Bzzzt!
In an instant, Akainu felt as though his head had been smashed apart. Stars burst before his eyes, and his body rapidly lost its balance.
Then the ground rushed closer, filling his vision. With a thunderous crash, his face made intimate contact with the dirt.
Crack!
The deafening sound shot skyward. The ground rapidly split open, cracks spreading outward from Akainu's head as a massive crater formed.
His body below the neck arched backward, his head buried deep in the dirt.
Whoosh!
The wind swept in, stirring the dust on the ground.
Silence fell over the scene. No other sound could be heard, whether from Rayleigh or from Aokiji and Kizaru, the two Admirals standing nearby.
At that moment, all of them fell silent.
None of them had expected River to strike so decisively, so directly, and without the slightest restraint.
"I won't tolerate anyone interfering with my fight."
River's expression was icy as he spoke coldly.
"No one!"
His chilling voice sent a shudder through everyone watching.
"How terrifying!"
Sentomaru swallowed, even the hand holding his binoculars trembling.
For the sake of his own fight, River had struck without hesitation at an Admiral who belonged to the same Navy.
A man like that recognized no taboos. He acted without restraint, indulging himself to an outrageous degree.
"Let's continue our fight!"
River raised his head to look at Rayleigh and spoke in a low voice.
"All right!"
Rayleigh's eyes flickered. He nodded, gripping his sword in his right hand as he focused once more.
The next second, both of them moved again.
Before everyone's eyes, two streaks of light seemed to race across the battlefield, colliding violently before erupting in a blaze that shot skyward.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
They collided again and again, separating only to crash into