions, sustaining his will, and holding him together.
Marines followed the justice in their hearts. They acted according to what they believed was right.
Pirates, on the other hand, were generally thought to have no such conviction. They were evil, without limits, and did whatever they pleased.
But Jiang Lin was plainly no such pirate. His every action reflected his principles and resolve.
"Heh... My justice!"
"Because... because I know... I believe... deep down... I want... to see... the One Piece!"
"The One Piece exists! And I... will become the Pirate King!"
Jiang Lin stubbornly rose to his feet. An endless fire seemed to burn in his eyes. Those flames were not real, but they embodied the will that had kept him going this long.
That unyielding will continued to give Jiang Lin the strength to move.
Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix equipped. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds. Ice-Ice Fruit equipped. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds.
Dazzling blue flames surged from Jiang Lin and covered his body in an instant. Wherever they passed, his pain faded and his injuries healed.
"Akainu, I admit you're strong. But I'm... no weakling either!"
With a roar, Jiang Lin raised his right hand. A giant ice bird burst from it and charged straight at Akainu, carrying his indomitable will.
"Is that so? I'll grant that your will is strong. But your strength can't match your ambition, boy. You have no future."
"Great Eruption!"
Facing the giant ice bird, Akainu's right hand rapidly swelled and boiled. He thrust it forward to seize both the bird and Jiang Lin behind it.
"Enough! That's enough!"
Yet Jiang Lin showed no fear before Akainu's devastating attack. His eyes fixed on the system display, and a smile spread across his face.
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted where Jiang Lin and Akainu stood. The shock wave instantly obscured everyone's view.
"Hm?"
On the Execution Platform, Sengoku turned toward the churning smoke below. Concern crept across his face.
"D!"
Below the Execution Platform, Garp watched Jiang Lin with concern in his eyes.
"D!"
At the center of the battlefield, Whitebeard looked toward Jiang Lin. Concern slowly appeared on his face as well.
The clash between Jiang Lin and Akainu had everyone on edge. They were all worried, though for entirely different reasons.
One minute elapsed. Magma-Magma Fruit copied.
Amid the smoke, beyond anyone's sight, Jiang Lin's eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
"Let's fight, Akainu!"
Magma-Magma Fruit (enhanced by Tremor-Tremor Fruit and Dark-Dark Fruit) equipped. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds.
Jiang Lin removed the Ice-Ice Fruit and immediately equipped the enhanced Magma-Magma Fruit. With three astonishing Devil Fruits gathered in one body, the crushing pressure left him feeling as though he were sinking into a swamp.
"So this is power? The power everyone seeks? The power that makes this whole world tremble? Akainu, I hope my abilities... satisfy you! Hahaha..."
Jiang Lin staggered out of the smoke. Stubborn fighting spirit shone in his eyes. His battle with Akainu had only now truly begun.
"Boy! Your abilities are frightening. I'm amazed you can control a power that makes people tremble just looking at it. But it's not enough! Still not enough! Your control is too crude. You can't wield your power precisely. Keep this up, and in the end... your own power will devour you!"
Magma began to boil across Akainu's body. His words dismissed Jiang Lin, but his actions showed that he now regarded Jiang Lin as an opponent.
"Dark Flame Kingdom!"
Jiang Lin glanced at Akainu, clenched his fist, and slammed it into the ground. Fine cracks spread through every surface and building they reached, and thick black mist poured from the fissures.
Hot magma lay hidden within the black mist, burning every enemy it touched. The scorching air sent everyone nearby fleeing in terror from the darkness.
This was Dark Flame Kingdom, a technique Jiang Lin had created using three extraordinarily powerful Devil Fruits.
"Ah! These flames... Are they hellfire? Why won't they go out?"
"Oh, God! They're coming this way! Run!"
The Marine Soldiers on the battlefield saw the dark flames spreading toward them and scattered in panic.
"Haki!"
"Haki!"
"..."
As the black mist spread, every Marine Vice Admiral, both Marine Admirals, Sengoku, and Garp moved to stop it.
If flames that seemed to come from hell were allowed to spread, the damage to Marineford would be beyond calculation.
"So this is D's strength? He may truly have reached the level of a Marine Admiral. Quick! Get the news out!"
On the Sabaody Archipelago, reporters watching the live broadcast excitedly began writing their stories. As soon as they finished, they sent them beyond the archipelago to spread across the world.
"Don't get cocky, brat! Meteor Volcano!"
Akainu's sleeves billowed in the wind. With a shout, he drove his fists toward Jiang Lin. Massive magma fists fell from the sky like meteors, pounding toward Jiang Lin at the heart of the darkness.
A clear birdcall rang across the battlefield. Facing the cataclysmic assault, Jiang Lin transformed into a blue Phoenix and charged upward through the endless barrage of volcanic rock.
"A Phoenix? What a troublesome ability!"
Akainu watched Jiang Lin climb higher, irritation flickering in his eyes.
Boom!
Crimson and sky-blue flames collided in midair. A violent explosion lit up the entire sky over Marineford.
Above, light and fire clashed. Below, darkness and fire churned against each other. Caught between them, all of Marineford seemed ready to collapse.
The apocalyptic scene, the overwhelming attacks, and the seawater that kept boiling away drew the eyes of the world back to Marineford, to the center of the battlefield.
Everyone watched for the outcome. Everyone waited for that figure to appear. Everyone hoped to hear the Phoenix's cry ring out across Marineford.