At this moment, Akainu's expression finally changed.
This pressure—this overwhelming presence—felt no different from when he faced Kaido or Whitebeard.
A Marine… wielding Conqueror's Haki… fights like this?
"Then let me see your true strength!"
"Karl!!!"
Boom!
Akainu's other arm instantly transformed into magma, shaping itself into a second ferocious hound.
Twin magma beasts surged forward together, twisting the battlefield upside down as the surrounding air grew unbearably hot—
as if the heavens and earth themselves were about to be incinerated.
Karl: There's a powered-up Xiao Yan on an uninhabited island—no joke.
"Then let's find out!"
"Admiral Akainu!"
Shing—!
A dazzling golden blade light flashed across the sky.
Its edges were tightly wrapped in dense black-red lightning, and no matter what stood in its way, there was only one outcome—
Cut.
Clean. Absolute. Merciless.
The two magma hounds were split apart the instant they collided with Holy Light Judgment, torn into four pieces, magma flowing like softened candy—
And then came Akainu's arms.
Sensing danger, Akainu immediately shielded his vital points and grit his teeth, forcibly taking the blow.
His entire body was slammed from midair straight into the ground, driven deeper and deeper—
Until he was embedded within a massive fissure.
Silence followed.
Karl frowned slightly.
He had used a finishing move, yes—but Akainu was far too strong to be killed by a single slash.
At most, it should have—
Gurgle… gurgle…
Magma seeped out from cracks in the fissure.
After a brief buildup, countless molten meteors erupted upward, raining back down at terrifying speed.
Karl glanced skyward and rapidly adjusted his position, narrowly avoiding the falling magma.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The area descended into chaos—smoke, scorched earth, and the stench of burning everywhere.
Akainu emerged from the magma, reforming his body.
His face was darkened with soot, his expression grim.
"So this is the power of Conqueror's Haki…"
Those words came from Akainu himself—spoken flatly, without Kizaru's exaggerated tone.
In the past, when facing Conqueror-class opponents like Whitebeard, he hadn't felt much.
But now, being struck down by a Marine using Conqueror's Haki—
That was something he found hard to accept.
The feeling was… complicated.
Akainu stared at Karl and suddenly felt it—
I might be getting old.
A twenty-eight-year-old man had made him experience something close to helplessness.
"Admiral Akainu," Karl asked calmly,
"do you still want to continue?"
Akainu took a deep breath, his expression returning to icy composure.
"Of course."
The moment the words left his mouth, Akainu charged again.
The previous exchange clearly hadn't shaken him enough to stop.
Karl had no choice but to meet him head-on.
Offshore – Observation Ship
Sengoku lowered his binoculars and sighed.
"Akainu's getting serious."
Tsuru replied calmly,
"That's only natural. Who would've expected Karl's growth rate to be this terrifying?"
"If I recall correctly, Akainu once wanted Karl as his adjutant."
"And now…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
But everyone understood.
Karl's strength had far exceeded expectations.
Fortunately—
He was a Marine.
Otherwise, the world would've gained another Shanks.
Aokiji quietly observed the battle, pondering whether he'd fare any better in Akainu's place.
After some thought, he arrived at an answer.
Probably not.
In terms of raw destructive power, ice simply couldn't compare to magma.
In terms of physical strength, Akainu still had the edge.
But Karl?
He was just too abnormal.
Four years ago, Karl had struggled evenly with Smoker.
Now he was trading blows with Akainu.
How is that even reasonable?
"Scary~" Kizaru drawled.
"Sakazuki might actually lose to Karl at this rate."
Aokiji glanced over.
"How do you know?"
Kizaru replied matter-of-factly,
"Because Karl's a Holy Light Fruit user."
"His sustained combat ability rivals even Kaido."
"Unless Sakazuki can stop him from healing, he'll eventually be worn down."
Aokiji nodded.
Then, with a "simple and honest" smile, he asked:
"Borsalino… Karl used to be your adjutant.
Could you beat him now?"
Kizaru shrugged.
"Why would I fight him? He's a Marine, isn't he?"
Aokiji laughed awkwardly and said nothing more.
The Next Morning
A full day and night had passed.
The battle still hadn't officially ended—
But to the observers, the outcome was already clear.
Akainu was covered in sword wounds, battered and filthy.
Karl, on the other hand, looked almost untouched—
aside from torn clothes, his aura remained stable and strong.
His stamina was still abundant.
One reason was obvious:
Karl could heal himself at any time with Holy Light, keeping his body at peak condition.
The other was more terrifying—
with layered buffs and abilities, his endurance was absurd.
Even when Akainu landed multiple hits, as long as they weren't fatal, Karl recovered almost instantly.
Akainu didn't have that luxury.
Injuries stayed injuries.
Of course, his physique was monstrous—
even after taking over a dozen slashes, he could still fight.
"Admiral Akainu," Karl said,
"if we keep going, this island won't hold much longer.
How about we stop here?"
Akainu's face darkened as he was about to respond—
When the ground suddenly collapsed nearby.
Seawater surged in, sending towering waves skyward.
And that was only the beginning.
Like dominoes, chunks of the island began collapsing one after another.
Soon, there would be nowhere left to stand.
"...Hah."
Akainu exhaled slowly.
There was no choice.
The battle had to end.
What he couldn't understand—
Was why Karl was this strong.
The answer was obvious.
His ability.
Enhancing the body.
Healing injuries.
Just those two traits alone were enough to drive an opponent mad.
Akainu's magma was devastating—against pirates, it was nearly unstoppable.
But against Karl?
After breaking through Armament Haki and finally landing damage—
Karl would simply heal it away with Holy Light.
How was one supposed to fight that?
So much effort.
So much stamina.
So much focus.
And not even a single strand of hair to show for it.
How could that not be frustrating?
Kaido was similar—but far less flexible.
He relied on brute defense and sheer stamina, making it possible to wear him down.
Karl?
Slippery. Elusive.
Landing one hit out of ten already meant your aim was excellent.
The Holy Light Fruit's only real weakness was its lack of large-scale offense.
But Karl compensated perfectly—
Swordsmanship for range.
Conqueror's Haki for power.
All in all—
Karl was an extremely troublesome opponent.
Akainu finally muttered:
"…The younger generation is truly terrifying."
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