A black and a white flame, dragging long tails, spiraled and intertwined as they flew toward Akainu.
Seeing these strange flames, Akainu instinctively sensed danger. However, it was too late for him to dodge. He only managed to halt his movement and shift to the side slightly.
Yet, the black and white flames still grazed his right side.
A mere graze was enough!
The joint attack by Ian and Ace, the Incinerating Inferno, worked on the principle of a peculiar balance between the black and white flames. When the flames brushed against Akainu’s side, this balance was disrupted.
The next second, the fierce flames erupted, exploding into a massive firestorm!
The firestorm initially expanded outward, the black and white flames swelling in size. Then, the flames abruptly contracted, forming a gigantic vortex that pulled everything around it into the fiery maelstrom.
A remarkable scene unfolded: the black and white flames spun rapidly, resembling a Taiji symbol, continuously churning and expanding. Gradually, a massive pillar of fire formed at the center. This fiery pillar swirled, growing thicker, more violent, and taller, seemingly aiming to pierce the heavens, creating a fiery tornado.
On the ground, the range of the flames expanded ever wider—100 meters, 200 meters, 500 meters, 1,000 meters!
Since Ian, Ace, and Akainu had been battling in this area, there were few people around to be caught in the flames. When the firestorm appeared, even the most foolish individuals understood that this was another massive, wide-ranging attack. In panic, everyone fled in all directions, trying to get as far away as possible.For a moment, almost everyone on the battlefield was captivated by the firestorm. They stared blankly at the raging waves of flame, their eyes filled with shock and terror.
Just when everyone thought the flames would continue to spread, the firestorm suddenly collapsed!
Boom! The towering pillar of fire instantly plummeted to the ground. At that moment, the immense heat and shockwave were violently unleashed!
Countless pirates and naval soldiers were blown away by the shockwave. Even those farther away couldn’t help but shield their eyes, trying to protect themselves from the intense light and hurricane-force winds.
A mushroom cloud slowly rose from the center of the explosion, carrying with it countless particles of dust and water vapor…
As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, the stunned pirates and marines finally saw three figures emerge from the haze.
Ian and Ace stood side by side, their hands raised in front of them. In fact, even they hadn’t anticipated the sheer destructive power of the Firestorm of Purgatory. Fortunately, Ace’s body was inherently made of fire, and Ian could also control flames, so when the firestorm erupted, the raging flames caused them no harm.
However, within a two-mile radius, the ice on the ground had completely evaporated. The exposed rocks had transformed into glittering glass, cooling and cracking with dense, popping sounds as the sea breeze blew over them…
Lifting their heads, the two looked ahead and saw Akainu, who had returned to his original form, standing at the center of the explosion.
He had been caught in the firestorm, and his abilities were completely different from Ian and Ace’s. As a result, when the flames raged through, Akainu’s entire body turned into a human-shaped glass statue!
There was no other way. Magma is essentially molten rock, and when exposed to the instant high temperatures of the firestorm, his body crystallized just like the rocks on the ground!
Gulp. A navy soldier swallowed hard, staring dumbfounded at Akainu’s statue, still in a defensive stance with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Admiral Sakazuki!?”
“Is Akainu… dead!?”
Both the pirates and marines were wondering in shock.
However, just then, a cracking sound was heard, and suddenly, Akainu moved!
He abruptly swung his arm, shattering the glass crystals on his body into countless fragments that fell away. He broke free with an angry roar!
Ian and Ace instinctively took a step back, tensing up and staying alert, though they were both astonished. Despite being roasted like this, Akainu was still alive…
However, after breaking free from the glass crystals, Akainu stood there panting heavily and did not attack. Ian and Ace then noticed that while Akainu had shattered most of the crystals on his body, the crystals on his arms remained intact.
Akainu’s arms hung limply at his sides, magma flowing across his body as he gradually began to recover. Although his entire body had crystallized, only the surface of his skin had turned to glass. When the crystals fell away, it was as if Akainu had shed a layer of skin. Thanks to his Logia-type regenerative abilities, he was able to recover.
However, his arms, which he had used to shield himself, could not recover!
As the part of his body that had taken the brunt of the fire’s impact, the crystallization in Akainu’s arms was far more severe than he had expected. The high temperatures had penetrated much deeper into his arms than into the rest of his body!
Looking at his arms, which were trembling uncontrollably, Akainu felt an overwhelming weight. He could barely sense his arms at all—they were numb and unresponsive.
Not even his Haki could withstand such intense heat. Akainu immediately realized that if his arms were not treated soon, they might be permanently damaged!
Furious, Akainu glared at Ian and Ace, gritting his teeth as he spat out, “You little bastards! How dare you injure me to this extent! I will kill you both…”
At this moment, Akainu seemed to have lost his sanity due to his severe injuries. He charged at Ian and Ace again. Hearing his curses, Ian and Ace couldn’t help but frown. They exchanged a glance and then rushed forward together to confront him!
