After Sherwin deflected the giant lava fist, he paid no more attention to the screaming and roaring Celestial Dragons, because...
"Great Eruption!"
A dog head made of molten lava opened its maw wide and bit toward Sherwin.
Hunter Art: Deviant Blade Rasetsu!
Monster Hunter Style: Wind Fang Tornado!
Sherwin, decisively entering the Deviant Blade Rasetsu state, swung Baby-5, who had already returned to her longsword form, instantly slicing the lava dog head into several pieces.
The shattered magma crashed onto the nearby ground with a sizzling hiss, before flying back into Sakazuki elementalized arm at his command.
"Ha! Long time no see, Sakazuki."
Sherwin greeted Akainu with a beaming smile, forming a sharp contrast to the admiral livid expression.
"Do! Not! Call me that!"
Sakazuki glanced toward the direction of the Celestial Dragons, his already grim face becoming even worse.
In most cases, Akainu didn't care about collateral damage as long as he could eliminate the "evil" he identified, all sacrifices were worthwhile in his eyes.
But the Celestial Dragons were different.
It wasn't that Sakazuki was particularly loyal to them, but rather he knew that if he offended the Celestial Dragons, executing his "justice" would become extremely difficult.
Add to that the fact that he had previously been held accountable by the World Government because of Sherwin, causing the Fleet Admiral position he had hoped to inherit to fall to Aokiji instead...
Between old grudges and new resentment, Sherwin had jumped to the very top of Sakazuki "must-kill" list... with no one else even close.
"Hellhound!"
Whether for public duty or private grudge, it was impossible for Akainu to let Sherwin go. Thus, without any further nonsense, he launched an attack directly at Sherwin.
"Phew—"
Sherwin exhaled a breath of turbid air, gripped the maid longsword tightly, and charged toward Akainu.
He had forgotten before that besides Emperors like Kaido, Admirals like Akainu could also provide him with sufficient pressure.
Siding to avoid Akainu attack, Sherwin closed the distance with a stepping thrust. He didn't use any Monster Hunter Style techniques, instead opting for a simple horizontal slash with the Ryuo-coated maid longsword.
However, bolstered by Deviant Blade Rasetsu and demon mode, even an ordinary slash carried enough power to make an opponent of Akainu caliber treat it with caution.
After using elementalization to dodge the blade, Sakazuki countered with a fist aimed at Sherwin. Sherwin ducked to avoid it, his longsword flickering like a viper tongue as it thrust toward Akainu chin.
Akainu leaned back, narrowly dodging the thrust, though a small notch was sliced into the brim of his marine cap.
"Humph!"
Feeling he had lost face, Sakazuki fully transformed into a magma man, spreading his arms to pull Sherwin into a crushing embrace.
Logia fruits were truly unfair, especially high-damage types like the Magma-Magma Fruit or the Rumble-Rumble Fruit every casual movement possessed destructive power comparable to another person ultimate move.
Sherwin didn't withdraw his thrusting blade he followed through with a downward cleave, but Akainu used Observation Haki to create a gap in his elemental body for the blade to pass through, while he himself continued to lung at Sherwin.
Seriously, these Logia users were just too cheap!
Sherwin curled his lips helplessly and chose to retreat.
Akainu, refusing to let up, pursued Sherwin relentlessly, continuously firing small magma bullets from his body, forcing Sherwin to keep swinging his blade to intercept them.
But staying on the defensive clearly wasn't a long-term solution as the saying goes, "one who defends long enough is bound to fail."
Furthermore, Akainu had a foul mouth, and having gained the upper hand, he began to taunt incessantly.
"Is this all you rely on? If I had known you were only at this level, I should have ignored Kuzan interference back on Oberstein Island and simply eliminated an ignorant brat like you right then!"
Tsk!
Sherwin, who already had a plan in mind, naturally wouldn't lose his judgment over this level of mockery, but he was still somewhat annoyed.
Fine, with my current understanding of swordsmanship, this is probably about as far as it goes.
He was not a peerless swordsman like Hawkeye, after all. Trying to fight Akainu using only the swordsmanship rules of the Pirate world without using cheats was indeed a bit too forced...
Wait, that not right he had actually already activated demon mode and the Cursed Blade Rakshasa...
Thinking about it that way made it even more depressing.
In fact, it wasn't impossible to continue fighting like this Sherwin should still be able to hold out for a while longer.
However, if he did that, he would have to divert more Armament Haki to protect himself, as the destructive power of the Magma-Magma Fruit was indeed quite formidable.
But by doing so, Sherwin couldn't guarantee he could steadily maintain the Armament Haki on his weapon.
If he were using the Longsword or other famous blades, it wouldn't matter much even without Haki protection, they could withstand magma for a while. But it was hard to say for the longsword that Baby-5 had transformed into...
If only Baby-5 had mastered Armament Haki. That way, Sherwin wouldn't need to consume Haki to strengthen the weapon, and it would count as having a second "Black Blade" after Shusui.
So, after comprehensive consideration, Sherwin decisively reverted to the fighting style he was most familiar with...
Hunter Style: Crimson Meteor!
The speed Sherwin suddenly unleashed startled Akainu, but he still managed to evade the strike thanks to his excellent Observation Haki.
However, having cut loose, Sherwin—much like Sakazuki just moments ago—relentlessly launched a continuous barrage of attacks.
Hunter Style: Banquet of the War Gods!
If the Hunter Dance was a rogue style Sherwin developed for protracted battles, then the Banquet of the War Gods was a reckless style that pushed the characteristics of the Striker Style to their absolute limit.
Sherwin longsword continuously slashed at Sakazuki vital points, forcing him to constantly retreat and defend. The momentum between the two sides instantly reversed.
As a seasoned internet troll, Sherwin naturally seized the moment the tables turned to throw Akainu previous mockery back at him with interest...
"No way, right? I only got a little serious, and a dignified Marine Admiral can't hold on? No wonder Aokiji became the Fleet Admiral it feels like you're quite a bit weaker than him."
Compared to Akainu straightforward taunts, Sherwin passive-aggressive sarcasm was clearly more infuriating, especially since he poked at the sensitive issue of the Fleet Admiral position that Sakazuki cared so much about.
Then, just as Sakazuki was considering whether to disregard everything and unleash a massive ultimate move, he suddenly noticed the "voice" coming from Sherwin body becoming blurred. His previously clear Observation Haki perception also became dark and difficult to discern.
Monster Hunter Style: Soul of the Void.
Sensing something was wrong, Sakazuki attempted to dodge immediately, but he was still grazed slightly by the edge of Sherwin blade. A faint, inconspicuous scratch appeared on Akainu chest, oozing a small amount of magma.
Although it appeared that Akainu had used his elemental transformation to dodge in time, he knew himself that he had actually been wounded by Sherwin...
Even if it was just a superficial scratch that barely broke the skin and was completely negligible, it was enough to make Akainu even more furious.
Since they were at Mary Geoise, and Sherwin had somehow diverted his attacks toward the Celestial Dragons earlier, Akainu had been restraining himself from using overly violent attack methods. Aokiji had also specifically instructed him on this matter before sending him here.
But...
Having already been provoked to the brink of an explosion by Sherwin sarcasm, and now having been successfully ambushed by Sherwin strange techniques, Akainu—who never really knew how to hold back—could no longer suppress the killing intent in his heart.
Controlling his arms, which had completely transformed into magma, he swung them violently toward the sky.
"Great Eruption!"
...