"Admiral Sakazuki, the enemy is now within our range. Shall we open fire?" Rear Admiral Babrus sought final confirmation, since their barrage would also strike some of their own battered Marine vessels.
Though poorly equipped and small, they were still friendly ships.
"Fire." Akainu gave the cold order, having noticed some of the Marine ships trying to retreat. But even if they weren't, bombardment was necessary.
The full firepower of two warships wasn't something to take lightly. Even a strong opponent couldn't guarantee the defense of every part of their ship. And if they could, the barrage would still wear down their stamina.
"And that flying ship—adjust the trajectory and shoot it down too." Akainu wasn't rushing to attack himself. Kizaru had warned him that Crocodile was not weak.
To be cautious, he wouldn't rely solely on his own strength. Naval battles were especially unfavorable for Devil Fruit users. Even with Geppo, falling into the sea was a real risk.
Instead, he'd steadily tighten the encirclement with the forces at hand, forcing the enemy commander to hesitate. Most pirates would never abandon their ship and crew—those were their assets.
That's why the barrage also served a purpose: to exhaust the enemy as they scrambled to defend their vessel.
And once they finally considered abandoning it, he would show them what true despair meant.
He had hunted many pirates who could've escaped alone had they abandoned everything early on—but by the time they decided to flee, it was already too late.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Thunderous cannon fire ripped through the air. Massive shells cut across the sky, and in an instant, dozens of devastating shells rained down. The first volley had everyone on full alert.
Daz Bones and the others leapt into action. Hathaway unleashed waves of sword aura. Rosen remained still, observing the enemy commander.
Enel, piloting his Ark alone, was hit—boom! A shell struck his vessel.
Though the gold-plated sections absorbed some of the impact, the deck still suffered a direct hit and was left with a gaping hole.
From a distance, Enel's rage exploded. This was his only possession.
"Foolish Blue Sea scum! Die—Ten Thousand Thunderbolts!" The warships had split their fire: one volley toward Rosen and the Ark, the other at the Marine ships Enel had just descended upon.
But now Enel no longer cared about the latter. His wrath was focused on whoever had damaged the Ark.
He transformed into lightning, danced through the sky, barefoot atop crackling currents. His electricity agitated the clouds until they swirled into a storm. With a sweep of his hand, dozens of bolts of lightning rained down upon the warships.
"Damn you!" Akainu snarled at the incoming barrage of lightning.
Though there'd been no recent reports of a lightning-type user, it didn't matter. Anyone who challenged him would face destruction.
"Great Eruption!" Molten magma surged from Akainu's arm, expanding rapidly in size.
The air rippled with heat. In this world, magma surpassed fire—his Magma-Magma Fruit was a superior form to the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Akainu's magma was terrifyingly powerful. A colossal magma fist erupted like a volcano, hurling itself skyward to intercept the descending thunderbolts.
Boom!
It was like the heavens collapsed—a true clash of fire and lightning. In an instant, the thunder was torn apart by the dark-red magma. But the savage nature of the lightning caused a massive explosion even in defeat.
As it detonated, magma droplets scattered from the colossal fist, turning into volcanic bombs more fearsome than cannon shells. With piercing shrieks, some flew toward Rosen and his crew.
"What?! My lightning was destroyed?!" Enel was shocked—and furious. He immediately moved above the warship, preparing to launch a more powerful lightning strike from closer range.
"Not one of Crocodile's current subordinates... A new recruit? Or just happened to arrive?" Akainu frowned, staring at the thunder-man.
The Goro Goro no Mi was easily recognizable. It was long considered a top-tier Logia fruit, on par with magma.
But judging from the recent clash, its actual power seemed… mediocre.
"Divine—" Enel raised his hand, ready to smite the Marines and obliterate the ship.
But before the attack could land, Akainu gave him a chilling glare that froze his heart.
That gaze brimmed with merciless killing intent and unshakable will.
"Whoosh!" Akainu vanished.
"Where is he?!" Enel blinked. That was too fast. Just as his Mantra detected a trace beside him, a magma fist was already upon him.
Boom!
Enel didn't even try to dodge. He didn't believe just anyone in the Blue Sea could take him down. He wanted to prove his strength.
He raised his golden staff to block, but Akainu's punch shattered it, and the Haki-infused magma fist smashed directly into his chest.
His chest caved in. Bones cracked. Enel's mind went blank. He nearly lost consciousness on the spot. So strong!
If the staff hadn't absorbed some of the blow, that punch might've gone clean through him.
"Get back, Enel." When Rosen saw the magma fist streaking from the warship, he knew things were bad.
He had barely issued a warning when Enel, the reckless idiot, charged in headfirst.
And in moments, he was severely wounded and sent flying back.
"What a fool. Double his training from now on," Rosen growled coldly. Enel was too used to being arrogant. He didn't even try to gauge the enemy's strength before jumping in.
If not for that momentary block, this Devil Fruit user—whose powers were developed well enough to qualify as near-admiral level—might've died.
With his abilities, if he'd kept his distance and relied on lightning speed and destruction, even fighting Akainu from afar would've been viable.
Instead, he nearly got knocked out with a single punch. This was the price of overconfidence.
Rosen had hoped Enel would return unscathed, not on the brink of death.
Still, he couldn't just let him fall. As Enel hurtled through the air, along with incoming volcanic bombs, Rosen shot upward to catch him midair and stabilize him.
His expression turned grim. He never expected to encounter Admiral Akainu here—the man who fought an aging Whitebeard to a standstill and defeated Admiral Aokiji, destined to become the next Fleet Admiral.
A truly terrifying Marine. And Marine reinforcements were still converging on their location. Things were spiraling out of control.
With that blow, their position was exposed—and Akainu wasted no time acting.
"No Armament Haki defense? Just relying on fruit powers?" Akainu said coldly. "Fine then. Sink to the bottom of the sea—Meteor Volcano!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Countless magma fists erupted from his arms and shot into the sky, vanishing into the clouds.
Then, a moment later—boom! A wave of sonic booms echoed. The sky turned crimson as a rain of magma fists came crashing down like a doomsday meteor shower.
The entire sea area around Rosen's ship was engulfed.
"All hands on alert! Brace yourselves!" Rosen shouted. Each of those meteor fists falling from the sky was deadly.
(End of Chapter)