After a relentless string of battles, even Rolan felt a flicker of fatigue. Without hesitation, he pulled out a senzu bean and tossed it into his mouth.
Almost instantly, the exhaustion evaporated, replaced by an overwhelming aura radiating from him. The ice beneath his feet began to show small cracks as his presence pressed down like a tidal wave.
Rolan tilted his neck with a sharp, audible crack and looked up at Akainu, his tone teasing yet confident.
"Admiral Sakazuki, even I find my current strength terrifying. Prepare yourself."
Akainu's eyes narrowed, a flicker of unease betraying his usually unshakable composure. The aura emanating from Rolan felt like a raging flood, an untamed beast. The pressure was greater than anything he had faced even against Fleet Admiral Karp. He hadn't encountered many people this strong in his life, and Rolan's presence left him perplexed.
Why did so many of the most powerful beings in the world of One Piece happen to be pirates?
Rolan ignored Akainu's thoughts. With a flash, he used Electromagnetic Instant Transmission, appearing directly in front of the Admiral.
Akainu, already on high alert, froze as a black shadow materialized before him. His pupils constricted.
"Nani! He's… several times faster than before!"
Without missing a beat, Rolan delivered a sweeping kick to Akainu's waist.
Bang!
Akainu's face paled as he was sent hurtling backward in a wide arc, arcing through the air like a meteor toward a Marine warship docked by the sea.
"What was that?" a soldier yelled, shielding his eyes.
"Looks like… a person," another guessed, squinting at the streak of movement.
"Was he sent flying?" someone else added. But before anyone could be sure, the streak of light disappeared.
Boom!
Akainu crashed onto the warship, the immense force shattering its deck. Soldiers still aboard were thrown aside, casualties mounting instantly. Akainu tumbled past the wreckage, finally stopping behind it.
Some soldiers, finally recognizing him, shouted in shock.
"It's Admiral Akainu!"
"Quick, save him!"
Yet Akainu refused to fall. He transformed into magma, piercing through the ice, and rose once more to his feet, gripping his left waist where the impact had likely damaged his kidney. Around him, soldiers realized the severity of his injuries and were struck with fear.
Could Rolan really be strong enough to launch an Admiral across the battlefield?
One soldier timidly spoke.
"Admiral Akainu, are… you alright? Do you need a doctor?"
Akainu ignored him, his gaze fixed on Rolan.
The soldier tried again.
"Admiral Akainu, the enemy is so strong… maybe we should—"
Before he could finish, Akainu's right hand became molten magma, striking the soldier with one punch and melting him instantly. He scanned the remaining soldiers, his voice cold and sharp.
"From the moment you became Marines, it was inevitable that you would face pirates and sacrifice yourselves. If you can't do that, then you have no place here."
He leaned forward, voice low and deadly.
"Those who disrupt morale like this are unworthy of being Marines."
Transforming his entire body into magma, Akainu surged forward toward Rolan, each step radiating deadly intent.
The surrounding soldiers exhaled shakily once the Admiral left, relief flooding them. Their eyes, however, turned to the smoldering wreckage around them, sorrow mixing with awe.
Rolan, observing Akainu's approach, felt a rare flicker of surprise. The Admiral had endured the previous kick, which had been a peak-level Armament Haki Ryuo strike, augmented by Rolan's Electromagnetic power, yet he remained standing.
Rolan rubbed his chin, calculating. To bring down this Marineford powerhouse, he would need to unleash his full potential.
Instantly, he teleported in front of Akainu, his hands glowing with Armament Haki and Haoshoku Haki. A sharp hand chop struck Akainu's shoulder.
The Admiral's Observation Haki detected the strike, but speed and injury hindered him. He couldn't fully evade.
Pfft!
Rolan's hand sliced through Akainu's chest, leaving a charred black wound instead of blood, the Electromagnetic energy searing through flesh and Haki alike.
Akainu gritted his teeth.
"Dark Hound!"
Rolan's left hand, reinforced with Armament Haki, met the strike head-on.
Bang!
The force radiated outward in a massive shockwave. Rolan reinforced it with another surge of Haki, sending Akainu crashing to the ice.
Even for Akainu, this exchange was costly. The attack was clearly a life-for-life clash.
Rolan teleported again, delivering a brutal kick to the burned wound in Akainu's chest.
"Ahhh!"
Pain tore through the Admiral, forcing him backward, half-kneeling on the ice. Sweat beaded his forehead, each cough spewing fresh blood.
Rolan appeared before him again, expression unreadable.
Akainu struggled to lift his head, eyes full of hatred, not for defeat itself, but for the sheer audacity of a pirate trampling on justice.
"Rolan! You may kill me now, but you will never win. Justice always prevails! Pirates will be crushed, and the world of One Piece will remain righteous!"
Blood coated his face and chest, yet Rolan's gaze remained icy, detached. He was not a saint, yet he could respect Akainu's resolve. The difference was the absolute, prejudiced justice that Akainu wielded blindly—it made him unfit to govern Xia Nation.
Rolan's lips curved into a faint smirk.
"Sakazuki, what is justice? Does justice win? Of course. Only the victor defines it."
Raising his right foot, glowing with Armament Haki and Haoshoku, he prepared his next strike.
Akainu's eyes darkened in refusal.
"Damn you, Rolan!"
And at that moment…
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