Under Akainu's command, the Marines surged onto the colossal island ship Guloseadi, fearless and unrelenting. They stormed through the burning wreckage, smashing everything in sight as they searched for any trace of the enemy and the hidden entrance into the ship's interior.
"Capture every pirate on this island—kill anyone who dares to resist!"
Akainu's cold voice cut through the chaos. Standing atop the scorched deck, he glared toward the towering figure of Bonde Waldo, the so-called World Destroyer, his molten fists smoldering with heat.
"Yes, sir!"
Two Marine Vice Admirals—Guillotine Jirochi and Vice Admiral Tsucha—snapped sharp salutes before leading their squads of officers forward, charging deeper into the island to seize the remnants of Waldo's crew.
"You think you can just leave?!"
Waldo roared, grabbing a handful of shattered stone and hurling it toward the advancing Marine troops.
Under the power of the Momo Momo Fruit, even fragments of rock transformed into lethal artillery shells. In an instant, several front-line officers were torn apart, their blood staining the smoldering ground.
"Bonde Waldo! Still worrying about grunts? You must have a death wish!"
Akainu burst forward, his magma-coated fist trailing black smoke and searing heat. Like a volcanic eruption, it came crashing toward Waldo's skull.
"You dare invade my ship? You're the one who should die!"
"Mad dog, I'll admit you're strong—but I'll make you regret this!"
A wicked grin stretched across Waldo's scarred face, exposing his broken teeth. In the next second, his body blurred out of sight, accelerated fiftyfold by his fruit's power. He vanished from Akainu's strike and reappeared amidst the Marine soldiers.
"Your speed is too slow, Akainu. I'll slaughter your men one by one."
With ruthless precision, Waldo cut through the ranks like a ghost of death. His mastery of both Armament and Observation Haki made every movement deadly. Screams filled the air as officers and lieutenants fell one after another, blood pooling around their broken forms.
"You bastard! Attacking the weak—have you no honor as a warrior?!"
"Tsucha Fang Bite!"
Vice Admiral Tsucha bellowed in rage, his fists sheathed in obsidian-black Haki. He leapt forward, hands snapping together like the jaws of a feral beast, striking straight for Waldo's flank.
Boom!
Waldo's fist struck first. His accelerated punch hurled Tsucha across the forest, smashing through a dozen thick trees before he crashed into the dirt.
"You invade my territory and dare talk about honor?" Waldo spat coldly, his voice dripping with scorn.
But before he could press the attack, the ground beneath him exploded in molten fury. A massive magma fist slammed into the deck where he'd stood, leaving behind a glowing crater of fire.
Akainu didn't glance at his fallen men or the wounded Vice Admiral. His focus remained solely on Waldo.
He unleashed his Observation Haki, expanding it to its absolute limit—tracking every flicker of movement, every shift in air pressure—as he pursued the lightning-fast pirate.
Boom! Boom!
The island ship trembled violently as Akainu's magma punches tore through the deck. Explosions thundered one after another, transforming the once-proud forests of Guloseadi into an inferno. Thick plumes of smoke spiraled upward, blackening the sky.
"Akainu! You've ruined my island ship! I'll slaughter every one of your men!"
Rage twisted Waldo's face as he watched the vessel—built through years of sweat and blood by Benjack and Gairam—fall apart in flames.
Dodging Akainu's blazing fists, he darted toward the Marines instead, turning the battlefield into a slaughterhouse.
"All units, form up! Defensive positions!"
Vice Admiral Tsucha, blood pouring from his mouth, barked the order. Jirochi rallied his men, and together with six Marine Rear Admirals, they gathered their forces, forming a solid defensive line.
"Line up—fire at will!"
The elite soldiers quickly organized, rifles raised, unleashing a storm of bullets at the teleporting blur that was Waldo.
Even though his entire body was armored in Armament Haki, the relentless barrage drained his stamina and Haki reserves.
And none of them feared accidentally hitting Akainu—his magma form was impervious to their gunfire.
Within the tight defensive formation, the Marines moved in perfect rhythm, firing and reloading without hesitation. Bullets and cannon rounds filled the air, a relentless downpour meant to exhaust Waldo's strength and corner him.
For a moment, the legendary pirate found himself at a standstill. If he charged forward recklessly, the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals would pin him down—and Akainu's molten rage would follow, ready to burn him alive.
Gritting his teeth, Waldo retaliated. He hurled enlarged bullets and boulders like meteors into the formation. Several Marines fell screaming, but most of the attacks were intercepted by the commanding officers' Haki-infused defenses.
Facing the combined might of Akainu and the Navy's finest, even Waldo began to feel the weight of despair.
So this is the strength of the Navy's elite… No wonder so many pirates fall before them.
Just as Waldo considered retreating to regroup and strike elsewhere—
BOOM!
The ground beneath the Marine formation collapsed with a thunderous crack!
Hundreds of Marines plummeted into the darkness below, vanishing into a massive labyrinth that sprawled beneath the deck.
Screams filled the air as men crashed into steel walls or disappeared into shifting corridors. Only those who had mastered Geppo (Moonwalk) managed to escape, leaping skyward to avoid certain death.
"Captain! Leave these guys to me!"
Gairam appeared, standing atop a floating cube of stone, a massive hammer in hand, his face grim with determination.
The sheer number of elite Marines made the fight grueling, but he had no choice—Benjack was too frail, Sebastian was badly wounded, and only he and Naiqin still had the strength to fight.
With a gesture, Gairam's Cube-Cube Fruit powers sealed the gaping hole shut. The Marines trapped below were swiftly divided as the labyrinth's walls shifted and folded, isolating them in separate compartments.
"What kind of Devil Fruit power is this?!" one Marine officer shouted.
"We can't let him get away with it! Attack!"
"Guillotine—Massacre Strike!"
"Tsucha—Heaven Crash!"
The two Vice Admirals dove down, kicking off the air with Geppo, their bodies wreathed in Armament Haki. Blackened fists and axes slammed into the ground, tearing open the sealed floor and exposing the vast maze beneath.
"Charge!"
The two Vice Admirals, backed by six Rear Admirals and several elite Captains, stormed into the labyrinth without hesitation.
That was the kind of resolve Akainu's soldiers were known for—unyielding, merciless, and utterly fearless.
Akainu himself paid no attention to their movements. His focus never wavered from Waldo.
"You hesitated. Worried about your men, are you?"
His molten gaze locked onto Waldo's flickering form. In a blur, Akainu lunged forward, magma bursting from his arm like an erupting volcano.
Caught mid-step, Waldo's defense faltered for an instant.
The magma fist struck squarely. Even with Armament Haki coating his body, the heat seared through him, hurling him backward as the world spun in fire and pain.
...
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