Despite Jinbe's somewhat theatrical performance, the Marines didn't question his apparent defeat. Most of the Marine officers were too busy with their own battles to analyze the Fish-man's acting skills, and the chaotic nature of the battlefield made strange alliances seem almost normal.
The majority of the Vice Admirals had already moved into the frozen harbor to engage the enemy directly, while the giant Vice Admirals maintained their positions at the plaza's edge—living walls of muscle and determination that formed the Marines' final defensive line.
Across the battlefield, individual duels had broken out everywhere. Hawkeye had found himself matched against Vista of the Flower Sword, the Fifth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. The world's greatest swordsman seemed almost relaxed as he parried Vista's floral-themed attacks, no longer showing the intense focus he'd displayed when testing himself against Whitebeard.
Meanwhile, Cavendish had joined Marco in keeping Admiral Kizaru occupied, the prince's lightning-enhanced blade dancing alongside the phoenix's regenerating flames as they worked to prevent the light Admiral from decimating their allies.
Brook had successfully engaged one of the Vice Admirals in single combat, his soul-powered swordsmanship proving more than a match for standard Marine training. This allowed Ace to push forward with Sanji and Chopper close behind, their knightly armor gleaming as they charged through the chaos.
As for Zoro...
"Huh? Where'd Curly-Brow and the others go?" The swordsman turned in a slow circle, his three katana still sheathed despite the battle raging around him. Every face he saw was unfamiliar, and the execution platform that had been directly ahead of him moments ago was now... somewhere else entirely.
"Tch, they got themselves lost," Zoro muttered, completely missing the irony. "Whatever. I can see Luffy's execution platform right over there—I'll just head straight for it."
He took a confident step forward, then immediately leaped sideways as a Marine captain's sword sliced through the air where his head had been. The officer was locked in fierce combat with a Revolutionary Army soldier, both too focused on their duel to notice they'd almost decapitated a passing Warlord ally.
"Watch where you're swinging that thing," Zoro grumbled, continuing on his mysteriously indirect path toward the platform.
"Look out! Something's falling!"
Panicked shouts erupted from the Marines in the plaza as a massive shadow fell across the battlefield. High above, Diamond Jozu had hurled an enormous chunk of ice—easily the size of a small hill—directly at the crowded Marine formation.
The frozen projectile plummeted with devastating force, promising to crush dozens of Marines beneath its crystalline mass.
"Hmph! First one, then another—they're all nothing but troublemakers!" Admiral Akainu rose from his chair beneath the execution platform, his usually stern expression twisted into outright fury. "If everyone's going to abandon their posts, who exactly is supposed to be guarding this place?"
The Admiral's body began to glow with intense heat as he prepared his counterattack. Molten rock bubbled up from his skin like magma rising from the earth's core.
"Great Eruption!"
A massive fist of pure lava erupted from Akainu's arm, streaking through the air toward the falling ice meteor. The collision was spectacular—steam exploded outward in all directions as the ice chunk shattered and vaporized under the intense heat.
But Akainu wasn't finished. His molten fist detonated in mid-air, sending countless volcanic bombs raining down on the pirates and revolutionaries advancing through the harbor. Each glowing projectile promised devastating burns to anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the bombardment.
"Marco! Handle Kizaru!" Cavendish's voice cut through the chaos as he disengaged from his current battle. "I can't let these lava bombs hurt my fans!"
The prince's reasoning was questionable—he seemed to consider anyone fighting alongside him as his personal admirers—but his determination was absolute. He transformed into living lightning, streaking high above the harbor with his sword raised toward the sky.
Without storm clouds to draw natural electricity from, Cavendish relied entirely on his Devil Fruit powers. His entire body crackled with blue-white energy as he positioned himself between the falling volcanic bombs and the advancing forces below.
"Behold the true power of your idol!" Lightning erupted from Cavendish's blade in a spectacular display, countless bolts striking the magma projectiles in mid-air.
The collision between electricity and molten rock created a light show that illuminated the entire battlefield. High-temperature fragments and powder drifted down like burning snow, but the deadly volcanic bombs had been neutralized.
