While World Government had sent reinforcements to save the Holy Knight, it would take time so on another side of the world, the battle between Akainu and Luffy was still going strong.
After several exchanges of punches and kick, Akainu had learned his lesson. He would never win if he relied on his Logia power, even though magma was very hot and could melt steel easily. But the combat suit that Straw Hat Luffy was wearing wasn't affected at all. It didn't even melt upon contact with his magma.
Instead, by consistently attacking with magma, his Haki would deplete more quickly and make him lose the battle faster. He stood there, scarred after being hit by Luffy in the stomach. He breathed heavily and almost fainted after Luffy hit him with Gear Third.
He was no fool. It wasn't just that the suit steel is very strong and wouldn't melt under his magma Logia, but his punches were also being absorbed and redirected at him.
Akainu no longer used his power, instead, he focused his Haki on his fists. If magma couldn't burn the scum, then his fists would crush him instead.
But suddenly, something unexpected happened after they exchanged punches.
"Hey, Red Dog!" Luffy's cheerful but cocky voice cut through the fight. "Why ain't you using your power anymore, huh?"
Akainu expression darkened. His jaw clenched, his lips twitching with rage. The title Red Dog wasn't one he hated, but the way Luffy said it, with that annoying tone, was an insult to him.
"You little brat…" he growled, and molten magma began crawling up his arms forgotting his earlier plan to use only Haki. "You think you've already won?"
With a roar, Akainu fists transformed into a swirling mass of molten fury, magma dripping and sizzling against the ground as he lunged forward. The sheer heat warped the air around him.
But the moment he did that, his Haki depleted even faster because he needed to cover more parts of his body with it. If the magma could hurt Luffy, it would deal great damage to the pirate scum, unfortunately, it wouldn't. Instead, his Haki wasn't focused, it spread out, making him weaker compared to Luffy Haki-coated fists.
Those few seconds decided the winner. Luffy, who saw the magma, grinned wide and used his finishing move.
"Gomu Gomu no… BAZOOKA!"
Luffy arms snapped forward, his fists coated in brilliant red and black Haki. The shockwave tore the air apart as it slammed into Akainu chest.
The impact was devastating. Akainu body shot backward like a cannonball, smashing through several layers of rock before he dug his feet into the ground and stopped himself. Magma and blood dripped from his face.
He cursed himself, angry for doing something so stupid, using Logia power instead of focusing his Haki. His strength and Haki reserve had dropped and only left around 20% and he could feel he was about to lose the battle.
"Tch… Straw Hat…" Akainu spat, his voice gravelly. "You've gotten stronger. But don't get cocky!"
He slammed his foot down, focused his Haki on his arm, and attacked Luffy with all his power.
Luffy dodged, his body stretching and twisting at impossible angles.
He laughed. "Shishishishi~! You're still too slow, Red Dog!"
Akainu gritted his teeth. His anger burned hotter than his magma, but soon he was uppercut in the stomach, almost fainting.
"Tired?" asked Luffy.
But before he could answer, another shadow dropped from above, the impact shaking the ground.
When the dust cleared, Jack stood there, a golden sword in his hand, its cosmic blade flickering with light.
"Huh? Jack?" Luffy blinked. "What are you doing here?"
Jack tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable behind his combat suit.
"Captain," he said calmly, "we need him alive. That's why I came."
"Alive?" Luffy frowned, stretching his neck toward him. "But he's the bad guy, I wanted to punch him so bad!"
"I know." Jack's eyes sharpened. "But I need his body, so we need to capture him alive."
Luffy groaned but nodded reluctantly. "Fine! But don't interrupt my fight!"
Jack gave a small smirk. "Okay, Captain. But if things go wrong…" He tapped the hilt of his sword, the golden thread-like energy pulsing along its blade. "I'll step in before he escapes."
Akainu, meanwhile, was seething. His veins bulged, steam rising from his molten shoulders. He could barely believe what he was hearing, two pirates casually talking strategy right in front of him, as if he were already defeated.
