"Bartholomew Kuma, your status as a Shichibukai is hereby revoked!"
Amid the chaos of the battlefield, Momonga drew his long sword, his sharp gaze locking onto Kuma.
Kuma did not respond.
He attacked immediately.
"We absolutely cannot let Fire Fist escape!"
"Kill them!"
"Get out of the way!"
From all directions, Rear Admirals and Vice Admirals surged toward Ace and Ivankov. Pirates and members of the Revolutionary Army threw themselves forward desperately, forming a living wall to block the Marines' advance.
"Hurry, open Ace's handcuffs!"
"How are we supposed to open them without a key?!"
"Damn it, I can't break them!"
Several pirates clutched Ace's Sea Stone handcuffs, their faces twisted with anxiety and frustration. With the strongest fighters on both sides occupied elsewhere, Ace's imminent escape had completely enraged the Marines.
Whoosh!
Molten projectiles suddenly rained down, exploding on impact and engulfing the area in flames.
On the other side of the battlefield, Akainu continuously hurled magma bombs from his hands, sealing off Ivankov and Ace's escape route with overwhelming firepower.
"Akainu, don't even think about leaving! Gum Gum Great Ape King Gun!"
Covered in dust and blood, Luffy crawled out from distant ruins and roared. In a flash, he appeared above Akainu, his right arm compressing again and again as terrifying power gathered.
"You are courting death," Akainu said coldly. "In that case, I will deal with you first."
Molten lava dripped down Akainu's face. His entire arm swelled grotesquely with magma, forming a sky covering molten giant fist that surged forward like a volcanic eruption paired with an earthquake.
A violent gale tore through the battlefield.
Luffy endured it for barely a dozen breaths before letting out a scream and being blasted away like a streak of light. At the same time, the massive molten fist shattered apart, turning into a meteor shower that rained across the battlefield.
"Ah!"
"Damn it, it's Akainu!"
"Watch out!"
More than half the area was consumed by flames, transforming into a burning sea. Akainu's lower body spewed magma like an active volcano, while his right arm twisted into the shape of a hellish demon hound as it lunged toward Luffy.
"Dog Biting Red Lotus."
A fatal sense of danger crashed down.
Luffy's pupils reflected the molten demon hound as it drew closer and closer.
There was no time.
Boom!
The devastating force was halted.
Scalding magma splattered everywhere as a crystalline, elegantly curved Diamond Human was forced backward, her right hand forming a Diamond Shield coated in Armament Haki. Her feet carved deep grooves into the ground as she held her ground.
"Emma."
Luffy froze for a split second, then immediately scrambled up and leaped above her, slamming his fist down at Akainu.
The punch, fully infused with Armament Haki, struck Akainu squarely and sent him flying.
"Are you alright?!" Luffy shouted.
The ground within a hundred meter radius around Emma rapidly transformed into diamond. She kept her eyes locked on Akainu without turning back, her breathing slightly unsteady. That last strike had shaken her badly.
"I'm fine," Luffy replied, shaking his head, lingering fear still gripping his chest. He had nearly died just now.
"Ace has been rescued. It's time to retreat," Emma said calmly.
She watched Akainu rise from the rubble, feeling immense pressure bearing down on her. Her telepathy was nearly useless against someone as fanatical as Akainu. Trying to control him like an ordinary opponent was impossible.
Continuing the fight served no purpose now. Retreat was the only correct choice.
"Alright."
Luffy did not argue, which was rare for him.
"You still think you can leave?"
Akainu refused to let them go. He chased them relentlessly, like a rabid hound locked onto its prey, determined not to stop until Luffy was dead.
Boom!
The air behind them trembled violently as another lethal attack surged forward.
Emma's expression turned icy. She pivoted, lifting her slender right foot clad in bright red high heels and stomping it down. The ground within a hundred meters turned to diamond, forming a towering wall reinforced with Armament Haki that blocked Akainu's assault head on.
"Gum Gum Jet Black Mamba!"
