"So… so fast!"
Akainu's eyes were filled with terror, his body splitting apart everywhere like a punctured balloon, countless sprays of fresh blood bursting out.
The Devil Fruit's ability was restrained by the Seastone handcuffs, and Akainu was indeed stunned for a second, but the ability released earlier from the Magma Fruit would not be affected by Seastone.
To guard against Jotaro's time-stop, Akainu's body surface had always been covered with blazing magma wrapped in Haki.
Before his body completely lost strength, he already mobilized this part of Haki and blasted open the Seastone handcuffs on his hands.
However, Star Platinum's offensive was simply too fierce.
Now even without Seastone's restraint, he still could not find a chance to counterattack.
Under the pounding of a storm of fists, the pure Armament Haki covering his body surface was already covered with cracks.
"Ora!"
Conqueror's Haki gathered onto Star Platinum's hardened fist, and with a powerful uppercut, it smashed into Akainu's abdomen.
Akainu's eyes bulged out, nearly vomiting out his intestines.
He clenched his teeth tightly, but blood would not stop overflowing from the corner of his mouth. In the end, he could no longer endure, collapsing on the ground, dry heaving.
"Damn it!!! Jotaro, I'll kill you!"
Since becoming a Navy Admiral, this was the first time he had ever been injured like this.
"Ora!"
Jotaro stared at him coldly, without another word, simply controlling Star Platinum to land another punch onto the left side of his face.
Crunch!
Half of Akainu's face completely shattered. Under that enormous force, his body flipped and tumbled, slamming into the sand.
The once-glorious Admiral of the Marines was now in such a miserable state that it was hard to look straight at him.
The bloody wounds on him were covered in fine sand, and just a glance at it made people's hair stand on end.
"I will never pity you, nor feel even half an ounce of sympathy for you." Jotaro slowly stepped closer, already pressing right up to him.
"But if I just beat you to death like this, that would be far too cheap for you."
"Later on, if I ever recall it, my own heart would definitely not feel at ease."
Akainu's face twisted, his bloodshot eyes filled with hatred.
"To think… you dare to look down on me!"
Though seriously injured, he had already caught his breath by now.
"Inugami Guren!"
Light burst in Akainu's eyes as magma formed his arm and bit swiftly toward Jotaro.
The destructive power the Magma Fruit mimicked was volcanic eruption, naturally the closer the more damage. Even Whitebeard, if struck at close range by this move, would not be able to withstand it.
Staring at the crimson-lotus hound pouncing at him, Jotaro could feel the terrifying destructive force on it.
Not only did he not retreat, instead he charged head-on as well, adopting the most costly fighting style.
Because he not only had to defeat Akainu physically, but also crush him psychologically.
Jotaro's move made Akainu's face flash with a trace of delight.
'Foolish guy!'
'Go ahead and savor the Magma Fruit's close-range explosive power!'
"Ora!"
Star Platinum's fist shattered his fantasy.
The Haki-wrapped punch pierced straight through the crimson-lotus hound and landed on Akainu's face. His smile froze instantly.
Akainu flew like a cut kite, skimming across the sand before splashing into the sea with a loud plunk.
He struggled desperately, his Magma Fruit power unleashed to the maximum just before hitting the water, instantly evaporating the seawater near him.
But the sea was endless, wave after wave. His stamina drained rapidly, the blazing magma in an instant about to completely cool.
"At this rate! I'll die here!"
Akainu gritted his teeth, staring at the shore so close, flailing his arms madly.
"Good! The spot I fell isn't far. As long as I can hold on till there…"
The shoreline was the final destination he longed for.
"Almost… there… I, Akainu… how can I die here!"
"As long as I can touch land…"
Akainu stretched his hand, his eyes wide open.
"Just a little more…"
His trembling hand was about to touch the coast.
Suddenly, a black figure appeared before his eyes.
Jotaro's raised foot came crashing down, sending Akainu back into the water again.
"How does that feel?"
"A man who has been drowning for a minute, finally crawls to shore, about to breathe in fresh air…"
"Yet gets shoved back under the water by someone!"
Akainu seemed already exhausted. With Jotaro applying only slight pressure, he could not move at all, only his hands clawing helplessly.
Devil Fruit users are a group rejected by the sea.
For them, this place is hell.
Even if Akainu possessed supreme force, in the sea he was nothing but a helpless mortal.
"This bastard is humiliating me!!"
"He deliberately let me fall near the shore, just for this moment! Damn it!!!"
Akainu's heart burned with ultimate fury, yet in his hands there was not the slightest bit of strength.
He still didn't want to die, even if it was for his laughable justice.
Akainu's burly body writhed desperately under Jotaro's foot, like a worm, a real worm.
Jotaro looked at Akainu, his eyes holding only contempt.
When you so easily take the lives of others, you must also think that one day you will be treated the same way by others.
And he didn't even have that awareness.
Jotaro had long since been completely disappointed in him.
"Akainu! The debt you owe me is too much, too heavy, I can't even count it anymore!"
His voice trembled slightly, whether from sadness or from anger.
'Mr. 9…'
'Nezuko…'
Jotaro silently stared at the back of Akainu beneath his foot, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes.
"Struggle in your own hell until your final moment comes!"
Jotaro wrapped Armament Haki around his leg, kicking Akainu into the middle of the sea.
In Akainu's current condition, there was no possibility of survival. He could only await death in the cold seawater.
Just as Jotaro was about to turn away, suddenly Akainu's body disappeared in midair.
To be exact, a man even more burly than him had saved him.
Like a cannonball, he landed on the shore.
Jotaro's nerves tightened once more.
'An enemy?'
His heart was full of doubt.
The man before him was very strong. Normally, Jotaro might not have feared him, but with his stamina now, he had no confidence to defeat him.
The newcomer spoke first, "I am one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma."
Noticing Jotaro's fists clenching, Kuma lowered his head, looking at Akainu. Not knowing whether he had really fainted, he simply slapped him flying with one paw, not even bothering with polite words like "which unit do you belong to."
After making sure no one nearby could overhear their conversation, Kuma no longer hesitated, going straight to the point.
"I am an undercover agent!"
Jotaro frowned, coldly said, "I'm not interested in your identity!"
Kuma was not angered by Jotaro's attitude, explaining, "I am with the Revolutionary Army, under Dragon. You must have met him already."
Jotaro paused, then sneered, "Thanks to him, I became one of the most heinous criminals in this world."
Kuma wasn't clear about those specific details.
At present, it wasn't easy for him to contact Dragon either.
But one thing was beyond doubt, Jotaro was very important to Dragon's revolutionary cause, and he had to protect his safety.
"Jotaro, your situation right now is extremely dangerous!" Kuma's voice was deep and stern.
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