"Red!?"
At the sound of that sudden voice, Roronoa Zoro and Akainu (Sakazuki) both turned their heads at the same time—only to see Red's figure, somehow already suspended in midair.
Akainu's brows immediately furrowed.
After everything that had happened, if he were still arrogant enough to treat the Straw Hat Pirates as nothing more than ordinary pirates, then all these years of blood and fire would have been lived in vain.
In truth, ever since learning that the Straw Hat Pirates had defeated Admiral Kizaru, leaving his whereabouts unknown, Akainu had already marked them as a dangerous force and a key target for close surveillance.
Unfortunately, that period of time had seen the seas plunged into utter chaos. The Celestial Dragons had also been utterly uncooperative, constantly pressuring the Marines…
Who would have thought that in just one moment of negligence, the Straw Hat Pirates would rocket upward like they were riding a missile—until now, they had grown into a power that even the World Government had to take seriously.
And all of that had happened in barely a single year!
Now, seeing Red appear so abruptly, a strong sense of foreboding surged in Akainu's heart.
Yet after rebutting Akainu's words, Red suddenly set him aside and instead turned to speak to the three-sword–wielding pirate.
"Zoro, it's about time."
"Let's open the breakthrough from your side."
"Oh?"
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"
"That's right."
"It's time to use that power."
"But if we do, your bet with Sanji won't count anymore~"
Red looked at Zoro with an amused smile.
After all, Mega Evolution required the bond between Red and Zoro.
That meant it wouldn't count as Zoro defeating Akainu on his own.
"...Tch."
A complicated look flashed through Zoro's eyes.
He turned his gaze back to Akainu.
Even after three months of training, his level had risen dramatically.
But in the end, he was still too young—too weak.
Even under Red's training, he could at best barely reach the level of a top Yonko commander.
There was still a considerable gap between him and a top-tier Marine Admiral like Akainu.
As he was now, he couldn't win.
Zoro tightened his grip on his sword, unwilling frustration surging in his heart.
But at the same time—
A sharp gleam flashed through his eyes again.
He looked toward the distant battlefield where Sanji was fighting Aokiji (Kuzan).
Unlike the stalemate on his side, Sanji's high-temperature flames surprisingly suppressed Aokiji's ice abilities completely, preventing him from exerting them at all.
Yet Aokiji had become an Admiral through more than just his Devil Fruit.
If one had to describe him—
He clearly possessed the aptitude of a world-class mage, yet insisted on following Garp and multiclassing into a berserker.
And unbelievably, he had actually made it work.
On the far horizon, although Sanji's flames melted every icy attack, each clash still ended with Sanji being brutally knocked down.
Even with the power of the Speed-Speed Fruit, Aokiji—experienced against high-speed opponents—remained unfazed.
Fortunately, Sanji himself was far from an ordinary being. Even after being battered into critical condition again and again, he recovered rapidly each time.
Judging from the current situation, that wager might never have a real conclusion.
"If that guy really is that strong… then I'll accept it."
After struggling internally, Zoro made his final decision.
He nodded firmly at Red.
"The bigger picture comes first. I'm ready."
Zoro knew Red must have his reasons for coming to him first.
As much as he wanted to settle things with Sanji, he didn't want to interfere with Red's plan.
"Sorry to put you through this~"
Red grinned, then raised his arm, revealing the Pokémon wristband bound around his wrist.
At its center was a Mega Evolution–exclusive item—
A Key Stone.
Red had possessed this Key Stone for nearly half a year.
Though he had tested it a few times, this would be the first time using it on an actual battlefield.
"Since the decision's made, let's finish this cleanly."
With a soft chuckle, Red extended two fingers and tapped the Key Stone.
In an instant, rainbow-colored radiance erupted, flooding the entire space.
"What trick are you pulling now!?"
Seeing the familiar white light bloom around Zoro once more, Akainu frowned.
But the very next second, an aura burst forth from within that light—forcing Akainu's eyes wide open.
Silent as death. Mysterious as gods and Buddhas.
The evolution light rapidly faded away.
In its place stood a strange being before Akainu—three heads, six arms, nine swords in hand, its entire body exuding an eerie, ghostly aura.
"Nine Sword Style · Asura · Dragon—!"
Mega Zoro spoke.
It was clearly Zoro's voice, yet the three heads produced completely different tones.
One resolute like steel.One proud like a dragon.One cold-blooded like an asura.
Merged together, they elevated Zoro's presence into something unfathomable.
The six additional blades born from Mega Evolution radiated the auras of Dragon, Steel, and Ghost Pokémon types.
This—
Was Zoro's Mega Form.
"Now this is getting interesting."
Red smiled faintly as he slowly retreated.
Once Mega Evolution succeeded, it was limited only by time—not distance.
So even if Red moved to another battlefield now, it wouldn't be a problem.
As for the time limit, it depended on both Red and Zoro's stamina.
But with Super Potions on hand, stamina depletion had long been erased from the Straw Hat Pirates' dictionary.
In other words—
Mega Evolution under Red's control was, in a sense, virtually unrestricted.
"I'll leave the rest to you, Zoro."
Red nodded to Mega Zoro. His gaze shifted—and his figure vanished instantly.
Mega Zoro turned all three heads toward Akainu and replied softly,
"Yeah… leave it to me."
Right now, he was terrifyingly strong.
