"The battlefield ended up like this because you failed to activate the Encirclement Wall in time, didn't it?"
At the center of everyone's gaze, Aokiji tilted his head slightly, looking toward Akainu.
"This is all your ice's fault!"
Akainu clearly wasn't about to take the blame, tossing it straight back at Aokiji.
"You could've just melted the ice yourself, Kuzan."
While the two Admirals argued, Kizaru stood off, fanning the flames with his usual drawl.
"Damn it, they actually deflected Father's attack…"
The pirates glared furiously at the Admirals. Yet with all three Marine Admirals standing in their way, hesitation crept into their faces.
"Don't waste the opening Father created for us! Stop wavering—forward, Whitebeard Pirates!"
Diamond Jozu, captain of the Third Division, stepped up when morale faltered, his booming voice giving the order to charge.
"The three Marine Admirals, huh…"
Jiang Lin's eyes shifted. He knew there was no avoiding a brutal clash now—if Ace was to be rescued, they had to break through Akainu and the others.
"Not enough time yet!"
He cast a glance at the system interface before him, a trace of urgency tightening his expression.
"Whitebeard—it's an honor to fight alongside you. I hope one day we can share a drink."
Drawing a deep breath, Jiang Lin began walking slowly toward the plaza, every Marine soldier and Admiral's eyes locked onto him.
"Hmph! Brat—you'd better worry about yourself first!"
Whitebeard lifted Murakumogiri slightly, his gaze fixed on Sengoku standing above the execution platform.
"They're all so angry… frightening, really."
As Jiang Lin and the pirates began to move, Kizaru complained lazily to his fellow Admirals on the plaza.
"How's the Encirclement Wall?"
Sengoku's eyes remained fixed on Whitebeard, his expression grave as he questioned the Marine officer at his side.
"Th-that…"
The soldier faltered under his Fleet Admiral's stare.
"Shut down all city functions if necessary—divert everything into the Encirclement Wall."
Sengoku gave the order again. This time, he was clearly ready to stake everything on it.
"Engines to full power!"
In the control room, Marine engineers rammed the levers to their limits. Gears whirred violently, and from beneath the frozen bay, massive walls rose through the ice, enclosing the entire harbor.
Click-clang!
Rows of black gun barrels extended from the walls, all aiming inward at the pirates trapped within.
"Oars…"
Jiang Lin looked up at the one section left unsealed in the wall, a hint of respect on his face.
Little Oars Jr.'s massive body lay sprawled across the plaza, perfectly wedging open a breach in the encirclement. Thanks to him, what should have been a seamless wall now bore a gaping hole.
"Begin, Akainu."
Sengoku glanced once at the breach, then dismissed it. His face darkened as he issued the attack order.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Stepping forward, Akainu's arms seethed with boiling magma. He thrust his fists skyward, launching blazing projectiles in rapid succession.
"So that's the plan…"
Jiang Lin narrowed his eyes—then suddenly recalled the strategy Sengoku was aiming for. He immediately loaded the Magma-Magma Fruit, standing firm as he mimicked Akainu's movements almost exactly.
[Magma-Magma Fruit (augmented by Venom-Venom Fruit, Horm-Horm Fruit, Love-Love Fruit) equipped. Duration: 10 minutes. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
The system's voice rang out. From Jiang Lin's position, torrents of molten magma shot skyward like skyrockets, erupting into Marineford's skies.
"Meteor Volcano."
Jiang Lin's calm voice followed the motions. When he lowered his arms, his eyes met Akainu's across the uproar, their silent confrontation clear even without words.
"Brat…"
"Akainu…"
Their gazes locked in midair until the deafening roar of the crowd shifted their focus to what they had unleashed.
The black clouds overhead split apart, revealing countless colossal magma fists wreathed in flames. They materialized in two distinct torrents—one set aligned with Akainu's assault, the other with Jiang Lin's—and together rained down toward the bay and plaza.
It was a vision of apocalypse. Had the broadcast not already been cut, the sight alone might have thrown the world into panic.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The thunder of impacts split the heavens as magma fists pierced the clouds, plunging toward the battlefield.
"You've nowhere to run!"
From atop the execution platform, Sengoku's voice cut coldly across the chaos. He failed to notice, however, the shadow trailing Akainu's crimson magma—magma fists streaked with black-red flame, Jiang Lin's strike, falling alongside the others.
Unlike Akainu's, which targeted the pirates, Jiang Lin's barrage was aimed squarely at the Marines.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The flaming fists slammed down like divine punishment, detonating across the frozen bay. Searing fire and blistering heat engulfed all beneath them, screams and shouts of despair filling the air.
"Crush them!"
On the plaza, Marines cheered wildly at first, thrilled to see pirates annihilated beneath Akainu's onslaught. The vengeance tasted sweet after so long under siege.
But their joy was short-lived.
"Wh-what in the… why are fists falling on us too?!"
Panic spread as the black-red magma fists descended on the plaza itself. The Marines' faces went pale—mirroring the terror of the pirates in the harbor.
"Run!"
The orderly lines of Marines shattered instantly. Facing the apocalypse above their heads, their discipline collapsed into sheer survival instinct.
"AHHHHHH!"
Cries of agony and despair erupted throughout the bay and plaza. Pirates and Marines alike were reduced to the same state—helpless beneath the judgment raining down upon them.
"What a terrifying figure you are… Jiang Lin!"
Sengoku roared, batting away one of the magma fists that had dropped toward him.
"Wha—this power…"
The moment he made contact, Sengoku realized with alarm that poison was coursing into his body. Not just venom, but something stranger yet—an alien force invading his system.
"Meteor Volcano · Venom · Kingdom of Okamas!"
Jiang Lin lowered his arms slowly, a crooked smile playing on his lips. His eyes glimmered with mischief and anticipation as he stared toward the plaza.
A kingdom full of Okamas… might soon be born here at Marineford.