The Hell Crimson Lotus failed.
Akainu was injured once again.
"Pfft... cough cough!"
His knees were pierced, and with the two bowl-sized holes in his abdomen, Akainu knelt on the ground, coughing heavily due to the pain.
However, there was no blood on his body.
"You aren't attacking my physical body... could it be... the spirit and soul?!"
As a Logia user, Akainu understood his own sensations. There were no physical wounds, and the holes were quickly filled with magma, yet he was still in agonizing pain.
"You shouldn't have closed the distance."
"The best way to defeat me was to stay close, but you lost that chance."
Hundreds of meters away, Nagato stood calmly on the sea of magma, holding his sniper rifle.
"Is that so?"
Akainu was noncommittal. His previous emotions of anger and shock had all turned into a cold calm. No matter how much his soul ached, he had to remain composed.
"If you think you can defeat me that easily, you underestimate me too much!"
Akainu stood up again, expressionless. The holes in his body were filled with magma once more, but he had to endure the wounds on his soul.
Swish!
The moment Akainu stood up, he vanished.
"I was just saying it casually, and you really chose to get close..."
Nagato sensed Akainu's Reiatsu; he was already behind him. Only a few meters away.
"Hound Blaze!"
The lava arm extended, attacking Nagato.
Swish!
Nagato left his position.
Swish!
Akainu followed closely with continuous attacks. Even if he couldn't hit the opponent, he couldn't stop. He knew clearly that for a sniper, distance was the advantage. When the distance closed, the sniper rifle became a burden.
Swish swish swish swish!
Boom boom boom boom!
The two moved like phantoms across the magma sea. Every time Akainu stopped, he threw a punch and constantly manipulated the magma sea with his ability, forming a sky full of magma fists to interfere with Nagato's movement speed.
"Trying to win through a war of attrition?"
Seeing Akainu's intent to wear him down, Nagato didn't know what to say. The strategy was good. After all, top-tier powerhouses here could fight for ten days or half a month without issue.
"Inugami Guren!"
Akainu spoke not a word. He stayed close to Nagato to attack, interrupting his sniping movements while mobilizing a large range of the magma sea for an all-out assault.
Boom!
As Akainu's eyes brightened slightly, Nagato used his sniper rifle to block the magma, and the rifle was directly shattered by the impact.
"Effort eventually pays off!"
Akainu thought this as his continuous attacks finally forced the opponent to show a flaw! An opportunity! The gunman was left without a gun!
"Meigō!"
Akainu threw another punch.
Boom!
To Akainu's surprise, Nagato didn't dodge this time. Instead, a huge arrow instantly condensed in his hand, and he hurled it. The magma and the Medium Holy Destruction Arrow collided and exploded.
"Even without the sniper rifle, you have other moves? The Empire's common ability to fire arrows?"
Akainu thought this, but his attacks did not pause for a second, throwing punch after punch. Terrifying magma fists erupted one after another.
"Hmm?"
Nagato's eyebrows shifted. He sensed a familiar Reiatsu flying from afar and felt somewhat helpless.
"Someone's here to steal the kill."
Then let's end this quickly!
Boom!
Under Akainu's contracting pupils, a terrifying aura erupted from Nagato, even shattering the magma fists. Startled, Akainu couldn't help but retreat.
"Quincy: Vollständig — Divine Sanction!"
Nagato floated slowly into the air. A huge halo appeared above his head, his hands were hidden, and four pairs of massive wings appeared behind him. His Reiatsu was far more tyrannical than before. Akainu felt uncomfortable all over; his movements slowed down under the oppressive pressure originating from the soul.
"Fruit Awakening?!"
Even if the opponent wasn't a Devil Fruit user, Akainu could only understand it this way. The opponent was using their full strength.
Boom!
Boom!
The next moment, Akainu was extremely grave. Because that special aura erupting from Nagato skyrocketed again!
"Damn it!"
Enveloped by the terrifying Reiatsu, Akainu felt his spirit was about to collapse. He could only stiffly pull back to the limit.
"What's the situation?"
Yahiko, who had also just come out of seclusion and rushed over, looked at Nagato in the sky with surprise. Activating Vollständig and still skyrocketing in Reiatsu?
"What powerful Spiritual Pressure!"
On the South State, all the Empire soldiers looked at the sky in shock. The nearby people of the South Blue prostrated themselves on the ground; even a wisp of Reiatsu brushing past made them feel an unbearable weight.
"Vollständig: Final Form!"
Boom!
The Reiatsu turned into a beam of light, directly crashing through the sky and dispersing the clouds.
Yahiko was also stunned: "That guy Nagato... he evolved his Vollständig?!"
"No, that's not it."
"This is the true Vollständig. The previous form was only a partial release."
The current Nagato did not turn into the long-necked, bird-headed, four-legged, eight-winged monster from the original series. The spiritual power system of the Soul Society and the Empire's system had significant differences. Nagato's "The X-Axis" Vollständig was different from Lille Barro's.
The four pairs of wings on his back became eight, and his hands and feet were released. His attacks were more convenient.
"It's over!"
Nagato looked down at Akainu and raised his hand slightly: "Facing me in my fully released state, your only option is to flee!"
"Judgment Light!"
Boom!
A super-giant piercing beam bloomed from Nagato's hand. It ignored defense and pierced through all things.
"Without the sniper rifle, he's even more terrifying."
After Akainu dodged, he glanced back, and his expression froze. Wherever the giant beam passed, everything was pierced, creating a bottomless abyss. Most terrifyingly, the beam did not disappear. It followed Nagato's hand movement; wherever he pointed, it pierced, continuously and relentlessly.
"Hey, hey, this is too messy."
