An incandescent magma roiled, and the heat leaking from Akainu's body made the air shimmer like a mirage.
Opposite him, Komurasaki held Enma with both hands, pale blue lightning visibly crackling and discharging from the blade.
Komurasaki, the faster of the two, took the initiative. She closed the distance in the blink of an eye and swung down her lightning-wreathed blade. Akainu met the blow, blocking it with an arm clad in Haki. A brilliant shower of sparks flew, and the aftershock from the clash of their Haki rippled through the air.
"Ngh…!"
"As expected of an Admiral… a blow of this level does not faze you."
Both of their Armament Haki had reached a high level of mastery. They could wear it like armor to protect their bodies, flow it into their weapons to harden them and dye them black, and infuse it into their enemies to destroy them from within. Even for a Logia-type user, whose fluid body made evasion easy when combined with well-trained Observation Haki, both of them understood that a lapse in concentration would result in a direct hit to their true form.
A bolt of lightning, fired as a feint, collided with the magma. Sword and fist clashed in a continuous flurry, sending sparks flying with every impact.
"Guh—!!"
With a particularly powerful clash, Komurasaki was sent flying back. Akainu pursued her, his right arm transforming into magma.
"Inugami Guren!!"
His magma arm took the shape of a dog and lunged at Komurasaki. It was a hound of magma that would burn its target to death on contact. Even for Komurasaki, taking the hit head-on was not an option, and she immediately took a stance to intercept it.
"Rairyu!!"
The pale blue lightning converged and was unleashed at the same moment she swung her sword upward from below. The lightning, taking the form of a long Eastern dragon, tore across the ground and collided with the magma dog, exploding violently before dissipating.
Whether lightning or magma, both were inherently high in offensive power… but since their ability outputs were evenly matched, Komurasaki was not overpowered. Still, if there was a difference between them, it was likely the sheer volume of their combat experience.
Komurasaki's main objective was to buy time for Pedro's treatment and for the others to escape, so she couldn't recklessly use attacks imbued with Haoshoku Haki. While powerful, those techniques consumed a fair amount of stamina and were not something to be used repeatedly outside of a decisive, short battle.
"Twilight's hidden prodigy… I had heard the Witch had a disciple, but to think there was someone this capable is a surprise."
Within Twilight, there were a fair number of individuals who had been taught by Kanata. They were the ones known as the Einherjar and the Valkyries. Akainu had never fought them personally, but he had heard some information about them. It was one of the reasons he had judged Kanata to be a threat and had wanted to avoid direct conflict if possible—but even so, he was truly surprised that someone of this caliber existed.
Realizing that a clash of abilities would lead to a stalemate, they switched to close-quarters combat, cladding themselves in Haki and searching for an opening.
(…He's strong. If I show even the slightest opening, he'll tear me apart!)
(Her form is solid. The Witch's teachings… truly, that woman does nothing but cause trouble.)
For her to be so extraordinarily strong herself, and for her disciple to be this skilled as well, was astounding. Akainu was filled with the urge to sigh internally, but the sharpness of the blade flashing before him kept him in check.
In the world of pirates, strength was everything. While individuals did various things to become stronger, only the Navy systematically trained its soldiers. To make a name for oneself, to rise through the ranks, to gain status—there were many reasons, but those who threw their lot in with pirates generally focused only on their own individual strength.
This was because they almost always scouted those who were already strong, rather than nurturing talent themselves. The reason the Navy could be stationed all over the world and take on so many pirates was not just because they had the largest numbers of any organization—more than anything, it was because they provided a minimum level of instruction through training.
(The larger the pool, the more likely it is for skilled individuals to emerge. But skilled individuals of this level shouldn't appear so readily.)
Not just Kaie, but Yuisheeze, who should have joined only in recent years, was also far stronger than he had heard. It was proof of Kanata's excellence as a teacher. If a considerable number of combatants capable of buying time against Akainu were being produced, the balance of power between the Navy and Twilight would be overturned.
That was the Navy's greatest fear.
"—Securing Nico Robin is the top priority, but I cannot let you escape either."
"—If you can stop me."
He could not let this woman, who swung her sword without flinching before him, get away.
Evil had to be eradicated at its root.
***
Peering down at the battle between Komurasaki and Akainu from the sky with a pair of binoculars was Enel, who had insisted on coming along for this fight. He was leaning over the side of the Ark Maxim, watching with great interest, his white coat held firmly by the man standing behind him.
"Hmm… so that's a Marine Admiral. I see. If he can fight Komurasaki on even terms, he must be quite the formidable opponent. No wonder they called for urgent backup."
"Don't fall off. I haven't forgotten that you almost fell during the test run because you were messing around too much."
"I have no memory of such a thing."
"You bastard…!"
Shura, who had been working as a border patrolman on the sky island, glared at Enel, a vein popping on his forehead.
