Chapter 113: Akainu Suffers a Setback, Impotent Rage [7K]

A single Immortal Bean swallowed into the belly.

The black-haired youth in midair instantly began to emit scalding white steam from his entire body.

Broken bones rapidly reconnected with a series of cracks, while charred skin peeled away in flakes like a shed snake skin, and new flesh quickly grew in its place.

The aura emanating from him climbed step by step; a slight movement of his neck produced a series of bone-cracking pops that made one's teeth ache.

Akainu's expression was as gloomy as stagnant water.

He has truly recovered completely to his peak state...

How exactly did this fellow manage to do it?!

"Ten minutes!"

As Siano drifted down from the high sky, he looked down at Akainu in the deep pit below and raised a single finger:

"Old man, I'll give you another ten minutes! Let's see if you can completely crush me! If you can't..."

"Then we stop here for today, and don't blame me for not keeping you company!"

Ten minutes of time.

That is enough for the Moku Moku to escape danger completely, allowing me to find an opportunity to slip away!

"Arrogant brat..."

Akainu's magma body churned violently; he slowly straightened up, his voice low and dangerous, brimming with suppressed rage:

"Do you think recovering your state changes anything? Since you still delusionally wish to buy more time for your comrades, then just stay here forever!!!"

Boom—!!!

The ground beneath Akainu's feet suddenly exploded, and his entire body transformed into a meteor of molten rock, shooting straight into the sky!

His right fist suddenly turned into magma; the scalding lava twisted and writhed like a living creature, instantly condensing into three ferocious dog heads.

The vicious dogs bared their fangs, roaring continuously, while manes made of molten rock danced wildly; the extreme heat scorched the air along their path, creating distorted ripples.

"Hound Blaze Red Lotus!"

With a low shout, the three molten rock dogs shot forward violently, moving so fast they dragged crimson afterimages through the air; the dog heads opened their blood-filled maws, their magma fangs biting directly toward Siano's head!

Before they even reached him, the terrifying high temperature had already singed the stray hairs on his forehead until they curled and turned charred!

"Hey, hey, hey, this temperature is truly something else!"

Siano laughed loudly, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit, "But it comes at just the right time!"

He clenched his right fist; with a 'pop', the air suddenly exploded, sending out ripple after ripple oscillating in all directions.

Meanwhile, his entire fist was instantly dyed an extremely dense, pitch-black Haki.

"Six Styles Secret Technique: Iron Wall Fist!"

The so-called "Iron Wall Fist," like the Sunlight Yellow Overdrive, was the strongest move he created by fusing his peak-level Six Styles martial arts with Armament Haki techniques.

However, the difference was obvious.

The latter focused on offense, while the former focused on defense!

Boom—!!!

The three ferocious molten rock dogs, full of imposing momentum, collided head-on with his fist; after the air transmitted a violent oscillation and distortion, they were all swallowed up by the fist tip as if stones had sunk into the sea.

Siano was forcibly blown back more than ten meters by the aftermath, his feet plowing two deep furrows into the pockmarked ground.

But the next second, he suddenly raised his head; blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, yet he laughed even more arrogantly:

"Is that all?!"

With an attack of this level, let alone ten minutes, even given another half hour, they would be unable to take him down!

"It's not over yet!!!"

Akainu's eyes grew gloomy; magma churned in both arms, condensing again into a giant fist. His figure flashed as he smashed down from above, while Siano neither dodged nor avoided, meeting the attack head-on!

Bang bang bang bang—!!!

The two figures crossed at high speed along the shore; every collision erupted with a deafening roar.

Magma and Haki intertwined, and faintly, countless thick black lightning bolts began to flash around them!

Terrifying shockwaves also spread outward continuously like ripples.

In fact.

The white-hot battle continuing to this point had an impact far exceeding just the coast surrounding the entire stone bridge.

The entire vast South Island was trembling wildly.

Even in places dozens of kilometers away, pink-white flower petals were swept up by the violent air currents, dancing across the sky like a blizzard.

