"Take it back!"
After playing around for a moment, Luffy's eyes sparkled with amusement as he let out a light shout. With a sudden burst of strength, he hurled the magma hound in his hand, sending it flying back with immense force.
The unleashed molten beast surged back along its original path, wrapped in raging flames, and crashed violently into its creator, Akainu.
The magma struck Akainu's body, but as a fellow Magma-Magma Fruit ability user, it naturally couldn't inflict any damage on him.
Yet even as the magma dispersed, a new attack followed immediately.
Hidden behind the torrent of molten rock, a giant rubber fist coated in Armament Color and crackling with Conqueror's Haki Lightning tore through the air. Carrying overwhelming force, it slammed squarely into Akainu's chest without any obstruction.
A dull, thunderous crack of bone echoed sharply.
"Gomu-Gomu White Whip!"
Luffy's arm stretched and flexed like an elastic whip, impossibly resilient.
After landing the first blow, his body freely elongated and extended. In the instant Akainu was sent flying backward by the impact, Luffy instantly closed the distance, delivering a second heavy strike directly to Akainu's vital chest area.
Two consecutive blows infused with Advanced Conqueror's Haki poured into Akainu's body.
Akainu crashed violently into the ground, crushing rubble and debris as he tumbled into the ruins behind him. The intense impact kicked up a cloud of dust.
A moment later, the rubble exploded outward as a disheveled Akainu climbed to his feet. His chest heaved violently, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his breathing was noticeably ragged.
He glared upward at Luffy hovering in mid-air, his eyes now completely devoid of any trace of contempt, replaced only by extreme wariness.
At this moment, he had clearly recognized the reality before him.
After awakening, Luffy had mastered Conqueror's Haki Infusion, and his combat power had skyrocketed by several times.
Now, this Straw Hat kid possessed strength fully comparable to that of a Four Emperor. In terms of threat alone, he was no less formidable than Whitebeard—a terrifying enemy capable of shaking the very foundations of the entire Marine force!
"Damn it…" Akainu clutched his chest, his brow tightly furrowed. "What kind of power is this?
It's definitely a Devil Fruit awakening, but why can it forcibly distort the laws of surrounding matter and even physically grab magma?
The Gomu Gomu no Mi shouldn't have this kind of power!"
Countless questions swirled in his mind; the deeper he pondered, the more perplexed he became.
On the other side of the battlefield, atop the execution platform, Sengoku, who had witnessed the entire scene, stood rigid, his expression stunned. His usually steady and authoritative face was etched with a level of shock he had never experienced in his life.
As the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, he had wielded supreme authority over the World Government's navy forces for decades, residing at the very core of power.
The sealed secrets he knew far surpassed what ordinary Admirals or Vice Admirals could comprehend.
From the moment Luffy displayed those pure white flame clouds and that unrestrained, free-spirited aura, an inexplicable sense of familiarity had begun to surface in Sengoku's heart.
The more he watched, the more astonished he became. That forbidden name, buried in the dust of history, deliberately erased by the World Government and strictly forbidden from mention, gradually emerged in his mind.
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on that free and uninhibited youthful figure. His throat moved, his voice dry and hoarse, as he unconsciously murmured under his breath:
"This power… this freedom that transcends everything…
Could it be… could it be the legendary Nika?!"
The whisper, light as a mosquito's hum, yet like a thunderclap, exploded beside Vice Admiral Tsuru's ear.
Vice Admiral Tsuru shuddered violently, her aged eyes widening abruptly, her face filled with utter disbelief as she instantly turned to look at Sengoku:
"What? The Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan Model: Nika!
That legendary fruit, long ago classified by the World Government as the highest taboo, strictly sealed away, absolutely forbidden to even mention?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru held a special position. Though a Vice Admiral, she wielded authority no less than an Admiral's. She had perused countless ancient documents and was aware of Nika's existence.
It was a myth buried deep within the Void Century, a taboo the world dared not touch.
Centuries ago, it was the wielder of this legendary fruit who once shook the very foundations of the World Government's rule, nearly overthrowing the order established by the Celestial Dragons, bringing the World Government to the brink of an unprecedented crisis of annihilation.
Afterward, the World Government spared no effort to erase the related history, alter the fruit's name, conceal all truth, completely seal away the name Nika, and list it as an absolute taboo.
No one could have imagined that this legendary fruit, capable of overturning the world, would reappear after such a long passage of time.
Even more absurd was that this taboo fruit had fallen into the hands of the grandson of the Navy Hero, Monkey D. Garp.
Not far away, Garp, who had just barely calmed down from his furious killing intent, also overheard the conversation between Sengoku and Tsuru.
The Navy Hero now wore a look of utter bewilderment, his eyes wide, rooted to the spot, his mind completely blank for a moment.
"Luffy... he clearly ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi..." Garp muttered to himself, his face full of confusion. "He's had rubber abilities since he was a child. When did it become some Nika fruit?"
Chaos and shock swirled in his heart, but after only a brief moment, seeing his grandson ahead unharmed and instead bursting with surging power, an uncontrollable excitement and relief washed away all his doubts.
Luffy wasn't dead.
Not only was he not dead, he had broken through his limits and awakened an unprecedented, formidable power.
At this moment, the fury and killing intent that had haunted him instantly dissipated.
The murderous desire to personally cut down Akainu, born from the latter's ruthless attempt on his grandson's life, vanished completely.
As long as Luffy was okay, as long as both his grandsons could survive, nothing else mattered.
Simultaneously, witnessing the terrifying power of Gear Fifth firsthand filled Garp with immense joy.
Ace could be saved.
Within the Whitebeard Pirates' ranks, witnessing Akainu being suppressed sent tremors through every pirate present.
Marco, his face full of shock, turned to look at Whitebeard beside him, his tone brimming with bewilderment:
"Old Man, what kind of Devil Fruit ability is this?
How could the awakening of the Gomu Gomu no Mi look like this? It completely defies common sense, unheard of!
That Straw Hat kid can even grab magma with his bare hands. This is something no ordinary awakening could achieve!"
The nearby commanders and pirates all turned their gazes, focusing on Whitebeard, awaiting an answer from this king of the old era.
Whitebeard's body tensed, his eyes fixed intently on Luffy as he sank into prolonged contemplation.
Having clashed with Roger numerous times and shared drinks with him, he had once heard Roger allude to an obscure legend, to a warrior symbolizing freedom.
After a long while, Whitebeard slowly raised his eyes, a deep, resonant laugh gradually rising from his throat.
"Gurararara, if I'm not mistaken, this isn't the Gomu Gomu no Mi, but the legendary Nika Fruit.
This Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit is far more special and mysterious than your Phoenix Fruit.
The very meaning of its existence is to symbolize the ultimate freedom in this world—to break free from all shackles and shatter every form of oppression.
To act as one pleases, without restraint, unbound by the rules of the world...
Such a nature, such a spirit—this legendary fruit of freedom is simply perfect for Straw Hat."
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