The air trembled with fury as Akainu's molten voice roared across the training ground. In an instant, magma surged from his arm, taking the shape of a ferocious hound that lunged toward Ezra with murderous speed.
"So that's how it is…" Ezra's lips curled in disdain, his eyes glinting like sharpened steel. "A dog will always be a dog."
The tip of Ryūjin Jakka tilted toward the ground, the ancient blade humming with suppressed heat.
"Let's find out," he murmured, his tone cold yet calm. "Whose fire truly reigns supreme."
[All things of this world turn to ash. Ryūjin Jakka!]
A thunderous boom erupted.
A wave of scorching heat radiated outward from Ezra's body, distorting the very air. The arena trembled beneath the temperature hot enough to rival the surface of the sun.
Even those standing far from the field, like Sengoku and Zephyr, instinctively shielded their faces as the heat licked at their skin.
"So hot!"
"What kind of power is this?!"
"Could it be… a fruit stronger than the Magma-Magma Fruit?"
"Don't be ridiculous! There's no such thing!"
The elite cadets wiped sweat from their brows, eyes wide with shock as they whispered among themselves.
Sengoku chuckled and glanced at Zephyr. "So? Do you understand now?"
Zephyr's gaze remained fixed on Ezra and his flaming blade. "He's channeling his energy directly into the weapon… awakening its own will and amplifying it. Fascinating."
Sengoku nodded. "Nothing escapes your eyes, does it?"
Zephyr let out a quiet laugh. "You're one to talk, old friend. But look here it comes."
High above, Ezra moved. His arm swung in a sharp arc, the fiery sword trailing a blazing crescent.
Sword Pressure Enhanced!
Normally, it was just a spiritual slash. But now, infused with the essence of Ryūjin Jakka, it became a roaring inferno.
The flaming strike met Akainu's magma hound head-on.
The collision lasted less than a heartbeat before the beast disintegrated in a burst of molten fire.
"W-what?!" Akainu's eyes widened in disbelief.
But his shock only lasted a moment. In the blink of an eye, his form flickered Soru!
He appeared behind Ezra, molten fists already raised, his face curling into a smirk.
"Too slow, kid! You're still years away from challenging me!"
He slammed his magma-coated fist downward.
The cadets watching from afar gasped. Some even shut their eyes, unwilling to witness the carnage.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
A scream rang out piercing, raw, and filled with agony.
But when Tashigi dared to open her eyes, what she saw froze her in place.
Someone had been hurt. But it wasn't Ezra.
It was Akainu.
"What happened?!" she gasped. "Why is the Vice Admiral—?! Tashigi doesn't understand!"
No one answered. Every cadet stood silent, their minds blank with shock.
Just ten seconds earlier, as Akainu's strike descended, Ezra's lips had curved into a dark, knowing smile.
"You know, Akainu," he whispered, "I like it when people try to ambush me."
"Because that gives me a reason to kill them properly."
Torch!
Akainu barely had time to register the words before the ground beneath him ignited.
The temperature skyrocketed air itself detonating around him.
"Not good!" Akainu roared, but it was too late.
The explosion tore through him point-blank, searing magma and flesh alike.
"AAAHHHHHHH!!!"
The pain was unbearable. He staggered back, panting, using Soru again to retreat to a safer distance.
Ezra tilted his head, watching the Vice Admiral's burned and battered form.
"Tch. You're surprisingly fast for a dog."
Then his tone dropped to something almost amused. "But let's see how long you can keep running."
With a faint blur, he vanished Shunpo!
Akainu's eyes widened in horror. The world seemed to slow as he caught sight of Ezra reappearing right in front of him, blade drawn.
"I su—"
He never finished.
Blazing Brand!
The world turned crimson.
A tornado of fire spiraled outward, swallowing Akainu whole.
He tried to elementalize his body flickering into magma but found, to his shock, that nothing happened.
His power was sealed.
The flames clung to him like living serpents, searing every inch of his body. His scream echoed through the arena as the cadets watched in disbelief.
"Enough, Ezra!" Sengoku's voice thundered from the sidelines.
Ezra blinked, then sighed. With a casual wave of his hand, the roaring flames dissipated.
Akainu collapsed to his knees, smoke rising from his charred uniform.
"Vice Admiral Akainu," Ezra said calmly, sheathing his sword. "Now tell me… am I qualified to hold the rank of Brigadier General?"
Akainu looked up through half-lidded eyes. Fear raw and unfamiliar flickered in them.
His voice came out hoarse, broken.
"Ezra… Brigadier General…"
Then he collapsed completely, unconscious before his head even hit the floor.
Ezra turned away, his footsteps soft against the scorched ground.
Just before leaving, he tossed one last remark over his shoulder.
"Defeated dog."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
And with that, the Navy's fiercest magma hound lay beaten before a boy barely old enough to shave.
Even Sengoku couldn't help but smirk faintly.
The legend of Ezra D. Vale, the Flame that Defied the Navy, had just begun to spread across the seas.