Tick-tock...
Tick-tock...
clatter!!
"Still breathing? Then I'll give you one more punch..."
With drops of magma flowing from his body, Akainu slowly walked towards Ace and Luffy. Seeing that Ace still seemed to be breathing and was giving Luffy instructions, his expression turned serious, and then he threw another punch.
"Stop..."
Luffy looked up and shouted at him.
Bang bang...
Two shells imbued with Armament Haki blasted in, shattering half of Akainu's body. However, lava rolled down his mangled torso, and he was completely restored in the blink of an eye.
"Damn it, even my Haki has no effect on him?"
The captain, who was carrying twin turrets and sniping at Akainu, saw this and felt a surge of resentment.
"Die!!"
Swoosh...
Akainu's magma arm continued to slam towards Ace. Wherever the magma passed, the temperature suddenly rose, and the scorching heat made the people nearby sweat profusely. However, they ignored this minor incident and watched helplessly as the Magma Fist slammed towards Ace again, shouting helplessly.
"Don't hurt him anymore... Fish-Man Karate... Arabesque Brick Fist!!"
Bang...
In this critical moment, former Shichibukai Jinbe could no longer stand idly by and punched the oncoming magma.
boom...
Before Jinbe's fist even made direct contact with the magma, the shockwave from the blow slammed into it, creating a powerful gust of air that sent magma flying everywhere. Jinbe had successfully blocked Akainu's fatal attack with his fist.
"It's Jinbe!!"
The pirates on Whitebeard's side were overjoyed to see Jinbe angered and attack.
Click click...
In mid-air, the intense energy emanating from Jinbe's fist continued to clash with Akainu's magma, but the beads of sweat on Jinbe 'Jinbe forehead clearly showed that he was only managing to stall Akainu and was far from being able to completely defeat him.
" Jinbe is useless. As a former Shichibukai, don't you know my strength? Get out of my way!!"
Akainu's fists pressed relentlessly forward, steadily advancing, while Jinbe found himself increasingly unable to keep up. After leaving two deep marks on his feet, he forced himself to stop.
"If I can risk my life to hold you off here, I'm willing. I already decided to give up this life to create a more favorable situation for my Pops when I came here..."
Jinbe ignored Akainu's advice, his large blue face showing a resolute expression as he loudly declared his intentions to Akainu.
"Foolish! Then let me see if you have the guts to say that... Great Eruption *!"
Sizzle...
As he spoke, the magma in Akainu's hand surged up again, the intense heat eroding Jinbe's fist as it directly touched his hand, producing a large amount of white smoke.
"Ugh..."
Bang...
Sizzle sizzle...
Jinbe's arm was burned by the terrifyingly high temperature of the magma, and then Akainu's powerful swing blasted through his arms and sent him flying.
Despite the severe burns on his arms and a muffled cry of pain, Jinbe persevered to the very end, carving two deep furrows in the ground with his feet as he stopped in front of Luffy and Ace, refusing to let up and leave.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
On the other side, where the Marines were located, Garp walked calmly and silently toward Akainu.
"Huh?! Vice Admiral Garp, you...?"
The Marines were puzzled by Garp's actions and couldn't help but ask him as he walked past them.
Tap tap...
Bang...
"Hmm... Garp... what exactly are you trying to do?"
Sengoku noticed Garp's unusual behavior and quickly ran over, grabbing the back of his head and slamming him to the ground, smashing the floorboards beneath him as he questioned him.
"Just hold me down like this, Sengoku, or I'll definitely kill that bastard Sakazuki..."
Instead of continuing to struggle, Garp said this to Sengoku.
"Idiot!!"
Although Sengoku knew that Garp was in great pain and couldn't control his murderous intent towards Akainu, he had to step in to stop Garp out of duty, while simultaneously yelling at Garp in an attempt to make Garp realize his true identity.
Glug glug...
ah...
" Akainu..."
Swoosh...
Rayleigh, who had stopped fighting after a brief skirmish with Sengoku and whose victory was still uncertain, turned to look at Luffy and his Luffy, only to be met with a scene that enraged him.
Rayleigh was taken aback for a moment, then came to his senses, took out the bottle he carried at his waist, took a big gulp, smashed it on the ground, pushed off with his foot, Extreme Speed towards Akainu.
"It seems necessary to execute the traitor, Jinbe..."
Swoosh...
After saying that, Akainu's lower body turned into magma, flowing towards Jinbe and delivering a punch.
