Carl doesn't underestimate Akainu.
Not only is he incredibly powerful, but he's also intelligent and ruthless. If someone like him were to fight for dominance, he would undoubtedly become a formidable figure. Since he serves the Marines, he's a relentless enforcer of justice.
Fighting Whitebeard one-on-one, manipulating Squard, and punching through Ace—his achievements in the Summit War are still fresh in Carl's mind. Even though the war hasn't happened yet, Carl fully acknowledges Akainu's strength and cunning.
This man will do whatever it takes to eliminate pirates, so Carl knows he can't afford to be careless.
Akainu was slightly surprised by Carl's words but remained silent.
The civil war in this country was unusual, but since it was an internal matter of a World Government-affiliated nation, the Marines had no reason to interfere. That's why Akainu never investigated it. But now that Carl brought it up, did that mean the Straw Hats were getting involved?
This only strengthened Akainu's resolve to take them down.
Whatever the Straw Hats' intentions were, Akainu didn't need to investigate. Pirates meddling in a country's affairs could never mean anything good—so he would simply eliminate them.
This wasn't a matter of Akainu having a low IQ; it was simply how he viewed the world.
His reasoning wasn't entirely wrong, but reality wasn't so simple. The Straw Hats weren't here to overthrow the country—they were trying to save it. However, Akainu, believing he was upholding justice, remained completely unaware of the truth.
"No need to waste words. This is where it ends for all of you!"
Akainu roared as his arms turned into molten magma, launching an attack straight at Carl's head.
Carl raised his obsidian blade to meet the attack. Their clash shattered the ground beneath them, but neither backed down. They continued their relentless assault, the sound of their blows echoing through the battlefield as the ground kept collapsing beneath them.
It wasn't long before the fight turned serious.
As a veteran Admiral, Akainu had both superior strength and combat experience. His magma fists alone put Carl on the defensive, forcing him to retreat step by step.
But Carl had no intention of fighting Akainu head-on.
Defeating a Marine Admiral wasn't easy, and even the slightest mistake could cost him his life.
His strategy was to drag the fight out as long as possible, turning it into a battle of endurance. By stalling Akainu, he could buy enough time for Luffy and the others to deal with Crocodile and Baroque Works.
Akainu seemed to see through Carl's intentions, and his attacks became even more relentless.
"Inugami Guren!"
The molten magma took the shape of a ferocious dog's head, lunging toward Carl with a vicious bite.
Carl's expression turned grim as he swung Hei Yao to counter it. However, with a sharp clang, the magma hound deflected his blade.
"Damn it! His Armament Haki is stronger than mine!"
Carl's face darkened, and without hesitation, he drew the Sandai Kitetsu with his other hand.
Before he could properly defend himself, the magma hound clamped down on his shoulder.
A sharp, searing pain shot through him, and Carl couldn't help but frown. The burning heat of the magma tried to seep into his body, but his Armament Haki blocked it just in time.
Even so, his face paled slightly, and he let out a strained breath.
But Carl didn't just stand there. With a quick counterattack, he slashed at Akainu with Hei Yao, the blade crackling with black lightning.
Akainu, sensing the danger, swiftly pulled back. He glanced at Carl's wounded left arm with a smirk, but Carl simply tapped it with the back of his blade, forcing out the excess magma. His Haki quickly stopped the bleeding.
"For someone your age, your Haki is quite impressive. Even I have to acknowledge that."
Akainu's words were empty praise, but the killing intent in his eyes only grew stronger.
To him, Carl was far too dangerous. If he continued to grow stronger, he would become another major pirate threat that the Marines couldn't afford to ignore.
That's why Akainu had to kill him here and now.
Carl smirked. "You're just relying on your Logia powers. Magma is too destructive—hell, even Whitebeard wouldn't take your attacks lightly."
"Then I'll take that as a compliment. Dai Funka!"
Akainu unleashed a massive magma fist, its sheer power and speed overwhelming.
Carl considered dodging but ultimately gritted his teeth and held his ground. Instead, he sheathed the Sandai Kitetsu, gripped Hei tightly with both hands, and slashed forward ten times, each strike crackling with black lightning.
"Hakoku: Lightning Slash!"
Boom!
The moment the magma fist and black blade clashed, it was as if the world had exploded.
Purple-black lightning crackled violently at the point of impact. The sheer force shattered the ground beneath them, instantly creating a massive rift. The nearby river water surged into the newly formed canyon, causing the water level to drop by two meters.
Had the river been any shallower, the warships would have run aground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hei Yao sent out a shockwave entwined with black lightning, slicing through the magma fist. The remaining energy surged forward, heading straight for Akainu's chest.
Akainu hadn't expected his signature attack to be countered so decisively.
He immediately tried to turn into magma to avoid the attack—only to feel a sudden weakness spread through his body. His Devil Fruit ability wasn't activating.
"What?! Seastone?!"
Akainu's eyes widened in shock. At some point, a bracelet had appeared on his wrist, and it was infused with seastone, suppressing his Devil Fruit powers.
While it didn't completely disable him, it left him dangerously vulnerable at this critical moment.
Boom!
The arc blast struck Akainu head-on.
His powerful frame was sent flying before crashing heavily into the ground. Fortunately, the impact caused the seastone bracelet to snap off, restoring his abilities.
Akainu looked at the bracelet and noticed a thin iron wire wrapped around it.
Carl casually flicked his fingers, and black lightning crackled around his hand, creating a magnetic field. The iron wire responded to the electricity, pulling the seastone bracelet back toward him. It hovered beside Carl's ear as he smirked at Akainu.
Akainu narrowed his eyes. "So that's it… Seems like you've developed your Den Den no Mi quite well."
He wasn't ignorant of how electricity could be used to generate magnetism.
Carl had secretly manipulated the iron wire, using it to attach the seastone bracelet to Akainu without him noticing. Since Akainu had been focused on countering Carl's lightning-infused shockwave, he had completely overlooked the subtle trick.
And now, he had taken a direct hit because of it.
Though Hakoku: Lightning Slash had been slightly weakened by Dai Funka, its power was still undeniable.
Blood dripped from Akainu's chest, and a trickle ran down the corner of his mouth. He looked battered and bruised.
Carl clicked his tongue. "Tch. You're tough, Akainu. Even after taking that hit, you only ended up with a few wounds. You're making me look bad here."
Akainu's face darkened. "Don't act smug. People like you piss me off the most."
The humiliation of falling for such a trick only fueled his rage.
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