Meanwhile, in the heart of the battlefield, the battle between Lucci and Akainu had begun.
The cause of the matter is very simple.
Under the relentless assault of the officers on Hachinosu, the navy's defenses have completely collapsed.
Sengoku was entangled with Yamato, Garp was held back by Bullet, Kizaru and Tesoro were locked in a fierce battle in the air, and Aokiji faced off against Hawk Eyes.
Meanwhile, Akainu, one of the Marine Headquarters' top combatants Admiral, is attempting to reorganize his offensive after losing Whitebeard as his opponent.
Then Lucci appeared in front of him.
In his Shadow Leopard Form, Lucci's body blended silently into the shadow beneath Akainu's feet.
Just as Akainu's Magma Fist was about to blast towards Whitebeard in the distance,
A powerful Rankyaku flew out from the shadows, striking Akainu's wrist precisely.
Lava splashed everywhere.
Akainu had a thin, long wound on his wrist, from which magma gushed and dripped onto the ice with a hissing sound.
Akainu looked down at the wound on his wrist, then slowly raised his head.
His gaze fell on Lucci, who emerged from the shadows, and on Kaku, Blueno, and Jabra behind Lucci.
"CP9."
Akainu's voice was deep and cold, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Traitor."
Lucci did not respond to the nickname.
He simply moved his neck, revealing clearly defined muscles beneath his leopard-print skin.
" Akainu, your opponent is me."
Akainu's lips curled into a cold smile. "Overestimating yourself."
His right arm was completely magma-like, with dark red magma churning and boiling on his fist.
The temperature was so high that the surrounding ice began to melt and smoke.
He took a step forward, and his Magma Fist, carrying terrifying heat, slammed towards Lucci.
Lucci did not take the hit head-on.
The Shadow Panther's speed is terrifying in short-range bursts; its body transformed into a black shadow just before the Magma Fist was about to strike.
It slid past the edge of the Magma Fist.
The scorching lava grazed his shoulder, scorching a small patch of fur, but he seemed completely oblivious to the pain.
" Rokushiki Ogi: Rokuogan "
Lucci's right fist, imbued with the full explosive power of the Six Powers and covered in Armament Haki, slammed into Akainu's side.
Akainu's body was knocked to the side by the impact, but it was only half a step.
His abdomen had already become elemental before the fist hit, with molten lava enveloping Lucci's fist.
Lucci frowned, instantly pulling his fist back.
His fists were now covered in burns, the skin and flesh charred black from the high temperature.
If it weren't for Armament Haki blocking it, my entire hand would have been burned through by the magma.
"Your punch is much lighter than Whitebeard's." Akainu sneered, throwing a backhand punch at Lucci.
Lucci dodged again.
But this time, Akainu's Magma Fist exploded in mid-air, turning into dozens of fist-sized magma bullets that covered all of Lucci's dodging directions.
" Hell Hound - Shotgun!"
Lucci had nowhere to dodge and was hit by several lava projectiles. He suffered burns in multiple places.
The force of the impact sent him flying, and he crashed through a wall before coming to a stop.
Amidst the rubble, Lucci coughed up blood, then slowly stood up.
His shadow leopard fur was burned and mottled, revealing the charred skin underneath.
But his eyes showed no sign of backing down.
"This is the strength of Marine Admiral."
Lucci wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Kaku and the other two beside him.
"Let's go together."
Kaku and Blueno simultaneously entered their human-beast forms.
Kaku in his Model: Dire Wolf moved with Inazuma speed, leaving several afterimages in the air, his sharp claws reaching for Akainu's nape.
Blueno charged forward from the front, his Model: Cave Bear granting him unparalleled defensive capabilities, and he crashed into Akainu like a heavy tank.
Jabra then moved to the side.
His Rust-Rust Fruit power was already at its limit in his hands; as long as he could touch Akainu's body...
Even a mere touch would be enough for him to inflict a heavy loss on this Logia Admiral.
Akainu remained expressionless despite being surrounded by the three.
His left fist transformed into magma, and he slammed it towards Blueno in front of him;
His right arm transformed into a magma whip, sweeping horizontally towards Jabra's side;
At the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out a magma beam that shot towards Kaku behind him.
The three attacks were launched simultaneously, completely blocking the three's offensive.
Blueno was hit head-on by the Magma Fist and flew backward, a large hole burned through the bear skin on his chest.
Jabra was forced back by the magma whip and couldn't get close to Akainu's body at all.
Before Kaku's wolf claws could even touch Akainu's neck, he was forced to change his attack and block the magma ray.
But in those fractions of a second when Akainu was distracted by the three, Lucci had already made his move.
His figure appeared behind Akainu like a ghost, perfectly fusing the Rokushiki Ogi with the Devil Fruit ability.
His arms were covered in Armament Haki, and his arm blades popped out, making him look like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath.
" Rokushiki Ogi - Maximum Wheel - Rokuogan - Shadow Thrust!"
Lucci's attack slammed into Akainu's back.
This time, he didn't give Akainu a chance to transform into his elemental form, and his Armament Haki firmly locked onto Akainu's physical body.
The combined force of the punch and the blade pierced through the magma's defenses, slamming into Akainu's back.
Akainu was blasted away, tumbling twice in the air before regaining his footing.
The moment he landed, a mixture of lava and blood gushed from the wound on his back, burning a steaming hole in the ice beneath his feet.
Akainu slowly turned around and looked at Lucci.
The wound on his back was healing, but at a much slower pace than before.
Lucci's Armament Haki lingered in his wounds, hindering his elemental transformation from reverting to its original state.
You hurt me.
Akainu's voice contained no anger, but rather a strange calm.
"CP9's strongest genius in eight hundred years, it's definitely more than just a title."
His fists simultaneously turned into magma, and this time the temperature was higher than ever before.
The color of the lava changed from dark red to a dazzling bright white.
The surrounding ice was baked by the high temperature until it melted and boiled, and even the air began to distort and deform.
"But that's where it ends."
While the entire Marineford was engulfed in unprecedented chaos, Roy remained standing at the bow of the Ark Maxim.
His gaze pierced through the smoke and fire, locking onto a certain direction of the battlefield.
There, Whitebeard, bracing himself with his naginata, slowly approached the battlefield.
He didn't walk fast, and each step was accompanied by obvious panting, but he never collapsed.
Akainu was held back by Lucci and his three companions.
Sengoku was entangled with Yamato and Savi's squad.
Garp is fighting Bullet to the death.
Kizaru and Aokiji have their own rivals.
Moria, Jinbe, Hancock, Crocodile, Kuma... everyone is fighting with all their might on their respective battlefields.
The Marine Headquarters ' manpower is being depleted at a visible rate.
Most of the officers below the Vice Admiral have been killed or wounded.
Even those powerful Vice Admiral generals fell one after another under the relentless onslaught of the Hachinosu officers.
Roy tapped his fingers lightly twice on the hilt of the Shusui Blade.
A smile played at the corners of his lips—not out of cruelty, but out of satisfaction.
This game of chess, which he had been planning for ten years, was gradually moving towards the ending he had predetermined.
"It's my turn."
Roy muttered something under his breath, then vanished from the bow of the ship in a flash.