"Get down, Jinbe!!"
"Um..."
At this critical moment, two familiar voices came from behind. Jinbe immediately did as they said and crouched down. Then Marco and Vista flashed past him and launched an attack on Akainu.
call out!!
Clang!!
boom...
A claw and a sword struck Akainu, shattering half of his body and sending magma spraying up.
" Haki, huh? This is really troublesome!! But don't you guys know that Fire Fist is beyond saving?"
Despite having half his body shattered, Akainu felt no pain and his expression remained unchanged. He had anticipated the attack and dodged it using his elemental transformation.
Thump... da...
Thump... da...
Akainu tilted his head and walked towards them, molten lava dripping from his body.
"Damn it... such a tragedy was caused by a moment of carelessness."
"I truly regret it!!"
Marco and Vista were filled with remorse and said in deep voices.
"Sorry, Luffy, all your efforts were in vain; you still couldn't save me in the end..."
Despite the intense pain coursing through his body, Ace spoke softly to Luffy.
"No, what are you saying, Ace? It's okay, you're alright, right? Ship's doctor, quick, come and treat Ace's wound, it's just a small wound..."
Luffy still couldn't believe it was true, and clinging to Ace as if grasping at a last straw, he begged the ship's doctors for help.
"No, listen to me, Luffy is beyond saving. He can't speak loudly right now. Listen carefully, and then relay this to others..."
Thump...
After giving his final instructions to Luffy, Ace finally collapsed to the ground without any regrets.
"Ace, Ace... Ah, ah... Ah..."
Meanwhile, Luffy saw Ace die in his arms while trying to save him. Staring intently at his hands, which were stained with the blood from Ace's wound, he spoke in a trembling voice. Then, his emotions finally surged forth like a flood breaking through a dam, and he threw his head back and cried loudly until his body could no longer bear it and he lost consciousness.
" Straw Hat Boy, oh no! He's having a mental breakdown, his life is in danger..."
Seeing this, Iva knew that her worst fears had finally come true, and she looked at Luffy with worry in her eyes.
Swoosh...
"You're next, Straw Hat Luffy..."
Akainu's upper body emerged from the flowing lava that was approaching Luffy and the others, saying something as he simultaneously threw a punch.
Swoosh...
"Damn it... Don't hurt Ace's brother, whom he risked his life to protect..."
Seeing this, Marco and Vista could no longer contain their burning anger and rushed forward to meet them.
call out...
boom!!
"Excuse me, Akainu, could I possibly handle Mr. Akainu...?"
Just as the two were about to block Akainu's attack, a silver-white Flying Slash swept past them, shredding Akainu's body. Then, a black figure Extreme Speed behind them and spoke to them in a cheerful voice.
Guh...
clatter...
" Dark King Rayleigh, you old codger, what are you doing here? Are you trying to avenge your captain's son?"
Akainu's body recovered from the magma and he returned to human form, standing on the ground. He looked at Rayleigh and asked him with a hint of disdain.
"Hahaha, if that's what you want to think, then so be it. I was inexplicably dragged into this incident, and I thought that if I could rescue Ace, that would be enough. But after all this time and effort, I still couldn't save him. I'm quite displeased now. May I ask you for some advice, Marine Admiral... Akainu!!"
Rayleigh laughed heartily upon hearing Akainu's words, then a sinister glint flashed in his eyes as he gripped his sword hilt and pointed at Akainu, saying...
"Hmph, you're just another remnant of the old era, like Whitebeard. Then I'll carry out your execution... Great Eruption!!"
After Akainu finished snorting, he raised his hand, and magma instantly surged and flowed before crashing head-on towards Rayleigh.
"Hahaha, if you can do it, then come on! I've been wanting to test what you, hailed as one of the Navy's three greatest combat forces, are capable of... Dark King’s Might!!"
call out...
After saying that, Rayleigh's double-edged sword underwent a dramatic change. A strong black Armament Haki enveloped the blade, turning it black, and a small, intense black vortex condensed at the tip before he swung the sword at Akainu.
Bang...
The black, Haki vortex collided with the red magma solution, and in an instant, black turbulence and red magma filled a large area of the battlefield, swirling up and blowing away countless marines and pirates, who fell haphazardly to various places.
" Hell Hound!!"
roar...
Having failed in his first attack, Akainu clenched his fists, which transformed into two wolf heads, and hurled them at Rayleigh.
" The Dark Domain... Beast Subjugation!!"
boom...
