A colossal magma fist—nearly twenty meters wide—descended with apocalyptic heat.
In a single, merciless instant, Oars' head was blown clean off.
The one who struck was none other than Admiral Akainu.
Ace, who had just begun melting the ice encasing Little Oars, froze in place. His eyes went wide as he stared at the giant's headless body, his mind going blank.
"…Oars…"
Cries of anguish echoed across the battlefield.
The Whitebeard Pirates stared in disbelief and sorrow. Aside from Marco, Oars had been the greatest contributor to Ace's rescue. Without him, they would never have broken through the encirclement wall so decisively. Had he not charged forward, despair would have swallowed them the moment the walls rose.
And now—he was gone.
Their grief instantly turned into fury, every glare locking onto Akainu like a blade.
"Hmph."
Akainu withdrew his magma fist and snorted coldly. "I should've killed that demon back at the bay. Would've saved me all this trouble. As long as I'm here, none of you are escaping."
"Akainu—how dare you kill Oars!"
"Kill him! Avenge Oars!"
Blinded by rage, several Whitebeard Pirates charged straight at Akainu.
"Don't be stupid!" Jozu roared. "An Admiral isn't someone you can rush recklessly!"
He knew better than anyone. He had fought Aokiji before. Even commanders needed teamwork to survive an Admiral—one-on-one was suicide.
"Hmph…Inugami Guren."
Akainu's magma surged, shaping itself into a massive, hellish hound tens of meters long. It lunged forward, vaporizing everything in its path. The magma beast then detonated, scattering volcanic bombs across the battlefield.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
The explosions swallowed pirates and marines alike.
The sheer brutality of Akainu's attack instantly sobered the furious pirates. Jozu staggered back, clutching his arm as searing pain spread through his diamond defense.
"…This monster," he hissed through clenched teeth.
He hadn't even taken the attack head-on—only blocked a stray volcanic bomb. Yet the heat had still burned through his defense. If he'd faced Akainu directly, his diamond body would've melted on the spot.
Akainu's magma burned hotter than reason.
Dozens of Pirates who had charged forward were erased entirely, their bodies reduced to molten remains. His voice cut through the smoke, cold and absolute.
"Don't think rescuing Fire Fist means you've won. You're pirates—every last one of you. And today, I, Akainu will bury you all right here."
Ace stared at Little Oars' corpse… then at the comrades being annihilated by magma.
Something inside him snapped.
"AKAINU!" Ace roared, veins bulging. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Ace, stop!" Marco shouted desperately. "You can't beat him!"
Marco knew better than anyone—this was how it ended in the original timeline. If Ace rushed Akainu now, he would die.
And if Ace died, everything they had fought for would mean nothing.
"Ace—get away from him!" Whitebeard bellowed, his voice cracking with urgency. "Marco, take him and leave—now!"
Whitebeard had already crossed fists with Akainu. He understood the truth all too well.
That magma bastard was far beyond Ace's reach.
Marco shot toward Akainu without hesitation. At the same time, he rapidly allocated his newly gained attribute points—every single one poured straight into Strength. The number climbed to 7723.
At this stage, even a single point mattered. Even the slightest increase gave Marco more confidence—more leverage—against a monster like Akainu.
But Ace was already beyond reason.
His brief clash with Aokiji had filled him with dangerous confidence. He believed he could face an Admiral head-on.
His body erupted into flames as he roared, "Fire Fist—!"
Akainu's right arm transformed instantly into seething magma, and he hurled a punch forward.
The flame fist and magma fist collided.
But unlike Ace's earlier stalemate with Aokiji, this clash ended in a heartbeat.
Akainu's magma devoured Ace's flames outright. The scorching mass smashed into Ace's body, blasting him away like a broken doll.
"Ace—!"
"How is that possible?!"
"He's fire—how can he be burned?!"
The Whitebeard Pirates stared in disbelief. Just moments ago, Ace had fought an admiral to a draw. Even accounting for differences between Admirals, this outcome was far too one-sided.
Akainu advanced slowly, his footsteps heavy and merciless. Ace lay on the ground, clutching his arm, groaning as smoke rose from his burned body.
"Hmph," Akainu said coldly. "You thought yourself invincible just because you're a Logia user. I have killed countless fools like you. Your power is mere flame—mine is magma, the superior force that devours fire itself."
"Our Devil Fruits exist on different levels."
"With your strength, defeating me was never an option."
Ace looked up at him, rage and disbelief churning in his eyes—along with something he rarely felt.
Fear.
Aside from Whitebeard, Akainu was the only man who had ever made him sense death so clearly.
Akainu's arm once again turned into magma, preparing the final blow.
"Ace, run!" Jozu charged forward, roaring. "I'll stop him!"
"Brilliant Collision—!"
"Hmph. Another piece of trash begging for death," Akainu sneered.
"Great Eruption—!"
The magma fist slammed forward.
BANG!
Jozu's left elbow collided with Akainu's fist, triggering a violent explosion of scorching air. A confident smile briefly crossed Jozu's face—and froze instantly.
A horrifying heat surged through his arm. The pain spread like wildfire, his diamond defense screaming under the temperature. Sensation drained away as if his arm were melting.
The next instant, Jozu was swallowed whole by the magma fist and sent flying.
Just like Ace before him—no suspense, no contest.
Akainu's dominance was absolute.
"Commander Jozu…!"
The Whitebeard Pirates felt their hearts sink. Even Jozu—their strongest shield, the man with the greatest defense—had been blown away by a single punch.
"Damn it… it's so hot…"
Jozu slammed into the ground, steam pouring off his body. His left arm was badly burned, cracked and smoking.
"Commander Jozu—behind you!"
He barely had time to register the warning before a bone-chilling cold washed over his back.
A lazy, indifferent voice followed.
"It looks like you're overheating," it drawled.
"Guess I'll help you cool down."
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