This island, originally picturesque with spring scenery, now seemed as if invaded by winter.

From north to south, from east to west...

The petals of all cherry blossom trees had withered completely, leaving only bare branches swaying in the wind, devoid of any spring vitality.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Akainu remained silent, but his strikes grew heavier and heavier, his offensive increasingly frenzied.

The frenzy and humiliation brought by his inability to defeat Siano for so long constantly scorched his nerves, having already swallowed most of his rationality.

At times, he even completely abandoned defense, allowing Siano's fist tips to tear bloody gashes across his body.

In exchange, every strike carried even more ferocious force, blasting the black-haired youth into continuous stumbling retreats.

"Cough... Ptui!"

Siano spat out a mouthful of congealed blood; the exposed wounds on his skin sizzled under the scorching heat of the magma.

Yet he still stretched his blood-stained lips into a grin, his eyes flashing with a nearly manic fighting spirit.

"That's right, that's right... Old man! But it's still not enough, use more force!!!"

Killing intent surged in Akainu's eyes as his giant magma fist once again erupted with scalding high temperatures.

"Die!!!"

However, just at the instant before that fist could be thrown—

"Mr. Sakazuki!"

In the distance, the figures of Dalmeccia and Blumarine swept over the tops of the bare cherry blossom trees, treading Moon Step all the way as they rushed rapidly toward this place!

"Oh?"

Siano glanced sideways, making no attempt to hide his mockery. "It seems you've finally realized that relying on yourself alone isn't enough; are you looking to pick a group fight?"

I didn't call these people here!

Even though he clearly knew the brat before him was deliberately provoking him...

Akainu, having fought for so long without success, still could not suppress the fury in his heart and suddenly swung another fist upward from below.

This time, Siano did not trade blows; instead, he allowed the opponent's fist to slam into his jaw, using that force to hurl himself high into the sky.

High in the air, he gazed southward into the distance; the Curtain-Faller had long since become a blurry, tiny black dot at the very end of the horizon.

"It's already that far? It seems it's been more than ten minutes!"

Siano stretched his blood-stained mouth into a grin; the smile at this moment was unrestrained and flamboyant.

It was time!

Snap—!

Siano's body suddenly expanded; his bones exploded with thunderous cracks, his muscle fibers grew wildly, and in almost an instant, he shot up to the terrifying height of 3.9 meters.

Knotted muscles bulged like cast iron, blue veins protruded violently, and as he crashed down from the high sky, the ground trembled violently, dirt bursting and scattering in all directions under the immense force.

Boom! Boom!

The heavy footsteps sounded like war drums as Siano strode forward, closing in on Akainu.

"..."

A shadow loomed overhead; Akainu looked up at the figure standing a full meter taller than himself, his eyes narrowing slightly:

"So that's how it is... Is this your true form?"

With his keen eyesight, he could naturally discern that this overwhelmingly oppressive body before him was Siano's true appearance.

As for that previous "ordinary human" posture, it was merely a specialized mimicry disguise for combat.

There was a brat in the CP department who seemed capable of doing the same thing.

"Hey, old man!"

Siano's rough voice came from above; Akainu subconsciously tilted his head even higher to meet the youth's pitch-black eyes.

The latter stretched the corners of his mouth to his ears, revealing rows of clean, white teeth:

"Who knows when we'll meet again; might as well give you a parting gift!"

Boom! He suddenly stepped forward; his right arm's muscles erupted with a loud roar, and the entire limb swelled by a full circle in an instant, as terrifying power surged and accumulated through his tendons and bones.

"Elbaf Lance—"

Hum!

The air suddenly trembled; centered on Siano's knuckles, visible ripples spread rapidly in all directions like agitated waves.

This strike.

Its force was far greater than the punch he had unleashed against Shanfeng on Little Garden earlier, draining almost the vast majority of the stamina Siano had left at this moment.

And its power, naturally, was even more terrifying!

Akainu's pupils contracted sharply.

In that instant, his Observation Haki screamed warnings frantically, but his body was already too slow to dodge.