Whether because he had been involved in its creation or for some other reason, Enel seemed to have a great fondness for this ship. From the test runs to this very moment, he had insisted on boarding it whenever he heard it was going to fly. At first, he had been checking the internal engine, but this time his interest had shifted to the outside. He had been moving all over the place and nearly fell off the ship. As a result, he was now assigned a single guard to keep him safe.
He was being treated like a complete child.
"You should call me Doctor, not 'you.' Unlike you, I am an irreplaceable talent."
"I know that, but when you've got someone who won't listen, you can't help but want to say it."
"My position is higher than yours."
"And I've been told to keep you quiet even if I have to tie you up."
Shura shouted at the glaring Enel to behave himself.
Eventually, Enel's attention was drawn back to the flashy clash between Komurasaki and Akainu, and he returned his gaze to them, peering through the binoculars.
Shura sighed, but Enel simply began to issue orders.
"We have only four warships, large and small, and the Germa ship. It seems the Navy has lost one warship, but there are still nine left. We should attack from above as well."
"What are you talking…"
"Hurry up. I designed this ship. It should be equipped with weapons of some sort."
"…Oi! You heard him!? Use the weapons on this ship and sink their warships!!"
"Y-Yes, sir!!"
The crewmen, who had thought they were just here to transport Komurasaki, Izo, and Kawamatsu, began to scurry about in a flurry of activity. There were several weapons that utilized Dials, and the Ark was equipped with them as well. Kanata had not asked for a ship that could merely fly. To meet those expectations, Enel had designed various weapons, and there were several that had been created based on Kanata's ideas.
"And activate that device as well. We may have need of it."
"…Are you serious? It's still being adjusted…"
"I created it. It is complete as it is."
"Didn't you say something similar before and get yelled at for it!?"
Enel acted as if Shura's words were nothing but the wind, and Shura, at a loss for what to do… ultimately decided to issue the orders as Enel had said. Whatever it was, it was certainly useful to them, and considering their opponent, he thought there was no harm in using it. He also judged that Enel would be the only one to get in trouble for it anyway.
***
Caterina finished administering first aid to the seriously wounded and thought of those fighting outside the building.
They were all skilled individuals who could hold their own in the New World. If things went well from here, escaping shouldn't be too difficult. A Buster Call was not an attack on a scale that could be easily dealt with… but she was confident that once they repelled it, the Navy would not pursue them into Twilight's territory. The Twilight Pirates were not a crew that could be dealt with by launching an attack on a whim.
"…But I wonder if they'll be okay."
Right now, escaping from this place was the top priority. That was why she had treated those who needed it, starting with Pedro. The uninjured Nami and Chopper were sitting down, their faces pale, and Zoro had somehow managed to return on his own… but with so many seriously injured, moving from here would also be difficult.
Though she knew they should escape immediately, with only Nami, Caterina, and Robin mostly unharmed, even carrying the others would be a struggle. Zoro's injuries were far from light, and carrying several people while moving was a high risk.
As she was racking her brain over what to do, Robin made a suggestion.
"I'll move them with my ability."
"Yours? But your ability is just to sprout hands and feet… oh, you mean…"
"Yes. I'll make them move by sprouting feet on their backs."
Their movement speed would be slightly reduced, but by sprouting numerous feet on their backs, she intended to make them able to move without being carried. The slow pace was a bit of a problem, but staying in this situation was the greater risk. If they could escape, they should.
She peeked outside the building, and the vibrations of the clashes around them occasionally struck her skin. To be honest, the aftershocks alone were enough to instill a sense of fear, but if they cowered here, they would remain in the danger zone forever, and Komurasaki and the others would be unable to fight properly.
"…Alright, it looks okay for now. Let's go."
She could see Luffy and Lucci clashing head-on. They had no choice but to pass right by them to get to the port, but praying that they would somehow manage, they ran past as quickly as they could.
"Luffy-kun, we're heading for the port! We're counting on you to hold Lucci off!"
"Got it!!"
WHOOSH. Steam erupted from Luffy's body.
Understanding that this was the crucial moment, he decided not just to surpass Lucci—but to defeat him here and now. When he thought that Pedro had fallen to Akainu's attack, and that the same could happen to his other friends, he could no longer be concerned with fatigue or pain.
He had friends he wanted by his side, even if they weren't strong. For their sake, he would risk his life in battle as many times as it took.
"Hehe… you must be at your limit too, yet you persist. Straw Hat."
"Hah, hah… You're not exactly taking it easy either, are you? In that case, this is a battle of wills!!"
Lucci, who swore he would capture Robin.
Luffy, who roared he would absolutely take Robin back.
Both were covered in wounds. Their stamina was already on the verge of depletion, their injuries were numerous, and all that remained was the sheer willpower to achieve their respective goals.
The battle would be decided soon.
On these seas, the one who understood that an unyielding conviction was the strongest weapon of all was the one who would be the victor.