"YOU ARROGANT LITTLE WORMS!" he roared, slamming both fists into the ground. The entire field erupted in magma. The earth split open, rivers of fire swallowing debris.
Luffy and Jack jumped back. Though they had suits, their battle instincts still made them dodge.
Akainu wasn't done. He looked like someone who had forgotten how to fight, though he knew the magma wouldn't affect them, he had forgotten it at this moment. "I AM JUSTICE!" he bellowed, punching forward.
The magma fist that erupted was the size of a small mountain, surging toward them like an erupting volcano.
Luffy eyes gleamed. "Heh. That's more like it."
He slammed his fists together, gears whirling within his body, steam bursting from every pore. "Gum-Gum... Gear Third..."
Jack, from behind, just watched without interrupting the fight.
"Elephant Gatling..."
Dozens of gigantic fists, each wreathed in Conqueror Haki, rained down on Akainu molten form.
The collision of magma and rubber shook the horizon, shockwaves tearing through the burning island.
When the smoke cleared, Akainu was on one knee, magma and blood dripping heavily from his wounds. His body was beaten, his breathing rough and soon he lost consciousness.
Jack approached him and activated his own cuffs using Phastos technology.
"Luffy, your fight ends here. I'll take him to prison," said Jack.
"Okay," nodded Luffy.
Five minutes earlier...
Saint Garling Figarland and his son, Saint Shamrock Figarland, released their Conqueror Haki simultaneously.
The atmosphere trembled, and the pressure of their Haki exploded. The air itself grew heavy as red-black lightning crackled around them, distorting space. The ground beneath their feet fractured like glass under impossible pressure.
Across from them, Zoro, Sanji and Dragon responded with their own overwhelming wills, releasing their Conqueror Haki. The sheer force of their Haki clashed in midair, sparks of invisible energy dancing as the ground roared. Sabo stood firm despite not possessing Conqueror Haki, while Jack didn't feel anything. He remained calm and completely unfazed. The pressure of willpower did not affect him, his body, enhanced beyond human limits, rejected it like wind against steel.
The clash of dominance continued for several seconds, neither side yielding. Two against three, yet Garling pressure still pushed them back. Even weakened and old, the leader of the Holy Knights remained monstrous against the three of them.
When the storm of energy subsided, Jack visor flickered with readings. He turned slightly toward Zoro.
"Zoro," he said flatly, "you take Garling."
Zoro's eye narrowed, one hand resting lazily on his sword hilt. "Tch… fighting a crippled man doesn't sound fun," he muttered, though the sharp glint in his gaze betrayed his readiness.
"Zoro." Jack tone changed, sounding like an order. "You're the only one who can handle him right now. His regeneration is gone, but his instincts are still intact. Learn from it. Watch how a man fights when his regeneration is stripped away."
Zoro frowned, jaw tightening. "I'm not here to train. I'm here to finish this."
"Then end it," Jack replied coldly. "Do what you do best. But I'll handle the red-haired brat. You keep the old man busy."
Zoro exhaled through his nose, unsheathing Wado Ichimonji slowly. "Fine," he said. "But you owe me for this."
Garling raised his sword with his remaining hand, his gaze filled with both disgust and suppressed fear. "A filthy pirate dares to look down on me?" His voice quivered not with weakness but with restrained fury. Even with one hand, his presence dominated the field. "I'll show you," he roared, black lightning flashing around his blade, "that a single hand is enough to sever a thousand sinners!"
The air shattered as both vanished.
A split second later — CLANG!
The shockwave tore apart the ground beneath them. Zoro and Garling exchanged rapid blows, too fast for ordinary eyes to follow. Sparks of black lightning leapt between their blades, Haki clashing with each strike.
Zoro swords hummed with power, his aura flaring green and black. Garling's blade screamed as it met the pressure head-on. Despite his injuries, the Holy Knight fought like a veteran who had faced several monsters.
