Realizing that countless light bullets and giant lava fists were falling like meteors to surround Jerry from behind and all sides, Akainu positioned himself directly ahead with a cold, predatory smile spreading across his lips.
His hands, crackling with tremendous Armament Haki, curled into razor-sharp claws as they transformed into pure molten rock. In an instant, he launched a devastating barrage of attacks.
"Hell Hound!"
Massive lava claws erupted from his position, each one shaped like a snarling canine head with jaws capable of melting through battleship armor. The attacks joined the sky full of light bullets and giant lava fists, all converging on Jerry's position from every conceivable angle.
Since the Battle of Marineford, Akainu's hatred for Jerry had become as deep and dark as an ocean trench, surpassing even his animosity toward Ace, Whitebeard, and other notorious pirates. After all, Jerry had humiliated the entire Marine organization in front of countless witnesses on that fateful day, and had even managed to knock down the mighty Admiral and break his arm in the process.
If he could truly seize this opportunity to kill Jerry once and for all, Akainu would show absolutely no mercy whatsoever.
Facing this rapidly encircling wall of destruction, a gleam of fierce determination flashed in Jerry's eyes. Yet he remained standing calmly on the head of his water leviathan, completely unmoved by the approaching devastation.
Seeing that countless attacks were mere seconds away from obliterating Jerry's form, even someone as battle-hardened as Akainu couldn't help but allow the corners of his mouth to curve upward in anticipated triumph.
However, at precisely that moment, an astonishing surge of Conqueror's Haki burst forth from Jerry's body like black lightning made manifest. The overwhelming pressure crushed toward Akainu with the weight of a collapsing mountain, causing the Admiral's eyes to flash with genuine surprise as the smile on his face froze instantly.
Then, a brilliant azure light filled the vision of everyone present in the blink of an eye, covering absolutely everything in its ethereal glow.
The giant water leviathan that had seemed capable of only charging forward in a straight line suddenly decomposed and transformed into a colossal water sphere with a diameter exceeding one thousand meters. The massive construct not only swallowed up every single attack that had been converging on Jerry's position, but also completely enveloped both Akainu and Jerry within its protective embrace.
Immediately afterward, countless particles of compressed water began flying and gathering rapidly within the azure sphere, and tremendous explosions erupted one after another inside the construct, as if apocalyptic energy was building toward an inevitable crescendo within its depths.
Witnessing the blurred scene unfolding within the water sphere before him, Kizaru—who had flashed away to a safe distance the moment the water leviathan began its transformation—narrowed his eyes with genuine concern. He fired countless powerful light bullets toward the construct, but every single projectile was absorbed harmlessly by the massive water barrier, proving completely ineffective.
The giant water sphere, with its unique multi-layered reverse rotation mechanism, had created an absolutely impenetrable protective barrier that completely isolated the inner battle from the outside world.
"Water God: Leviathan's Cataclysm!"
Jerry's deafening roar echoed from within the sphere as the massive water construct began collapsing inward toward its center like a dying star approaching gravitational collapse.
In a single devastating moment, as dozens of black lightning bolts erupted from the sphere's surface, the water ball seemed to transform into an energy weapon of cosmic proportions before shooting outward in all directions.
A tremendous shockwave suddenly erupted, accompanied by torrents of water and thick mist that spread across the entire battlefield and beyond.
Then an extremely powerful gust of wind carrying massive volumes of water rushed outward, surging violently toward the open sea while simultaneously shooting straight up into the sky above.
Wherever this force passed, every obstacle was ruthlessly broken down and swept aside, leaving behind only emptiness and an eerie tranquility.
"Keh... damn it," Jerry's slightly weakened voice echoed through the air as he coughed. "You really can't underestimate these strong fighters who've been roaming the seas for decades..."
The water and mist gradually dissipated, and Jerry's figure slowly became visible within the clearing atmosphere.
The geological formation that had been dramatically altered by Akainu's previous attacks—ground that should have been filled with magma and rendered completely uneven—now appeared to have been carved by a master craftsman. A perfectly smooth semicircular channel stretched from Jerry's current position all the way to the sea beyond the island's edge, resembling a work of art created by both nature and divine intervention.
The massive channel, over a thousand meters wide, was already beginning to fill with seawater that Jerry was directing from underground sources. Ocean water flowed continuously from the sea itself, indicating that a permanent new river was about to appear on the island.
Jerry stood on the water's surface, drifting gently with the artificial current. His clothes were no longer as neat and pristine as they had been at the battle's beginning—several tears and scorch marks told the story of his intense confrontation.
His right hand maintained its natural grip on his fishing rod, while his left hand was pressed tightly against his left side, where torn fabric revealed burned and bloodied flesh beneath his fingers. This was the mark left by his desperate final exchange with Admiral Akainu.