Yahiko felt that if Kakuzu saw this, he would definitely jump in anger. Repairing the battlefield costs money!
"Damn it!"
Akainu found that he really could only run. If he stopped for even a moment, he would be pierced through by that terrifying light. Any defense was useless. The beam was over ten meters wide; a single touch could completely annihilate him.
Swish swish swish swish!
Akainu moved back and forth rapidly, as one abyss after another appeared behind him.
"No, it can't go on like this."
He didn't even have time to pause for a counterattack. Akainu felt extremely aggrieved. He vanished from the spot again, using Moonwalk to go higher into the sky.
Boom!
Nagato pointed his hand towards the sky. In an instant, the sky was completely pierced through, sliced open like thin paper.
Whoosh!
Akainu pushed his speed to the limit, dodging the giant beam and arriving in front of Nagato.
"I said, fleeing is your only choice."
To Akainu's surprise, as soon as he got close, Nagato retracted his hand. An opportunity! Akainu immediately erupted with magma. At that same instant, Akainu discovered something utterly despairing.
"This is the end!"
Nagato's eight pairs of wings instantly released dozens of piercing beams, forming a large net that enveloped the charging Akainu completely. There was no chance to dodge. No way back!
Boom boom boom boom!
Sixteen beams completely pierced through the Armament Haki defense, through the magma, and through Akainu.
"Pfft... cough cough... you won."
Akainu glanced at Nagato, a hint of bitterness in his eyes, but no resentment. This was the third time. First Kaguya, then Hinata, and now Nagato. They all made him feel so powerless. He couldn't even scratch them despite giving his all, while a slight oversight on his part meant death.
Thud!
Losing control, Akainu fell from the sky and crashed into the ground.
Swish!
Nagato retracted his Vollständig and stepped in front of Akainu.
"Sakazuki?"
Yahiko also walked over, curiously sizing up the mangled Akainu. From the outside, it wasn't obvious because the holes were filled with magma. But in his soul, there were dozens of holes across his limbs and body. His soul was on the verge of breaking; an ordinary person would have collapsed from the pain long ago. But Akainu just lay on the ground, staring blankly at the sky, showing no reaction to the pain.
"You are under arrest!"
"An iron-blooded soldier with great flaws, but equally great virtues."
Nagato's simple words caused a ripple in Akainu's eyes. Not killing him? That's not normal.
Whoosh!
A green light from Nagato's hand landed on Akainu. He mused, "Join the Empire and be a real soldier."
Akainu frowned. After the green light landed, he felt much more relaxed. Although he was still powerless, his spirit began to recover. But hearing Nagato's words...
"Hahahahaha!"
Akainu laughed, a reckless and proud laugh. He didn't know how many years it had been since he last laughed. It seemed that from the moment his hometown was destroyed by pirates, he had never laughed again. As long as pirates weren't eradicated, he had no right to laugh.
A moment later, the laughter stopped.
Akainu said expressionlessly, "If I submit to the Empire today, I will submit to a stronger force tomorrow. If I keep doing that, do I have the right to call myself a soldier?!"
This logic made Nagato and Yahiko exchange glances. It was the first time they had heard it. They had to admit it made sense.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort came from the distance. Nagato and Yahiko looked over and couldn't help but cough lightly. The peerless general, Lü Fengxian! Lu Bu... mmm.
"Lü Fengxian greets the two officers!"
After saluting Nagato and Yahiko, Lu Bu walked to Akainu's side and spoke coldly, "A man whose bravery leads the three armies should abandon the small ambitions of sparrows and swallows, and admire the high flight of the swan. You don't even understand the principle of leaving the darkness for the light. What a pathetic lackey!"
Akainu: "..."
What does the first half mean?
"A frog in a well, a laughable native!"
Lu Bu came quickly and left just as fast. It seemed he specifically came to scold Akainu out of displeasure, but without using a single vulgar word. A cultured man.
"Cough..."
Yahiko coughed lightly and said steadily, "He means this world is too small. There are countless worlds like this. People like Im are just trash. For example, His Majesty can easily destroy the entire world. Hey, why are you glaring at me? Is there any need for me to lie to you? Little native."
Akainu: "..."
Full of silence. Those few sentences revealed too much information. It made the World Government look like a joke.
Nagato didn't want to waste time: "Lock him up. Let's take the South State first."
"Wait... wait."
Akainu struggled to sit up. The two looked over. Akainu asked one question:
"Who is Im? A woman?"
"..."
Waste of time! Yahiko went up, knocked Akainu unconscious, bound him with spiritual power chains, and threw him into a Spirit Storage Ring.
"Looking at you, you're not going to kill him?"
Yahiko looked at Nagato strangely and asked in confusion, "Don't tell me it's because he's like a soldier. Aren't the soldiers on the Celestial Realm's Earth more professional?"
Nagato left a sentence and turned to leave.
"A request from an Empire citizen."
Yahiko was stunned. A citizen's request actually reached Nagato, and Nagato agreed! Could it be a beauty? No, that's not right. Nagato had always viewed beauties as passing clouds, only wanting to be His Majesty's strongest blade.
"Hey, don't stop halfway, you're killing me! Who exactly is it?"
"Borsalino!"
At this moment!
Marine Headquarters.
"Twenty years."
Kizaru returned to his office. He looked at the first graduation photo of the military academy from Zephyr's time as an instructor on the wall. In it, Kizaru was laid-back. In it, Akainu's gaze was sharp.
Kizaru took a sip of wine and reminisced with emotion: "We became students together, trained together, became strong together. You blocked blades for me, and I blocked cannons for you. Twenty years, and you never changed. Brother, I am also a human. Take my advice. The future is long; only by staying alive is there hope."