Marco clenched his teeth, painfully aware of the truth in those words. The Whitebeard Pirates were exhausted, outnumbered, and outmatched. The silhouettes of Aokiji and the Shichibukai drew closer, and the situation was growing desperate. He took a deep breath and turned to his men. "Listen to me! Ace is free. Father told us to protect him. We have to honor his will. Fall back!"
A murmur of protest rippled through the ranks. Joz tightened his diamond fists, reluctant to abandon Whitebeard's body. Vista lowered his swords, his gaze flickering between Marco and their fallen captain. But they knew Marco was right. With one last grief-stricken look, they began their retreat, carving a path through the debris.
Teach watched them go, his laughter ringing out like a death knell. "Zehahaha! See you in the New World, boys! And you…" He turned his gaze toward Mihawk, locked in a titanic duel with Akainu on the far side of the bay. "Can't wait to see what you'll do with all this, swordsman."
Aokiji, Doflamingo, Gecko Moria, and Kuma reached the Whitebeard Pirates just as they tried to escape. Aokiji raised a hand, and a massive wall of ice erupted from the ground, blocking their retreat with a deafening crack.
"You're not getting away that easily," he said, his voice as cold as the blizzard he summoned.
Doflamingo chuckled, his invisible strings lashing out to bind the pirates' movements. "Heh, heh, heh… Like rats in a cage. Time to play!" His fingers danced, and several pirates collapsed, their limbs pinned by intangible threads.
Gecko Moria called forth his shadows, swirling around the pirates like a horde of specters. "Kishishi! Your souls are mine!" The shadows wove through the ranks, sowing panic and weakening their prey.
Kuma, silent as ever, extended a gloved hand. An energy bubble formed, then burst into a shockwave that hurled a dozen pirates into the air, slamming them against the ice with crushing force.
Marco, watching his crew fall, ignited his blue flames. "Don't let them stop us! Fight!" he shouted, diving at Aokiji with desperate fury. But the admiral sidestepped smoothly, a spear of ice shooting from his hand, forcing Marco to pull back.
Kizaru, meanwhile, zipped around at light speed, intercepting pirates trying to bypass the ice wall. His beams pierced the air, cutting down stragglers with surgical precision. "Ahhh… What a bore," he muttered, but his attacks were relentless.
At the heart of the bay, Mihawk and Akainu clashed in a battle that seemed to shake Marineford's very foundations. Each swing of Yoru met Akainu's magma fists in an eruption of light and heat, carving smoking craters into the ice. The two men were titans, their raw power and absolute mastery turning their duel into a spectacle of pure destruction.
Akainu unleashed a torrent of lava, a roar of rage fueling his attack. "You can't escape me, Mihawk!" he bellowed, his eyes blazing with incandescent fury.
Mihawk leaped aside, Yoru slicing a black arc that split the magma in two. Sizzling droplets hissed as they hit the ice, but the swordsman didn't slow. He countered with uncanny precision, his blade aiming for Akainu's flank. The admiral blocked with a lava arm, but the shockwave sent him staggering back several meters.
"Your justice is blind, Akainu," Mihawk said, his voice steady.
Akainu roared, a storm of magma bursting from his body. Mihawk sprang back, Yoru weaving in his hands to deflect each assault. The two forces collided in a massive explosion, hurling shards of ice and lava in every direction. Nearby fighters were swept away by the blast, screaming as they were swallowed by the chaos.
Inside the war machine that was Dracule Mihawk, Leo felt his heart—or at least his mind—pounding like crazy.
Holy shit, that's Akainu right in front of me! he thought, half-terrified, half-thrilled. In his old life, he'd watched this guy in the anime—a monster of blind justice who torched everything in his path. And now here he was, facing him down with the most badass sword in the world.
This is insane!
Akainu, his uniform smoking and streaked with soot, dug his feet into the melting ice, his clenched fists dripping lava. His eyes, two furious embers, locked onto Mihawk. "Dracule Mihawk!" he roared, his voice rumbling like a volcano on the brink of eruption. "Your arrogance ends here! I'll reduce you and your betrayal to ashes!"
He slammed his right fist into the ground, and a wave of magma erupted forth—a red-hot torrent charging straight at Mihawk. The ice beneath his feet hissed and melted into a steaming puddle, the air turning toxic with poisonous vapor.
Leo felt his body react before he even gave the command. Shit, gotta move! Mihawk leaped to the side, his boots sliding briefly on the slick surface before regaining balance with inhuman grace. Yoru rose in a perfect arc, and with a fluid motion, he cleaved the lava wave in two. The halves crashed apart, splattering the ice with burning droplets that bored smoking holes.
"Too slow, Sakazuki!" Mihawk said, his deep, cold voice cutting through the din. Inside, Leo was losing it.
Did I seriously just say that? Too cool!
Akainu didn't answer with words but with an explosion of fury. He thrust both arms forward, and a hail of magma fists—miniature meteors—rained down on Mihawk like an infernal storm. Each projectile left a glowing trail in the air, bathing the bay in an apocalyptic glow. Nearby Marines and pirates screamed, scrambling to avoid being caught in the onslaught.
Mihawk didn't flinch. His golden hawk-like eyes tracked every trajectory in a split second. Yoru became a blur in his hands, a black whirlwind that sliced, deflected, and shattered every lava ball before it could reach him. Magma fragments scattered around him, hissing against the ice, but not a single drop touched his coat or hat. Inside, Leo's jaw dropped.
What even is this level? Am I a god or what?!
TO BE CONTINUED...
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