"Since you refuse to step aside, I'll step over your corpse!" Akainu stopped trying to persuade. His right fist suddenly transformed into a scorching magma fist, carrying an aura that could obliterate everything, and smashed toward Setsuna.
"Meteor Volcano!"
A magma fist dozens of meters in diameter crashed down like a meteor. The scorching lava twisted the air. Rocks at the island's edge vaporized instantly upon contact!
Setsuna didn't dodge. Instead, he raised his right hand. Conqueror's Haki materialized, forming an intangible defensive barrier before him.
"Haki Armor!"
Magma and Haki collided, erupting in a deafening roar. Shockwaves swept across the entire island. The ground cracked like a spiderweb. Countless rocks were pulverized.
'He blocked Akainu's magma with Conqueror's Haki?!' Hancock bit her red lip, her eyes full of shock. She had never imagined Conqueror's Haki could be used this way.
Maha's face beneath the mask changed dramatically. As CP0, he naturally knew Conqueror's Haki could be used for defense, but only the top-tier powerhouses could do so.
Akainu snorted coldly. "Not bad. But how many times can you block?"
Before his words faded, his fists transformed into countless magma meteors, blanketing the sky as they bombarded Setsuna.
"Meteor Volcano!"
Setsuna couldn't help but sigh. In this version where lacking Conqueror's Haki practically meant being obsolete, Akainu could still possess this level of offensive power. Undoubtedly, he had mastered his Devil Fruit ability and Armament Haki to the extreme.
"Kamehameha: Rapid Fire!"
Setsuna used the 'Prince's Battle Technique'. His hands moved like phantoms, continuously firing Kamehameha blasts, violently colliding with Akainu's magma meteors.
Each collision triggered earth-shattering explosions. Waves hundreds of meters high surged at the island's edge.
The Sea Kings in the Calm Belt were terribly unlucky. Just leisurely swimming, they were inexplicably caught in a waterspout, flung into the sky, and roasted mid-air by Akainu's magma.
"So strong!" Hancock was profoundly shaken. She always thought herself a top-tier powerhouse on the seas. But before these two monsters, she might not survive a single move.
"Nee-san! Let's retreat to the island's interior too!" Sandersonia urged anxiously.
"Huh? Where are they?" Hancock suddenly realized the man's crew had long vanished.
"While their Captain prepared to fight, they were already retreating inland," Sandersonia explained.
Hancock gritted her silver teeth. "They are certainly experienced. All units, retreat to the island's interior immediately!"
In the current situation, trying to board ships and escape was impossible.
Even the Celestial Dragon and Marines had abandoned their ships. The raging waves were enough to capsize any battleship.
Maha carried Mccanney, fleeing in panic. A vague sense of foreboding crept into his heart, 'Perhaps Admiral Akainu alone wasn't enough to suppress the situation.'
Akainu suddenly leaped up, his right arm transforming into a magma hound, roaring as it pounced on Setsuna.
"Hell Hound!"
The power of this strike could pierce even an Emperor's defense!
A sharp glint flashed in Setsuna's eyes. His hands tapped pressure points on his shoulders.
"Intimidation Knocking!"
Two arms formed from blood and energy bulged from his back… a mutated version of the Four-Armed Fist technique.
Then, his four arms crossed in a specific posture. Savage Haki circulated between them.
"Elbaf Spear: Hakoku Sovereignty!"
He directly used a technique that required two giants to perform, all by himself.
A terrifying shockwave surged upward, violently colliding with Akainu's Hell Hound.
Boom!
The collision of magma and Haki erupted in a deafening roar. Shockwaves swept the entire island. The ground cracked like a spiderweb. Countless rocks were pulverized.
A chasm tore open in the island's center. Seawater frantically poured in.
"These two monsters…" Maha ran, carrying Mccanney. Cold sweat soaked his face beneath the white mask.
Even as an elite CP0 agent, he had never witnessed such a terrifying battle scene.
Enel whistled from the air. "Going to sink another island?"
Clearly, he had heard about Setsuna's 'glorious achievements' from Ace.
Both Setsuna and Akainu simultaneously realized they couldn't continue fighting near the shore. They tacitly shifted the battlefield to the sky above the sea.
"Floating in mid-air without needing to kick the air? A martial arts technique more refined than Geppo?" Akainu was somewhat surprised, the magma under his feet churning slightly.
"My martial arts go beyond just that," Setsuna smiled faintly. "Be careful. The sea is an abyss for you Devil Fruit users."
"Konoha Shinryu!" Setsuna kicked out. A cyan divine dragon soared from the sea surface, swirling seawater into a colossal waterspout connecting heaven and earth.
A dragon's roar shook the skies. Carrying immense force, it pounced toward Akainu.
"You think I'm the type of trash who fears the sea?!" Akainu roared angrily, both fists turning into magma fists.
"Magma Typhoon!"
Vermilion magma and the cyan water dragon collided violently. The entire sea area trembled.
The moment seawater and magma intertwined, a deafening roar erupted. White steam shot into the sky.
The entire sea area was forcibly torn apart, revealing the seafloor bedrock thousands of meters below.
"It's not over yet!"
Setsuna's figure shot out from the steam. Conqueror's Haki's black lightning crackled on his fist.
Akainu didn't retreat. His magma-covered fist was also coiled with top-tier Armament Haki.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their fists clashed frantically between sea and sky. Each impact violently shook the space.
Conqueror's Haki's black lightning and magma sparks scattered, exploding into energy fireworks in the air, illuminating the entire sea area with flickering light and darkness.
Enel watched the scene in disbelief. Both Logia users, yet Akainu could actually fight his Captain in hand-to-hand combat to this extent.
"It seems I underestimated you," Akainu's voice held a trace of gravity. "Without using Awakening, I really can't handle you."
His body began to tremble violently. Magma seeped from every pore.
The originally bright red lava gradually darkened, eventually turning into a hellish, abyssal black-red.
Countless magma-formed hounds rose from the sea surface, each burning with black-red flames.
These magma constructs seemed alive, emitting low growls, turning the entire sea area into a boiling magma hell.
"This is a Logia's Devil Fruit Awakening?" Setsuna was also somewhat surprised. Akainu had nearly single-handedly altered the nature of this sea area.
"This is the power of Absolute Justice," Akainu's voice became low and hoarse, as if magma churned in his throat.
"It seems I have to go all out too," Setsuna instantly opened the Seventh Gate, then entered Sage Mode.
Listening to the Voices Of All Things made condensing Senjutsu Chakra into a simple mode for him, completely eliminating worries about being eroded by Natural Energy.