The moment his words fell, cold light flashed through all six of his eyes.
In the next instant, his body vanished from Akainu's sight.
When Zoro reappeared, his blades were already before Akainu.
"What!?"
Caught completely off guard by Zoro's explosive speed in this new form, Akainu's expression changed drastically.
He instinctively condensed his Armament Haki, forming a solid armor of energy before him.
But—
"Nine Sword Style · Asura · Nether Soul · Demonic Dragon Flash!!!"
Slash—
A ferocious aura erupted from Zoro's nine blades, like a savage dragon extending its claws, instantly shattering Akainu's Haki armor.
In truth, at the very moment their eyes met, Zoro had already struck first—secretly using the Ghost-type move Confuse Ray.
Confuse Ray had no direct lethality, but it induced confusion.
So while it looked like Zoro's sword energy had cleaved through Akainu's defense—
In reality, Akainu had abandoned his defense himself.
The next second, Zoro spun rapidly, his blades forming a terrifying vortex that dragged the unprepared Akainu inside.
Sword-energy storms flashed wildly across Akainu's body.
In the blink of an eye, the once-invincible Admiral looked as though he had been thrown into a meat grinder—his body covered in bloody gashes.
"Ah…"
"Damn brat!!!"
The intense pain snapped Akainu out of confusion.
Realizing the danger, he erupted with Armament Haki once more while an intense, searing aura burst from his body.
"RAAAH!!!"
With Akainu's roar, countless fiery meteors shot out like bullets in all directions, blowing the sword-energy tornado apart.
Whoosh—
The gale subsided.
But Akainu's body was drenched in blood, riddled with wounds.
A deep gash ran from the corner of his eye down to his chin, as if half his face had nearly been split open.
Slash—
After the exchange, Zoro reappeared ghostlike in the open air.
"So it's not that simple after all?"
Seeing Akainu break free from his full-powered strike, Zoro murmured softly.
Then his lips curled upward.
From that clash alone, it was clear—
After Mega Evolution, he had truly surpassed the level of top Marine Admirals.
This wasn't just a boost to his base stats.
After Mega Evolution, he possessed even more traits from the Pokémon world.
As the pioneer within the Straw Hat Pirates in developing Pokémon power—
At first, Zoro had merely treated Pokémon energy as a buff to his sword techniques.
Later, after mastering Pokémon-ization, he successfully transformed himself into a Pokémon, allowing him to fully exploit elemental traits.
He could even extend Pokémon moves into his sword intent.
And now, evolving even further—
He could break free of move-slot limitations, freely using every Pokémon move he had ever learned and weaving them into his swordsmanship.
Compared to raw physical boosts, it was this expansion in techniques and tactics that truly elevated Zoro's strength.
"Come on!"
"Let me see just how far this form can really go!!!"
"Bulk Up!""Dragon Dance!""Iron Defense!""Agility!""..."
Right before Akainu's eyes, Zoro activated a chain of buff-type moves, pushing his base attributes even higher.
At the same time, terrifying magma erupted from Akainu.
The spreading lava swelled rapidly, forming a colossal magma giant.
Hiss—
When vast amounts of magma met seawater, thick white steam exploded upward.
The lava that touched the sea broke free from Akainu's control, solidifying into true land that continued to expand outward.
At this moment, Akainu resembled a living Groudon of the pirate world—using his Devil Fruit to create massive land atop the sea.
With the land formed, the lava behemoth gained solid footing.
"Die, you damned pirate!!!"
Unleashing his final trump card, Akainu roared furiously and smashed a colossal magma fist toward Zoro in midair.
Seeing this, Zoro's eyes gleamed.
Instead of dodging, he charged straight at the magma fist.
The battle erupted instantly!
Under the enhancement of countless Pokémon buffs, three-headed, six-armed Zoro looked like a demon god returned from hell, clashing head-on with the infernal lava behemoth.
In an instant, endless flashes of sword light shot outward like lightning.
When they struck the raging waves, the sea split apart, revealing a radiant cleft.
Meanwhile, flying magma meteors pounded the ocean, blasting crater after crater.
Ethereal sea mist rose rapidly, shrouding the battlefield in an otherworldly veil.
...
...
"Now this is intense."
At the edge of the battlefield, Red hovered in midair, smacking his lips.
No matter what—
Akainu truly deserved his title as the powerhouse who defeated Aokiji and ascended to Fleet Admiral.
Just the ability to casually create permanent lava land was enough to leave anyone stunned.
That realization sparked contemplation in Red's eyes.
If Akainu's magma could form permanent terrain, could the power of the Magma-Magma Fruit be used to avert this planet's fate of being swallowed by the sea?
This battle, to Red, was ultimately just a minor interlude.
Marine Admirals. Five Elders.
To the planet itself, to nature—
They were nothing more than dust and fleeting clouds.
Just as Vegapunk could clone Zoan and Paramecia powers but could never replicate Logia fruits—
Red had reason to suspect that their ultimate enemy might be nature itself.
Or rather—
This entire planet.
"I wonder what kind of items in the game world can change nature…?"
"If the pirate world's native power runs dry, I may have no choice but to rely on the system."
"Surely I can't really drag Luffy and the others off to colonize outer space…"
Red let out a soft sigh.
Then his figure flickered—
And he vanished completely from the battlefield.
(End of Chapter)