Of course, the doctor said so. After all, it was a serious injury that significantly weakened the strength of his right arm. Fortunately, the intense heat of the magma had cauterized the wound, preventing excessive blood loss.
Akainu, after swimming in the magma for a while and seeing no attack from Ikki, cautiously poked his head out. When he saw Ikki's severely injured right shoulder, a pleased expression appeared on his face.
Ikki immediately exaggerated his pain, clutching his shoulder. "Oh, man! That hurts like hell! I've gotta bandage this up, or the wound will heal!"
Akainu, who had been basking in his moment of triumph, froze as he heard this.
The surrounding Marines and pirates also stumbled, many of them falling to the ground in shock. Even Whitebeard and Garp nearly lost their balance and stared at Ikki, who looked seriously injured just a moment ago, now with a speechless expression.
This kid, is it really okay for him to be so mischievous on the battlefield?
Ikki secretly regulated his breathing. His unique breathing technique would accelerate the healing process, so he wasn't worried about the wound. The most important thing now was to deal with Akainu.
Seeing Akainu still floating in the magma, Ikki put away Zangetsu. With only Sandai Kitetsu in his left hand, he channeled both the purple arc of his lightning and his Haki into the blade, while a special aura began to build around him.
"Here's a little gift for you! Akainu, have a taste of this!"
"Hakoku: Lightning Slash!"
With a loud crack, Ikki slashed down, releasing a purple-black shockwave that hurtled toward Akainu's face. The distance was short and the attack was a sudden surprise, catching Akainu completely off guard. The main reason for his surprise was that he simply didn't possess Kizaru's speed.
With no other choice, he countered with his own attack.
Click! The air itself seemed to shatter.
Boom! Thunder echoed across the battlefield.
Akainu's Dark Hound clashed with Ikki's slash and shockwave. The resulting energy blast spread out like a wave of black lightning, tearing up the ground of the Marineford plaza and leaving it in ruins. The entire island of Marineford shook violently, and deep fissures spread from where Akainu stood, growing wider with every passing second.
"Ugh! Don't underestimate me!" Akainu roared in anger.
He pushed his Dark Hound forward with all his might, forcing the combined shockwave and slash from Ikki upward into the sky. The two energy bodies exploded in the air, and the giant tsunami glaciers on both sides of the bay began to collapse, one by one.
In no time at all, the glaciers had all fallen into the sea, and the world seemed to become much wider as the view opened up.
"Incredible! What terrifying power!" many people couldn't help but gasp.
"Gurarara! This brat, he's shaping up to be another Hawkeye!" Whitebeard gave Ikki a high compliment.
Hawkeye and Vista, who had been fighting each other, stopped and watched, a new spark of fighting spirit in their eyes. They were clearly itching for a fight after witnessing Ikki's attack.
Meanwhile, the top Marine officers looked grim.
At that moment, Ikki quickly pulled out Zangetsu with his right hand and slashed again, hitting Akainu before he could recover and defend himself. A deep cut appeared on Akainu's chest, and he was thrown backward by the force of the blow.
"Despicable!" the Marines cursed.
"As despicable as I am, I'll be sure to teach you a lesson!" Ikki said with a cheeky grin.
Ikki had no problem with the Marines' double standards. After all, it wasn't the first time they had used them. Akainu's earlier attack wasn't called a cheap shot, because the pirates didn't care to, and the Marines believed they were justified in doing anything to defeat their enemies. However, a sneak attack from a pirate was automatically considered shameful and despicable.
In response to Ikki's jab, the Marines were so angry they almost coughed up blood. It was impossible to argue with someone so thick-skinned.
Akainu unsteadily rose to his feet, glancing down at the wound on his chest. He then shouted, "Medic! Hurry up and bandage this! If you don't hurry, my wound will heal!"
Everyone: "..."
Admiral Akainu, are you really okay?
Ikki couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, Admiral, a Marine like you saying something like that? Don't you feel embarrassed talking like a pirate? Or, are you secretly a fan of mine? Did you find my joke so clever that you decided to use it yourself?"
Akainu ignored the taunts, instead staring at Ikki's right shoulder. "It looks like your right shoulder isn't broken after all."
Ikki shrugged. "I told you it would heal fast, but you didn't believe me. It's just a scratch. I never said my right hand was useless!"
"So that's it," Akainu said with a rare moment of self-reflection. "I was too naive to assume your right arm was weak just because you put your sword away. I've underestimated you, even after losing to you before. This is my immaturity."
"But today, I will kill you, and none of you Straw Hats will escape. The evil of people like Roger's son and Dragon's son must be eradicated!" Akainu's words were so righteous that all the Marines' killing intent intensified.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku took the opportunity to rally the troops. "Exactly! The purpose of this war is to wipe out the cancers of the sea like you and restore peace! All soldiers, join the Admiral and eliminate all evil today!"
"Ohh ohh ohhh!!!"
The Marines' morale surged. The pirates and escaped prisoners, already low on energy, now looked even more desperate.
Ikki's face remained blank. He suddenly pointed a finger at Garp. "In that case, Akainu, you should kill Mr. Garp first. He's Dragon's father. If he hadn't raised Dragon, then there would be no Luffy, and wouldn't the sea have been peaceful?"
Everyone: "..."
Garp: "..."
The Marines' morale, which had been at its peak, immediately plummeted to a new low, as if drenched by a bucket of cold water.
The atmosphere became incredibly awkward.
Just then, Luffy suddenly shouted, "Mr. Ikki, how can you say that! That's my grandpa and my dad!"
Ikki was taken aback. He scratched his head and grinned. "Oh, right, hahaha. Akainu, just pretend I didn't say anything! You didn't hear a thing just now!"
"How is that even possible?!" Marines and pirates alike roared in unison.
The words had already been said, and the damage had been done. Garp himself was completely mortified, but this bastard, Ikki, was now asking everyone to just forget what happened.
To alleviate the extreme awkwardness, Garp rushed forward and punched Ikki.
"Ikki, you little brat! What are you talking about?! This old man is taking you down first, and then the Straw Hat Crew! All you so-called new emperors are going to Impel Down!"
"Old man, you're getting too old for this! Go retire already!"
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