'...'
Although Kizaru had sensed that Cyrus's body was special during their battle in the North Blue, and this fight had only reconfirmed it, the current situation was still somewhat beyond the Admiral's imagination.
The eyes were the most vulnerable part of the human body, yet Cyrus had just blocked his Ama no Murakumo with nothing but an eyelid.
[Health: 21%]
After checking his health, the corners of Cyrus's mouth turned up in a bright smile, but this grin only made Kizaru more vigilant.
Suspended in the air, Cyrus's body suddenly spun, taking the wrist-gripped Kizaru along for the ride.
Conqueror's Haki erupted from Cyrus's hand, actively preventing Kizaru from using his Elemental Transformation ability to escape.
"Hah!"
Cyrus's spinning body came to an abrupt halt as he violently smashed the powerfully propelled Kizaru toward the ground.
Black lightning from the Conqueror's Haki flared across Kizaru's body, and unable to turn into light, the Admiral fell like a meteor.
Akainu, who had just been smashed down by Cyrus using Kizaru as a weapon, had barely gotten to his feet when he looked up to see his colleague hurtling straight toward him.
"Seabed Drop!" Cyrus muttered softly.
Boom!
Kizaru crashed into Akainu, and the immense force slammed them both deep underground.
The earth trembled violently, followed by a powerful shockwave that created visible ripples on the surface as it spread outward.
The spreading shockwave seemed to contract for a brief moment before exploding outward again, sending magma splashing hundreds of meters into the sky like a small-scale volcanic eruption.
With a flash of golden light, Kizaru's body appeared in mid-air.
This time, the Admiral looked even more battered; his yellow-striped suit was severely damaged, and the cape bearing the characters for "Justice" on his back had been mostly burned away in the magma.
'What a tank!' Looking at Kizaru, who had barely lost any of his imposing aura despite his ragged appearance, Cyrus sighed inwardly.
'And that guy Akainu, too.'
Although it seemed Cyrus had exchanged more blows with Kizaru, Akainu had actually taken more damage, largely because Akainu's evasive maneuvers were not as impressive as Kizaru's.
Watching Akainu's figure emerge from the magma below, Cyrus pointed his sword downward and plummeted like a meteor.
In the blink of an eye, his blade was right above Akainu's head, but with a flash of golden light, one of Kizaru's kicks had already reached Cyrus's side.
"Fading Sun Hell Garment!"
Boom!
Dazzling white flames surged from Cyrus's body to form what looked like a fiery outer garment.
The Armament Haki-infused kick struck Cyrus, sending the descending man flying sideways as the white flames began to burn on Kizaru's foot.
After using his Elemental Transformation to extinguish the fire, Kizaru felt as if his right foot was almost numb.
"Volcanic Eruption!"
Cyrus had barely landed from the kick when magma erupted from beneath his feet.
Akainu's body shot out alongside the molten rock to deliver a heavy punch toward Cyrus, but the young man had no intention of taking the hit right now.
If that attack landed, it still wouldn't be able to harm him in the slightest, but it would deduct a massive chunk of health.
He blocked Akainu's magma fist with a horizontal slash, allowing his body to be sent flying backward from the impact.
The white flames transferred onto the magma fist and began to burn fiercely, forcing the magma to slough off and take the white flames with it.
With a solemn expression, Akainu charged at the retreating Cyrus.
Cyrus raised his sword and slashed.
Half of Akainu's body turned into magma and was instantly vaporized, allowing the half-bodied Admiral to appear before Cyrus as the rest of his form rapidly reconstructed from molten rock.
With a flash of golden light, two hands clamped down on Cyrus's shoulders, pinning him in place with Armament Haki.
"Die!" Akainu roared, smashing a heavy punch toward Cyrus's face.
Cyrus raised his left hand, his Haki-infused palm cleanly blocking Akainu's punch.
"Fall back!"
Seeing the punch blocked, Kizaru didn't hesitate for a second and immediately retreated, prompting Akainu to withdraw his fist and fall back in unison.
Cyrus landed on the ground, the intense heat radiating from his body rapidly melting the earth beneath his feet.
Kizaru clasped his hands behind his back, his brow furrowed in thought.
Akainu looked at his burned hand, his expression grave as he stared at Cyrus.
'This guy... the flames burning on his body alone can block most attacks,' Akainu realized.
The temperature was much higher than before, and even he couldn't withstand it if exposed for too long.
Even with Armament Haki hardening, he could only last a few seconds longer at best.
Bang! Bang!
A few bullets shot toward Cyrus, forcing him to tilt his head to dodge the Seastone projectiles.
The CP agents had completely surrounded Grove 1.
Cyrus glanced at his health.
[Health: 18%]
The recoil from the clashes, combined with the full-power exertion of his Haki and Devil Fruit abilities, was taking its toll.
Cyrus turned his head toward the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, and his body suddenly transformed into pure flame before rapidly expanding.
Seeing this, Kizaru was stunned for a moment before his expression changed drastically.
"Get out of the flame's range!"
He had witnessed this move back in the North Blue, knowing that within these flames, Cyrus could instantly teleport anywhere inside the covered area.
Although Akainu didn't know the exact details, having been Kizaru's colleague for so long, he knew there must be a valid reason for the warning.
The two Admirals retreated quickly, but the CP agents closing in were completely unaware of the danger.
The fireball expanded rapidly, and in an instant, the entirety of Grove 1 was enveloped!
The global broadcast feed vanished in an instant before switching to a view from outside Grove 1, revealing that the entire area was now engulfed in a massive ball of fire.
The giant Red Mangrove marked with the number "1" was swallowed by the flames, turning into a colossal torch.
[Health: 17%]
The CP agents engulfed by the fireball were almost instantly burned to ash as Cyrus's body flickered rapidly within the inferno.
[Health: 16%]
A golden beam of light from outside the fireball pierced through the flames, followed by countless more laser beams that riddled the fiery sphere with holes.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Positioned high above, Akainu sent a massive amount of magma raining down from the sky to smash into the fireball, but these attacks were completely useless against Cyrus in this state.
[Health: 15%]
However, Cyrus's health was continuously draining while maintaining the technique.
Hovering in mid-air, Akainu kept launching magma until he saw the massive fireball suddenly ascend and rush to envelop him.
With a flash of golden light, Kizaru appeared at Akainu's side and pulled him away at high speed.
The fireball now hovered high in the sky, radiating immense light and heat in all directions.
Across the Sabaody Archipelago, a large number of the bubbles generated by the Red Trees shattered under the high temperature, causing bubble-made tools and houses to collapse.
However, no one cared about such things right now, as the great battle had already sent people from the other groves fleeing in an absolute frenzy.
Inside the fireball, Cyrus's Observation Haki enveloped the retreating Kizaru and Akainu.
'They sure can run,' Cyrus noted.
Although he could use the fireball to quickly move around with himself as the center, if he used the flames to propel himself forward at top speed, the massive fireball couldn't keep up with him.
[Health: 13%]
Above Grove 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago, a sun had appeared!