"—Magma Vase!!!"

Boom—!!!

Before the knuckles even arrived, the violent shockwave had already torn the earth apart.

Akainu only had time to cross his arms in a block; just as his magma-formed body finished coating itself with Armament Haki, that world-destroying impact force crashed down with a thunderous roar!

Boom!!!

Amidst the deafening explosion, Akainu's figure flew backward like a cannonball, smashing through countless rocks along the way before finally crashing heavily into the North Island coastline seven or eight hundred meters away!

The sea surface was lifted by the terrifying impact into towering, sky-high waves, as countless thick columns of water shot straight up into the sky.

This time, it was not just the South Island; even the town area of Thor Island to the north shook crazily as if the earth itself were moving and the mountains trembling under this single strike!

"Old man, was that punch strong enough?!"

Siano's loud laughter echoed from the distance.

His body had already reverted to the "Paper Drawing Martial Body" form; after throwing out those words, he turned without hesitation.

The ground beneath his feet exploded with a boom, and his entire person shot toward the sea in the opposite direction like an arrow leaving the bow!

Soru: Continuous Flash!

Unleashing the peak speed of the Six Styles with full force, Siano's figure nearly transformed into a bolt of lightning, sweeping over hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye as he headed straight for the open sea!

"Mr. Sakazuki!"

Two startled cries rang out from nearby.

It was Dalmeccia and Blumarine, who had just arrived and witnessed the scene of Akainu being blown away; they couldn't help but gasp in shock, crying out in unison.

"Bastard..."

Blumarine's eyes turned bloodshot, her beautiful face twisted by furious rage; that detestable Great Sword Hero Siano actually dared to treat Mr. Akainu with such disrespect... How dare he!!

She hadn't felt this much hatred even back at the dock when she let those pirates successfully break through and escape!

"Stay right there!"

She shrieked harshly, her figure suddenly turning into an afterimage as she chased frantically after Siano.

Dalmatian's face instantly changed: "What are you doing, Blumarine! Don't be rash!"

He, who had originally been preparing to rush toward Akainu, immediately spun around and hurriedly followed suit.

"Hm?"

Siano sensed the aura wildly approaching from behind and glanced sideways.

Of these two Fleet Vice Admirals, one was a Dalmatian covered in messy fur, and the other was a madwoman holding a syringe.

Both bore numerous scars, as if they had just endured a fierce battle; although their auras were not as weak as before Siano had consumed the Senzu Bean, they were chaotic and floating, clearly showing they had suffered greatly.

It seems... my companions have done quite well!

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

He glanced again at the two pressing closer, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes.

"Daring to chase me in this condition, you really have some guts..."

Clearly, his speed was faster, and he could easily shake off these two, but... letting Akainu go was one thing, but where did these random cats and dogs come from, daring to treat him with such disregard?

Swish, he abruptly halted his form, flipped in mid-air, and his right foot smashed down like a mountain with a thunderous roar!

"Tempest Kick: Meteor!"

Boom—!!!

Dalmatian hastily raised his arms to block, yet he was still forcibly smashed into the ground by this kick!

Crack!

Amidst the crisp sound of bones snapping in his arms, he spat fresh blood, his vision spinning wildly and darkening instantly.

"Cough... Damn it!"

Dalmatian struggled to rise, only to find his arms had lost all sensation, making it impossible for him to fight again in the short term.

Meanwhile, on the other side—

"Die, you filthy pirate!!!"

Blumarine screamed maniacally, both her arms transforming into syringes whose tips suddenly elongated, piercing straight toward Siano's throat like spears!

"Benevolent Healer: Double Pierce!"

A flash of red light crossed Siano's eyes; the instant he sidestepped, his right hand clamped onto her right shoulder like an iron vise!

"Mad woman, your needle... is too slow."

Crack!

Amidst the crisp sound of shattering bones, Blumarine's right arm was forcibly torn off!

The thick metal syringe instantly reverted to its original form, blood gushing out like a fountain and scattering all over the ground.

"Aaaaaah—!!!"

