Sabo pushed Luffy gently aside, giving the younger man enough room to breathe again.
"Pant, pant," Sabo said between breaths as he turned his gaze first toward Akainu and then to Luffy's right hand, red and scorched from the magma.
Sabo's brow furrowed deeply. He knew Luffy ate the Rubber‑Rubber Fruit, and rubber's greatest weaknesses were sharp slashes and high temperatures. Akainu, as a Magma‑Magma Fruit user, embodied the fiercest elemental disaster on Earth, the embodiment of overwhelming heat. For a rubber man, Akainu was a natural enemy.
If Luffy ran straight toward the execution platform to save Ace, he would have to confront Akainu again. That was unacceptable.
On the execution platform stood Garp and Sengoku. Garp was Luffy's biological grandfather, a living legend and Navy Hero whose strength was terrifying. If he fought with full force, there was almost no one on the battlefield, aside from Whitebeard, who could stop him. Even Sabo had no confidence in taking that monstrous old man head‑on.
He spoke with a steady voice to Luffy, "Luffy, the mission to rescue Ace is yours. I'll hold off this Admiral."
Luffy wiped away a tear, his gaze flicking between Akainu and Sabo. His voice trembled as he spoke, "Sabo, this Admiral's insane. His fists turn into magma, and it's burning hot."
Sabo nodded, understanding perfectly, "Understood. Move out. Ace's fate is in your hands."
Luffy's eyes flared with resolve, "Right! Leave it to me! You stay safe!"
Akainu watched the brothers speaking to each other with a chilling mixture of amusement and fury.
"Ha, so you think I don't exist? I said none of you three brothers will leave here alive today."
With that, he transformed his left fist into molten magma and launched it toward both brothers.
Sabo's lips curved into a tight line as his right arm shifted into a giant black wing, and he met Akainu's magma punch head‑on.
Boom.
The clash echoed like thunder.
Sabo glanced toward the worried Luffy and said calmly, "Don't worry. This temperature is even lower than my hottest baths. Go, go with confidence."
Meanwhile, at the back of the gathered prisoners, all eyes were fixed on the unfolding chaos.
Buggy observed everything with detached irritation. The limelight was being stolen again, this time by the Straw Hat who had just shown up at Marineford.
But the prisoners behind him were not as calm.
"That fortune was supposed to belong to our idol, Lord Buggy!"
"Since the Straw Hat showed up, everything is about him!"
"How dare he steal the spotlight from Lord Buggy!"
"Lord Buggy, right now Whitebeard is fighting Kizaru. This is the chance to get famous!"
"Right, if you defeat Whitebeard or take Straw Hat Luffy's head, everyone will cheer for you again!"
Their shouts and suggestions surged around Buggy like a storm, and he inwardly groaned.
Take Whitebeard's head? That was absurd. Just being looked at by Whitebeard felt like being marked by death itself. Buggy had no intention of dying for fame. And taking Luffy's head? The memory of how Luffy's punch in the East Blue once sent him flying thousands of meters was still fresh in his mind. He wasn't eager to experience that again.
He spun around, glaring at the rowdy prisoners. "You idiots! Whitebeard's fighting his own war. Do you think I'd attack him?"
The prisoners fell silent for a moment, then their faces lit up again.
"Lord Buggy!"
"Yes, Lord Buggy's honest! He won't do anything shameful!"
"As expected of Lord Buggy!"
"We'll follow you forever!"
"Lord Buggy!"
Their cheers echoed off the battlefield. Buggy blinked in stunned disbelief, then looked toward Whitebeard still fighting Kizaru and burst into a loud laugh, "Yah ha ha ha ha!"
Back by Akainu and Sabo, the battlefield shuddered with every strike.
Boom!
The explosion from Akainu's magma fist colliding with Sabo's black wing blew a gale outward, forcing observers back dozens of meters. A vacuum of force formed between them, and terrifying cracks spread across the ice beneath their feet.
As both fighters pushed their power further, they each took several steps backward, leaving deep footprints etched into the icy ground.
Sabo's right fist trembled slightly, but his expression remained controlled. From the clash he had just had against Akainu, he had a rough estimate of his opponent's strength. The Admiral was somewhat stronger than him, but not by much. With such a small gap in power, neither side could expect a quick victory.
More importantly, Sabo's goal left no need for a killing fight. His task was simply to block Akainu so Luffy could reach Ace.
Akainu, his magma arm returned to its normal form, stared at Sabo with utter shock. The last time he had felt this degree of disbelief was against a different kind of monster. He had never fought an opponent who came nearly equal to him in strength at such a young age.
As unsettling as that was, his killing intent only sharpened.
He turned his gaze toward the figure running for the execution platform, brows tightening. Both Luffy and now Sabo were serious problems, but he could only deal with one at a time.
If he quickly dispatched this troublesome young man before him, he could then pursue Luffy.
He never thought Garp or Sengoku could truly stop Luffy. Even if their strength was slightly above his, Luffy was Garp's biological grandson. The old man might hesitate to fight with full force lest he hurt his own kin.
Akainu glanced toward Kizaru, who still twirled lazily while Whitebeard fought nearby, and toward Aokiji, who chatted with Marco a short distance away.
For a moment, Akainu inwardly cursed his comrades: Unreliable as always. Someone has to carry the flag of justice here.
His lower body transformed into magma and elongated in an instant, the molten form slithering across the ground toward Sabo.
"Hell Hound!" he roared.
Akainu's left arm, radiating dazzling red heat, morphed into a magma hound and lunged at Sabo's chest.
Sabo's pupils narrowed sharply. He had not expected such speed, especially while focused on guarding Luffy. There was no time to dodge. He could only seize the magma hound with his bare hands.
As heat and force collided, Sabo was dragged backward violently. His feet carved long furrows into the frozen battlefield as he slid for dozens of meters before planting his right foot hard enough to stop his backward momentum.
Despite being driven back, he still clutched the magma hound in his grasp. The two forces locked in a brutal stalemate.
Akainu's eyes widened with disbelief, his brow furrowed as he stared at Sabo's grip.
How is this possible?