What Vista had torn apart was only Akainu's magma body; his real form had already slipped away. In an instant, Akainu leaped into the air, his body wreathed in black smoke. He threw a flurry of punches, and hundreds of magma fists rained down from the sky.
Vista's expression changed drastically. He swung his twin swords, creating a whirlwind of countless rose petals that formed into streams of energy, shredding the magma fists.
At the same time, Jozu moved. He ran in front of Vista, the diamond on his right arm multiplying and layering over itself. He threw a punch, and the diamonds shot out like meteors, each one capable of destroying a magma fist.
Together, they managed to block Akainu's attack.
In another part of the battlefield, where Enel and Wiper fought, the effects of the healing dandelion also wore off. Their old and new wounds flared up simultaneously, and they were being overwhelmed by Kizaru. Fortunately, Marco appeared just in time to block the Admiral, saving both of their lives.
On the other battlefronts, the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates were successfully holding back the top-tier Marine officers.
Back with Bege, Garp and Whitebeard were still locked in a standoff of pure presence, showing no intention of making a move.
Suddenly, a fiery red figure came rushing from the distance. It was Akainu. He was making a beeline for Bege, splattering magma as he ran, with Vista and Jozu in hot pursuit.
"I must kill Demon Dragon," Akainu thought, his face a ferocious mask. After learning that Whitebeard was holding Garp back, he knew Bege might not die. So, after fighting off Vista and Jozu, he had decided to rush over and finish the job himself.
Whitebeard's eyebrow twitched. But in that instant, Garp moved. He appeared before Whitebeard in a flash, his jet-black fist piercing the atmosphere.
"Don't even think about pulling any tricks in front of me, Newgate."
A white aura instantly coated Whitebeard's fist, and he threw a punch without a word.
Whitebeard had been about to move to stop Akainu, but Garp had instantly read his intention and struck first.
The two fists, one large and one small, collided like meteors.
In the next moment, a circular shockwave erupted from the point of impact, sweeping across the entirety of Fear Island like a monstrous tidal wave.
The surrounding ground rapidly fractured, cracks spreading out like lightning bolts.
An instant later, they both drew back their other hands, balled them into fists, and clashed once more. A powerful shockwave pulsed out again.
Black lightning crackled furiously around them.
Akainu weathered the two shockwaves and burst forward with a surge of speed, rushing into the crater toward Bege.
"Capone Bege, today is the day you die!" Akainu leaped into the air, his magma-drenched fist hurtling toward Bege.
Suddenly, a slender figure stepped in front of Bege. It was Taylor, her face set with the resolve to die.
"Get out of my way," Akainu said, his expression cold. His fist didn't slow in the slightest. At the same moment, a tall figure rushed over and stood in front of Taylor, crossing his arms to block Akainu's magma fist. Akainu's punch blew off his arms and vaporized his head.
"Ade!" Taylor screamed in agony.
Akainu casually tossed Ade's corpse aside and walked coolly toward Taylor.
"You shouldn't have stood here."
"You can capture him, you don't have to kill him," Taylor said, tears streaming down her face as she looked at Akainu with defiance.
"Making excuses for a criminal... you're no better. Then you can die together," Akainu said, utterly ruthless. He raised his fist and punched straight at Taylor.
"No...!"
Just then, Bege's eyes snapped open. He saw Akainu's magma fist pierce through Taylor's chest.
Bege's eyes turned blood-red. He grabbed the cursed sword Hannya and shot up, slashing at Akainu. The blade was so fast it instantly sliced Akainu's body in two.
But the two halves of his body dissolved into magma and splattered on the ground. The molten rock swirled, rapidly reforming into a human shape. Bege kicked the half-formed figure, blowing it apart again.
He scrambled to catch Taylor as she fell.
"Bege... I didn't want to betray you, but I had no choice," Taylor said, caressing his cheek. "I know I've committed the greatest sin on the seas, but if you can... I want you to save my sister from the World Government." Her voice grew weaker, her eyes lost their focus, and her hand fell limply to the ground.
"Mansherry, get over here! Save Taylor!" Bege roared, his voice trembling as he held her.
Mansherry ran over and placed her hands on Taylor, but her expression went dim. She began to cry sorrowfully. "Godfather... Sister Taylor... she can't be saved."
"No... no, no, it's not possible," Bege stammered, his eyes vacant. He clutched Taylor tightly, tears flowing freely for the first time in his life.
"All evil will be erased by justice. She is dead, and you will die too, Demon Dragon. Prepare to die," Akainu said, his body having reformed. There was a long gash on his chest, dripping with blood.
He leaped forward, his body roiling with magma, and brought his fist down on Bege.
The powerful magma fist crashed down with a boom, only to explode just above Bege's head, as if it had struck an invisible barrier. Magma flowed down the sides of the unseen shield.
Bege slowly raised his head. His ferocious, blood-red eyes shot out an endless, bone-chilling killing intent.
The ground within a thousand-meter radius shattered and collapsed. Countless fissures crisscrossed the landscape as the earth broke apart again and again, as if in the throes of a violent earthquake. The pulverized rock was ground to dust, which swirled in the air, creating a scene of apocalyptic destruction.
The fighting Garp and Whitebeard instantly disengaged, their expressions changing drastically as they looked at Bege. They could feel the space around them pressing in, filled with Bege's rage and murderous intent.
"What's happening?"
"Has the Demon Dragon kid's Devil Fruit awakened?" Whitebeard's brow furrowed. The terrifying scene before them was not something that could be created by Conqueror's Haki. That only left a Devil Fruit ability.
Akainu was frozen in mid-air. He could feel the space around him squeezing, trying to crush him.
He erupted with magma, forcibly breaking the restraint and landing on the ground. But an invisible pressure instantly slammed down on him, and the ground beneath his feet cracked.
He stood up, his face impassive. A bloody aura swirled around him, a vicious and demonic Haki coiling about his form. His cold, bloodshot eyes reflected the state of his soul.
Pain. A heart-wrenching, soul-tearing pain that was beyond words, as if a thousand knives were flaying him alive, endlessly.
At that moment, his heart held nothing but rage and the will to kill.
His face twisted into a snarl. "Akainu... I'm going to flay you alive."
Bege took a single step and appeared in front of Akainu, the cursed sword Hannya slashing down.
Akainu was horrified. He threw a punch, breaking through the pressure to meet the blade. But Bege was swinging with the absolute intent to kill, and the force behind the slash was immense. It sliced right through the magma fist and severed Akainu's arm.
Then, a Haki-clad foot slammed into Akainu's chest. It felt like being hit by a mountain. Akainu spat out blood and was sent flying, crashing into the earth.
He staggered to his feet, coughing up more blood. He looked at his severed right arm. The flow of magma had slowed, and the rate of regeneration was much slower than before.
"What the hell is going on?"
His expression changed again as the space around him began to twist, trapping him tightly within a spinning vortex.
Bege walked toward him, step by step. With every step he took, the pressure on Akainu intensified.