A piercing scream echoed across the coast; Blumarine staggered backward, her face twisted by excruciating pain, yet her eyes still burned with manic hatred.

"You... you actually dared... to destroy my right hand! This is the right hand that personally administered injections to Mr. Sakazuki back when I was a hospital nurse! The right hand that motivated me to join the Marines to pursue my idol!!!"

Her left arm stabbed out fiercely again; Siano, expressionless, easily grabbed this enlarged syringe once more, about to snap it.

Blumarine suddenly stretched the corners of her mouth, revealing a pathological smile.

Fooled!

Crack!

A crack suddenly split open in her chest, from which a slender syringe abruptly shot out, plunging straight into Siano's abdomen!

"Benevolent Healer: Fatal Injection!"

Pfft!

Poison was instantly injected; Siano's face abruptly turned green and purple, his muscles stiffening visibly to the naked eye.

"Hee hee hee... How about it? Feeling like your body won't obey you anymore?"

Blumarine laughed shrilly, "This is my ultimate technique, a single needle poured with all my love and patience; no matter how ruthless a man is, he cannot help but..."

The next second, she was like a duck whose neck had been wrung, her laughter cutting off abruptly.

—Simply because the Siano before her eyes was rapidly returning to normal, and even the huge wound in his abdomen pierced by the syringe was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"It seems the toxicity is just so-so."

Siano bared his teeth; under Blumarine's panicked gaze, he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her entire body up.

"You'd better call Magellan; my body is long beyond the level of toxins you can affect."

Crack!

Blumarine's cervical vertebrae emitted a creaking sound of bearing an unbearable load; her face quickly turned crimson, her legs kicking powerlessly like a drowning person, and unprecedented fear finally surfaced in her eyes.

"You... cough... let, let..."

She painfully squeezed out a few words from her throat, twisting madly with all her strength, yet unable to escape that iron vise-like palm.

"Let her go!!!"

A furious roar suddenly came from afar, as if the air over the entire sea area froze at that moment.

Boom—!!!

Akainu's figure shot up from beneath the sea cliff like a crimson meteor, magma erupting from his legs and black smoke billowing, tearing through the sky at a terrifying speed!

Mr. Sakazuki...

Catching a glimpse of this scene in her peripheral vision, Blumarine felt a surge of horror in her heart.

Was this figure, with a face twisted like a evil ghost, still the Mr. Sakazuki she knew, the one who remained calm and steady as a mountain in all situations?

Buzz buzz!

Akainu's speed grew faster and faster; in the blink of an eye, he had closed half the distance, his entire body radiating a violent aura.

How many years has it been!

Since he was promoted to Admiral and became the Fleet's greatest combat power, when had he ever been forced into such an undignified state?

How long had it been... since he last suffered such humiliation?!

Just a mere brat!

Today, I must finish him with my own hands!!!

Feeling the rage on Akainu that was nearly condensing into substance, Siano raised an eyebrow; how terrifying...

Cannot delay, must leave immediately!

He immediately turned and darted away; the coastline was already within arm's reach.

"Cough... Heh, hehehe..."

Blumarine, weakened to the extreme, suddenly split her blood-stained mouth corners, a hint of morbid madness flashing in her eyes:

"Did you see that, Mr. Sakazuki told you to let me go; turns out he's so angry for my sake... Hey, you brat, hurry up and let go, do you want to die here?"

"Rest assured, after you die, I will find your companions; there are your two younger sisters inside, right? By then, I will use my syringe to poke them into sieves, bit by bit, hehehe..."

"..."

Siano had already prepared to let go, fling this mad woman aside, and then jump into the sea with the momentum.

Hearing these words, his eyes narrowed, and he bared his teeth in a grin.

"Let go? Rest assured, there is still time to snap your neck."

Before the words had even faded, his right arm suddenly swelled by a circle, blue veins bulging, and the strength in his hand instantly increased several-fold in that moment—

Crack!

Amidst the crisp sound of bone fracturing, Blumarine's neck was completely snapped, her head tilting down at a bizarre angle, the light in her eyes rapidly dimming.

