With Bucky's sword slashes carving through the air, half of the weaker Marine officers surrounding Kuro's group dropped instantly.
Those powerful Marines who had been pressing Weevil's group hard suddenly found themselves thrown into chaos. Weevil and the others seized the opening, striking back with overwhelming force and driving their opponents back step by step. In the blink of an eye, the tide of battle aboard the Splendor had shifted entirely, forcing the Marines to retreat toward their ships.
Sakazuki saw what was happening below, but he hesitated. His attacks were far too destructive—one strike could easily harm not only Weevil's crew, but his men as well. He wasn't about to take that risk.
That was when Bucky came flying toward him. Sakazuki's expression darkened, and with a furious snarl, he unleashed dozens of magma fists straight at the oncoming pirate.
Bucky didn't dodge. Instead, he swung his blade in a flurry, shattering some magma fists outright and diverting others away—all to keep his crew safe from harm.
The two clashed again, exchanging blows in a storm of steel and molten rock. Sakazuki's strikes only grew heavier and more relentless. He held nothing back, chaining techniques one after another—Dark Hound, Great Eruption, Dog Bites the Crimson Lotus, Meteor Volcano—all hammering into Bucky in turn. Blood ran from Bucky's mouth, and his body was soon marked with dozens of wounds.
Yet amidst the punishment, Bucky felt something strange awaken within him. A strange force stirred inside, knitting his wounds shut little by little, restoring his stamina.
After focusing for a moment, he understood—it was Life Return. His training in the Rokushiki had finally broken through during the heat of battle, granting him control over every aspect of his body.
And with it came a tangible evolution in his Devil Fruit powers.
Sakazuki noticed the change as well. Bucky's injuries were healing, his energy recovering. Not about to let this drag on, Sakazuki lashed out again, magma fists raining down like meteors.
But Bucky didn't evade with Soru. Instead, he used his Bara Bara no Mi in a way he'd never done before. The breakthrough had taken his power from splitting into chunks… to splitting into grains—particle separation.
When a magma fist came, his body dispersed into a cloud of particles, leaving a gaping hole in his form for the blow to pass harmlessly through. Not a single fist so much as grazed him. He repeated the trick again and again, slipping through every strike as if he too were an element.
Sakazuki's expression hardened. His Meteor Volcano had done nothing—Bucky emerged completely unscathed.
Sensing his foe's mounting strength and visible recovery, Sakazuki charged in once more, using Dog Bites the Crimson Lotus. Their fierce battle resumed.
Meanwhile, Weevil's group didn't chase the retreating Marines. Kuro sprinted to the helm, while the others blocked enemy boarding attempts. The Splendor began to pull away.
Seeing their target escaping, the Marine officers didn't wait for Sakazuki's orders. They rallied the unconscious soldiers, then turned their ships to give chase.
Both Sakazuki and Bucky noticed.
To Sakazuki, this was fine—pursuing Weevil's crew was the correct move. Victory was inevitable for him, and the Marines' actions ensured no pirates slipped away.
To Bucky, this was also ideal—with the Splendor's speed, the Marines could never catch them. If Weevil's crew escaped, even if Bucky lost here, he was confident he could slip away himself rather than be trapped and annihilated.
As the Splendor pulled further off, a black shadow shot from her deck into the sky, vanishing in an instant.
With no more distractions below, the fight between Bucky and Sakazuki only intensified. Now that Bucky had mastered Life Return, his combat abilities surged. Throughout a day-long battle, he fought Sakazuki evenly, both men trading blows and wounds. This time, Sakazuki couldn't completely defend against the empowered Bucky's attacks.
The fight turned brutal. Without Life Return's rapid regeneration, Bucky might have been defeated long ago—or forced to flee.
But as the hours dragged on, Sakazuki's expression grew darker. He hadn't expected his opponent to break through mid-battle. His body was reaching its limits; continuing much longer might put him in danger as well.
At last, Sakazuki seemed to reach a decision. His body began to magmafy piece by piece, thick black smoke billowing out, his form swelling with power.
Bucky's eyes narrowed—he could guess Sakazuki was preparing his strongest attack, aiming to end this with a single decisive blow.
His expression hardening, Bucky poured everything into his right hand and the blade Flame Sun. In an instant, the weapon seemed to ignite, blazing with towering flames. As Sakazuki charged, Bucky unleashed his all—a colossal tornado of fire, spinning violently toward the oncoming admiral.
The firestorm was nearly twice its usual size and far deadlier, but against Sakazuki's fully powered crimson fists, it achieved little. The magma man pushed forward step by step, refusing to yield, the two locked in a brief stalemate before he began forcing his way through the blazing vortex.
Bucky realized instantly—his technique couldn't stop Sakazuki at full power. He vanished from sight, reappearing directly above his foe.
Before Sakazuki could react, Bucky unleashed his newly awakened Conqueror's Haki.
He wasn't expecting it to hurt Sakazuki much—but it would give him the split-second opening he needed.