"No! Oars"
Amid Ace's terrified cries, Little Oars Jr.'s chest was pierced by Akainu's Magma, his body scorched and crushed.
The burning magma spread across his form like a corrosive blaze, devouring every muscle it touched. Even his bones blackened and ignited. His heart was consumed, turning into a charred, burning lump, surrounded by thick white smoke.
Could anyone survive without a heart?
"Ugh, ugh ugh…"
Little Oars Jr., his entire body a blistering crimson, groaned miserably. Struggling against the agony, he tried to lift his failing body, swinging his arm weakly to crush the Marines on the plaza.
"You all… quickly save Ace!"
He wailed, then fell silent, utterly spent.
"Run!"
"Hide!"
His desperate, dying efforts struck several Marines around him, leaving them injured.
"Little Oars Jr.! You won't have died in vain! Damn you, Marine! I'll make you pay!"
The Pirates, witnessing his final sacrifice, found a moment of resolve. Tears in their eyes, they roared and surged forward.
"Quick! Charge while the Marines are distracted by Little Oars Jr.! Push forward!"
"Hold the breach! Don't let the Marines through!"
"As long as we hold this, everyone can rush to the plaza!"
The Marines, suffering under the devastating assault, regrouped quickly.
A Vice Admiral roared:
"Quick! Block the breach! The Pirates are charging!"
"We must not let the plaza fall! For justice! Charge!"
"If this breach is broken, the Marine's dignity will be lost!"
Akainu, staring coldly at the massive breach, suddenly propelled himself forward with Magma, spraying flames to secure the area.
"What a disgrace! If Marineford's plaza falls to the Whitebeard Pirates, it will be a loss of face for the Marines!"
Boom!
Wild flames enveloped him as magma, brimming with explosive force, surged through his body.
A Marine General called out urgently:
"Akainu, our people haven't had time to—"
"Get out of the way!"
Sensing the breach might be overrun, Akainu ignored his subordinates, leveling his hands and releasing a dozen massive magma spheres, each over three meters in diameter, streaking toward the breach. Trails of molten destruction followed, scorching everything in their path.
"Careful!"
Pirates already on the plates dodged frantically, warning others of the rolling magma.
"Ah ah…"
A dozen Pirates, too slow to escape, were crushed and engulfed by the magma, igniting instantly into burning husks.
Sizzle, sizzle…
The scorched forms writhed painfully before curling into silence.
Crack! Pop, crackle…
Their charred remains continued to spark faintly, glowing in the searing heat.
Boom!
The magma spheres exploded upon entering the breach, creating a river of molten destruction that burned many more Pirates below.
…
Sizzle, sizzle…
Among the corpses were Marines, similarly charred black, constantly emitting smoke. Their stench filled the air, a grisly testament to Akainu's devastating power.
"Phew! Phew! Almost… almost died!"
Some Marines had barely escaped the rolling magma.
"Those behind us… all dead? By our own Admiral?"
They sat trembling, staring at the blackened remains of comrades, panic and fear etched on their pale faces.
"Uncle… dead?"
A young Marine knelt, dazed and sobbing, staring at his uncle's blackened, burning skeleton.
"…."
Puffs of black and white smoke drifted upward, reminiscent of his uncle's usual teasing grin in uniform.
"Er'er, what kind of wife do you plan to marry in the future? Should I ask your aunt to find one for you?"
"Uncle, don't ask! I don't want to settle down yet!"
The young Marine wiped his gun, voice firm:
"To uphold Admiral Akainu's Absolute Justice, I must wait until all Pirates are eradicated before thinking of my own life!"
"Absolute Justice, huh…"
The uncle, a Chief Petty Officer, smiled weakly.
"Is absolute justice not a bit… unfeeling? There are few absolutes in this world…"
"Uncle! What are you saying!"
The young Marine remembered his anger, feeling betrayed by his uncle's words, ignoring him for days until his aunt intervened.
…
Earlier, he had charged too far forward, unable to retreat from the rolling magma.
As he closed his eyes, bracing for death, his uncle grabbed him, tossing him out of harm's way.
"Er'er, run! Ugh ah ah ah…"
But his uncle himself was scorched and crushed by the immovable magma, wailing as he was burned to death.
…
Now, seeing his uncle's remains, the young Marine's heart churned with the memory of his uncle's final words: Is absolute justice a bit too unfeeling…
Akainu, I… I…
Resentment surged. His uncle, a man of justice, had not died by the Pirates' hand, but by the power of the very Admiral he worshipped.
"This isn't real, this isn't real…" he screamed, pounding the ground.
Bang! Bang!
The surrounding Marines raised their weapons again, attacking remaining Pirates who had climbed onto the plaza.
"Miller, stand up!"
A Marine, shielding the young Marine, parried a Pirate's swing.
"Your uncle is dead, but you are alive! It's the Whitebeard Pirates' fault he died!"
"Pirates?!"
Miller stirred, slowly standing and reclaiming his discarded gun.
"Yes, it's all their fault!"
His bloodshot eyes focused calmly on the Pirate, he closed one eye and fired decisively:
Bang!
The bullet struck the Pirate's eye, passing through his brain and exiting the back of his head.
"…."
The Pirate fell instantly, no last words, his body collapsing to the ground.
"Good job, Miller!" praised the Marine comrade, but his relief was short-lived.
"Miller! What are you doing?!"
Miller calmly kept his stance, gun aimed—not at the Pirate—but at…
Admiral Akainu.
"Revenge!" he declared hoarsely, firing.
Bang!
The bullet flew at extreme speed toward Akainu's left eye.
Whoosh!
Sizzle!
The bullet melted in Akainu's burning palm with a piercing hiss.
"Traitors in the Marines! Must die!"
Akainu's gaze met the young Marine's.
Boom!
A scorching magma fist descended from the sky, crushing Miller's body.
"…."
Miller dropped his cherished gun, staring at the unstoppable magma.
"Is this the Absolute Justice I worshipped? How truly despicable—"
Splat!
Before finishing, his body was incinerated by the molten explosion. No human form remained beneath the searing magma.
"…."
A nearby Marine, having dodged the attack, stood in disbelief, sword raised, staring at the molten chaos, utterly bereft of will to fight.