BANG!
The fist of magma and the fist of flame slammed into each other. Magma and fire clashed, and the immense force of the collision immediately fractured the ground, the powerful impact scattering countless broken rocks.
BOOM!
A fierce explosion occurred, and the high-temperature magma instantly swallowed the flames.
"Agh—"
Ace cried out, clutching his arm, and was sent flying backward.
"Ace has been burned!"
Izo, the cross-dressing Captain of the Sixteenth Division, exclaimed in shock. He hadn't expected Ace, a man of fire, to be burned.
"So you grew arrogant just because you call yourself the strongest Logia-type Devil Fruit user!" Sakazuki looked down at Ace lying on the ground, his voice sharp. "You are just ordinary fire, and I am magma that can incinerate even fire itself! Your ability and mine are incomparable!"
Indeed, compared to magma, whose maximum temperature can reach around 1,634°C, Ace, who had only developed the form of fire, had a flame temperature of only a few hundred degrees. He was no match for magma; a direct confrontation would only result in his flames being swallowed and extinguished by the magma.
Unfortunately, while Sakazuki's Magma-Magma Fruit is immensely powerful, its potential is limited because the temperature of magma is relatively fixed; if it gets much hotter, it would simply evaporate.
The Flame-Flame Fruit is different; the potential of fire is vast. The temperature of fire can be continuously increased; even an orange-red flame can reach up to three thousand degrees, and the temperature can be raised further still.
It was a shame that Ace had only focused on developing the form of his flames rather than their temperature, which is why Aeridar had once remarked that Ace was wasting the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, just as Sakazuki was about to say something more, a deafening roar and a violent tremor arrived, followed by an air current that swept through like a hurricane. He was forced to brace himself and raise his arm to shield his face from the blinding dust.
Ace, caught off guard, was violently swept up into the air by the blast. Luffy, already exhausted, would have suffered the same fate if Ivankov hadn't protected him.
"Pops!"
Cries of alarm rang out.
When the pervasive dust cleared, Whitebeard was revealed, covered in wounds and slumped on the shattered ground, with half his body buried under debris.
In contrast, Aeridar, who had been fighting him, was suspended in mid-air, bent over and gasping heavily. Drops of blood dripped from his mouth and forehead.
"Damn it! Just a little more..."
Watching Ace get swept away by the air current to a distance of over a hundred meters, Sakazuki gritted his teeth, glaring angrily at Aeridar in the sky, realizing he had been just moments away from killing Fire Fist Ace.
Clatter—
Whitebeard leaned on his naginata, struggling to his feet, as shattered stone fell away from him.
"Wouldn't it be better to die quickly and find peace, Whitebeard!" Aeridar gnashed his teeth, looking at Whitebeard, who had risen once more.
"My, how scary. They're both monsters, ne~" Borsalino held a light sword, looked at the severely wounded Whitebeard, then turned his gaze to Aeridar, his eyes flickering, his thoughts unknown.
"Gurarararara! Not yet!" Whitebeard panted heavily, his imposing presence still undiminished.
"Fufufufufu! Fight on! Fight on! This thrilling stage needs monsters to put on a show!" Doflamingo raised his arm, laughing maniacally with a wicked expression.
Thud.
Behind him, Gecko Moria, a former Warlord of the Sea, fell heavily to the ground, kicking up dust. His body was covered in cuts from sharp strings, and the blood flowing from him quickly stained the ground red.
"Do... Doflamingo…" Moria glared hatefully at the man before him, weakly mumbling his name.
"Fufufufufu! I'm truly sorry, Moria." Doflamingo turned around, taking slow, waddling steps, and grinned. "I thought you might have finally come to your senses in Impel Down, but to my surprise, you're still so ignorant of your own limits!"
"Bastard!" Moria gnashed his teeth powerlessly.
Despite being a former powerhouse of the West Blue and a great pirate who once challenged Kaido the Beast, a string of failures and setbacks had rendered him brittle and easily defeated.
On this side, Sakazuki watched Fire Fist Ace, now protected by several Whitebeard Pirate Division Commanders, his heart heavy with hatred.
Ace being rescued from the execution platform was already a major blunder for the Navy. If he managed to escape Marineford, even killing Whitebeard wouldn't be able to cover up the Navy's immense failure in this war.
However, Sakazuki then looked at Luffy, who was not far away with Ivankov, and a savage grin appeared on his lips.
"He's exhausted!"
Sakazuki stated in a low voice. "Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. Dragon, the Revolutionary. The sons of these two men are sworn brothers, how shocking."
"They both share unforgivable bloodlines. Killing the Straw Hat Boy first will serve the same purpose!"
Sakazuki leaped forward, his magma arm belching thick black smoke, heading straight for Luffy and Ivankov...
"Move!"
Ivankov was shocked and quickly pushed Luffy aside, crossing his arms to block the attack.
Bang!
The magma fist smashed heavily onto Ivankov's arms. A visible ripple of air appeared, and a fierce gust of wind immediately radiated outwards, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
"You won't lay a finger on the Straw Hat Boy!" Ivankov endured the searing heat, struggling to speak.
"Emporio Ivankov, Revolutionary Army Executive, the Queen of Kamabakka Kingdom." Sakazuki recognized the bizarre individual and said sternly, "Stop wasting time. You should have stayed hidden after Golden Ring failed to kill you!"
"You should know the power of a Marine Admiral. Wounded as you are, you can't stop me!"
"It's not my style to let Dragon's son get hurt! Hee-haw!" Ivankov strained with all his might, forcing Sakazuki's fist back.
"Bastard! You won't touch Luffy! Shinka: Shiranui!!!"
At this moment, Ace reacted, his eyes wide with shock and fury. Both his hands turned into flames, forming two flame spears over a meter long, which he hurled at Sakazuki.
Swoosh!
The two flame spears hit Sakazuki's chest, piercing him through.
Sakazuki's body momentarily stiffened. He looked down at the flame spears penetrating his chest, then his entire body turned into flowing magma, instantly extinguishing the two spears.
"It's no use. Ordinary fire doesn't affect me!"
Sakazuki's upper body reformed, his lower body still molten magma, which propelled him forward like a volcanic eruption, charging toward Luffy once more.
"You're too arrogant, Akainu!"
This time, the Whitebeard Pirate Division Commanders also reacted. Marco, who had his Seastone handcuffs removed by Mr. 3 (Galdino), and the Flower Sword Vista immediately rushed forward like lightning.
Sssshkt!
In a swift passing motion, blood splattered, and two massive gashes were torn into Sakazuki's body.
However, instead of flesh and blood, the wounds merely revealed molten magma.