New World, Neo Marines Headquarters
Compared to Marineford, this place was naturally quite shabby. After all, it was essentially just a war fortress temporarily pieced together from several large warships, designed to be easily disassembled and relocated at any moment.
But at this very moment, it seemed there wasn't even time to disassemble...
BOOM!
Massive plumes of magma rained down continuously from the sky, turning the fortress into a sea of fire.
"Cough... hack..."
Hearing the faint screams and wails echoing from the distance, Zephyr, who had been half-kneeling on the ground, struggled to lift his head. His face was a mask of wooden tears, agony, and despair. His right mechanical arm, the "Battle Smasher," was severely damaged, and a charred hole had been burned into his left shoulder by the magma. Blood seeped continuously from the corner of his mouth.
But his own injuries didn't matter. What pierced his heart like a knife were his fallen students.
The Neo Marines had been established for only a few months. Many of the students who chose to follow him weren't even twenty years old. These students possessed the courage to follow Zephyr to a gallant death, but Zephyr couldn't bear to let them.
In his original plan, once the Dyna Stones were collected and the "Return to Marineford" operation officially began, he intended to keep the truth from them and forcibly send them to Curtain Call's territory.
And yet... today, one by one, they were being ruthlessly consumed by Akainu's magma in this sudden raid.
Was that scene of despair from years ago repeating itself?
It was all his fault! He blamed his aging, frail body for lacking the power to protect his students. He blamed his own reluctance to part with these children, insisting on waiting until the very end to say goodbye. He should have spoken up sooner; he should have let them leave the Neo Marines and head to the Curtain Call's lands earlier. If he had, it wouldn't have come to this...
"Master Zephyr!"
Ain rushed out from the nearby ruins, breathing heavily, and tried to help Zephyr up. "Akainu has been temporarily trapped by Binz's trap. Use this chance! I'll cover your retreat—"
"Retreat? Hmph. In the middle of the vast ocean, where exactly do you think you can retreat to?"
A cold voice drifted through the sea of flames. Ain's movements froze. She looked up in terror toward the source of the sound.
A white Justice cloak fluttered in the wind. Akainu's tall, expressionless figure approached step by step. He opened one hand, dropping a tattered, thin body onto the ground.
"I won't give you such a chance. Scum who betray the Navy have no right to live. Not a single one of you shall escape."
"Binz!" Ain's face turned deathly pale. Tears burst from her eyes as she stumbled forward to check on him. He wasn't dead; there was still a flickering spark of life. That was a blessing. But with this rate of blood loss, if he didn't receive medical attention soon...
"You beast!" Zephyr grit his teeth, his eyes blood-red. He struggled to rise, but Akainu slammed a foot down onto his shoulder, pinning him heavily back to the ground.
"Don't waste your breath on futile struggles, Master Zephyr." Akainu looked down at him with indifference. "This is the last time I will call you 'Master.' As a former Admiral, instead of taking responsibility during the Marine's hour of crisis, you took the lead in betraying us and colluding with Curtain Call."
"And recently, you've been secretly amassing Dyna Stones, plotting to use them to destroy Marineford and the Holy Land... Your crimes are enough to merit ten thousand deaths!"
"Betrayal? Hahaha..." Zephyr spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed bitterly. "Sakazuki, can you really say those words without blushing or feeling shame? Yes, I betrayed the Marines. But who is the true traitor? The one who betrayed the people, the one who betrayed the heart of justice... who is that, exactly?!"
"Shut up." Akainu narrowed his eyes, a flash of impatience flickering within them. "There is no point in arguing with an old fool like you. For the sake of the past, don't worry—I will give you a dignified death."
"Stop it!" Ain suddenly lunged at Akainu, pushing the power of her Modo Modo no Mi to the absolute limit as she pressed her hands against Akainu's waist.
Did it work...?!
Ain's initial joy quickly froze. She looked up blankly at Akainu, who remained motionless, his body showing no signs of change. He hadn't turned back into an infant. Why?!
"It seems Zephyr really has grown old. He's no longer even qualified as an instructor." Akainu glanced at her and said flatly, "Did he never teach you? As long as one has sufficiently powerful Haki, a low-level ability like yours can be nullified directly."
He delivered a brutal kick!
Thwack!
Ain sprayed a large amount of blood, her body arching like a shrimp as she was sent flying, crashing heavily into the distant ruins. She lay there silent, her life status unknown.
"AIN!!!" Zephyr's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. He tried to unleash everything he had, but Akainu's foot pressed deeper. The sound of bone cracking came from the wound on his shoulder; the pain was so intense it distorted his features.