Until death, that manic smile still hung on the corners of her mouth.

"Blumarine!!!"

From afar came Dalmeria's roar, his eyes splitting as if about to burst from their sockets.

Meanwhile, Akainu's figure had already closed in to within a hundred meters, his magma-fied right fist poised to strike, the scorching heat distorting and steaming the air.

"Magma Hound!"

The terrifying giant magma fist howled forth; Siano violently flung Blumarine's corpse toward Akainu, while simultaneously stepping on the ground to borrow force and retreat violently backward!

Boom!!!

The giant magma fist showed no mercy, instantly evaporating Blumarine's remains, while the aftermath still blasted Siano flying over a hundred meters, smashing him heavily into the sea surface.

"Huff..."

The cold seawater dispelled much of the exhaustion and weakness throughout his body; Siano bit his tongue to stay awake, paddling with all four limbs as he quickly dove toward the deep sea.

Slap!

Akainu landed on the shore.

Behind him, Blumarine's black ashes drifted down.

He did not even glance at them, his pupils fixedly staring at the churning sea surface, ferocity climbing into his eyes.

Want to escape through the sea?

Dream on! How could it be that simple!

He suddenly raised both arms, his magma-fied fists pointing straight at the azure sky—

"Meteor Volcano!!!"

In an instant, countless giant magma fists rose into the high sky, then fell like meteors, densely packed, completely covering the entire sea area!

Boom!

Boom!!

Boom!!!

Scorching magma smashed into the sea surface, instantly evaporating vast stretches of seawater.

The terrifying high temperature made the waters within several kilometers boil and churn; countless schools of fish floated to the surface with their bellies up, only to quickly melt into pools of black mud.

This entire sea area near Tor Island, in just a few seconds, turned into a magma hell!

"...!"

In the deep sea, Siano's pupils contracted sharply; the exposed wounds on his body were seared painfully by the scalding magma.

Danger!

Must leave this sea area as soon as possible!

If the temperature continues to rise, even if he swallows the last Senzu Bean he has saved for a desperate situation, facing Akainu who is chasing him, this time things will look very grim!

Without hesitation, he mobilized all his strength; a gale howled forth from who knows where, gathering on his arms—that was the power only one could wield after crossing the threshold of a Great Swordsman of the Two-Sword Style—

"Sealed Dust Absolute Thought Slash!"

Whoosh!

Surging and turbulent sword intent howled out, churning the seawater before him violently and pushing it to both sides, momentarily forming a vacuum zone.

By the time Siano's figure appeared again, he had already flashed three or four kilometers away like a phantom.

But he was still within the range of Meteor Volcano; the speed at which the high temperature eroded downward into the deep sea was becoming faster and faster, with the scorching magma pursuing relentlessly like a curse attached to the bone!

"Again!"

Siano gritted his teeth, disregarding his exhausted stamina, and activated his ability once more!

"Sealed Dust Absolute Thought Slash!"

Whoosh!

He flashed another three kilometers away, and the boiling magma hell behind him was finally completely shaken off.

"Huff... hah..."

He surged upward violently, breaking through the sea surface to greedily gulp fresh air, while continuing to swim forward with all his might and glancing back.

Tolle Island had become a blurred silhouette in the distance, while above that stretch of sea, crimson lava still raged, dyeing the entire sky blood-red, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

"Heh..."

The black-haired youth stretched the corners of his mouth, revealing a reckless grin.

"You can't catch me now, can you?"

He wiped the seawater from his face, imagining Akainu standing on the shore in impotent fury, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

What a pity, I won't get to see that red dog's expression!

On the shore.

Akainu stood at the water's edge, his pupils turned dark red, staring fixedly in the direction Siano had escaped; magma dripped from his right fist, scorching the reef and hissing up white smoke.

How was it done...

How exactly was it done!!!

His Observation Haki could clearly perceive that the other party had used some bizarre method to blink repeatedly within a short time, creating an immense distance.

It had also completely severed any hope he had of pursuit.

