"Admiral Sakazuki is too powerful!!" a Marine captain exclaimed, watching Akainu's devastating attack with fanatic awe. He seemed like an embodiment of invincibility.
Even Rear Admiral Babrus was visibly shaken, despite having seen this move before.
The fact that Akainu used such a powerful technique right from the start clearly showed he wasn't underestimating his opponent.
Apparently, Admiral Kizaru's defeat had both humiliated the Marines and forced Akainu to take this confrontation seriously.
"Air Cannon!" MR.5 opened his mouth and shot out a compressed blast of air, aiming to detonate the incoming attack midair like usual. But this time it failed.
The explosion did go off, but the magma fist, wrapped in flames from the blast, still plummeted down fiercely.
"Godspeed Slash!" Daz Bones leapt forward to help MR.5. His invisible, razor-sharp blade extended instantly, aiming to slice or deflect the magma fist.
But at the moment of contact, the overwhelming force shattered his blade. His expression changed drastically as he immediately abandoned his weapon, transformed fully into blade form, and assumed his strongest defensive stance mid-air.
Boom! The magma fist struck Daz Bones head-on above the Dawn, triggering a massive explosion.
Rosen was shocked. He had assumed Daz Bones and the others could handle a few of the leftover magma fists while he dealt with the main barrage of Meteor Volcano.
But as soon as he clashed with the first magma fist, Rosen realized he had misjudged. These magma attacks were far stronger than expected.
Daz Bones dropped from the air. Even in full blade form, he was left scorched red all over, with a deep burn mark tearing through the flesh of his left shoulder.
"So strong," Daz Bones muttered. He was severely injured, but still able to fight.
If MR.5 had taken that hit, he'd likely be dead or paralyzed. Fortunately, Daz Bones was made of steel and had exceptional defense—yet even he was wounded by a single Meteor Volcano strike.
"Of course he's strong. This is Akainu—one of the Marine Headquarters' three Admirals!" Rosen launched thirty-three clustered Black Prison bullets. Only the clustered formation could resist the magma fists.
A single shot wouldn't scatter those destructive attacks.
"An Admiral… like Kizaru?" Hathaway cleaved through a magma fist about to destroy the mast. Her frown deepened. Remembering Kizaru left her unsettled.
She had seen what the Marines' top power looked like. If this opponent was on that level, then things were going to be difficult. They hadn't even seen the man himself yet, and already Enel and Daz Bones were seriously injured.
One due to arrogance, the other because the enemy was too strong.
Even with boosted strength from Rosen's drugs, Daz Bones was only around the level of a 200 to 300 million bounty. Against Akainu's moves, that made him nothing more than a slightly tougher grunt.
"Can you still fight?" Rosen asked Enel, who could barely stand. They weren't just facing Admiral Akainu—but also the Marine forces he commanded.
And among them were elite troops. In this world, though a few were incredibly strong, even the average soldiers could be dangerous in large numbers—sometimes even to someone like Akainu.
Elite soldiers, even if quickly defeated, could still drain energy. And there were plenty of tough fighters among them.
As for Enel—so long as he didn't face Akainu directly, and didn't charge in foolishly again, he could crush even Vice Admirals.
"My Ark!" Enduring the pain, Enel transformed into lightning and returned to his Ark. Seeing it about to be destroyed near the Dawn, he struck the drum on his back—summoning thunderbirds, thunder beasts, and thunder dragons.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted in the sky. Some of the meteor fists crashed into the sea, kicking up giant waves that rocked the ships violently. Many ordinary crew members could barely stay on their feet.
The sea boiled in the chaos, with monstrous waves churning across the entire region.
"Looks like he can still move, though his combat ability's clearly affected," Rosen noted. "Since this is a wide-area lockdown attack, breaking through won't be easy. The encirclement is probably starting to close in. Looks like we'll be fighting side by side again—we need to carve out an escape path before the circle completes."
He smiled at Hathaway.
This wasn't some honorable duel. This was war. Survival came first, and overwhelming the enemy was the only path.
"Fine by me," Hathaway replied coolly.
"Keep firing! Move the warships in! Suppress them—don't let them get away!" Akainu continued issuing precise combat orders as the warships advanced.
"They actually held off Admiral Sakazuki's attack?! Impossible!" some Marines cried out in disbelief.
They had followed Akainu across countless battles. This move had destroyed entire pirate armadas. Even some criminals with billion-berrie bounties couldn't defend against it completely.
Yet Crocodile's ship had endured.
"The enemy is no pushover. Prepare for close combat—wipe out every pirate!" Akainu remained calm. Though they blocked the attack, it was meant to suppress, not to end the fight instantly.
If Crocodile could be beaten so easily, Borsalino wouldn't have been injured.
Now that they were closing in and had the numbers advantage—and with Akainu himself in command—he was confident they could take Crocodile down. Close combat was what he wanted.
"Yes, full speed ahead!"
Meteor Volcano continued to pour down. The bombardment from both sides didn't stop.
One cannon shot hit the Dawn's side, igniting flames. Migs and his crew rushed to put it out.
If the fire spread, they'd be in trouble. The damage was serious. Even a ship as large as the Dawn could sink if not handled quickly.
Thankfully, it hadn't been hit directly by a magma fist. That kind of impact could've destroyed the ship instantly. After all, this move had once wiped out several of Whitebeard's strongest warships.
Heatwaves rolled across the sea, so fierce they affected even the massive warships nearby. The sky was filled with explosions and smoke, blanketing the battlefield.
Cannon shells kept raining down near the ships.
Rosen had no time to worry about the Dawn anymore—he could sense a formidable enemy approaching.
"Enel, Daz Bones—guard the ships." The Dawn and the Ark must not sink. If they lost them, their escape chances would plummet. And if they only focused on fleeing, Akainu would never let them go. Even abandoning the Dawn to board the Ark wouldn't help—Akainu could still intercept them.
Rosen and Hathaway exchanged a look. As the warships drew closer—still with some distance left—they both launched forward at the same time.
They couldn't let the battle erupt on the Dawn. If that became the battlefield, they wouldn't be able to fight freely. At the very least, they had to prevent the Dawn from becoming the main front.
(End of Chapter)