Akainu.
His face twisted in fury,
His body radiating searing magma,
His very presence exuding a near-physical weight of murderous intent.
Even if he couldn't wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates entirely—
He would not let the "accursed bloodline" of the Pirate King live.
The sheer pressure of his aura made Ace stumble back half a step.
Marco immediately moved to protect him, but—
Ace gritted his teeth,
Steeling himself.
"For my father and my crew—who risked everything to save me—"
"I will NEVER fall here!"
Faced with Akainu's overwhelming presence,
Ace refused to back down,
His voice booming across the battlefield.
Like a tiger cub roaring in the valley,
His still-growing Conqueror's Haki erupted—
Not enough to overpower Akainu,
But enough to make its mark!
The battlefield reacted,
Eyes from all over turning toward him—
Some filled with joy,
Others seething with rage.
"Ace—!"
Before Akainu could make his move,
A figure dropped from the sky—
Crashing down right between them!
"Luffy?!"
Ace shouted in surprise.
Even while locked in his Marineford cell,
His greatest fear wasn't his own death—
It was leaving Luffy behind with no one to protect him.
"Hahahaha! Man, that was close!"
Luffy grinned, dusting himself off.
Seeing that Ace was already free,
Luffy had immediately begged Jozu to throw him over.
If he were anyone else,
Getting tossed that far and then slamming into the ground would've been fatal.
But as a Rubber Man—
Luffy was perfectly fine.
"Luffy!"
Ace's eyes widened with emotion.
Even if they were brothers,
Even if he always protected Luffy,
Deep down—
Ace had always feared one thing:
That he would die,
And no one would be left to watch over Luffy.
"Man, I almost splattered like poop!
"Ace! You're okay—that's all that matters!"
Luffy practically tackled Ace in a hug,
His eyes watery, his voice choking up.
Because he couldn't imagine—
Couldn't bear the thought of losing Ace forever.
But before they could even process their reunion—
A voice of seething rage cut through the moment.
"Straw Hat Luffy!"
Akainu's magma-drenched gaze locked onto him.
"Good. Now I can execute both of Roger's filthy bloodline—"
"AND the brat who dared strike a Celestial Dragon!"
Akainu's eyes gleamed.
That traitor, Delocas, had cost him the chance to obtain Pure Gold,
But taking down Ace and Marco would still be a huge achievement.
And if he could capture Straw Hat Luffy, whom Kizaru had failed to seize—
Then maybe, just maybe, his position as Fleet Admiral wouldn't be out of reach.
After all—
Kizaru's recklessness was infamous even within Marine Headquarters.
If the World Government and the Five Elders had a choice,
They would absolutely choose him over Kizaru.
"Whoa! Who's this hot, red, burning old guy?!"
Luffy finally noticed Akainu,
His body pulsing with searing magma.
But being, well… Luffy,
He didn't realize—
That the man standing before him was one of the Three Marine Admirals,
Alongside Kizaru and Aokiji—
The deadly and merciless Sakazuki.
"Tch. This is trouble."
Marco's usual smirk faded,
His shark-like eyes locking onto Akainu.
"You two, listen up—don't take his attacks head-on.
The power of the Magma-Magma Fruit is absolutely terrifying."
Among the three of them—
Only Marco could directly confront Akainu.
Ace could, at best, launch diversionary attacks.
As for Luffy… Marco wasn't sure of his exact strength yet,
But against an Admiral-level monster,
You could never be too careful.
"Before you die—REPENT! Don't come back as a pirate in your next life!
GREAT ERUPTION!"
Akainu showed no mercy.
He raised his hand—
A massive surge of magma exploded forth,
Hurtling toward the three of them like a roaring tsunami of fire and death!
But—
There was nowhere to run.
Behind them was Garp and Dragon's battlefield.
If Akainu switched targets and attacked Dragon instead—
The consequences would be catastrophic.
"No choice—I'll take it head-on!"
"Undying Thistle!"
Marco unfurled his wings,
A circular shield of blue flames forming before him.
And somehow—
He blocked Akainu's devastating magma blast!
"Fire Fist!"
Ace didn't just stand by either.
Without hesitation, he unleashed his signature attack,
A massive blazing fist slamming toward Akainu!
But—
The Magma-Magma Fruit was a direct superior to the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Without reaching the level of Awakening,
Ace's flames posed almost no real threat to Akainu.
"Second Gear! Rubber Jet Stamp!"
Suddenly—
Luffy launched himself forward!
With a shout, he delivered a Haki-infused kick,
Slamming into Akainu's right arm!
In an instant—
The Admiral's limb "snapped off" like molten rock!
"Luffy, since when did you learn Armament Haki?!"
Ace's eyes widened in shock—then lit up with joy.
Seeing Luffy grow stronger made him happier than if it had been himself.