In stark contrast to Jerry's injured but victorious state, Akainu had disappeared entirely—swept away by the tremendous force of Jerry's ultimate technique.
From the center of the island, Cavendish's lightning-enhanced form rushed over like a bolt of divine retribution.
Long before Akainu had detonated his volcanic attacks and launched his indiscriminate assault on the entire island, Cavendish had quickly disengaged from Fujitora and rushed back at Jerry's remotely transmitted signal.
Jerry had understood clearly that the only way to stop Akainu's devastating rampage was to defeat him completely and decisively. But before that critical moment could arrive, the impact of Akainu's decision to include the entire island in his attack range would be far-reaching and catastrophic, inevitably causing chaos that could be exploited by their enemies.
In order to prevent Deuce and the others from falling into serious trouble during this crisis—potentially being overwhelmed by opportunistic attackers while distracted by the volcanic eruption—Jerry had determined that Cavendish's immediate return was absolutely necessary.
His tactical assessment had proven entirely correct. Many pirates had indeed harbored intentions of taking advantage of the chaos to launch surprise attacks on the Black Star Pirates while they were distracted.
When Cavendish arrived at the island's center, he discovered that the moment the magma had begun erupting, numerous pirate crews had swarmed forward to launch coordinated assaults on Deuce and his companions. Among these opportunistic attackers were numerous pirates with bounties in the tens of millions, and even several with bounties exceeding one hundred million berries.
Seeing this cowardly display of tactical opportunism, Cavendish showed no hesitation whatsoever and immediately launched his own thunderous counterattack, electricity crackling around his form as he moved to defend his crewmates.
On the southeastern side of the island, after Kizaru had received the new order and transformed into light to rush toward the decisive battle of Akainu and Jerry, Zephyr—who had suddenly lost his primary opponent—immediately shifted his focus to target Marco.
While the former Admiral had once operated under a policy of "not killing" when dealing with pirates, that philosophical restraint was now a thing of the past. His current mindset showed no mercy for any pirate, regardless of their circumstances or reputation.
However, Marco had no intention of continuing their engagement at this critical moment. After quickly evading Zephyr's initial assault, the Phoenix immediately looked toward Ace's position with obvious concern.
Ace had similarly disengaged from his intense battle with Aokiji, shouting across the battlefield: "Marco, let's go!"
In that instant, both fighters realized that the tactical situation on the island had changed dramatically, and they both felt an urgent need to return to the center of the island where their allies were fighting for their lives.
Before either had finished speaking, they launched themselves away from their respective battlefields as fast as arrows released from bowstrings.
When Aokiji noticed Akainu's indiscriminate volcanic attack beginning to affect the entire island, he made a decisive tactical decision. The Admiral released an wave of intensely cold air, completely freezing the ground on his section of the island. This quick thinking allowed many Marine personnel who were still evacuating in this direction to avoid being accidentally caught in the molten devastation.
Witnessing this protective measure, Zephyr no longer felt any desire to pursue his fleeing opponents. He turned to observe Aokiji's actions for a moment, then looked away while shaking his head and releasing an ambiguous laugh that carried years of disappointment and world-weariness.
"Heh... Sakazuki," he muttered with bitter amusement. "It seems this place is no longer suitable for old soldiers like me."
As he spoke these words, the former Admiral turned and began walking away from the battlefield. Garp, who had been standing motionless like a statue for an extended period while lost in deep contemplation, suddenly put away his thoughtful expression and followed Zephyr as if nothing unusual had occurred. His characteristic booming laughter could still be heard echoing in the wind.
"Bwahahaha! Zephyr, I told you there was no need to come back and get mixed up in all this mess, didn't I? Just look what's happening here!"
"You old bastard!" Zephyr replied with familiar irritation. "Nobody forced you to come if you didn't want to be here!"
"I'm free to go wherever the hell I please!" Garp shot back with undiminished mirth.
Aokiji, who was still radiating supernatural cold from his recent defensive technique, made no attempt to stop the two legendary ex-Marines from departing. He simply stared at their retreating figures in silence, his mind filled with countless conflicting thoughts about duty, justice, and the changing nature of their world.
After several long moments, the distinctive sound of a Den Den Mushi interrupted his philosophical contemplation.
After concluding the brief communication, Aokiji exhaled a visible breath of cold air and began walking steadily toward the center of the island, where the next phase of this unprecedented battle would soon unfold.
The war was far from over, but Jerry had claimed the first major victory against the Marine forces. Admiral Akainu—one of the World Government's most powerful weapons—had been decisively defeated, and the balance of power on Treasure Island was beginning to shift in favor of the pirates.
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