"You still fight well," Zoro grunted, pushing forward through the resistance. His feet dug trenches into the stone. "Guess I can go all out then."
Garling smirked through gritted teeth. "Then die trying, ant."
Zoro eyes blazed. "Three Sword Style… Oni Giri!"
He lunged, blades flashing. Garling barely managed to block, his Conqueror Haki erupting in a violent spark. The impact sent him sliding backward, boots scraping against the cracked stone. His strength faltered the magic mark that once kept him empowered had vanished. Blood ran freely down his shoulder.
From a distance, Jack watched silently, the glow of his cosmic sword dimly illuminating his armor. He didn't interfere, Zoro needed this battle. But his attention shifted when he sensed something darker emerging nearby.
Saint Shamrock Figarland, Garling son are fighting both Sabo and Dragon. He hovered slightly above the ground, his aura fluctuating wildly. His eyes flickered and changed to red and he knew well what that meant.
Jack expression hardened. "Dragon," he called softly.
Dragon gaze become sharp. "Something's wrong with him," he murmured. The very air felt wrong.
Jack HUD lit up with warnings: Energy Anomaly Detected. Unknown Frequency. Potential Host Override.
His pulse spiked. "Move back!" he shouted.
Before anyone could react, Jack vanished. The ground shattered where he'd stood, and in the blink of an eye, he reappeared before Shamrock. His sword, glowing with golden light, sliced through the air with the sound of thunder, aimed at the tattooed hand.
"HYAAAAH!"
The strike broke the sound barrier, almost cutting his hand, but Shamrock managed to block it with his sword. The young Holy Knight screamed, clutching the wound as sparks of dark energy erupted and dissipated like smoke.
Jack landed lightly, his blade humming. "Tch… you blocked it," he said, noticing the shallow wound instead of a clean cut. Still, the slash had done its job, the dark aura vanished instantly, retreating like mist under sunlight.
Shamrock stumbled back, panting. "You… you cut me…"
Sabo's eyes widened. "Jack! What happened? What is that thing?!"
Jack kept his eyes on the trembling Shamrock. "Not a what," he said quietly. "A who."
Dragon stepped forward, face grim. "You mean…"
"Yes." Jack nodded. "Something tried to possess him. A parasite of will. maybe a fragment of the one they call 'Throne.'"
The words froze the air. Even Dragon eyes narrowed dangerously.
Shamrock, clutching his bleeding arm, trembled. "You dare… interfere with the will of the Throne?! You'll regret it!"
His voice was half his own, half distorted, like two beings speaking through one mouth. His Conqueror Haki pulsed again, unstable and chaotic.
Jack didn't flinch. He took one step forward, lowering his stance, blade poised to strike again. "Luckily," he muttered, "I chose to fight you." His gaze hardened. "If I'd gone after Garling instead, that thing might've taken over your whole body."
Sabo gritted his teeth. "What is that thing, Jack? What are we fighting here?"
Jack didn't take his eyes off Shamrock. "Don't worry. That wound severed its link for now. Whatever it was... it's gone. But not for long, he most likely sent reinforcements here."
The AI no longer detected any foreign anomaly, but Jack looked up at the sky, scanning for any spaceship. There was a probability Imu would launch his ancient weapon like he did on Lulusia.
He turned slightly to Dragon. "I'll leave him to you. That presence might return, and you're the only one here strong enough to suppress it if it does."
Dragon nodded slowly. "Where are you going?"
Jack gaze shifted toward the smoke where another figure was still fighting, Luffy and Akainu. "I need to check on your son," he said. His voice was calm but cold. "I need to capture Akainu alive."
Dragon expression darkened, but he said nothing as Jack figure blurred into streaks of golden light, vanishing into the storm of battle.
Zoro and Garling swords still clashed in the distance, while Shamrock, still trembling, he now knew what his father had faced, the sword in Jack hand was truly their enemy and that deep cut are not healing at all but hissed with pain.
Author Notes: There is 10 advanced chapter on my patreon.
-patreon.com/zerelix