"Hahaha! Sabo taught me!"
Luffy grinned, his excitement overflowing.
Sabo was alive.
Ace wouldn't die.
This outcome—
Was the best he could ever hope for!
"So you've already mastered Armament Haki, huh?"
Akainu scoffed, his face unreadable.
But the next moment—
His detached arm simply melted into liquid magma,
Flowing seamlessly from his shoulder.
"The more talent you have—"
"The more reason you pirates shouldn't be allowed to leave here alive!"
With barely a blink—
His right arm had fully regenerated,
Now a massive, molten fist of seething magma!
It hurtled forward—
Aimed directly at the three of them!
Akainu had already figured it out.
Marco's Undying Thistle was primarily effective against ranged attacks.
Which meant—
If he closed the distance and switched to close-combat…
Just as Sakazuki saw an unparalleled opportunity for glory right before his eyes—his once-fading ambition reignited. Now, he was determined to challenge Kizaru for the position of Fleet Admiral.
Meanwhile, Kizaru was busy frowning at the Seastone handcuffs fastened around his wrists, casually pondering how to remove them without drawing attention.
With his strength, of course, he could simply crush them. That whole "harder than diamond" nonsense? Pure myth. If he couldn't break them, that only meant—he wasn't using enough force.
As the saying goes: "Enough brute force leads to miracles." Kizaru estimated that using just half his strength would turn the Seastone into putty.
But doing that would expose his true power. Especially now that he had secured the Pure Gold. Even without using Observation Haki, he could feel at least a dozen pairs of eyes locked onto him.
No doubt—they were the spies the Five Elders had stationed in Marineford. Operatives from the upper ranks of CP—specifically, CP-0.
If the Five Elders weren't concerned about someone stealing the Pure Gold, they probably would have already ordered him to hand it over to CP-0.
"Kizaru! Hand over the Pure—HAHAHAHA! Look at you now!"
Across the battlefield, Delocas had finally spotted him. After an exhausting search, he had found the man who had stolen the Pure Gold.
Delocas had always been wary of Kizaru's power. Which is why—he actually resisted his urge to charge in immediately.
But then—his eyes landed on Kizaru's wrists. And there, he saw it—a black pair of Seastone handcuffs.
At that moment, Delocas's caution vanished. His joy was immeasurable. He had always believed that the only reason Kizaru had defeated him all those years ago was because of the Pika Pika no Mi's (Glint-Glint Fruit's) abilities.
Now—with Kizaru shackled in Seastone… He was completely vulnerable!
"Tch. Flies are so annoying..."
Kizaru clicked his tongue, his expression a mix of boredom and mild irritation. Delocas… hadn't improved one bit after all these years.
He had just fought with Sakazuki, and his body still bore the scorch marks from that clash. Even his signature goatee and mane-like hair had been partially burned away. It was clear—Sakazuki had gotten the upper hand.
Now, seeing Delocas so full of himself, Kizaru immediately knew what had happened. Sakazuki must have abandoned his post to stir up trouble again. When this was over—Kizaru was absolutely filing a complaint to Sengoku.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Delocas roared, his body morphing into a Chimera hybrid—Lion's head, goat's body. He lunged straight for Kizaru!
The CP-0 operatives, who had been assigned to monitor Kizaru, immediately panicked! They rushed forward, doing everything they could to intercept Delocas.
But—because they had kept their distance to avoid detection, even with Soru (Shave), there was no way they could reach him in time.
"Heh."
Kizaru's lips curved into a mocking smirk.
And then—just as Delocas thought his victory was within reach—
BANG!
A massive ice wall suddenly erupted in front of him! Not only did it halt his charge, but it also shattered his fantasy of an easy win.
It was just a wall of ice. In a few seconds, he could easily break through it. But—its sudden appearance meant one thing. Aokiji.
Delocas froze in shock. His eyes darted to the battlefield's edge.
There—Aokiji was locked in combat against a masked figure in a hooded cloak. And that hooded figure was clearly struggling.
No matter how strong an aging warrior might be, they couldn't outlast Aokiji's youthful endurance.
However—the masked fighter didn't need to win. All they had to do was stall for time. Aokiji was trying to end the battle quickly, while the masked figure was dragging it out. As long as their power levels weren't too far apart, the fight was bound to drag on indefinitely.
Delocas didn't care about Aokiji's situation. But—if Aokiji was over there fighting—then who had just created this ice wall?!
"Darling~ Is this guy my opponent?"
A sultry voice suddenly echoed behind him.
A woman dressed in a tight-fitting, pure white military uniform stepped out of the icy mist, her piercing gaze locking onto Delocas.
For a brief moment, Delocas felt as if he were being watched by a predator.
"Ah, yes, that's him. I'll leave him to you."
