The intrusion of the Children of the Abyss, though chaotic and with unclear friend and foe, clearly targeted the World Government fleet and the Three Admirals, which were well-organized and had strong energy responses. This created an excellent window of opportunity for the Allied Forces to retreat.
"Now! Don't linger! Everyone evacuate!" Sabo roared hoarsely through the communicator, his voice strained despite his injuries. Pluton ' power had been partially restored thanks to the desperate repairs by Tesoro and the engineers. Although it couldn't perform long-distance space jumps, it was sufficient for regular travel.
"Tch! Damn monster!" Akainu punched a tentacle from the Abyss that was coiling towards him, the scorching magma evaporating most of it, but more tentacles and dark matter creatures swarmed in, greatly hindering his pursuit. He watched helplessly as Pluton began to turn his ship around, while the Revolutionary Army fleet, the Thor, and the Kuja ship on the outer perimeter also fought and retreated, trying to regroup.
" Kuzan! Borsalino! Stop them! We can't let them escape!" Akainu roared, ordering the two Admiral to intercept them.
However--
Kuzan froze a swarm of Abyss creatures that were charging towards him. He glanced at Pluton, who was fighting and retreating, especially at the Arks representing the diverse Spark of civilization, which were being protected by Allen. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes. He raised his hand and released a large area of " Ice Age," not targeting Pluton, but cleverly blocking the advance of more Abyss creatures surging from the other side, effectively clearing a small area for Pluton's retreat. He chose to silently "execute orders," but his actions expressed a different attitude.
"Ugh~ There's no way around it~ These monsters are too annoying~" Kizaru transformed into a golden light, flashing and weaving through the Abyss creatures. He seemed incredibly busy, firing his Yasakani no Magatama indiscriminately, but most of the light projectiles "just happened" to miss, hitting empty spaces or the most densely packed areas of Abyss creatures, perfectly demonstrating what "advanced slacking off" means. He even took a moment to glance at Akainu, his tone helpless. "Mr. Sakazuki, let's deal with the immediate trouble first~ These guys are unreasonable~"
"You two...!" Akainu was so angry he was about to explode, but he was currently entangled in the firepower of the most Abyss creatures and some Revolutionary Army warships, and was unable to break free for the time being.
Just as Pluton was about to escape the most dangerous core battle zone and reunite with the outer reinforcements, Akainu, who was in a killing frenzy, finally unleashed his full power and used " Hell Hound " to tear open a path. His lava-god-like figure broke through the encirclement and rushed straight for Pluton's stern!
"Don't even think about escaping! Straw Hat Luffy! Fire Fist Ace! I'll leave you here today!" His massive lava fist, brimming with all his rage and killing intent, transformed into a falling lava meteor, slamming fiercely into the Pluton Engine! If this attack hits, the Pluton, which has just partially recovered its power, could be completely paralyzed!
"No!" Ace and Luffy changed simultaneously, and they tried to turn around to block, but it was too late!
At this extremely critical moment—
Allen, who had been maintaining the " Severed Realm " to protect Pluton, suddenly felt the dark purple flames of the Torch Dragon in his eyes surge!
" Akainu...!" Allen's voice carried a hint of weariness, yet carried even greater authority, "You've been pursuing me too relentlessly!"
He no longer focused on maintaining the large-scale " Severed Realm," but instead instantly withdrew, compressed, and condensed all the Power of Zhulong at his fingertips!
That point of eerie purple light seemed to devour all the surrounding light, becoming incredibly deep and terrifying!
" Torch Dragon Secret Technique: Fleeting Eternity!"
He pointed at the air in the direction Akainu was charging from!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling beams of energy.
There was only an extreme silence, as if even time and space themselves had frozen!
Akainu's incredibly ferocious lava meteor fist abruptly stopped just a hundred meters away from the Pluton Engine!
It wasn't that it was blocked, but rather that the flow of time in that small space was brought to near absolute stillness by Allen at the cost of burning the essence of the Torch Dragon! Even Akainu's angry and incredulous expression was completely frozen in that moment!
At the same time, space itself underwent an extremely subtle yet fatal distortion and misalignment at that point!
• Crack... A faint, almost inaudible sound, like glass shattering, rang out.
Countless fine cracks suddenly appeared on Akainu's solidified molten lava fist! Then, the cracks quickly spread to his entire molten arm and even half of his body!
"Pfft—!" Allen coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale, and his body swayed precariously. The burden of this attack far exceeded his expectations.
But the next moment, time resumed its flow!
Boom!! Akainu's solidified molten lava body suddenly shattered, but the damage caused by the spatial displacement also erupted instantly! His giant lava fist and parts of his body were as if cut by an invisible spatial blade, exploding into countless fragments! Although his main body was not directly injured, the forced disintegration of his elementalized body still caused him considerable backlash and shock!
"Ugh!" Akainu groaned, his elemental body reforming, but his aura was noticeably erratic, and for the first time, a look of surprise and uncertainty appeared in his eyes. His pursuit was forced to a complete halt. He stared intently at the swaying, yet cold-eyed Allen at the stern of the Pluton, and for a moment dared not charge forward rashly.
It was this brief moment of delay! The Pluton Engine started at full power, dragging its battered body, and accelerated sharply, finally breaking through the encirclement and joining up with the Revolutionary Army fleet, Thor, and Kuja that were waiting on the outside. Without looking back, it headed towards the distant star system.
After Pluton left, the Abyss creatures seemed to have lost their target, slowly retreating back into the enormous spatial rift and disappearing, leaving behind only a wrecked World Government fleet and the Three Admirals with grim faces.
Akainu stood there, watching Pluton disappear into the depths of space. The shattered lava slowly repaired itself, finally transforming into a roar of extreme rage that echoed across the ruined battlefield.
" Allen!!! Straw Hat Kid!!! I will never forgive you!!!"
However, no matter how much he roared, the allied forces had already successfully withdrawn. This fierce battle ended with the World Government failing to achieve its final objective and the allied forces escaping with a Pyrrhic victory. The earth-shattering blow of the Power of Zhulong was deeply imprinted in the hearts of all who witnessed it.