"..."
Witnessing Zephyr in this state, Akainu silently closed his eyes. But only a second later, they snapped open again, the slight flicker of emotion having completely vanished.
"This is the end." Akainu's left arm had completely transformed into magma. He aimed it at Zephyr's head, his voice icy. "Farewell, Traitor Zephyr."
In that moment of life and death, an enraged roar suddenly erupted:
"Ice Age: Time Capsule!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
In an instant, a bone-chilling cold swept across the battlefield. The ground beneath Akainu's feet froze rapidly, encasing him in ice. The descending magma fist was also frozen mid-air, locked in its attacking posture.
This is...
Zephyr, whose life had begun flashing before his eyes, was stunned. That voice... could it be...?
"KUZAN!!!"
Akainu's roar erupted from within the ice a second later. The solid block of ice vibrated violently, countless cracks appearing on its surface.
BOOM!
Magma exploded, sending ice shards flying in all directions. Akainu looked forward with a grim face. Aokiji stood there, his face as cold as frost, a chill radiating from his body as he slowly retracted his right hand.
"I arrived a step late. My deepest apologies, Master Zephyr." Kuzan supported Zephyr, using his power to temporarily freeze the bleeding wounds. He then looked around at the sea of fire, at the unconscious Ain and Binz, and clenched his fists tight.
"Sakazuki." He turned sharply, his eyes filled with a rage he had seemingly never shown before. Through gritted teeth, he said, "I thought that you and I simply walked different paths—that you at least still had a bottom line. To think you would lay such murderous hands on your former mentor and fellow students... Has your so-called 'Absolute Justice' really warped to this extent? SAKAZUKI!!!"
"You are a traitor far worse than Zephyr. Don't lecture me with your high-sounding platitudes!" Akainu casually shook the ice fragments off his arm, magma reconsolidating on his fist. "Even though this operation was so secretive, you still noticed? However, it seems that this time, only you came from the Curtain Call, Kuzan."
"I am enough to kill you alone!" Aokiji said coldly.
"Oh? What a coincidence." Akainu sneered, suddenly lunging forward. A massive magma fist slammed toward Aokiji's chest. "I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING!!!"
BOOM!
Magma and ice collided with a roar. A terrifying shockwave swept across the deck. The flames within dozens of metres first flared up wildly before being instantly blown out. Both men were forced back dozens of metres.
"..." Aokiji looked up with uncertainty, a frown deepening on his face. If he wasn't mistaken, Akainu's strength seemed... even greater than their last encounter?
"Oh?" Akainu let out a cold laugh. "Noticed, have you? Correct! I have become stronger. After discarding the last of those pointless doubts and hesitations, my conviction is firmer than ever! And naturally, my strength is more powerful than ever before!!!"
"What you discarded," Aokiji countered with a furious laugh, "was clearly the last shred of your conscience! I am different from you. My conscience remains, and I don't need to discard it to become stronger like you. Because unlike that lost Marine I once was, I, too, have reaffirmed my own convictions!"
"Enough talk!" A cold light flashed in Akainu's eyes. His magma-transformed left fist suddenly swelled several times in size, the terrifying heat warping the air. "Ryusei Kazan!!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless magma fists shot into the sky, dyeing the firmament crimson, before raining down like a meteor shower toward the position where Aokiji and Zephyr stood.
"Ice Wall!" Aokiji slammed both hands onto the ground. A massive wall of ice erupted from the deck, shielding the two of them.
Magma struck ice, resulting in deafening explosions. White steam instantly enveloped the entire battlefield.
"Master Zephyr, can you move?" Aokiji used the steam as cover to quickly help Zephyr up. "That guy's ability catches bystanders too easily. I'll cover you; retreat first. Leave this to—"
"No, Kuzan," Zephyr shook his head weakly. "Don't mind me... go save the children. They are young, they are exceptional... they are the last batch of talent I can offer to your Curtain Call..."
"NONE OF YOU ARE LEAVING!" Akainu's roar came through the steam. A massive magma fist suddenly punched through the mist, heading straight for the pair.
"That isn't for you to decide!" Aokiji snorted, striking back with a powerful punch of his own, blocking the attack without giving an inch.
But in the next moment, he was struck by another fist emerging from the white steam. He was sent flying, crashing through several layers of deck plating before skidding to a halt.
A fist? Aokiji wiped the blood from his mouth and flipped back to his feet in shock. The punch hadn't done much damage, but the problem was...
Where did that fist come from?!!!