Kizaru spoke with his usual lazy smile.
Even among top-tier fighters, certain abilities had natural counters. While they wouldn't decide the outcome of a battle, they could certainly make a difference when two fighters were of similar strength—or even if one was slightly superior.
As luck would have it, Esdeath's Ice Teigu had limited effectiveness against Logia Devil Fruit users. But against Zoans like Delocas—even a rare Mythical Zoan—her ice abilities were overwhelmingly powerful.
And with that, Kizaru casually turned around and began strolling away.
Seeing this, Delocas was furious!
He didn't even have time to question why there were suddenly two Ice-type ability users. He just knew—he had to chase Kizaru down and steal the Pure Gold from his hands.
"Ice Storm!"
But Delocas had severely underestimated Esdeath's strength. Even among the top warriors of the pirate world, she was a force to be reckoned with. Against someone old and battered like Delocas? She didn't even need to go all out.
With a simple wave of her hand, a massive icy tornado erupted around them, trapping both herself and Delocas within the eye of the storm.
This was Esdeath's personal arena. If Delocas wanted to escape, he would have to defeat her first.
"You're dead! Chimera Flames!"
Delocas roared in frustration. He could no longer see Kizaru's figure beyond the swirling ice, and now—his Observation Haki flared with warnings.
For Teigu users like Esdeath, controlling ice was as natural as breathing.
Aside from lacking the ability to turn into ice itself, her powers surpassed those of the Hie Hie no Mi (Ice-Ice Fruit).
But mastering an Ice Teigu was exceedingly rare. If given the choice, most would still prefer to eat the Ice-Ice Fruit instead.
Delocas unleashed a blast of multi-colored flames, his Chimera fire clashing against the ice tornado.
For a moment, he nearly burned straight through it.
Even though the storm was made of howling winds and razor-sharp shards of ice, it still caught fire under his unnatural, eldritch flames.
But Esdeath? She simply raised an eyebrow.
And then—she summoned an even stronger ice tornado.
Now, there were two layers of frozen whirlwinds. If Delocas wanted to escape, he would have to keep breathing fire non-stop.
The moment he burned through the outer layer, the inner one would have already regenerated.
"No more running. Fight me! You're a gift from my darling!"
Esdeath unsheathed her long rapier, the blade instantly coated in jet-black Armament Haki.
Long before she arrived in this world, Kizaru and the locals had already told her—every true warrior here mastered Armament Haki.
If she wanted to fight them, she had to perfect her own Haki first.
"You… you're that bastard Kizaru's woman?!"
Realizing he had no chance of chasing Kizaru now, Delocas turned back with a vicious glare.
As long as Kizaru hadn't delivered the Pure Gold to Mariejois yet, he still had a chance.
Kizaru—that bastard—had ruined his plans again and again. Right now, Delocas couldn't do anything about him. But if he had a chance to kill Kizaru's woman? That wasn't a bad alternative.
Now that he got a good look at her, this woman was undeniably a peerless beauty—if only that unsettling smile of hers didn't make his skin crawl.
If he captured her, though…
Considering Kizaru's personality, there was a real chance he could trade her for the Pure Gold.
"Woman? No, I'm my darling's slave."
Esdeath's voice was calm, as if stating an obvious fact.
She had been taught from childhood to always keep her promises. Of course, that didn't apply to her enemies.
But since she had lost to Kizaru, she had to honor their agreement and serve as his slave.
And honestly? She had no complaints.
Kizaru was handsome.
He was rich—and let her spend his money however she pleased.
Most importantly, he was strong and kept introducing her to worthy opponents.
Like this lion-headed fool.
His head would make a fine trophy.
And his skin? She could skin him afterward and make a rug for her darling.
"A slave…?!"
Delocas was shocked.
And… kind of jealous.
This woman wasn't just drop-dead gorgeous—her power had completely fooled him into thinking she was Aokiji.
And yet… she willingly chose to be Kizaru's slave?!
For a moment, Delocas wondered if he should forget about revenge and ask Kizaru if he had any other women to introduce him to.
"You have a problem with my darling?"
Esdeath spun her rapier in a graceful arc, considering how to commemorate her first battle in this world.
Her gaze landed on Delocas' lion head.
It was rare to see a lion head this big.
Wouldn't it make for a nice specimen?
"Tch! A mere slave?!"
Delocas roared in fury, his body covered in Armament Haki as he charged straight at her.
As a Mythical Zoan, even one that didn't specialize in raw strength, his power still surpassed that of any non-Zoan top-tier fighter.
"How boring…"
Esdeath sounded almost disappointed.
To a born warrior like her, Delocas' fighting style was too crude.
Not even worth studying.
The moment her voice fell—
Massive ice pillars rained down from above.
They slammed into the ground, trapping Delocas in place.
°°°
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