Red light blazed! Akainu's attacks were not only scorching hot, but the explosive force of the magma also carried tremendous momentum, both heavy and powerfully propulsive.
Whitebeard's tremors were like layered waves, each successive tremor a surge of terrifying, destructive power. In terms of sheer force and scale of devastation, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was undeniably in a league of its own.
Red and white collided, unleashing shockwaves that toppled giant stones and sent debris flying.
"Gurararara...!" Whitebeard spun his bisento, cleaving the air with a single stroke. Akainu's attack froze in mid-air. Then, the tremors erupted, sending shattered rock and molten magma flying backwards.
Akainu, however, managed to hold his ground. He stomped his foot, surging forward. Magma erupted from his fist, which he thrust like a drill, aiming straight for Whitebeard's abdomen.
Whitebeard's fist moved, about to unleash his power, when suddenly! A flicker of pain crossed his face, his pupils momentarily wavering. His body swayed, nearly losing its balance. The accumulated ailments of age and illness finally chose this critical moment to manifest.
"Die, Whitebeard!" Akainu's voice, like the growl of a rabid hound, ripped through the air. It was the first time he'd spoken since the battle began, and these words marked a deadly opening!
"Puh-!" Scalding magma pierced Whitebeard's abdomen, creating a gaping hole between his chest and stomach.
"Pops!" In the distance, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were struck with horror at the sight. They desperately tried to rush to his aid, but were intercepted or cut down by opportunistic Marines.
"Gwah!" A large mouthful of blood spewed from Whitebeard's mouth. His sharp eyes blazed with murderous intent. His left arm swept out, seizing Akainu's face. A shimmering sphere of tremor power instantly enveloped the Admiral!
"Buzz...!" The tremor wave encompassed Akainu. Before it could fully detonate, his face was already contorting, the ground beneath them collapsing, tiny pebbles floating upward.
"Boom!" In an instant, the terrifying force compressed Akainu into a mass of magma, but this magma was like a trapped beast, unable to escape Whitebeard's tremor grip.
All of Marineford began to shake. Cracking sounds intensified. The entire area within a hundred-meter radius of Whitebeard and Akainu collapsed into a giant crater. Akainu, caught at the epicenter of this tremor blast, his eyes went blank. His body, in that instant of unconsciousness, was forcibly reverted from its elemental form. Copious amounts of blood gushed from his mouth, his screams drowned out by the roar of the tremors.
"How is this possible... Cough!" Akainu's eyes were filled with horror and pain. To be forced out of his elemental form by this power... It was the first time he'd ever experienced such a thing!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Just then, dozens of cannonballs rained down from afar, striking Whitebeard's body and head.
His towering frame swayed, no longer able to maintain its stance. He slowly began to fall backward.
Black smoke enveloped his head. Everyone was stunned into silence, a single thought arising in their minds simultaneously.
Was Whitebeard... about to fall here?
As if in response to their unspoken question, Whitebeard's nearly collapsing body began to right itself!
The smoke around his head dissipated, revealing his face. "I am... Whitebeard!"
"Thud!" He slammed the haft of his bisento into the ground, his left fist striking out at Akainu.
Akainu's eyelids lifted slightly, a glint of sinister light flashing within. The magma in his hand continued to surge.
"You bastard!" A figure flew through the air, launching a kick at Akainu!
"Boom!" Akainu blocked Marco's attack with his left hand, a smile spreading across his face. "Taking out the leader first is only logical!"
"Gwah!" Magma erupted. Whitebeard's eyes widened, his face twisting in pain as he coughed up another mouthful of blood!
"Pops!" Marco's eyes widened in alarm, his body erupting in blue flames. He pressed harder with the leg that Akainu was blocking.
"Boom!" Akainu was pushed back. He performed a backflip, landing gracefully and regaining his balance.
"Meteor Volcano!"
A rain of magma balls descended from the sky! The majority of the area of effect covered Whitebeard.
"Damn it!" Marco's expression changed, the blue flames surrounding him burning even more intensely. With a whoosh, the flames surged, transforming into a phoenix that flew above Whitebeard's head.
"Move aside, Marco," Whitebeard said, looking up, his voice heavy. He released his grip on the bisento, slowly extending his right hand towards the air in front of him.
"Pops!" Marco cried out in alarm.
"Gurararara, it's alright, Marco," Whitebeard said. He spread his right hand wide, grasping the air, and then pulled down!
Marco reluctantly descended. A deafening roar echoed across Marineford. The falling magma above him suddenly seemed to pause, a ripple spreading through the air.
Blackened volcanic rocks rained down. Whitebeard coughed up another mouthful of blood, then looked up at the falling rocks, raising his bisento and slashing.
"Whitebeard, you're old. Are you too weak to even throw a punch?" Akainu charged, launching a massive magma fist!
The battle was fully engaged. Akainu faced both Whitebeard and Marco without being at a disadvantage, the terrifying shockwaves radiating outward.
"Nyehehehe... It seems the battle is progressing nicely..." Deep underground, Wilder's voice echoed. His body flowed towards a certain location.
The battle raged on. In the distance, a warship slowly approached.
Marineford's plaza was engulfed in smoke and fire, the roar of explosions deafening.
Magma, ice, light, and tremors – attacks of devastating power erupted, causing widespread destruction.
Wilder, his face somewhat pale, emerged from a patch of swamp, stepping onto solid ground.
The damage inflicted by Kizaru was neither minor nor major. After all, he was a Logia user, and he'd been constantly dodging. Most of the attacks had been dispersed, preventing serious injury. His pallor was purely due to blood loss and exhaustion.
"Nyehehehe..." Despite his somewhat battered state, Wilder was excited.
Kizaru's attack had been unexpected, and he hadn't wanted to face him so soon. Wilder's objective in coming to Marineford was simple, without much entanglement of interests. He purely wanted to use this war to address his own shortcomings and those of his crew.
Besides... Wilder had no choice. He could only go with the flow. From the moment he escaped Impel Down, he was no longer an infiltrator.
He opened his hand. A ball of swamp swirled and shifted in his palm, then solidified into a hard, stone-like sphere.
"My swamp solidification has improved. Next, I can try that." Within Wilder's arm, a faint, almost imperceptible surge of mysterious power flashed.
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