Enel slanted downward, its blade pointed toward the ground.
But at this moment, Enel had taken on an entirely new form.
It seemed that after earlier channeling both his Devil Fruit ability and Haki into the blade—and forging it into a black blade—Enel underwent a transformation that perfectly aligned with his power.
Aside from the flames he had released earlier to counter Kizaru, the rest of Don's power was not being released externally.
The Devil Fruit's strength was contained within the blade as a medium, compressed into something even more potent.
Sharp and scorching—so sharp that even Armament Haki couldn't fully withstand the slash from Enel in its current state.
Of course, to top-tier powerhouses, those flame slashes weren't nearly as effective as imagined.
Not unless he used Rising Sun Blade.
But the consumption of that attack was too great.
In his normal state, Don could keep fighting for ten days or half a month straight—and with food, even longer.
But this half-transformed state—between his normal condition and Indomitable Will—consumed far more stamina.
With food he could prolong it, but ultimately everything came down to his HP.
But in a battle like this, there was no time to eat.
Still—this much was enough.
He had never planned to fight two Admirals here for several days and nights anyway.
Especially not when he still needed to guard against the unknown entity in Mary Geoise.
Don was nearly certain: if he activated Indomitable Will, Imu in Mary Geoise would definitely take action.
After all, Sabaody was far too close to Mary Geoise.
Once activated, his Indomitable Will could even affect Mary Geoise from here on Sabaody.
Don's gaze swept toward the two tense Admirals not far away. In his eyes, flames seemed to burn.
"Come on, then. Let's see how long you can last."
His voice was soft, yet it made both Admirals' expressions tighten.
Under their Observation Haki, Don's every movement radiated overwhelming danger.
"Huh!"
A quiet breath sounded behind them—followed by a calm voice.
"Gentle Cut."
The moment the words fell, both Kizaru and Akainu were sliced cleanly at the waist.
One split into light.
The other split into smoking magma.
Don turned, swinging the blade lightly in a horizontal sweep.
Shff! Shff! Shff!
A seemingly weightless swing sent hundreds of blades of light flying, slicing through their bodies and shooting off into the distance.
Boom!
Wherever the slashes passed, nothing could withstand them.
Until they struck the giant mangrove labeled No. 1.
The massive trunk shuddered violently—and then the countless intersecting slashes completely severed it. With a thunderous crash, the huge canopy toppled.
But no one cared about that now.
Kizaru's scattered light recombined, forming his body not far away.
Akainu, sliced into countless chunks, melted into pools of lava splashing across the ground.
The magma surged outward—expanding rapidly—then two massive magma arms erupted upward, reaching toward Don.
"Useless."
He sliced apart both magma arms, stomping down.
The magma exploded, shockwaves rippling outward. In the air above the eruption, the lava condensed again—forming Akainu's body.
"Hellhound Carnage!"
Two magma arms shot toward Don—front and back—striking him square in the chest.
The moment they landed, the magma arms shattered.
Akainu froze midair for a brief instant.
Armament Haki receded from Don's chest. He lowered his head to glance at the spot he'd been struck.
Not even a scratch.
But despite the Haki defense, those two blows still shaved 11 HP off his health bar.
A testament to their power.
That much damage in a single strike—against him in this state—was absurd.
Up until now, nothing had taken that much HP from him.
But Don understood. Others didn't.
To everyone watching, Don had simply taken the full force of a Marine Admiral's magma strike with his bare body—and remained completely unharmed.
"Just as I thought."
Mihawk's sudden comment snapped Rayleigh out of his stunned trance.
In their earlier duel, Rayleigh had realized Don's physique and natural defenses were monstrous—on par with Big Mom.
But he hadn't known to what degree.
Now he knew.
Akainu's magma… did nothing?
That physique was too absurd.
This was a Marine Admiral.
Even after a lifetime on the seas, having seen countless monsters, there were only a handful of people at Kizaru and Akainu's level.
"His body is… special," Mihawk said, sensing Rayleigh's astonishment. "I've never seen anyone who couldn't be damaged—not even slightly. When he doesn't use his Devil Fruit's elementalization, nothing can injure him."
He remembered Don catching his blade bare-handed during their duel.
Even without Armament Haki.
Yoru was a supreme-grade black blade—the sharpest in the world.
But even that did nothing.
Across the world, viewers watching the live broadcast were dumbfounded.
Don brushed his hand lightly through the air—as if sweeping away nonexistent dust.
His HP continued dropping, so he didn't waste time speaking.
His body vanished.
The brilliant longblade rose high—black lightning crackling along its length.
Akainu knew instantly that he couldn't take this strike with elementalization.
Don appeared in front of him.
Akainu immediately crossed his arms, layered in deep Armament Haki, bracing for the descending strike.
BOOM!!
In an instant, Akainu was smashed into the ground.
A clean blow.
The impact was like an earthquake.
All of Area 1 trembled violently from the aftershock.
Buildings collapsed, and everyone still in the zone scrambled in terror to escape.
Don didn't pause.
After slamming Akainu into the ground, he pivoted—firing a left-handed punch.
A flash of gold—Kizaru appeared, aiming a blindingly fast kick at Don.
Don's fist collided with the kick.
BOOM!
Kizaru's body shattered into golden particles.
Don swung his blade down, but the light had already dispersed.
"You almost killed me there!"
Kizaru reformed his body, wiping imaginary sweat from his forehead with exaggerated fear.
But his sleazy tone and expression were as obnoxious as ever.
"Looks like you're still too relaxed, Admiral Kizaru. Remember the battle in the North Blue? That was your only chance to defeat me."
Don smiled faintly—and vanished again.
Flames erupted.
Don appeared behind Kizaru.
A clean kick—shattering his body of light once more.
He really is slippery.
Don's foot struck empty air, and he clicked his tongue.
END OF CHAPTER
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