New World, Neo Navy headquarters.
Compared to Marinfanto, this place is naturally quite shabby.
After all, it's merely a temporary war fortress cobbled together from a few large battleships, ready to disassemble and relocate at any time.
But at this moment, it seems there's not even time to disassemble...
Boom!
Massive magma continuously falls from the sky, turning this place into a sea of fire.
"Cough, cough..."
Hearing the faint screams and wails from afar, Zephyr, originally kneeling on the ground, painfully lifted his head, revealing a face of blank tears, anguished and hopeless.
His mechanical right arm was severely damaged, his left shoulder burnt by magma into a charred hole, with blood continuously oozing from the corners of his mouth.
But it didn't matter how severely he was injured.
What tore at his heart was the fallen students.
Neo Navy was only established a few months ago, and many students willing to follow him weren't even twenty years old.
These students, though brave enough to follow Zephyr unto death, were cherished too much by him.
So, in his original plan, once the Explosive Rock was gathered, when the "Return to Marinfanto" plan commenced, he intended to secretly send them over to the Endgame.
But in the end...
But today, one after another, in this sudden attack, they were ruthlessly consumed by Akainu's magma.
Has the despair from back then replayed once more?
It's all his fault!
Blaming himself for his old age and frailty, unable to protect his students, blaming himself for not letting them go earlier.
He should have told them sooner, let them escape Neo to the Endgame territory; that way, at least...
"Teacher Zephyr!"
Aine panted heavily, rushing out from the side of the ruins, trying to help Zephyr up, "Akainu's side has been temporarily trapped by Binzi's trap. I will cover you for a retreat..."
"Retreat? Hmph, where could you possibly retreat to in this vast sea?"
A cold voice echoed through the sea of flames.
Aine's movement stiffened, looking up in horror towards the voice.
The white Cloak of Justice fluttered in the wind. Akainu, with his towering body and expressionless face, slowly approached, releasing a hand and dropping a ragged, thin body to the ground:
"Won't give you such a chance, traitors to the Navy have no right to live, none of you will escape."
"Binzi!"
Aine's face turned pale, tears streaming down as she stumbled forward to check on Binzi.
Not dead yet, still a bit of Qi, which was rather fortunate.
But at this rate of blood loss, if not treated soon...
"Bastard!"
Zephyr gritted his teeth, eyes bloodshot, struggling to get up, only to be pinned down by Akainu's foot on his shoulder, thrusting him heavily back to the ground.
"Don't make futile struggles, Teacher Zephyr."
Akainu looked down at him, speaking indifferently:
"This will be the last time I call you teacher. As a former Grand Admiral, at the Navy's critical moment, instead of taking responsibility, you led betrayal and conspired with the Endgame."
"Even recently, secretly collecting massive Explosive Rock, intending to use them to destroy Marinfanto and the Holy Land... your crimes are enough for a million deaths!"
"Betrayal? Hahaha..."
Zephyr coughed up blood, laughing miserably, "Sakazuki, don't you feel ashamed saying such things? Yes, I betrayed the Navy, but who is the true traitor? Who betrayed the people, who betrayed the heart of justice, who really is it!"
"Silence."
Akainu squinted, a hint of impatience flickered in his eyes:
"Arguing these words with a stubborn old man like you is meaningless. For old time's sake, I'll allow you a dignified death."
"Stop it!"
Aine suddenly leapt up, lunging at Akainu, her hands activating the power of the backwards fruit to the extreme, pressing against Akainu's waist.
Did it succeed...?
Aine was initially delighted, but her expression quickly froze, looking up blankly at Akainu, who stood motionless, unchanged.
Didn't turn into a baby?
Why not!
"Seems Zephyr really is old, he wasn't even qualified as an instructor anymore."
Akainu glanced at her, speaking flatly:
"Didn't he teach you? With sufficiently powerful Haki, powers of this level can be nullified directly."
A brutal kick!
Thud!
Aine spat out a mouthful of blood, her body bowing like a shrimp, flung away to crash into distant ruins, life or death unknown, silent.
"Aine!!!"
Zephyr's eyes nearly burst, trying desperately to summon the strength to attack, but Akainu's foot pinned him even deeper, his shoulder wound echoing with the sound of cracking bones, contorting his features in pain.
"..."
Witnessing Zephyr's condition, Akainu closed his eyes in silence, but merely a second later, reopened them, any trace of emotion vanished.
"It's over now."
Akainu's left arm had fully transformed into magma, aiming at Zephyr's head, his voice cold:
"Farewell, traitor Zephyr."
At this critical moment, an enraged voice suddenly sounded:
"Frozen Time Capsule!"
Crack-a-crack!
In an instant, a biting cold swept across the battlefield, the ground beneath Akainu rapidly frozen into ice, encapsulating him entirely.
The impending magma fist was also frozen in midair, stuck in an attacking stance.
This is...
Initially, Zephyr had a vision of the afterlife, but suddenly froze, the voice just now, could it be...