Deep within the underground labyrinth of magma—
Even Enel, the self-proclaimed Thunder God, was taken aback by the sheer heat of this place. Within seconds, sweat poured from his brow.
The power Akainu Sakazuki had achieved through his Magma-Magma Fruit was far beyond Enel's own mastery of lightning.
If I could reach his level of control… maybe I could create a world of storms—an island of eternal thunder, like my Sky Island itself, Enel thought to himself, eyes reflecting the molten glow.
"Wait... could that be what Sky Island really is?" he wondered aloud. "An island permanently altered by the previous Thunder Fruit user?"
The thought sent a chill through him.
To permanently reshape the climate of an island—
That was the ultimate awakening of a Logia.
The realization made Enel's heart pound. He had to push further, faster.
He had to awaken the true potential of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
"Has that bastard Akainu already awakened his power?"
Barrett narrowed his eyes, his battle-hardened instincts warning him of the admiral's monstrous strength.
Akainu was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A figure was hurled into the molten sea below, sending a towering wave of magma into the air.
"Ahhh! About damn time, you bastards showed up! I can't hold on much longer!"
Bonde Waldo shot out from the molten lake, his body scorched and his Armament Haki flickering weakly. Steam rose from his charred skin, glowing red-black like heated metal.
Blood ran down from the corner of his mouth as he cursed between breaths, hurling magma off his body.
"Heh, what's wrong, Waldo? Don't tell me you can't even escape this little magma pit on your own!"
Barrett sneered, his body erupting with a torrent of Armament Haki.
The sheer pressure of his unleashed aura pushed the magma aside, exposing the glowing red stone beneath his feet.
This was the true power of the Devil's Body—
Haki overflowing like it cost nothing, endless and unrestrained.
His reserves and recovery speed were inhuman.
Barrett was, quite literally, a monster.
"Hmph! If you fought him one-on-one, you wouldn't beat Akainu either!" Waldo shot back bitterly.
He had to admit, Akainu was terrifyingly strong. The heat and destructive force of the magma were overwhelming. Even with full-body Armament Haki, defending nonstop drained him rapidly.
"You just watch, old man," Barrett growled, baring his teeth.
His eyes sharpened, and his body flushed red.
Muscles tightened, gleaming with a metallic luster.
He had entered his Devil Form.
This was an advanced use of Armament Haki—
Instead of coating the skin, it merged directly with the muscles themselves, fusing strength and hardness far beyond normal Haki hardening.
Even if Waldo punched him full force, the impact would rebound, injuring Waldo's own arm.
Barrett's crimson, steel-like physique shimmered under the molten light, his body wrapped in a raging storm of Conqueror's Haki.
It was enough to make Waldo grind his teeth in irritation.
Cocky little brat… let's see how long that arrogance lasts once Akainu flattens you.
"Barrett!!"
Akainu's cold voice echoed through the molten chamber as his magma form emerged from the sea of fire.
His sharp eyes locked on the two fugitives—Barrett, the escaped monster of Impel Down, and Enel, the arrogant self-proclaimed god of lightning.
So the Kiryuu Pirates had come.
With both of them here, this situation was far from favorable.
And if Souta Kiryuu himself had come as well… then there would be no escape.
If it was only Barrett and Enel, Akainu still had a chance to break through.
But then—
A deep, rumbling roar of a dragon thundered across the molten labyrinth.
Akainu's expression hardened. His heart sank.
With that roar, all hope of escape vanished.
"Eahahaha!! Akainu! It's been a long time!"
The voice echoed through the cavern, filled with wild excitement—
like a predator who had finally found his prey.
Souta Kiryuu.
The leader of the infamous Kiryuu Pirates, a man whose name had shaken the world.
Their last encounters had been cataclysmic: the Battle of the Sorbet Kingdom, the War of the God-Demon Island, the Holy Land Incident... and now, fate had brought them face-to-face again.
But this time, Akainu stood alone. No Marines, no Admirals, no reinforcements—just him, surrounded in enemy territory.
He glared at Souta Kiryuu, face expressionless, magma dripping from his arms like liquid fire.
Not a flicker of fear.
The molten current beneath his feet began to surge.
He was preparing to melt through the island itself—
to drag the entire Kiryuu fleet down into the abyss with him.
That was his last resort.
A mutual destruction.
"Souta Kiryuu… don't you move an inch."
Barrett snarled and lunged forward, his massive Conqueror-infused fist crashing down toward Akainu.
Even for an awakened Logia user, taking that hit head-on was suicide.
BOOM!
A magma-coated fist collided with Barrett's, shockwaves rippling outward.
Waves of force exploded through the cavern, sending chunks of molten rock flying.
"Barrett," Akainu growled, his expression cold. "If that pathetic Conqueror's coating is all you've got, you'd better train for another few years before using it in front of me."
Their fists locked in a clash of titans—magma and steel grinding against each other.
Compared to monsters like Kaido or Whitebeard, Barrett's Conqueror coating was still rough, incomplete.
And Akainu—
he'd fought the strongest of the New World.
He didn't fear any of the Yonko.
He only hated fast opponents—those who slipped from his grasp like smoke.
Enel, watching from above, narrowed his eyes.
"The strength of that magma user… it's equal to Barrett's. Incredible…"
His pulse quickened with excitement.
Both men possessed terrifying bodies—more monstrous than any Zoan user he'd ever seen.
They were born to be strong.
And with destructive Devil Fruits, they pushed their power beyond the limits of mortals.
The fruits had made them monsters.
And they, in turn, had made those fruits legendary.
"Hey, Souta Kiryuu!" Waldo shouted angrily from above. "You're gonna let them keep this up?! My whole damn ship's melting!"
He was furious—the whole magma world had already driven him to madness.
If Barrett and Akainu kept fighting like this, the entire island-ship would collapse into the sea.
Souta Kiryuu glanced around at the molten chaos and sighed.
"You really think this place can still be saved? What do you want me to do, turn it into a new level of Impel Down's inferno?"
He smirked lightly. "Relax. When this is over, I'll get you a flying ship. You're barely a crew anymore anyway."
From the state of the magma alone, Kiryuu could tell—
the island was finished.
It would become another eternal inferno, like Punk Hazard's flaming half or the fiery hell of Impel Down's lower levels.
Unless…
they brought in the sea to drown it completely.
Then a sudden realization struck him.
Knowing Akainu's madness, in desperation, the admiral would absolutely destroy the foundation of the island to drag them all into the depths.
That, Kiryuu could not allow.
He pulled out a transponder snail and barked an order:
"Tendo! Ningendo! Use the Gravity and Float abilities—get this island airborne immediately!"