Ian drew his Senbonzakura, while Ace readied his Fire Fist. They aimed at Akainu’s crystallized arms from the left and right.
Since you don’t seem to care about your hands, we’ll help you get rid of them!
Ian and Ace both sensed that among the three Marine Admirals, Akainu harbored the most intense killing intent. Not only did he want to kill Luffy, but he also aimed to kill Ace and Ian. Therefore, they wouldn’t show him any mercy—strike while the iron is hot! (T/N: Steel is strongest, so say we all…! Brothers Of Metal! Song by Manowar… I love this band)
Just as the three were about to clash again, two figures suddenly appeared in the field!
It was Kizaru and Aokiji! Once they appeared, Kizaru grabbed Akainu, preventing him from charging forward, while Aokiji blocked Ian and Ace. A huge ice wall appeared out of thin air, intercepting their attacks!
Ian’s Wicked King Fire Slash “Sword of the Darkness Flame” pierced through Aokiji’s ice wall, the tip of his sword just grazing Aokiji’s face, leaving a shallow cut. Ace’s Fire Fist struck the ice wall, shattering it into countless ice shards.
Aokiji looked at Ian and Ace in front of him. Although he didn’t speak, his eyes conveyed a sense of determination!
He couldn’t allow Ian and Ace to cripple a Marine Admiral here…
Even though Aokiji and Akainu had always been at odds, they were both Marine Admirals, the highest combat force deterring pirates! He and Kizaru couldn’t stand by and watch Akainu lose his arms and become crippled here!
Akainu’s severe injuries were unexpected, but with timely treatment, there might still be a way to save his arms. However, that meant they couldn’t let him continue fighting Ian and Ace…
At this moment, Enel and Fujitora also arrived behind Ian. The intense flames Ian and Ace had unleashed earlier had drawn everyone’s attention, causing a temporary pause in the battles. This gave Aokiji and Kizaru the chance to intervene.
The three Marine Admirals and Ian’s group of four faced off, ready to escalate into a massive seven-person battle at any moment.
Meanwhile, the fight between Whitebeard and Sengoku, along with Garp, had also come to a halt. They turned to look in the direction of Ian and the others. Whitebeard, gripping his naginata with both hands, smiled and said, “Sengoku, that brat of yours who only fits for lighting birthday candles doesn’t seem that impressive!”
Sengoku and Garp, slightly out of breath, looked at the distant Akainu with some difficulty. They were well aware that if the fight continued, Akainu might indeed pay a huge price for this war.
However, with the war having reached this point, the Marines found themselves in a difficult position…
Should they take a step back and end the war to treat Akainu as soon as possible, or continue fighting? Sengoku was momentarily indecisive.
At that moment, two urgent shouts came from different directions.
“Fleet Admiral Sengoku!!”
“Fleet Admiral!!”
One voice came from behind, and the other from the side. Both calls were filled with urgency, drawing the attention of many on the battlefield.
Sengoku turned his head to see a Marine Rear Admiral running towards him from behind, holding a Den Den Mushi. This Rear Admiral arrived quickly, reaching Sengoku before the Marine Captain coming from the side.
“What is it!?” Sengoku asked, frowning.
“This…” The Rear Admiral looked around uneasily, then beckoned Sengoku closer.
Sengoku had no choice but to revert from his Great Buddha form to his normal human body. Only then did the Rear Admiral lean in and whisper urgently, “Fleet Admiral, there’s a message from Mariejois. Just thirty minutes ago, Marshall D. Teach of the Blackbeard Pirates attacked Mariejois with his crew. They not only killed three World Nobles and destroyed numerous buildings, but they also raided the World Government’s confidential room and stole some documents regarding the locations of the Navy’s Science Unit…”
“What!?” Sengoku’s eyes widened in shock, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.
The Rear Admiral, also drenched in sweat, continued, “The CP agents couldn’t stop them. Fortunately, Vice Admiral Momousagi and some others rushed to assist. The Blackbeard Pirates seemed unwilling to clash with her and left before she arrived. Currently, their whereabouts are unknown.”
Hearing this, Sengoku nearly ground his teeth to dust. He instantly realized that this war couldn’t continue. The message from the World Government was a clear directive for him to lead the forces back. Damn it, he had suspected Teach was up to something when he disappeared, but he never imagined that the Blackbeard Pirates would target Mariejois!
Just as Sengoku was processing this, the Marine Captain from the side arrived, not bothering with discretion. Gasping for breath, he shouted, “Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Bad news! A massive ship has appeared off the coast of Edd War Island, heading straight for us. The lookout confirms there’s only one person on board… It’s… It’s Kaido of the Beasts!!!”
Boom! This news hit the battlefield like another massive bombshell…
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