Luffy reacted instantly. He leaped onto the diamond wall and struck downward at Akainu with a long range barrage. This time, Akainu was ready.
He shifted into his elemental form ahead of time, rising into the air as magma expanded around his right arm, vibrating violently.
"Great Eruption!"
The massive molten fist descended like a falling star, covering everything below.
In an instant, Emma pressed both hands to the ground.
Layer after layer of diamond walls rose in front of Luffy, absorbing the full force of the attack once again.
Rumble!
The overwhelming power shattered the diamond defenses one after another. Blood slipped from the corner of Emma's lips as the strain caught up to her.
"Dragon Claw."
A sharp rush of air followed.
Akainu turned just in time to see Sabo appear before him. Akainu snorted coldly, coating his left hand in Armament Haki as he blocked the strike. The impact sent him sliding backward, his feet carving deep trenches into the ground.
"Luffy, you two go first," Sabo said, standing firm with his back to them, eyes locked on Akainu.
"Sabo," Luffy protested.
"Trust him," Emma said without hesitation. Her only priority was keeping Luffy alive.
"Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army," Akainu muttered darkly.
His gaze followed Luffy as Emma pulled him away. In the distance, Ace was surrounded by pirates, all desperately trying to figure out how to remove the Sea Stone handcuffs.
"Akainu, your Marines have already lost," Sabo said, his hands coated in Armament Haki, his expression resolute.
From the moment Ace was rescued, the outcome of the war had been decided.
"We haven't lost yet!" Akainu roared. "As long as Whitebeard, Gol D. Ace, and Monkey D. Luffy die here, this war will be a Marine victory! I will never allow you criminals to leave Marineford!"
Magma erupted violently around his body as he transformed into a blazing magma giant and charged forward with terrifying momentum.
"Dragon Claw."
"Dog Tooth Red Lotus."
A violent storm exploded outward. Sabo's face paled as his feet sank deep into the ground and he let out a suppressed grunt.
"Get out of my way!"
The magma surged again.
Sabo spat blood and was blasted away like a streak of light. Akainu did not pursue him. Instead, he redirected himself toward Luffy and Emma.
"Sabo…"
Sabo dragged himself from the rubble, blood spilling from his mouth. His right hand trembled violently as he forced it still and prepared to charge again.
A flash of sword light descended, stopping him cold.
"Marine Vice Admiral, Momousagi."
Sabo's expression darkened as he stared at the woman before him.
"You'd better stay here."
Momousagi gripped her blade, Konpira. Though worn down by successive battles against Revolutionary Army commanders and Whitebeard captains, she still stood proud and imposing, her presence no less commanding than any man on the battlefield.
She was undoubtedly one of the most outstanding women at Marineford.
Sabo said nothing. He glanced once toward Luffy, then toward Ace, before attacking without the slightest hesitation.
There was no gentleness in his strikes.
Meanwhile, Akainu continued his relentless pursuit. Revolutionary Army cadres and pirate captains rushed forward one after another to stop him, only to be intercepted by Marine Rear Admirals and Vice Admirals.
"Great Eruption!"
Akainu no longer cared about allies or enemies. His eyes were fixed solely on Luffy as he unleashed his strongest attack without restraint.
"What a vicious dog," Emma said coldly.
She had no choice but to stop again.
Diamond walls surged upward as the earth warped and cracked. Blood stained her lips as she shifted sideways, her long purple red hair flowing in the heat.
"Gum Gum Black Mamba!"
Luffy roared, attacking with everything he had left. Steam poured violently from his body. Up close, his face looked terrifyingly pale, the clear sign of extreme exhaustion.
Since arriving at Marineford, he had fought nonstop, maintaining Gear Fourth far beyond its limits. His stamina and Armament Haki were nearly depleted. Only Luffy could still stand under such conditions. Anyone else would have collapsed long ago.
Akainu did not dodge.
His right arm expanded with magma as he met Luffy's attack head on.
____
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