"Whoosh—"
A sharp, tearing sound ripped through the air.
Eerie black mist swirled. A figure suddenly appeared in mid-air, continuously falling, attracting the attention of a small portion of people.
"That is?"
"Who is it!?"
Many Marines looked up and glimpsed the falling figure, instantly crying out in alarm. Sakazuki, standing on the bow of his warship, also noticed the dark figure descending into the ocean from mid-air. His gaze involuntarily narrowed.
But before Akainu could react, Ichiji instantly landed on the sea. He stood eerily on the sea surface. Vast swathes of darkness instantly opened up, silent like the rumbling deep ocean, inexplicably sending shivers down one's spine.
"Swish—"
Endless darkness, at a speed visible to the naked eye, surged inexorably towards the surrounding warships.
"Darkness?"
"What is that thing?"
"It's like a huge, eerie abyss suddenly appeared on the ocean..."
Countless Marines screamed in terror. Some felt a chill run down their spines, but the speed of the warships clearly couldn't shake off the rapidly spreading darkness.
"Vinsmoke Ichiji, what are you doing?" Sakazuki recognized the opponent and asked with a mix of surprise and anger.
"Hahahaha, Akainu, you'll quickly understand what I want to do..." Ichiji sneered.
Terrifying darkness, in less than a few breaths, directly enveloped those warships under the shocked gaze of the Marines...
"Gurgle..."
Thick smoke billowed from his entire body. A scorching aura caused the surrounding temperature to rise sharply. Akainu, his face ashen, continuously unleashed large amounts of magma from his right hand, directly blasting towards the darkness surging from the ocean.
"Rumble..."
The colossal magma fist directly blasted open the thinning darkness, exploding over the ocean. Astonishing heatwaves permeated the air, mixed with swirling steam.
However, that couldn't stop the darkness that had already engulfed them from all directions. Even the warship beneath him was instantly swallowed by darkness.
"Can't use abilities?"
Akainu, who was closing in on Vinsmoke Ichiji with that eerie darkness and was about to punch him, couldn't help but drastically change his expression: "That bastard, just as Momousagi said, he truly ate the Dark-Dark Fruit..."
"But didn't they say the Dark-Dark Fruit only nullifies abilities when directly touching an ability user?"
"Damn it!"
"Slurp, slurp, slurp..."
Ten to twenty figures shot up from the warship that had been completely engulfed by darkness.
"Ahhh..."
"What's going on?"
"My body's sinking, ahhh..."
Countless Marines screamed in terror, directly swallowed by the darkness. Even those warships continuously sank at a speed visible to the naked eye. They weren't sinking to the seabed, but into that terrifying darkness.
"Bastard!!!" Akainu, suspended by Moonwalk, his face had completely darkened.
Akainu glared furiously at Vinsmoke Ichiji, who stood on the sea surface. He gritted his teeth, his gaze filled with intense killing intent: "The information from Vice Admiral Tsuru was incomplete. It seems the previous user recorded in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia couldn't fully utilize the Dark-Dark Fruit's power, leading to incomplete information..."
"Damn brat, go to hell!"
Magma surged from his entire body. A colossal magma fist directly blasted towards Ichiji, who was over a hundred meters away.
"Great Eruption!!!"
"Roar—"
However, in an instant, darkness surged. A monstrous head shot out from the darkness, transforming into a ferocious beast, tearing at that colossal magma fist.
"Rumble rumble rumble!!!"
The materialized colossal Qilin was directly shattered by the magma fist, but it still blocked the attack, sending countless magma splashes flying. Under that terrifying high temperature, the very air distorted.
"What!?"
"How is that possible?"
"An Admiral's attack was blocked!"
Relying on Moonwalk to stay airborne and avoid the darkness attack, Onigumo and the others, who witnessed this scene, couldn't help but gasp in shock.
"Boom..."
The colossal magma fist directly exploded.
"Crackling..."
Countless magma fragments split, simultaneously shooting towards Ichiji under Akainu's control.
"Swish—"
But in an instant, darkness surged wildly. The shattered Qilin directly transformed into a dark shield, appearing there.
"Hiss, hiss, hiss..."
Those magma fists descending from the sky were all blocked by the darkness.
"Immediately contact Headquarters!" Continuously treading Moonwalk, Onigumo's expression changed, and he shouted towards the other Marine officers.
Maintaining Moonwalk consumes immense stamina. He, Vice Admiral Doberman, and Admiral Sakazuki can indeed last longer in the air, but those twenty to thirty Marine officers will definitely not last long before succumbing to the terrifying darkness or directly plummeting into the ocean.
"Yes!!" A Marine Rear Admiral hastily took out a Den Den Mushi and began dialing Headquarters' number.
"Static crackling..." The sound coming from the Den Den Mushi made the Marine Rear Admiral's face change drastically, and cold sweat broke out: "Vice Admiral, there's a signal problem, I can't dial out!"
"What!?"
"This sea area shouldn't have such weather!"
"How is that possible? Try with other Den Den Mushi..." The seven or eight staff officers around him who could use Moonwalk all involuntarily changed their expressions.
"Damn it, was this premeditated? Germa 66 is actually so daring..." Looking at the warships that had been completely swallowed by darkness and had fully submerged, almost disappearing from sight, Doberman's face couldn't help but turn ashen: "How did he know that we were going to the South Blue for a mission and the exact navigation route? 830" Being attacked right after emerging from the Calm Belt, it was a little too coincidental. No need to think, there's definitely an internal spy. His gloomy gaze scrutinized the surviving staff officers around him. Doberman remained vigilant. Either the mole was among those still alive, or they held a considerably high position at Headquarters. He naturally couldn't have known that 'Raijin' Thor, relying on his exaggerated Mind Network, had all of Marineford under his surveillance.
"Gurarararara, it's our turn to enter the stage!" Exaggerated laughter, full of arrogance and bravado. Shiki the Golden Lion swooped down from high in the sky, charging towards Onigumo and the others, whose faces had drastically changed.
"Edward Weevil!?"
"Pop, pop..."
Continuously treading Moonwalk, Akainu cried out in shock and fury. He immediately recognized Weevil, who was suspended in the air, and couldn't help but tremble all over. He never thought that this person, his former teacher who was a former Marine Admiral and the right hand of 'Black Arm' Zephyr, a guy who was even chased by Aokiji but escaped, would actually appear here, and even be mixed up with Germa 66.
"Hiss..." A sharp bisento stood upright, emitting a white halo.
"Die!" Aiming at Akainu, who was completely wreathed in thick smoke, he fiercely swung his bisento down and chopped hard!
"Boom..." "The air vibrated. A colossal shockwave, visible to the naked eye, directly slammed down under Akainu's horrified gaze."
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