"Sa-, Mr. Sakazuki..."

Dalmecci limped over; just as he was about to speak, he suddenly froze, his Adam's apple bobbing as he forcibly swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Having known each other for many years, he had never seen Akainu like this—

The military cap that had accompanied the man for years was gone, and his dark red suit was reduced to nothing but tattered trousers;

His exposed chest was covered in purple and blue bruises, and his magma-transformed right arm even showed an unnatural distortion.

However, if one really dwelt on these injuries, they didn't matter much; after two days of rest, he would be back to normal.

The more critical issue lay in...

On Akainu's neck, there were actually conspicuous, cratered, charred holes; along the edges of the bloody, mangled wounds, lingering Armament Haki remained undispersed.

More than half of his right ear had been blown away, blood sliding down his cheek to drip onto the magma on his shoulder, emitting a "hiss-hiss" sound of evaporation.

These were permanent injuries that could not heal; even after emergency surgery by the Headquarters medical unit, conspicuous scars would inevitably remain...

That swordsman genius Siano could actually injure Mr. Sakazuki??

"Mr. Sakazuki."

Dalmecci struggled for a long while before finally gritting his teeth to speak, "It seems Headquarters previously underestimated that kid's true strength, but please do not worry; that fellow has exhausted his stamina, and with the fatal poison left by Blumarine still in his body, he will likely die in the sea before long..."

"Let me ask you..."

Akainu suddenly spoke in a gloomy tone, slowly turning his head, causing Dalmecci's heart to contract sharply.

That was not the gaze of a human.

It was that of a ferocious beast thoroughly enraged, the final dead silence before a volcanic eruption.

Akainu's expression was blank, yet his pupils churned with killing intent so dense it was nearly tangible:

"Dalmecci, did the beating scramble your brains?"

"A thorny fellow whom I spent nearly an hour failing to subdue, and you actually think the poison from a piece of trash like Blumarine could kill him."

She was merely a Vice Admiral who had been promoted not long ago and ranked at the very bottom in strength among her peers at Headquarters.

If that kid, whose physique was as monstrous as a freak, were to die from such a ridiculous attack method, it would be an insult to him as well.

Would that not be equivalent to saying that he, a dignified Navy Admiral, was also a joke!

"..." Dalmecci knew he had misspoken; he lowered his head slightly, daring not to speak again.

"I ask you... lift your head up, I am asking you."

Akainu's voice suddenly rose, carrying barely suppressed rage:

"Blumarine aside, I never expected much from her anyway, but with you personally holding the line, how exactly did you let even the small fries under that kid's command escape?"

He was not merely venting misplaced anger; this blame was justified!

At that time, if not for the orange fireworks that suddenly exploded in the sky, drawing his attention and making him urgently want to fly to the dock to blockade that pirate ship,

that kid might not have had the chance to use that bizarre method to recover his stamina!

"Small fries..."

Dalmecci smiled bitterly, "Admiral, it isn't just Siano whose strength was underestimated; it's also the group under his command. Apart from that underage girl, every single one of those crew members is a force not to be taken lightly..."

That black-haired swordswoman genius with a high ponytail, though young in age, possessed swordsmanship terrifyingly sharp.

Cooperating with the blue-haired girl's fists, they were actually able to fight him, an old-established Vice Admiral, to a standstill for a time.

As for Blumarine...

This Vice Admiral from Headquarters, whose strength was slightly inflated, was completely tied up by the combined efforts of Smoker the White Hunter, who had mutinied, and Zeff Red Leg, unable to extricate herself from the bitter struggle at all.

If it were only this much, it wouldn't amount to much.

Relying on the abilities granted by his Zoan-type Devil Fruit, he possessed stamina far exceeding that of ordinary humans.

Given just a little more time, he had ten out of ten confidence to gradually turn his advantage into a winning position and thereby defeat those two girls.

But...

There happened to also be a giant wolf, a terrifying giant wolf capable of discharging electricity and breathing fire, whose combat power could not be ignored!

(End of Chapter)