"Die!!"
Akainu Sakazuki's cold, expressionless face twisted with murderous intent as his gaze locked onto King, the blazing calamity who stood in his way.
Today, his mission was clear—capture Souta Kiryuu at all costs. And if this flame-winged nuisance dared to block him, then Akainu would kill him without hesitation.
Szzzztt!
King's massive serrated blade sizzled as it was melted and snapped apart by Akainu's magma, his eyes widening in alarm as his instincts screamed of imminent danger.
The monstrous, blazing-red Hellhound tore through his weapon, its overwhelming force barreling straight toward his armored chest.
Even the flames of the Lunarian race couldn't withstand Akainu's devastating strike.
"Ugh—!"
Beneath his mask, King coughed up a mouthful of blood, his massive black wings thrashing desperately to propel himself back. He managed to reduce the impact but not escape unscathed.
Luckily, his towering frame—well over six meters tall, more than double Akainu's size—absorbed the worst of the blow.
Had it been someone smaller, like Fire Fist Ace at only a meter eighty, that magma fist would have caved in his entire chest cavity—killing him outright.
Even Jinbe, the sea knight, had only survived Akainu's magma strike thanks to his stocky build, managing to protect Straw Hat Luffy by sheer resilience.
"Akainu!! Taste this!!"
King's pained roar was cut through by a thunderous shout from above.
"Divine Dragon Slash!!"
Souta Kiryuu plummeted from the skies, his body in half-dragon form twisting into a spiraling ring. His dragon tail, spines, and horns formed a whirling blade, sheathed in jet-black Armament Haki.
Sparks of black-and-red lightning crackled violently across his body.
CLANG!!
Akainu's eyes narrowed sharply—his instincts screamed danger. In an instant, his body exploded into molten magma, scattering in every direction to avoid Souta's focused strike.
BOOM!!
The impact carved a massive crater over a hundred meters wide into the battlefield.
But Souta didn't pause. He rose from the rubble in a blur of motion, charging directly toward the wounded King.
"You alright?!"
In a flash, Souta transformed fully into a dragon, his colossal form soaring upward. One claw snatched King midair, the other pressing down firmly on the gaping wound in his chest.
Zzzzt!
"Argh! What the hell are you doing?!"
King roared in rage as blood spurted fresh from the pressure, the injury deepening under Souta's grip. Even his Lunarian flames flickered weakly, struggling to keep up.
"My bad—bit rough there!" Souta grinned, sharp fangs glinting. "I'm cleaning the wound. Burning away the damaged flesh."
He deliberately gathered King's blood and charred tissue, scraping fragments into a container.
"Get off me!!"
King's eyes blazed as realization dawned. Souta wasn't just helping—he was collecting samples. His massive wings flared, flames erupting as he burned through his stamina to accelerate his regeneration.
"Relax. I've got other medicine for healing—don't waste your strength."
Unbothered by King's furious thrashing, Souta continued his work until the regeneration caught up, forcing him to stop.
"Here." Souta tossed a glowing crystal into King's hand. "Blood-Dandelion crystal—made from the Healing Fruit's power. Will patch you right up."
Satisfied with the blood and flesh he'd collected, Souta stored them carefully in a reinforced case.
King, pale beneath his mask, bolted back as soon as Souta released him. His chest rose and fell heavily, his glare sharp.
"You're harvesting my blood... why?"
Souta only smirked. "To strengthen myself, of course."
Without hesitation, he popped a handful of shimmering blood-crystals into his mouth, crunching them down in front of King to prove their harmlessness.
"Tch. Gaining Lunarian flames wasn't enough for you—you want wings too?" King sneered coldly. His mind raced. Was Souta's experiment incomplete? Did he lack something critical—wings, skin, hair?
Could he be trying to perfect himself with Lunarian traits?
"Doesn't harm you, helps me," Souta said casually. He wasn't about to reveal the truth about the Seraphim project. When the next batch was ready, the world would learn the terrifying meaning of science as power.
"Our deal's done for today. Try not to die to Akainu. The crystal's safe—no side effects. Heal up."
Souta gave a chilling grin before soaring away, his objective complete. He had no reason to waste time fighting Akainu now.
His true targets were elsewhere—Fujitora's gravity, Shiki's floatation, even Big Mom's soul manipulation. Each ability was another step toward his grand design.
King's eyes narrowed as he watched Souta vanish. That bastard had lured him and Kaido here as pawns, only to exploit them for his own gain.
His opinion of Souta Kiryuu—the experimental half-dragon with Lunarian blood—plummeted.
But with Akainu advancing once more, rage burning hotter than magma, King had no choice. He downed the blood-crystal in one gulp.
Warmth surged through his body as his wounds sealed, stamina flooding back.
"This... is the Healing Fruit's work?" King muttered, shock flashing behind his mask.
This wasn't a trick. Souta really had access to abilities most thought impossible.
Perhaps losing a little blood and flesh wasn't the worst trade.
He would wait and watch—see what monster Souta Kiryuu would ultimately become.
On the battlefield below, Akainu's furious gaze tracked the direction Souta had fled.
"That bastard's Conqueror's Haki—it really can suppress elementals... even slow my recovery," Akainu growled. If he hadn't dispersed into magma in time, Souta's blow might have struck him head-on.
He wanted to give chase—but CP0's orders bound him. Kaido was still his priority.
Elsewhere, on the frozen battlefield, Dragon and Aokiji clashed furiously, their fight dragging across the ice as they angled toward the island.
They too sought the blueprints of Pluton. Whether real or rumor, it was something neither the Revolutionaries nor the Navy could ignore.
And across the seas, more and more pirates and bounty hunters broke through the Navy's defenses, flooding onto Sorbet Kingdom's shores, hungry to claim a piece of the chaos.
The battle for the ancient weapon's secrets was only just beginning.