Facing the oncoming primordial beast, Rayleigh's lips curled into a slight smile. He pointed his sword at the Colossal Beast, and his aura surged behind him, eventually transforming into a colossal Colossal Beast that suppressed Akainu in a purgatory.
Swoosh...
Bang!!
Swoosh...
Bang!!
The two clashed at Extreme Speed. The Colossal Beast and the purgatory pressed down, either crushing the beast's head or tearing the purgatory apart, turning it into a sky full of starlight.
A series of chaotic and disordered air currents formed and filled the surrounding area, turning it into a desolate wasteland.
Bang...
The two quickly clashed and then separated, creating a long distance between them.
"Remnants of the old era, I'll send you to your death to meet your captain... Great Eruption!!"
boom...
Seeing that the attack had not yielded much result after so long, Akainu became somewhat angry, and spewing magma crashed down from the sky.
"Naive! Do you really think you can defeat me with this attack? Dark King’s Might... Valley Severing!!"
Rayleigh calmly watched the lava crashing down from the sky, then flicked his wrist and swung it straight up into the air.
A flash of silver Shadow Flash past, and the enormous Magma Fist was severed by the silver Flying Slash before it could even land, falling to either side.
Swoosh...
"You've fallen for my trap, Rayleigh!!"
Akainu suddenly burst out of the magma that had been cut in half, and then his body turned back into magma, transforming into a crimson scythe that slashed down.
"Um?!"
Clang!!
Rayleigh looked up and saw a huge magma scythe slashing down at him; he parried it with his sword.
The clash of swords produced a piercing, sharp screech, and a violent shockwave swept across all directions.
Bang...
As the smoke cleared, the two men stood unharmed on either side.
"Hahahaha, I never expected that even my strength would falter. I've fought for so long, and now my stamina is failing me..."
After Rayleigh separated from Akainu, he threw his head back and laughed, then said with a hint of self-deprecation.
"Hmph, arrogant!"
Upon hearing Rayleigh's self-deprecating remark, Akainu's face darkened, and he coldly snorted.
"Continuing to argue with you will only delay important matters..."
Don't run away, Straw Hat Luffy...
Glug...
Akainu had no intention of continuing to entangle with Rayleigh. His body softened and turned into a pool of lava, rushing towards Luffy, who was being carried under Jinbe's arm as they Luffy the battlefield.
"Huh?! It's so hot... It's Akainu, what's he doing here...?"
"Quickly take Ace's brother away, Jinbe, we'll hold him off here."
Several pirates ran behind Jinbe and covered his retreat with weapons.
"Die, Akainu! We will avenge Ace brothers the suffering they endured..."
Swoosh...
Several pirates shouted loudly, then drew their swords and slashed at Akainu, who was in hot pursuit.
"Hey, you little punk, get out of my way..."
Bang...
Several pirates were blasted away with a single punch and continued charging towards Jinbe.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
"Uh, this is bad! Jinbe, you need to take Straw Hat Boy and get out of here right now. I'll handle this..."
Sizzle sizzle...
After speaking, Okama King Ivankov, braked Extreme Speed with both feet, making a sizzling sound on the ground, and turned to face Akainu.
"Hmm, are you going to stop me too, Revolutionary Army Ivankov...?"
When Akainu saw that Iva had stopped to stop him, just like the other pirates before her, he stopped and said to her calmly.
"As Revolutionary Army officer, protecting Straw Hat Boy is my only mission on this battlefield. Let me show you the power of the Okama Kenpo."
With a comical expression, Iva showed off her long fingernails and spoke in a joking manner.
"Hmph, a bunch of roadblocks, all of you, die!"
Akainu snorted coldly and then his fist transformed into magma, slamming towards Iva's large face.
Clang!!
However, just as Akainu was about to make his move, a bright silver light flashed across his body, accompanied by an indescribable terrifying aura that firmly anchored him to his body.
"Hmm, Whitebeard..."
Akainu naturally felt the intense pressure pressing down on him, and stiffly turned around to see who it was.
Swoosh...
boom...
"Pfft~"
Crack crack... Boom!!
Whitebeard remained silent, his expression one of intense anger, and slammed his right fist into Akainu's head.
Akainu was slammed to the ground by the sudden shockwave. The ground instantly cracked, with fissures spreading like a spider web, before collapsing rapidly.
Swoosh...
Whitebeard pushed off the ground with his feet, leaping high into the air, the shockwaves swirling around his feet as he stomped down.