Ace had already been the center of attention on the battlefield, but his sudden, desperate roar drew the focus of nearly everyone present.
"Ow! It's so hot! Let me go!" Feeling his hands bound by high-temperature magma, Luffy struggled frantically, but it was completely useless.
Akainu's towering figure loomed over him completely, and the massive lava fist raised high above was absolutely terrifying.
Witnessing this scene, not only was Ace shouting desperately, but even Sabo, Robin, and the others who had just gotten back on their feet cried out in alarm.
Just as Akainu's fist was about to connect with Luffy, Ace suddenly appeared.
Using every ounce of his strength and speed, he managed to reach them at the critical moment, grabbing Luffy and hurling his brother to safety.
Although Luffy couldn't completely break free from Akainu's grip, thanks to his rubber properties, his arms stretched and pulled until he temporarily escaped immediate danger.
"Good thing you're made of rubber..."
Luffy snapped back to awareness when he heard Ace's quiet murmur.
Ace's intervention surprised Akainu momentarily, but the Admiral continued his devastating punch without stopping.
Seeing that Ace had no time to defend himself, Luffy's pupils contracted to pinpoints as he instinctively let out a panicked shout.
There was a deafening crash, and the entire battlefield fell into absolute silence—so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
At this moment, everyone—whether combatants on the battlefield or people watching the live broadcast around the world—held their breath and stared in amazement at the shocking scene unfolding before them.
"Momentum is a terrifying thing... but I refuse to watch flames be extinguished trying to save the sun from magma!" Jerry's low muttering broke the dead silence.
In full view of everyone, his figure suddenly materialized in front of Ace as if he'd teleported there.
Jerry's right hand firmly gripped Akainu's dripping magma fist, preventing the Admiral's attack from advancing even a millimeter further.
Where their hands met, the air itself distorted from the intense heat, while continuously dripping magma and rising steam silently testified that Akainu's molten power was no mere illusion.
What astonished the watching world—beyond the fact that the supposedly unstoppable lava fist had been stopped cold—was Jerry's unwavering determination and what happened next.
After successfully blocking Akainu's devastating punch, Jerry quickly stepped forward, raised his left leg, and delivered a fierce kick without saying a word.
His flip-flop, wrapped in crackling Haki, connected directly with Akainu's abdomen.
With a tremendous impact, Akainu's figure shot backward like a cannonball, and the magma that had been restraining Luffy's hands couldn't help but flow away.
As Jerry lowered his foot, he spoke calmly: "But the laws of physics tell me that as long as I can apply sufficient force, any existing momentum can be stopped and redirected."
Before he could finish his philosophical observation, a brilliant golden flash suddenly appeared in front of him.
Air whistled as Kizaru swung his leg in an extremely powerful light-speed kick.
At the same time, just as Akainu was about to steady himself, he felt a powerful gust of wind as a figure materialized before him.
"Sakazuki, you seem to harbor considerable ill will toward my son."
Dragon's deep, commanding voice carried on the wind as he threw a lightning-fast punch.
The sounds from both confrontations erupted almost simultaneously, merging into a earth-shaking roar.
"Skull! Take Luffy and get out of here!"
Seeing Luffy finally rescued and Jerry being forced back by Kizaru's assault, Ace shouted without looking behind him, raising his arm to throw a devastating punch at the Admiral of Light.
On the other side, Akainu was unable to completely resist Dragon's Armament Haki-enhanced attack and was forced to retreat again just as he was trying to regain his footing.
"If it's going to be such a lively party, I might as well join in." Amid swirling cold winds, Aokiji descended from above and launched two ice spears toward Ace, who was locked in combat with Kizaru, with follow-up attacks already prepared.
But before his projectiles could reach Ace's back, a fishing rod suddenly appeared—not only deflecting the ice spears in mid-air but also sweeping toward Aokiji's advancing form.
Aokiji's vision blurred as Jerry's fishing rod cut through the air, the fierce wind dispersing the cold emanating from the shattered ice weapons.
"Admiral Aokiji! With those thick eyebrows and small eyes, I wouldn't have expected you to resort to dishonorable sneak attacks."
Hearing Jerry's pointed comment, Aokiji responded with a thunderous straight punch without changing his expression, replying coolly: "On the battlefield, there's no such thing as honorable or dishonorable tactics!"
The two combatants' attacks collided head-on, stirring up tremendous windstorms. Jerry used the momentum to retreat while muttering: "Fair enough."
After saying that, to Aokiji's utter astonishment, Jerry suddenly spun around and rushed toward Kizaru, who was engaged in fierce combat with Ace.
"Hey! Are you kidding me? The Marines' top three Admirals have gathered together, but the outcome still seems unpredictable..."
At Sabaody Archipelago, a news reporter stared at the live broadcast screen, witnessed everything that had transpired in that brief span of time, and couldn't help but cry out in amazement.
His commentary caused the already anxious civilians and government-supporting dignitaries to break into worried discussions, their fear and concern clearly visible in their expressions.
It was no wonder the public felt so uneasy—because in the live broadcast provided by Kotatsu, the massive melee between the three Admirals against Jerry, Ace, and Dragon was spectacular, intense, and extremely dangerous.
Everyone in the vicinity was constantly retreating to avoid being caught in the devastating aftermath of their battle.
Soon after the fighting intensified, all three Admirals showed signs of injury.
However, what provided some small comfort to Marine supporters was that the Admirals' opponents also looked somewhat worse for wear.
Especially Fire Fist Ace in the battle circle—he was already covered with wounds because he was receiving special attention from all three Admirals simultaneously.
In front of Marineford's execution platform, in the wide plaza, as the three Admirals suddenly converged and began their fierce melee with three powerful opponents, the area near the center of the square became a restricted zone that the rest of both sides couldn't easily approach.
Gion and Cavendish, who originally possessed the ability to enter that combat zone, had already been defeated and were being escorted back to the rear by personnel from both sides.
Fighters like Revolutionary Army commander Karasu were also tied up by Marines led by elite Vice Admirals such as Doberman and Onigumo, unable to provide assistance.
Additionally, when Revolutionary Army members saw Luffy retreating under Sabo's escort, their primary mission had shifted from assault to providing support.
After this series of extremely fierce and continuous high-intensity battles, Ace felt massive drain on his Haki reserves. His newly developed Conqueror's Haki coating was becoming nearly impossible to maintain.
The three Admirals were taking turns fighting Ace, with Akainu even willing to accept minor injuries if it meant dealing more serious damage to the Fire Fist user.
If not for this focused assault, with Ace's current strength—while he couldn't defeat an Admiral—he could still buy time without major problems by coordinating with Jerry and the others while contributing occasional attacks.
At this moment, Jerry's eyes blazed with fury as his entire body radiated tremendous Conqueror's Haki.
"If I don't show you what I'm capable of, you'll think I'm just some harmless house cat!"
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