The ice creaked beneath him as Jimbei's body burned with excruciating pain.
The gaping wound in his abdomen still oozed blood, staining the ice beneath him crimson. Yet he gritted his teeth, using the last of his strength to cradle Luffy in his arms.
The Straw Hat Boy's face was deathly pale, his shallow breaths barely visible in the freezing wind. Every glance at him felt like a hammer blow to Jimbei's heart.
"Luffy... hang in there..." he rasped, his voice thick with exhaustion.
Footsteps echoed across the ice, heavy as if stepping directly on his chest.
Akainu approached slowly, his body still wreathed in lingering magma vapor. Blood mixed with soot streaked his forehead, nose, and lips, making his already ferocious face even more menacing.
He looked down at the two struggling figures on the ice, his gaze indifferent.
Jimbei suddenly raised his head, his clouded eyes blazing with fury as a guttural growl tore from his throat. "You won't lay a finger on Luffy! Even if it costs me my life, I won't let you win!"
Akainu ignored him, raising his smoke-wreathed right fist. The magma coating it sizzled, distorting the air with its heat. "Enough talk."
The searing fist descended with devastating force. Jimbei closed his eyes in despair.
Then—
A black shadow flashed like lightning. The ear-piercing shriek of metal clashing against magma resounded, followed by a deafening clang that made the ice tremble.
Akainu's fist had been stopped.
The cold gleam of the Black Sword Autumn Water stood firm between the fist and Jimbei. Magma dripped onto the blade, instantly vaporizing into white smoke.
Akainu's head snapped up, his eyes locking onto the smirking face behind the sword. His pupils contracted slightly as he growled, "The 'Blasphemer'—Bahr."
Jimbei's eyes flew open in shock. "Bahr?!"
Bahr held the hilt with one hand, the curve of the Black Blade effortlessly dispersing the force of the magma punch. He glanced sideways at the unconscious Luffy on the ice before turning back to Akainu, his smirk deepening with amusement. "Trying to lay a hand on the Straw Hat? Sorry, but I don't feel like letting you have your way."
Crocodile was busy dealing with Enel and couldn't come to the rescue. So, Bahr had decided to step in—just to make trouble.
The point where blade met magma still sizzled, white smoke curling between them. Bahr's eyes suddenly turned cold as he tightened his grip on the hilt, forcing Akainu's fist back half an inch.
Then, the Black Sword Autumn Water unleashed a sharp Blade Aura, scattering the magma coating Akainu's fist in all directions. The molten droplets struck the ice, leaving behind smoking craters.
"Bastard!" Akainu snarled, his eyes burning with molten fury. His fist coiled with power again, the scorching airwave causing the surrounding ice to melt slightly. "Why are you protecting the Straw Hat?"
Bahr scoffed, flicking his wrist to tilt the blade upward. "If the Marines want something, I just have to get in the way. Letting you have your fun would be too boring."
As he spoke, his peripheral vision caught a familiar figure in the air—Buggy, flailing midair with his Chop-Chop Ability in a desperate escape.
Bahr's fingers twitched slightly, causing a ripple in space as he teleported Jimbei and the Straw Hat Boy away before paying them no further heed. His entire figure transformed into a blur as he swiftly retreated, narrowly avoiding Akainu's relentless punch that followed immediately after.
"Boom—!"
Akainu's fist slammed violently onto the ice, instantly erupting into a surge of magma. The scorching lava melted a massive hole in the ice layer, cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.
His face darkened as he turned toward Bahr, who had regained his footing. The killing intent in his eyes was almost palpable: "You can't protect him."
"Wanna bet?" Bahr raised an eyebrow, twirling the Black Sword Autumn Water effortlessly in his hand. The blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.
Last time, he had vowed to protect Ace, only to be slapped in the face and humiliated. Now that he was determined to protect Luffy, he couldn't afford to be humiliated again.
That would be too shameful.
With that thought, he suddenly raised his voice and shouted toward the other side of the battlefield, "Enel, stop wasting time with that trash! Take everyone and protect the Straw Hat Boy at all costs!"
On the distant battlefield, Enel, who had been locked in combat with Crocodile, suddenly erupted with lightning at Bahr's command. He cursed under his breath, his tone dripping with irritation, but still transformed into a streak of blue-white lightning and disengaged from the fight.
Crocodile was forced back several steps by the sudden burst of lightning. Watching Enel's retreating figure, he then turned his gaze toward Bahr, gritting his teeth as he clenched the Sand Blade in his hand, grains of sand rustling ominously in his palm. "Daring to ignore me? Calling me trash? Unforgivable!"
Mr. 1 and the Sky Island God Enforcers immediately abandoned their current opponents upon hearing the order, surging like a tide toward Luffy behind the ice ridge.
Meanwhile, Hancock, who had been slumped on a reef, abruptly lifted her head at Bahr's command, a glimmer of light flashing in her previously dull eyes.
"How could I disobey Lord Bahr's orders?" She steadied herself by gripping Salome's head behind her, her usually lazy and seductive tone now laced with determination. "Protect the Straw Hat Boy... Perfect. This is my chance to show Lord Bahr that I'm far more capable than those pretentious vases!"
Her mind made up, Salome let out a deafening hiss behind her before launching forward like an arrow, carrying Hancock straight toward Luffy's location.
Akainu's expression turned vicious, molten fury churning around him. "Since you insist on getting in the way, I'll deal with you first!"
Before his words even faded, his fist transformed into a searing mass of magma, hurtling toward Bahr's face with devastating force. Every step he took on the ice left behind charred, molten footprints.
Bahr lightly tapped the ground with his toes, his figure gliding backward like a ghost, evading the magma fist's impact. The Black Sword Autumn Water suddenly slashed horizontally in his hand, the blade cutting through the air with a piercing shriek as it traced a cold arc aimed at Akainu's side.
"Clang!"
The moment the Black Blade clashed with the magma fist, blinding sparks erupted. The intense heat caused the blade to steam, yet Bahr remained unfazed. With a subtle twist of his wrist, Autumn Water slid along the edge of the magma fist, redirecting toward Akainu's wrist.
Akainu snorted coldly, the magma on his arm surging violently to forcefully repel Bahr's blade. His other fist followed immediately, smashing toward Bahr's chest with even greater ferocity.
In an instant, the two exchanged dozens of blows on the ice. Every strike from Akainu carried cataclysmic force, the ice beneath them continuously melting under the relentless heat of the magma.
Amidst the billowing steam, Akainu's figure loomed like a moving volcano, while Bahr darted like an elusive shadow through the gaps in the magma. Each swing of his Black Blade Autumn Water was precise and ruthless, targeting the flaws in Akainu's attacks—like a leopard dancing on the edge of a volcano.
"Your speed is impressive, but this game of hide-and-seek will only end with you reduced to ashes!" Akainu roared, his fists transforming into molten rock as they slammed down toward Bahr's position. The entire ice field was instantly engulfed in a sea of fire, covered in searing magma.
Bahr flickered through the inferno, the Black Sword Autumn Water carving icy arcs through the air, cleaving apart the oncoming waves of magma.
Watching the enraged Akainu, a cold smirk curled at the corner of his lips. "You'll have to catch me first, Admiral Akainu... oh wait, I should call you Red Dog."
Before the words had even faded, his figure vanished from sight, reappearing behind Akainu in an instant. The Black Blade sliced through the air with a piercing whistle, aimed straight for Akainu's back.
But Akainu whirled around, his magma-clad fist clashing against the Black Blade once more. The deafening impact reverberated across the battlefield, drowning out even the distant cries of battle.