The explosion of the ammunition inside his body had dealt a severe blow to his psyche, nearly causing a mental collapse. Then, witnessing Taylor's death, his spirit shattered completely. And in that breakdown, his Castle-Castle Fruit awakened.
His external territory expanded to a thousand-meter radius. Within this domain, he could freely manipulate any object.
"I'll slaughter you," Bege snarled. The bloody aura around him grew more intense, coiling around him and gradually forming the outline of a demonic blood specter. The specter snarled and brandished its claws, radiating a fiendish and terrifying killing intent—a physical manifestation of the grief and fury in Bege's heart.
The space around Akainu spun faster and faster, the intense tearing force threatening to shred his body. Chunks of his magma form were ripped away, swirling into the warped vortex until it became a whirlpool of molten rock.
With a ferocious roar, Akainu's hands glowed a deep crimson. He unleashed a massive, searing torrent of magma, like a volcanic eruption. The powerful blast tore through the warped vortex, allowing him to break free.
However, the shattered space instantly began to swirl again. The vast amount of magma, before it could even hit the ground, was caught in the distortion and began to spin, pressing in on Akainu.
Magma erupted from Akainu's hands again, the immense force of two simultaneous volcanic blasts tearing the warped space apart once more. Tons and tons of magma poured out, turning the surrounding landscape into a molten field.
Before he could even catch his breath, the air cracked above him. Akainu looked up, and his blood ran cold. A jet-black foot was crashing down.
He immediately crossed his arms above his head to protect himself.
A colossal force, like a flash flood, slammed into him. Akainu coughed up blood and was sent flying, tumbling across the ground and plowing a long trench before coming to a stop in a pile of rubble.
In the next second, the earth cracked and the ground churned like a violent sea. A storm of rock and dust kicked up, and countless massive boulders flew through the air, converging on Akainu and burying him in an instant.
The spot where he stood was now a small mountain, with him crushed beneath it.
BOOM!
The small mountain exploded, and a fountain of magma erupted. Akainu stood in the center of it, gasping for breath, spitting out mouthfuls of blood. Gritting his teeth, he charged out and threw a punch at Bege.
The space in front of Bege warped. Akainu's punch was caught in the distortion. Bege, however, used the opening to strike, landing a kick on Akainu.
"Pfft—!"
The blow sent Akainu flying. He spat out more blood, a large part of his body gone, but the flowing magma quickly regenerated his form.
Just then, Bege appeared at his side. The cursed sword Hannya glowed with an eerie, bloody light as it slashed at his head, making Akainu's scalp tingle.
He instantly coated his hands in Armament Haki to block the blow. The immense force of the slash sent him stumbling back, and he fell to the ground. The Haki on his hands shattered, and Hannya continued its path, swiftly cutting off both of Akainu's hands.
Akainu's reaction was just as fast; he had already turned his arms to magma, otherwise, they would have been severed completely.
Bege followed up with a kick that struck Akainu squarely. The Admiral's eyes bulged, and he coughed up a huge amount of blood. Like a broken arrow, he was sent flying, tumbling across the ground before crashing into a deep pit.
Bege took a step, his speed exploding to a degree that his figure became a blur.
But suddenly, a sound tore through the air. A figure flashed in front of Bege, blocking his path and throwing a punch.
The space in front of Bege warped instantly, but the fist was incredibly domineering, blasting the warped space apart. The terrifying force of the punch pierced the atmosphere and slammed into Bege, knocking him back.
The figure landed. It was Garp. He had broken away from Whitebeard to stop Bege.
But Bege was consumed by a towering killing intent. He would destroy anyone who stood in his way.
Garp blocked Bege's slash with one hand and threw a punch with the other. But in that instant, the space around his fist distorted. The powerful tearing force shredded his sleeve, and sparks flew as it ripped at the Armament Haki on his arm.
"Mere spatial distortion," Garp said, his eyes sharp. His left arm bulged, and a terrifying power erupted, shattering the warped space. His fist connected with Bege, sending him flying.
Bege climbed out of the rubble, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He touched the fist print on his chest. After his Devil Fruit had awakened, his Castle Skin had become much tougher, but Garp's punch had still managed to crack it.
Bege raised his cursed sword to attack again, but Whitebeard appeared behind him.
"Demon Dragon, it ends here."
Bege paid him no mind and continued forward. His heart was filled with an endless rage; he couldn't hear anything else.
Whitebeard looked at the terrifying bloody aura fluctuating around Bege and frowned. He took a step and brought his large hand down on Bege's head.
The space above Bege's head rapidly hardened, becoming as solid as the earth itself.
"Brat, you're still too green to be playing with space in front of me."
Whitebeard's palm landed on the hardened space. A white aura appeared around his hand, and the solidified space shattered instantly. His hand pressed down on Bege's head, slamming him to the ground.
"Garp, let's end today's war here," Whitebeard said, looking up at Garp, his expression serious.
"It ends here," Garp said, his face impassive as he nodded reluctantly.
"No! We must annihilate the Fire Tank Pirates today!" Akainu climbed to his feet, ignoring his injuries. His eyes were cold, as if he wanted to eat Bege alive.
"Sakazuki, I'm in command of this operation. I say it's over," Garp said coldly. "If we continue fighting, it'll be impossible to wipe out the Fire Tank Pirates. On the contrary, our losses will be even greater."
Akainu's face was filled with unwillingness.
Garp turned and left, beginning to organize the Marines for a retreat.
"Brat, it's time to wake up," Whitebeard said, releasing Bege.
Bege climbed up from the ground, his demonic eyes fixed on Akainu's retreating back.
"Akainu," he seethed, "next time, I will flay you alive."
As if sensing Bege's bone-chilling killing intent, Akainu turned and glanced back at him.
"Next time, I will definitely kill you."
Garp led the Marines and the World Government forces away from Fear Island. The crew of the Fire Tank Pirates began to gather. They laid out the bodies of their fallen comrades in a row. A heavy gloom fell over everyone.
Enel and Wiper ran over. Seeing the field of bodies, they saw one in particular and broke down crying.
"Brother Sam!"
Sam had died under the Marines' siege.
"Aaaahhh! Brother Riki! Brother Sam! Who killed you?! I'll flay them alive!" Enel roared to the sky, lightning crackling around his body.
"Godfather, Brother Riki and Brother Sam are dead," Enel said, running over to Bege. He stopped when he saw the body of Taylor in Bege's arms.
He froze, then broke down completely.
"Sister Taylor, how could you too... Aaaahhh...!"
The others looked over. When they saw Taylor's body, their expressions changed drastically. They all knew about Bege and Taylor's relationship. Taylor was dead.
For them, the sky had fallen.