Akainu's fist roared forward, molten magma surging toward Vincent Fox's head.
But Akainu had underestimated him. Vincent's danger sense was no joke.
Unlike standard Observation Haki, his sense was a bug-like ability a passive skill with no range or condition limitations, capable of detecting any incoming attack, no matter the form.
Vincent shifted with ease, dodging the strike. His eyes hardened.
"You really don't listen, do you?"
One cold glance at Akainu, and Vincent was ready to engage again.
Still, he knew he had no guarantee of defeating the admiral. And there was another thing on his mind, Ace had been freed, which meant those who had chosen the Marines' side might strike without restraint. The situation wasn't as optimistic as it looked.
Suddenly, a massive shadow loomed up behind Akainu, and Vincent halted mid-step.
A flash of steel cut the air. Akainu, still catching his breath, suddenly felt darkness close over him.
His body stiffened. Something was wrong.
Boom!
From behind, a thunderous impact smashed through the battlefield. Akainu turned sharply just in time to meet Whitebeard's furious glare and the massive fist bearing down on him.
"Yaaah!"
BOOM!!!
The blow landed with the full force of the Gura Gura no Mi. Akainu was driven straight into the ground.
"Damn…!"
Blood streamed down his face as he staggered to his feet, only to see Whitebeard leaping high, his leg wrapped in a halo of white energy.
"Not good!"
Akainu rolled desperately aside as the crushing kick shattered the spot where he had been standing.
"Hrah!"
Whitebeard swung his great bisento down with an earth-shaking crash.
Akainu rolled again, his right arm morphing into molten rock as he launched a volley of magma blasts.
Whitebeard's blade swept them aside, though one final fireball seared away half his iconic mustache.
Akainu roared, kicking at Whitebeard, but was countered by a devastating punch that sent him tumbling across the ground.
Whitebeard advanced for the killing blow.
Boom!
Akainu's body burst into magma, detonating violently. A cloud of superheated smoke billowed out, obscuring Whitebeard's sight.
"Hellhound!"
Taking advantage of the moment, the magma coalesced back into Akainu's form, his blazing fist thrusting straight at Whitebeard.
"Look out!"
Vincent had seen this before. In the original timeline, this was the blow that pierced Whitebeard's torso, destroying his internal organs.
Closing in from the side, Vincent's foot lashed out like a cannon.
Bam!
Akainu, still wounded, took the kick full-force, his body pitching sideways. His Hellhound strike skimmed across Whitebeard's chest, scorching the skin but failing to deliver the fatal wound.
"You brat… didn't I tell you to leave?!"
Whitebeard's glare locked on Vincent.
Vincent just smiled faintly. "If you're still here, Pops, how could I possibly run?"
"Get out of here! Back to the ship!"
Whitebeard's eyes flicked toward the distant figures of Kizaru and Aokiji. He knew this wasn't a battle Vincent could afford to stay in.
"Pops!!!"
Shouts erupted from behind. Whitebeard turned, stunned, as a large portion of his crew charged onto the battlefield. They had seen him nearly fall and rushed back, unable to sit idle.
"Pops, we're not afraid to die!"
"Let us fight! We'll wipe out these Marines!"
"If you fall, I'm not living either!"
"No matter what you say, I'm not leaving!"
"You!"
Whitebeard's beard bristled with frustration, but his crew's resolve was unshakable.
Finally, he threw his head back and bellowed, his voice rolling across the battlefield.
"Sons! If you're not afraid of death, charge with me!"
Raising his weapon high, Whitebeard surged forward.
"CHARGE!"
"KILL THEM!"
"DESTROY THE MARINES!"
Almost every member of the Whitebeard Pirates stormed back into the fight, clashing with Marines in a chaos of steel and fury. Even the ship's cooks ran forward, brandishing kitchen knives.
"What terrifying pirates… they can still fight?" Aokiji murmured, watching the battlefield dissolve into madness.
"My sons are charging in. As their father, I'd better set an example."
Whitebeard stepped forward and the ground itself seemed to crumble.
"Pops! Go for Akainu first!"
Vincent's voice cut through the din as he sprinted toward the admiral, who was still recovering.
Strike when the enemy is down.
"You filthy pest!"
Akainu snarled, his body igniting into a torrent of magma as he charged to meet Vincent.
Whitebeard glanced at Vincent, admiration glinting in his eyes at the young man's courage, before joining the attack. His bisento swept down in a mighty arc.
Even with his body elementized, Akainu dared not take the blow head-on. He rolled through the smoke, avoiding the deadly strikes.
"Akainu, hang in there~"
Kizaru's mocking voice rang out as beams of golden light streaked toward Whitebeard.
"I'll handle him, Pops!"
Vincent's body blurred as he intercepted Kizaru's attack with a full-powered punch.
Boom!
The light projectiles exploded against Vincent's fist, stopped dead in their tracks.
"Well done!" Whitebeard roared, unleashing another earth-shattering strike on Akainu.
"Gah!"
Akainu spat blood, his eyes wide with shock.
"Never thought… I'd be driven to the brink by a bunch of pirates."
With a final roar, he swung another Hellhound punch, only to meet Whitebeard's quake-infused strike head-on.
Boom!
The ground split apart beneath them, the ruins of Marineford groaning under the pressure.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the great fortress until, with a deafening crash, the Marine Headquarters collapsed entirely, beyond any hope of repair.
Akainu staggered, blood spilling from his lips, before his body smashed into the rubble, utterly spent.
"Die!"
Whitebeard's chest heaved as he raised his bisento for the final blow.
"Akainu!"
Aokiji's shout rang out. Though they had long clashed in ideology, this was war, and he could not let a fellow admiral fall.
"In battle, letting your mind wander isn't something an admiral should do!"
Ace's voice cut in, a smirk on his lips as his right hand erupted in searing flames.
"Great Flame Commandment… Flame Mirror!"
A towering wall of fire surged toward Aokiji.
"Ice Age: Pheasant Beak!"
An enormous icebird took shape, crashing into the fire and snuffing it out in a hiss of steam.
But in that instant, Aokiji's eyes darted back only to see Whitebeard standing over the rubble, bisento raised high, the blade wreathed in unstoppable power as it came down.
----------------------------------------------------
The deeper he goes, the more the truth unravels. Don't wait read ahead and witness Vincent's rise before the world catches up!
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