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"Thunder Breathing First Form: Thunderclap and Flash."
Akira's faint voice echoed in everyone's ears. In the next instant, a bolt of lightning surged from the distance at blinding speed.
Before anyone could even react, a few unlucky pirates suddenly felt a sharp sensation across their necks.
In the blink of an eye, a huge head soared into the sky.
As blood sprayed out, Akira was already standing on the fence, holding Magellan.
The area fell silent.
The once high-spirited pirates now stood frozen, as if paralyzed, mechanically raising their heads to stare at the figure that haunted their nightmares.
"Pirates, your free time is over."
Akira lowered his gaze, looking down on them.
His piercing tiger-like eyes scanned the crowd as he declared his warning.
"He's... he's fine?"
"How could this be? After all those attacks, he's completely unharmed."
"You b*****d, you sneaked up on us while we weren't paying attention. This time, you won't get away without a fight!"
"Curse that Marine, this is bad."
Shiki, seeing his enemies closing in while his crew was still terrified of the attack, flew into a rage.
Marines and pirates are natural enemies. Their relationship is like that of a cat and a mouse—every encounter must end in life or death.
The smartest move right now would be to take advantage of someone's unsteady footing, grab a weapon, and charge in directly.
Even if you can't kill him, just knocking him back would be enough to give him the chance to use his abilities and make a quick escape.
To be honest, Shiki felt a bit ashamed for even thinking this way.
But there was no other choice—the aftereffects of the battle at Edd wall still lingered, and the rudder lodged in his head constantly sapped his strength.
On top of that, just half a month before his escape, Akira had humiliated him in battle, leaving him helpless.
With everything adding up, Shiki could no longer maintain the arrogant attitude of his past, where he looked down on the world as if it was nothing.
Confidence demands strength to back it up.
"These bastards should have stayed locked up in Impel Down!"
Shiki gritted his teeth in fury, but his feet moved quickly.
His two famous swords slashed at such a speed that they left afterimages, sending wave after wave of sword energy hurtling forward.
At the same time, Shiki controlled his body, charging ahead at high speed, intent on engaging Akira in close combat.
"Why are you all standing there like idiots? Get moving with me!"
As he rushed forward, Shiki roared at his crew.
The big pirates finally snapped out of their daze.
Without saying a word, they followed close behind him.
"Magellan, can you still fight?"
Akira glanced sideways at a pale Magellan.
"I... I can."
Magellan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, not dwelling on the previous attack.
Though the pain in his body had subsided, as the director, how could he just sit by and watch while facing these prisoners who had escaped from his own hands?
Even if he was severely injured, as long as there was still a breath left in him, he had to stand and fight.
"Good." Akira nodded and set Magellan down.
As the Golden Lion Shiki charged towards him, Akira couldn't help but smile.
"As a token of my gratitude, I'll end this fight quickly so you don't suffer too much."
Akira murmured softly.
Shiki's jailbreak had helped him in many ways.
And Akira always repays those who aid him.
The Nichirin sword at his waist shifted, and Armament Haki swirled up around it.
At the same time, Akira's breathing changed, arcs of lightning crackling around his body.
Boom.
A monstrous wave of Conqueror's Haki burst forth, slamming ahead like a tidal wave.
The sword energy unleashed by Golden Lion Shiki was obliterated instantly.
Akira pushed off with a small step, and his body vanished.
In the blink of an eye, he collided with Shiki.
"Fleet Admiral! You die here!" Shiki roared.
"If you can, then try, Shiki."
Boom!
BOOM!!
A fierce battle erupted high above the New World sea.
The floating pirate ship didn't stand a chance, torn apart by the sheer power of their fight.
Yet, thanks to Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, fragments of the ship still hovered stubbornly like clouds in the sky.
What was once a clear, sunny sky had now darkened with storm clouds, drawn by the force of the clashing titans.
Blades of terrifying sword energy collided wildly, scattering in all directions.
Occasionally, the lifeless bodies of pirates could be seen plummeting from the sky like falling stars, crashing into the sea below.
After what seemed like an eternity...
The battle subsided.
A small, lone mountain peak jutted out from the sea.
Golden Lion Shiki, along with the other big pirates, lay unconscious on the ground, severely wounded.
The only ones left standing were Akira and Magellan.
But while Akira was merely catching his breath, with his clothes stained and torn, Magellan's condition was dire.
Though still conscious, his breathing was faint and weak.
A deep wound on Magellan's chest was still oozing blood.
"Are you okay?" Akira asked with concern as he walked over.
Magellan gasped and forced a smile, trying to show he was fine. "I can't die... I can't die."
Though he said this, Akira could see he was just putting up a brave front.
After all, it was tough enough for Magellan to face one of the big pirates in a one-on-one fight, let alone multiple at once. He had even taken a hit from Shiki's sword during the chaos.
To be honest, the fact that Magellan could still respond showed just how strong his physical endurance was.
But Akira didn't dwell on it.
Even though Magellan was seriously injured, it was all part of the plan.
The primary purpose of this trip was to make Magellan more appreciative of what Akira had done for Impel Down. If he didn't go through such a harrowing experience, how could he truly feel gratitude?
Now that the goal had been met, it was time to focus on healing and returning to Impel Down alive.
"Let me treat your injuries first," Akira said calmly.
As soon as he finished speaking, his Devil Fruit powers activated. A leaf appeared in his palm.
Akira pulled out a pen from his pocket, wrote the name "Mansherry" on the leaf, and tossed it into the open space.
With a pop, a small, cute figure appeared—a tiny human about 20 centimeters tall, resembling a Barbie doll.
"Good afternoon, my lord," Mansherry greeted.
"Help Magellan with his injuries."
"Okay!" Mansherry responded softly and quickly went to Magellan's side to begin healing him.