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Arthur, his stomach full, stretched, his striped prison garb straining against his powerful muscles. He was ready to get out of this hellhole.
He glanced around, spotting Byrnndi World, his single horn broken, locked in a fierce battle with the massive, demonically-clad Warden Ferdinand. The area around them was a wasteland of shattered ice and scorched earth.
"Even weakened and after six years of imprisonment, he can still hold his own against an Admiral-level opponent." Arthur smirked.
World, his stamina fading, wouldn't last much longer. He'd be recaptured soon.
Rejecting Arthur's offer was the worst mistake of his life.
——
"Pirates! Surrender and return to your cells! You can still save your lives!" The arriving Marines roared, their faces grim.
Their words fell on deaf ears. The escaped prisoners—driven by desperation and a thirst for freedom, were beyond reason.
"Akainu and Tsuru?" Arthur noted, continuing to eat, buying time to recover his strength and flush out the poison.
He needed to be at his peak to escape. Failure now meant a life sentence in this hellhole.
But no matter how much he tried to blend in, Arthur's presence was undeniable, his power too great to ignore.
"Great Eruption!"
A volcano of molten rock erupted from Akainu's hand, the air shimmering with heat, incinerating the nearby pirates.
Screams echoed as bodies melted, leaving nothing but ashes.
"Seabury D. Arthur! Surrender! You can't escape!" Having cleared a path, Akainu turned his attention to the Level 1 and 2 entrance, his eyes narrowed, a palpable wave of killing intent radiating from him.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki? Are you here to stop me?" Arthur, realizing his invisibility was useless, stepped out of the shadows.
"Surrender? Is that the only thing Marines know how to say?"
"I know you're stubborn. But…did you really think defeating Borsalino meant you could defeat me?" Akainu, dressed in his red coat and Marine cap, a sword strapped to his back, his rose tattoo visible on his bare chest, glared at Arthur.
His face hardened, his fury like a dormant volcano on the verge of eruption.
"Arthur! If you escape, it will be a disaster for the Marines!" Tsuru, her small frame radiating power, approached.
Arthur's Observation Haki confirmed—Akainu and Tsuru were the only high-ranking officers here. No one could match his speed. He wasn't worried…yet.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru…The two of you? You're not enough."
"We'll see about that."
"Inugami Guren!"
Akainu's pent-up rage exploded. His left arm transformed into molten lava, a massive, fiery hand reaching for Arthur.
"Magma? That's nothing to me!" Arthur laughed.
Zzzzzzt!
"Fifty Million Volts—Thunder Beast!"
A monstrous beast of lightning erupted from Arthur's fist, colliding with Akainu's magma attack.
BOOOOOM!
The powerful attacks canceled each other out, the resulting explosion sending a shockwave rippling outwards, slamming into the surrounding pirates and Marines.
Byrnndi World, struggling against Warden Ferdinand, turned his head, watching the spectacle of Arthur's lightning.
"He's…that strong?" A wave of regret washed over him. He should have agreed to join Arthur's crew. He could always betray him later, once they'd escaped.
"You dare get distracted during our fight?" The Warden roared, his attacks intensifying.
World, caught off guard, was knocked to the ground, Seastone cuffs snapping around his wrists.
——
"Meigo!"
Akainu roared, his lava arm transforming into a massive, snarling hellhound, lunging towards Arthur.
Molten lava splattered, burning holes in the ground, incinerating nearby Marines.
The air shimmered with heat, Level 1 slowly transforming into a miniature version of Level 4, the Blazing Hell.
Akainu, once engaged, didn't care about collateral damage. Victory—capturing his target, was paramount.
He was a pragmatist, results-oriented. To prevent pirates from harming innocent civilians, he'd use any means necessary, sacrificing a few for the greater good.
Perhaps, in his mind, those who died were martyrs, their sacrifice a necessary evil.
His brand of "absolute justice" wasn't shared by most Marines. Only fellow hardliner like Onigumo fully supported his methods.
Such extreme ideologies were often forged in the crucible of personal experience.
"One Hundred Million Volts—Thunder Dragon!"
Arthur roared, unleashing a devastating lightning attack, his fist transforming into a snarling dragon's head, the roar of thunder echoing the dragon's cry.
Roar!
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Akainu met the attack head-on, his magma hellhound clashing with Arthur's Lightning dragon.
But his magma, not yet at the power levels he'd achieve later, couldn't withstand the hundred million volt attack, dissipating in mid-air.
Arthur, pressing his advantage, aimed for the main gate—his only path to freedom.
His form flickering with lightning, he teleported towards the gate, preparing a massive electrical discharge.
Suddenly, Tsuru, uncharacteristically aggressive, intercepted him. She used Soru, closing the distance in a flash, her Haki-hardened finger aimed at him. Her small frame radiated an unexpected power.
Arthur, his enhanced physique and lightning defenses normally impervious to such attacks, couldn't ignore this threat unless he used his stamina-draining Isolation Field.
He sensed the danger, his smile vanishing. The poison, though fading, had weakened him. He wasn't at full strength. A direct hit would injure him.
Lightning surged around him, teleporting him away from Tsuru's finger pistol, his attack on Akainu continuing unabated.
Escape was his priority. He didn't know what other reinforcements might arrive.
Amplifying his lightning output, he maximized his speed advantage, appearing before Akainu in a flash, unleashing a barrage of lightning-fast punches.
BOOOOOOM!
The near-solid bolts of lightning slammed into Akainu, who, despite bracing himself, couldn't withstand the sheer force of the attack, amplified by Arthur's speed. He was sent flying.
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