Kaido, like a mindless brute, began to swing his Kanabo wildly as he struggled to see through the lava covering his face.
As luck would have it, Akainu's attack happened to collide directly with the swinging Kanabo.
"Puh!"
A deep scar on Akainu's chest burst open and blood began to spurt out and soaked his clothes. Caught off guard, Akainu spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.
"I found you!"
Kaido shouted in surprise amidst the smoke, then dragged his Kanabo forward with great strides. As he ran, he brushed the lava from his face and grinned menacingly.
This confirmed a fact of which he was completely unaware!
The expressions on the faces of the onlookers varied.
Some were surprised, others puzzled, and there were those who clumsily tried to suppress their laughter.
Akainu's actions vividly demonstrated what it meant to have "a powerful attack with zero results".
Boom!
The Kanabo hit the ground, causing an explosion of rocks and debris!
Akainu dodged the attack in a chaotic roll, his face flushed, unsure if it was from pain or anger.
Awakening Technique - Lava Hell!
Taking a beating wasn't Akainu's style, and both he and Kaido agreed on that point.
Having dodged the attack, Akainu immediately thrust his arm into the flowing lava beneath the earth and unleashed his Awakening special move.
Bang!
The violently erupting lava enveloped Kaido, causing the ground to lose its support. Off balance and caught off guard, Kaido was thrown out of the lava.
But this was not the end!
Magma Dai Funka - Great Eruption!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Jets of red-hot lava shot out of the ground, each eruption perfectly timed to hit Kaido's landing spots and send him flying back into the air.
After five consecutive eruptions, Kaido's skin was scorched and blackened, his hair sparking with flames, unable to defend himself perfectly against the attacks.
At that moment, Akainu unleashed a massive amount of lava from his shoulder, turning the ground into a liquid and swallowing up countless streams of red-hot magma.
Awakening Technique - Hell Hunt!
Woof!
A dog's bark echoed through the air, and the shaking ground hinted that something was about to erupt. Kaido looked down, and soon the sky was darkened by a shower of red sparks.
"I always thought it would be more appropriate to call this technique 'Hell Hound Pack'. What do you think, Whitebeard?"
"King the Conflagration" seemed indifferent to the danger the captain was in, even calling out to Whitebeard on [The Moby Dick], who was tending to his wounds.
Years ago, in a war, Akainu's Hell Hunt had wiped out one of his subordinate teams, causing devastating losses.
"Watch your words, brat."
Whitebeard's narrow eyes shot a contemptuous glare. "Otherwise, I wouldn't mind tearing your limbs off and making you relive your interrogation experiences."
The Yonko knew each other's weaknesses well, and while King the Conflagration was aware of Whitebeard's vulnerabilities, Whitebeard was equally aware of King's past.
Unable to gain the upper hand in words, King snorted contemptuously and fell silent.
On the other hand, as King suggested, the scene was indeed more akin to a pack of Hellhounds.
"Meigo - Nether Hound, Akainu's frequently used technique, was his way of pushing the destructive power of the Lava Lava Fruit to its limits. Derived from Zephyr's "Military Wrist - Deep Gate", it was a top-tier Sea Class 1 destructive move.
In the past, Akainu would use his fists to perform a single "Meigo - Nether Hound".
But now, there were hundreds and thousands of them!
Within a kilometer radius, there was no solid ground, only scorching magma, with a crimson glow illuminating the night sky and making the night landscape unnaturally clear.
Thousands of lava dogs erupted from the hellish magma pool, their Awakening Fusion power wrapped around them, opening their huge mouths and ruthlessly biting at Kaido.
Each Hound carried a terrifyingly high temperature, capable of melting steel. Even from a distance, the air was unbearably hot, causing some of the weaker ones to use damp cloths to cover their noses and mouths in order to breathe normally.
It was at this moment that the lethality and range of the Logia was vividly demonstrated by Akainu!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Lava dogs bit and clawed at Kaido, causing him to scream in pain. He tried desperately to fend them off and to remove the magma from his body.
Boom!
In the process, Kaido fell into the magma pool, sending up terrifying lava droplets.
At that moment, it became clear that the lava wasn't just a shallow layer, but a deep pool capable of submerging half of Kaido's body.
The lava dogs that had been torn apart were immediately replaced by new ones, constantly attacking and pushing Kaido back into the magma pool.
The ever-increasing lava soon overflowed the original 'pond' and began to spread outwards, covering Kaido completely.
The rabid lava dogs paid no attention to casualties, attacking wildly and smothering Kaido with their bodies!
As Kaido was engulfed by the magma, the scene fell into a tense silence.
"Is Hundred Beast Kaido... dead?"
"Not sure! Maybe... maybe...?"
From a distance, the pirates aboard the ship who were lucky enough to witness the scene struggled to swallow their spittle.
They had previously believed that moving mountains was the pinnacle of the Akainu's power, but now, with a Hellhound technique, their expectations had been completely shattered.
Weakness limits the imagination!
If you're not strong enough, you simply can't fathom the world of the strong.
Because...
"Get out of my way!!!"
Suddenly, a thunderous roar ripped through the sky.
The raging haki waves tore the earth and sky apart, and the explosive shockwaves created a towering tsunami that surged outwards.
The rocks below quickly crumbled, and Rowen had to levitate to stay afloat, gazing at the center of the battlefield with a sharp intake of breath.
"Hundred Beast Kaido, this defense is simply insane!"
It's molten lava!
It's already molten rock!
Under Akainu's control, these lava flows were even hotter than typical magma, reaching temperatures well over 2000 degrees.
But this scientifically impossible temperature was met by an even more scientifically impossible defense. The massive lava flowed over him, and despite the terrifying heat, it was like taking a hot bath.
When the explosion occurred, the magma pool burst open, sending a fiery rain across the sky.
Akainu staggered back, almost falling to the ground.
In the center of the field, Kaido stood, his beard standing on end, surrounded by crackling purple lightning. Bathed in the crimson firelight, he resembled an ancient demon, defiant amidst the rain of flames.
The kanabo had melted into molten iron from the intense heat, but even without a weapon, Kaido's fearsome presence was still intimidating!
"Looking at it that way, it seems I have a better chance of taking you both down."
Rowen glanced at [The Red Force] and [The Moby Dick] and spoke in a somber tone.
Regardless of the opponent, the prerequisite for defeating them is to break through their defenses first!
The paralyzing effect of the lightning is just an aid; as for the actual combat techniques, Rowen couldn't find a move with better defense penetration than the Super Electromagnetic Cannon.
However, when he compared his current Super Electromagnetic Cannon to the one he had fired at the Ark years ago, he found little difference in power.
Still, it was not enough to break Kaido's defenses.
On the other hand, Whitebeard and Red Hair seemed more ordinary... at least compared to Kaido.
Thin skin, big filling!
"Hmph, you won't get a second chance, Soryu!"
Whitebeard's face darkened and remembering the suffocating feeling of being at odds with the entire world, he couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of alarm.
BIG-MOM's defeat wasn't for nothing!
She didn't have the power to withstand the combined attack of the top three Logia users.
A short battle with Rowen wouldn't decide the outcome, as he had the advantage of speed and could strike at any time.
But if the battle dragged on, the accumulation of lightning would eventually create a paralyzing effect that even they couldn't withstand.
Unless, of course, they had the extraordinary intuition to fight without sensory perception, or could eliminate these electrical disturbances... Whitebeard could claim that with this one skill alone, Rowen could defeat anyone in the world today!
And of the few who could match Rowen in lethality, the Marine had five more!
Such a fearsome array!
The Grand Line's most powerful forces are not just for show!
**(End of Chapter)**
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