"Boom!"
Bullet's iron fist, wrapped in deep Emission Haki, slammed into Akainu's shoulder with a sickening crunch of bone. A pained gasp escaped the Marine Admiral's lips as he spat out several mouthfuls of blood, his face contorted in agony. The force of the blow, amplified by the Emission Haki, had done significant internal damage.
"Tired, are we, Akainu?" Bullet's grin was a malicious curve. "Why don't you take a break before we get back to playing?"
Akainu had fought Aokiji for three days and three nights, and the toll was evident. While he was far from defeated, he was struggling against a full-strength Bullet. It was only his unyielding will and a defiant refusal to lose that kept him on his feet. Any lesser man would have been put down long ago.
"You scoundrel!" Akainu roared, his dignity stung. "You dare to be so arrogant in my presence?! Dog Biting Crimson Lotus"
His right arm billowed with hot lava once more, and as it solidified, it took the form of a ferocious, gaping lava hound's head, lunging for Bullet.
"What, you haven't learned your lesson yet?" Bullet sneered, meeting the attack head-on with a simple punch. "Emission Haki!"
The moment their fists met, the lava dog shattered from within. Akainu was sent flying backward again. In a pure contest of strength and Armament Haki, even at his peak, Akainu was no match for Bullet.
"Damn you pirates! Die here, all of you!"
A maniacal look flashed in Akainu's eyes as a terrifying heat, far surpassing anything before, surged from his body. The ground beneath him began to writhe and change, transforming in a blink of an eye into a roiling, unstoppable pool of magma. The sheer heat was suffocating. The entire island trembled.
Kizaru, seeing what was about to happen, flashed away to a safe distance. He knew this move well. Shiryu and Van Augur also retreated, seeking refuge near Adrian.
"The gods are fighting," Van Augur muttered to Shiryu. "If we mortals don't run, we're just giving away our heads."
"Hey Shiryu, do you think the Captain will give us Devil Fruits?" Van Augur asked. "The way these battles are going, with all these monsters around, I'm not sure I'll make it to the final chapter."
"I was just thinking the same thing," Shiryu agreed.
"Oh? Have you awakened your Devil Fruit?" Bullet's face lit up with excitement. He waved a hand in a taunting gesture at Akainu. "That's more like it. You were almost putting me to sleep."
"Bastard, die!" Akainu was instantly enraged, erupting like a volcano. A massive wave of lava surged from under his feet, sweeping over Bullet's sturdy figure with overwhelming force.
The Magma-Magma Fruit had been developed and honed to its peak by Akainu, so its awakening was no surprise. Still, Bullet was the first person to ever push him to use this power.
The red-hot magma exploded, but Bullet emerged unscathed, his body cloaked in high-density Armament Haki. The heat and molten rock couldn't break his defense.
"Are you trying to tickle me, Akainu?" Bullet said with a disdainful look, sticking a pinky finger in his ear.
In his heart, however, a sense of gratitude for Adrian swelled. After Adrian's guidance, Bullet had changed his fighting style, no longer relying solely on his Clank-Clank Fruit. By perfectly integrating his powerful constitution with Haki, he had found that his strength had not diminished in the slightest. Instead, he had successfully entered the ranks of the Admirals even without his fruit ability. The Captain was right; his original skill tree was a bit "crooked."
"Don't get carried away...Dark Hound!"
Before Bullet's words had even faded, Akainu, who had solidified from the magma behind him, struck with a swift and vicious punch. The blow sent Bullet flying.
"Zilala—"
The air filled with the smell of burnt flesh. That attack, infused with Armament Haki, had successfully broken through Bullet's defenses, leaving a large, bloody gash on his back. Akainu, however, couldn't celebrate. The blow was supposed to be devastating. In the original, "Dark Hound" had blown off half of Whitebeard's face and hastened his death. It was one of Akainu's strongest moves. Yet, it hadn't even damaged Bullet's internal organs.
"What kind of body is that?" Akainu thought.
"I've gotten a lot stronger!" Bullet grinned, ignoring the wound on his back. He instantly turned into a blur of black, reappearing in front of Akainu.
"Boom!"
His Emission-laced fist slammed down, and half of Akainu's body exploded. Dark red magma surged from the gaping hole, but the Admiral melted into the ground and reformed on the other side, his body restored. Still, a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. Even his elemental form couldn't completely negate the aftershock of Bullet's attack.
"Akainu, did you awaken your Devil Fruit just so you could run away?" Bullet mimicked Adrian's usual taunting posture, beckoning with his hand. "Come on, face me head-on!"
"Hmph, you think a mere pirate can use aggressive tactics on me?" Akainu sneered, as if mocking Bullet's clumsiness. But in the next second, a crazed look came over his face and he roared, "Then what the hell are you waiting for?! Get over here, I'll confront you head-on!"
You have a split personality, Bullet thought to himself.
"Boom!"
Akainu stomped his right foot, and the magma-covered ground instantly boiled, gathering from all directions to engulf him.
Moments later, Akainu emerged, having used the magma to form a gigantic lava monster, several meters high. It was a walking volcano, dripping with molten rock that sent up plumes of white steam from the ground.
"Roar!"
The immense lava beast roared, then hooked its fingers at Bullet.
"Come on," it boomed. "Face-on!"
Bullet's face darkened, this bastard Akainu was playing with him.