Sakazuki's right arm—hadn't it been personally severed by his own Captain during the war in the North Blue?!
Aokiji stared fixedly ahead. Just then, Akainu stepped out from the thick fog, one step at a time. Seeing the scene before him, Aokiji's pupils shrank!
"I didn't intend to reveal this to you, but the New World is the Curtain Call's territory now. To avoid complications and finish you quickly, I must use my full power." Akainu spoke coldly. His right sleeve, which should have been empty, now contained a perfectly intact arm!
And on the exposed skin of his left arm, one could faintly see a pentagram mark...
"That pattern... the Abyssal Contract?!" Aokiji's face changed drastically. "Sakazuki, you actually accepted that power!!"
"You're mistaken. It's merely a 'Shallow Sea' contract. I have no desire to become a complete slave. To master a portion of immortal regenerative power, to allow me to return to my peak and even surpass my former self... that is enough." Akainu glanced at the contract tattoo on his arm and said indifferently:
"It was Kong's suggestion. Initially, I held nothing but contempt for it. But to utterly eradicate you and restore order to this turbulent world, I have gambled everything. To achieve full success in one stroke, this small sacrifice is naturally nothing."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Crisp applause suddenly came from the other side. Both men turned to look. Ryokugyu, draped in his Justice cloak with a blade of grass in his mouth, strolled lazily out from the flames.
"Splendid, simply splendid! As expected of Senior Sakazuki. His resolve is truly beyond us newcomers."
"Aramaki," Aokiji's expression darkened.
Ryokugyu didn't even spare Aokiji a glance. He looked only at Akainu, saying with a grin, "While coming out now might seem a bit tactless, I've secured all the Dyna Stones. Mission accomplished. It's about time to evacuate. Senior, how about I join in and settle this quickly?"
Akainu glanced coldly at Aokiji, then looked around at the burning sea of fire. After a brief silence, he nodded slightly. "Let's do it together. Finish it quickly."
He truly wanted to defeat Aokiji single-handedly—to crush him and force him to see who was right and who was wrong. But as a soldier, he had to prioritise the big picture. To ensure mission success, this personal rivalry could be set aside for now.
"Understood~" Ryokugyu grinned, slamming his left hand into the ground. "Mori Mori no Mi: Birth of the World of Trees!"
Rumble!
Countless thick vines erupted from the ground like bamboo shoots after rain, instantly turning the area into a green hell. Most of the vines coiled toward Aokiji like giant pythons, while another portion split into sharp wooden spikes, thrusting directly at the heavily injured Zephyr.
"Despicable!" Aokiji roared. His right arm instantly transformed into an ice blade, severing the incoming vines. With his other hand, he flicked out several ice shards, precisely intercepting all the wooden spikes aimed at Zephyr and pinning them to the deck.
"Quick reactions. As expected of you, Kuzan. But... despicable? Hahaha! Hearing a fallen pirate say such words makes me want to laugh my head off!" Ryokugyu laughed loudly, his eyes full of mockery. "Hey, there's only one thing you need to know: today, at this very hour, is the end of your rebell—"
SHING!
Before the word "rebellion" could fully leave his mouth, a sudden boom echoed in the sky. A blinding, dazzling golden light descended from the heavens at an unimaginable, terrifying speed. Carrying the force of a thousand thunderbolts, it slammed heavily onto the top of his head.
Splat!
Accompanied by a sound like a bursting watermelon. Ryokugyu's expression had been arrogant just a second ago, but in the next, his entire head was instantly caved in and deformed, driven forcibly into his chest cavity. Blood mixed with brain matter erupted from his neck like a fountain!
"Ugh... eh?" Ryokugyu's mangled body swayed. The headless torso even reached out its left hand, groping vacantly for where its head used to be, but found nothing.
In the next heartbeat...
THUD!
Under the shocked, vacant stares of everyone present, the headless corpse of Navy Admiral Ryokugyu collapsed to the ground, its life force completely extinguished.
Dead silence. The battlefield fell into total stillness. Even Aokiji and Zephyr stood there with their mouths open, unable to speak for a long time.
As for Akainu, his eye twitched violently as he stared fixedly at the figure that had suddenly descended from the sky.
This scene... how familiar it was... That familiar black cloak, that black hair fluttering in the wind, and—that indifferent, calm gaze, looking down from above as if looking at trash!!!
"Sha... ne..." Akainu squeezed the name through his teeth. His expression twisted in a mix of shock and fury as he roared:
"How is it you! How is it you again... How is it possible for you to arrive so quickly?!!!"