"There are quite a few with the rank of Major General."
She looked around with a smile and said, "I can handle these. As for that Vice Admiral who seems a bit intimidating, looks like the base commander, I might not be their match, so I'll leave it to you, Smoker."
"Ah, don't worry."
Smoker bit on his cigar, brushed off the gunpowder fragments from his Jitte, then looked up at the approaching person.
"Defector Hunter Smoker, once the promising student of Mr. Zephyr, was awarded the rank of Navy Headquarters Colonel at a young age right out of the Headquarters training camp."
The man in sunglasses with a buzz cut spoke indifferently, "That's credentials many people envy, and I was also jealous... yet you chose the path of a traitor, truly regrettable."
"Blabbering nonsense!"
Smoker exhaled a puff of smoke, stepped forward with displeasure, "If you're going to stand on the moral high ground and speak with such an aloof tone, at least take the fish cake and chopsticks out of your mouth first! Is the Navy full of people like you now? It's doomed!"
"Ah, thank you."
Vergo gently wiped away the items by his mouth, "It seems you still have some conscience left, but since we've met, I can't just sit back, and if you ask why..."
He drew a bamboo stick and suddenly slashed ferociously at Smoker!
"Sorry, I'm a Navy."
Clang!
Smoker blocked with his Jitte, producing a crisp metallic clash. Amid the cigar smoke, the two assessed each other.
"Hmph."
Smoker snorted coldly again.
For some reason.
Seeing this guy just made him uncomfortable, as if he had been bullied and beaten by him in a dream... yet he couldn't recall.
Never mind!
Since he's mainly in charge of the G-5 Branch here, he won't let this guy get past him by a step!
...
...
At the center of the battlefield.
After skidding over a thousand meters on the magma surface, Akainu finally came to a halt.
He knelt on one knee on the lava, breathing heavily, a burning pain coming from his chest.
Looking down, he saw a large crater the size of a cannon barrel on the left side of his chest.
Originally, there was a meticulously crafted tattoo here, with complex black cloud patterns and blooming cherry blossoms, spreading from the heart up to the shoulder and arm.
To him, it held significant commemorative value.
But now...
Akainu's face was grim as he tried to activate Life Return.
Not healing at all, without a doubt, this would be another permanent scar, and the most prominent one at that.
The tattoo was completely ruined...
Akainu's expression turned even darker.
Opposite him.
Shano, who had directly confronted Akainu's "Meigo," similarly retreated several hundred meters before barely stabilizing himself.
A large gash also opened on his chest, with charred and curled flesh at the edges, and a ghastly blood hole in the center, as if a piece had been gouged out by some terrifying force.
However, unlike Akainu, after consuming a negligible amount of energy, it began to heal visibly quickly.
So, with just a brief glance, he nonchalantly lifted his head.
Meeting Akainu's chilling gaze that seemed ready to devour him.
"Why so angry? Oh, the tattoo is gone."
Shano scanned him and grinned, "Isn't this better? Otherwise, it looks like some gangster, which doesn't fit the image of your Navy's so-called justice, does it?"
What a massive scar!
Geez, it's big enough to fit a Chopper in, even he didn't expect this.
Speaking of which.
Back on Thor Island, when he used Elbaf's Spear, Overlord's Might, it was only after restoring to his peak state with an Immortal Bean and going all out unexpectedly that he managed to inflict a minuscule wound on Akainu.
Now, with his Body Techniques significantly improved and having integrated Supreme King Entanglement into Overlord's Might, its power is clearly on a whole different level compared to before!
"Stop spouting arrogant nonsense! Mere pirate, you have no right to comment on the word justice!"
Akainu slowly stood up, his arms once again enveloped in lava, and as the magma churned, his aura intensified, his voice resonating deeply:
"What, did you think this level was enough to defeat me? It's far from over!"
Swish!
Before he finished speaking, Akainu's figure suddenly vanished.
The next instant, he appeared above Shano, his right fist transforming into a massive lava fist, crashing down with destructive force.
"Great Eruption!"
The speed and power were almost indistinguishable from the beginning, showing no signs of slowing down or weakening.
Unlike what he felt when clashing with Rayleigh.
"Is this a top-tier combatant still in their prime?"
Shano looked up, his vision instantly filled with blinding red, yet he remained unfazed, bursting into hearty laughter, his entire Haki swiftly concentrating into his right fist, black and red lightning wildly flickering.
"Just got heavily injured and immediately got back up like nothing happened, truly terrifying! Then let's continue and see whose fist is tougher!"
Their fists collided again, and the terrifying shockwave swept around, the magma sea surface surged into massive waves, and the clouds in the sky were shattered.
Rumble——!
Amid the violent explosion, both figures were sent flying again, but quickly stabilized and charged at each other once more.
"Shano, you brat!!!"
"Sakazuki!!!"