Jerry, still dancing around Kuma's relentless attacks, paused to watch the display with grudging approval. "Well, well. After a thousand days of being an absolute narcissist, you finally have a moment of genuine heroism. I'll let you have this one."
He turned his attention back to his mechanical opponent. "Hey there, Big Bear. I'm betting you still have some consciousness rattling around in that modified head of yours. If I'm right, just give me a little wink, okay?"
Kuma's response was another devastating shockwave that Jerry barely managed to dodge.
"I'll take that as a 'maybe,'" Jerry sighed, noting how his casual dodging was keeping Kuma occupied without seriously threatening either of them. Between the cyborg's programmed limitations and Jerry's evasive skills, they could maintain this dance indefinitely.
The successful interception of Akainu's attack sent a wave of jubilation through the rebel forces.
"Cavendish! That was incredible!"
"The Lightning Prince saves the day!"
"Way to go, Your Highness!"
The cheers from pirates and revolutionaries alike sent Cavendish into raptures of ego-driven euphoria. Despite being exhausted from the massive electrical discharge, he felt invincible.
"That's right! I am the people's idol!" he proclaimed, striking a dramatic pose in mid-air. "Cavendish, the most beautiful and powerful prince in the world!"
His delusion of unlimited power was almost endearing, and the genuine cheers from below only reinforced his belief that strength was the foundation of true stardom.
The Marines, conversely, felt their confidence waver. Seeing one of their Admiral's attacks completely neutralized by a single pirate was a severe blow to morale.
"He blocked Admiral Akainu's entire attack..."
"How is that even possible?"
"These pirates are stronger than we thought."
But Akainu had no intention of allowing enemy morale to flourish. The Admiral launched himself from the plaza with explosive force, his body trailing heat distortions as he closed in on the rebel advance.
"Pirates! Stop celebrating!" His voice boomed across the battlefield like the roar of an active volcano. "You think you can just waltz into our headquarters like it's some kind of playground?"
Ace saw the Admiral coming and grinned fiercely.
"Bring it on!" Ace called out, flames already dancing around his fists. "I'm not scared of a little heat!"
"Fire Fist!"
Ace's signature attack roared toward Akainu—a massive fist of concentrated flame that had devastated countless enemies over the years.
Akainu's expression didn't change as he passed straight through the fire attack, the flames parting around his magma-enhanced body like water around a stone.
"Hmph! You call that pathetic spark a flame?" The Admiral's contempt was absolute. "Child's play!"
He drew back his fist, molten rock coating his knuckles as he prepared a devastating counterpunch.
But Ace had learned more than just raw power during his time with Jerry. Flames erupted from his elbow, providing additional thrust as he met Akainu's attack head-on. His fist was coated in thick Armament Haki, turning the limb into a weapon capable of striking even Logia users.
BOOM!
The collision between their enhanced fists created a shockwave that rippled across the frozen harbor. Sanji and Chopper, despite their considerable strength, were forced backward by the raw force of the impact.
Akainu's charge ground to a halt, while Ace skidded several meters across the ice before regaining his balance. Neither fighter had achieved a decisive advantage.
"Not bad for Roger's spawn," Akainu admitted grudgingly. "But you'll need more than that!"
"I'm just getting started!" Ace launched himself forward again, his training with the Whitebeard Pirates evident in every movement.
"Hiken: Rengoku Gatling!"
Countless flame-enhanced punches filled the air as Ace unleashed a devastating barrage. Each fist was wreathed in Haki and propelled by explosive fire, creating a wall of attacks that should have overwhelmed any opponent.
But Akainu was one of the Marine's three ultimate weapons for a reason. His own fists moved with mechanical precision, intercepting and destroying each of Ace's attacks with brutal efficiency. Magma met flame in a series of violent explosions that lit up the battlefield.
"Enough games!" Akainu's patience finally snapped. He slammed his foot down with enough force to crack the ice beneath them, then swung his arm in a devastating arc.
His limb transformed into molten rock, then shaped itself into the head of a massive hound—complete with glowing eyes, razor-sharp teeth, and jaws that promised inescapable destruction.
"Dark Hound!"
The magma dog lunged forward with the speed of its namesake and the heat of a volcano's heart, its burning maw opened wide to devour the son of the Pirate King.
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