The black monster was sent skidding across the ground by the tremendous force of Akainu's punch, carving a deep trench as it plowed through everything in its path.
Walls and buildings crumbled in its wake.
After toppling several residential buildings in the town, the monstrous body finally came to a stop.
Beneath its dark exterior, its towering muscles were charred black, still emitting wisps of smoke—evidence of the magma lingering inside, searing its flesh.
A gaping black hole had been torn open below its neck.
The creature's incredibly tough skin, which had barely been pierced by the weapons of the Marine Vice Admirals, along with its formidable physique, had been completely penetrated by Admiral Akainu attack.
Yet strangely, no blood flowed from the gaping wound.
Even with such severe injuries, its movements showed no sign of slowing.
The absence of pain made the black monster seem like a mechanical beast, crafted rather than born.
The next moment—
It suddenly surged up from the rubble, its eyes blazing with even greater fury, the crimson glow within them flickering intensely as it fixed its gaze on Akainu in the distance.
With a sharp whoosh, the black monster shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, its speed reaching terrifying extremes as it charged straight at Akainu.
"Damnable thing!"
Akainu pressed a hand to his chest, cursing through gritted teeth.
As his lips parted, fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, stark against his skin.
At the same time, his aura surged violently.
"Dark Hound!!"
With a furious roar, Akainu's arm transformed into molten rock, swelling rapidly in size.
The magma-formed limb morphed into the shape of a snarling dog's head before lashing out in a devastating strike.
It collided head-on with the charging black monster.
A deafening explosion followed, scattering searing magma in all directions, the molten fragments hardening into small fiery rocks as they rained down.
Both combatants were flung back over a dozen meters.
Half of the black monster's head had been obliterated, leaving only a jagged stump atop its neck.
Yet even in this state, the creature acted as if pumped full of stimulants, quickly scrambling back to its feet and preparing for another assault.
Faced with this mindless, instinct-driven abomination, Akainu had no choice but to attack again.
Under normal circumstances, such a creature wouldn't have warranted his attention—no matter how tenacious its vitality, it would have been nothing more than a plaything to him.
But Whitebeard's earlier strike had left Akainu severely wounded.
Now, every attack he unleashed make his injuries worse.
His exhaustion was visible and he desperately needed time to recover.
Yet the current situation granted him no such luxury.
In the next moment, Akainu took the initiative, darting towards the monster.
After unleashing another devastating technique, the black creature finally collapsed to the ground, never to rise again.
Its massive body now lay headless, the entire skull cleaved away by Akainu's strike.
Another trickle of blood escaped Akainu's lips.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself and the weariness in his expression gradually faded as he scanned the battlefield for his next target.
"Bob!!"
Akainu's eyes immediately locked onto Bob, who had yet to make a move.
His teeth ground together in frustration.
Bob's forces hadn't even fully engaged, yet Akainu had already been reduced to this state.
In this battle, Akainu's sense of foreboding grew increasingly intense, his eyes brimming with fury that seemed to solidify into a tangible killing intent.
Feeling the profound "affection" radiating from Akainu, Bob sneered coldly.
Then, he pulled a toothpick from his pocket, pinching it between his index and middle fingers.
His gaze sharpened as he flicked the toothpick forward with a snap.
A piercing sound tore through the air—the toothpick, now hurtling like a spear, shot forth at terrifying speed.
On the other side, Akainu's expression abruptly changed.
His instincts screamed of an approaching danger.
But before he could fully react or raise a defense, the toothpick had already pierced straight through his body.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed as blood gushed from Akainu's torso.
A mere toothpick had left a wound the size of a bottle's mouth in his abdomen.
And yet, the toothpick's momentum didn't falter—after tearing through Akainu, it blasted apart the Marine fortress behind him.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the battlefield as the Marine headquarters' castle collapsed like it had been struck by a massive bomb, sending dust and debris flying.
Cough!
Akainu spat out a mouthful of blood, staring in disbelief at the gaping hole in his body.
He couldn't comprehend it—he hadn't even seen what hit him before his body was impaled.
Such overwhelming power, such speed that even he couldn't react—only one man could pull this off.
"Bob!!"
Akainu's mind raced, his heart seizing with shock.
"SAKAZUKI!"
By now, others had noticed the commotion.
Kong, locked in combat with Shiki, delivered a crushing blow to force the Golden Lion back before retreating swiftly.
In mere moments, he appeared beside Akainu.
Alongside him, Sengoku, Garp, Kizaru and Aokiji also turned their attention to the scene.
Every one of them paled at the sight.
Akainu injuries were severe—life-threateningly so.
Even Aokiji, who had never seen eye-to-eye with Akainu, was shaken to his core.
Though he disapproved of Akainu's methods, he acknowledged his strength—ranked among the Marine's top fighters, even slightly surpassing himself.
Yet now, he had been reduced to this state.
"Wasn't he just fighting those black monsters?" Kizaru materialized beside Akainu in a flash of light, his usual lazy tone laced with urgency.
Cough!
"It has to be Bob!" Kong coughing weakly, exhaustion creeping into his eyes.
With the three major pirate forces clashing against the Marine's top brass, only Bob could have wounded Akainu so gravely without anyone noticing.
"Stabilize Akainu first—we'll figure out the rest later!" Kong ordered.
But just then, a golden slash of sword energy came hurtling towards him.
"Old man, think you can just run?!"
Shiki's roar echoed as he closed in.
"PROTECT SAKAZUKI!" Kong barked the command.
With a sudden surge of momentum, he clenched his fists together, turned around and charged straight towards the sword energy.
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