Whoosh!
With Zyhark's promise, Kana burst forth with unmatched vigor, shattering the ice beneath her as she vanished from her spot.
In the blink of an eye, purple lightning crackled as the small figure appeared directly in front of Akainu! Her tiny fist, cloaked in a dark aura of destructive lightning, headed straight for Akainu's grim face with no frills or unnecessary moves!
Akainu's eyes flashed red with Observation Haki as he raised his right arm, coated in Armament Haki and searing magma, to block the incoming strike.
Boom!
Purple lightning exploded, and the violent energy coursed through Akainu's arm, shaking his entire body and scattering magma in all directions!
"No doubt about it, this monstrous strength still makes my heart race, but…"
Gritting his teeth to withstand the initial impact, Akainu tightened his magma-enlarged fist. "My power now is worlds apart from what it was three years ago!"
"Hellhound!"
His magma-coated fist transformed into a fearsome hound's head, launching a vicious attack directly at Kana's head!
Over the past three years, Akainu had used this swift and lethal technique to eliminate countless pirates with bounties over a billion, and he held great confidence in its effectiveness.
But this time, his move was destined to fall short.
After all, he was facing a powered-up ancient dragon hatchling who had overcome her stamina limitations and mastered dual Haki! With a flicker of red in her purple, dragon-like pupils, Kana used her dragon-born combat instincts to effortlessly dodge Hellhound's brutal strike with a simple tilt of her head.
At the same time, her hands, covered in purple lightning, grabbed onto the Hellhound. Using Armament Haki, she detected the tangible arm hidden within the magma, and with a smooth turn, lifted the towering Akainu onto her shoulder.
Her tiny legs tensed with power, and in a deceptively effortless move, she tossed Akainu into the air!
Zzzt! Zzzt! Zzzt!
Kana's hands at her waist gathered compressed lightning, creating a storm of energy that whipped her gradient-colored hair wildly in all directions.
"Take this, magma brat! Destruction…"
"Blazing White Blast!"
The high-powered electromagnetic cannon shot skyward, tearing through space and striking Akainu as he was suspended in mid-air.
The explosion echoed across the sky, and magma burst like dazzling fireworks!
However, Akainu wasn't defeated. Instead, having used elementalization to avoid damage, he manipulated the exploded magma into a massive barrage, showering down on Kana below!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kana weaved quickly across the expansive ice field, dodging through mushroom clouds of magma explosions.
Finally, her escape route was completely cut off, and she was struck by a high-temperature magma blast, sending up plumes of black smoke.
As Akainu reformed his magma body, intending to sense Kana's condition amidst the smoke, his pupils suddenly contracted.
An immense pair of white dragon wings unfurled, and dragon-form Kana soared from the smoke!
"This is a skill that Meowth secretly taught Kana. Prepare yourself, smelly magma!"
Kana coated her dragon's head with Armament Haki, then accelerated, pushing her flying power to the limit.
"Rocket Headbutt!"
Thud!
The dragon's head struck Akainu's waist with such force that he spat out a mouthful of blood on the spot.
"There's more…"
Kana extended her dragon claws, tightly gripping Akainu. She soared higher into the sky before twisting her body to face the icebound sea below.
"Earth Slam!!"
The gale-force winds from their descent pressed Akainu's eyes shut. However, being a Navy Admiral, he wasn't about to go down quietly.
"Raging Hellfire!"
Crimson magma erupted, corroding Kana's dragon body.
Under the blazing light, the white dragon looked like a massive fire dragon from a distance!
Boom!!!
Man and dragon crashed into the ice, creating a crater that spanned hundreds of meters.
Magma splattered, purple lightning crackled, and Kana, steadying herself, resumed her clash with Akainu!
"Sakazuki-senpai, let me give you a hand!"
Thick trees surged forward, casting enormous, terrifying shadows.
As Akainu's most loyal follower, Green Bull raised his tree-like fist, comparable to a small island, and hammered down at Kana's back!
However, just as Kana was about to brace herself to take the hit head-on, the mighty wooden fist suddenly stopped.
Long, slender shadow lines bound the fist to the ice below.
The shadows twisted and flowed, and Moria, using his "Shadow Mage" technique, stood arrogantly atop Green Bull's massive arm.
"Wahahaha! To think you'd dare sneak attack Lady Kana—truly worthy of the Navy's style," Moria laughed with open arms.
"To deal with villains who dare attack the noble Celestial Dragons, any means are justified!"
Green Bull's face darkened as he blindly defended the Celestial Dragons, then swung thorny vines at Moria.
If he could land a hit, he'd drain his opponent to a husk in an instant!
However, no matter how powerful an attack was, how could it affect an untouchable shadow?
Moria used his Devil Fruit powers to swap places with a distant shadow, easily dodging Green Bull's assault.
Having regained his confidence, Moria was now far beyond his previous peak, fortified by the faith-based power he had received from Aqua over the past three years. And now, with his Devil Fruit awakened, his overall strength was formidable!
"Don't get cocky, you sneaky shadow fool! I'm a Navy Admiral!"
Glaring at the shadows covering the battlefield, Green Bull dropped all pretenses, shouting as he unleashed his full power.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Giant tree roots sprouted from him, extending in all directions. The terrifying destruction shattered the ice, transforming the battlefield into a forested terrain advantageous to him!
The Admirals' terrifying power was on full display—monsters capable of permanently altering an entire region's natural environment at will!
Facing the enraged Green Bull, Moria didn't back down. He slammed his hands onto the ground, activating his ultimate move.
"Awakening: Shadow Gathering Ground!"
Unlike the standard version, which relied on absorbing large shadows for brute strength, the awakened Shadow Gathering Ground was a perfect fusion of Moria and his shadow.
In this state, his overall combat strength increased exponentially!
The massive wooden figure and giant Moria clashed like two colossal titans!
In comparison, the battle between Escanor and Fujitora seemed much more composed.
"You don't need to cover your eyes. I may not be powerful, but I am not so pitiful as to need your sympathy,"
Fujitora said calmly, using his gravity blade to push Escanor back.
"If you can manage it, try opening my eyes, old man,"
Escanor, eyes closed, smiled slightly, exuding absolute confidence.
He neither denied his arrogance nor discussed a fair duel; his actions alone defined pride and haughtiness!
For Escanor, this was an excellent battle experience.
"What a cocky man…"
Fujitora chuckled, his staff blade gathering profound, terrifying gravity.
…
At the edge of the battlefield, Zyhark stood shoulder to shoulder with Yamato.
All around them, the frozen sea was filled with violent energy storms, where even the smallest impact could obliterate a mountain!
While the Demon King's side was temporarily holding off the Admirals, Zyhark observed each battlefield closely, aware that, as time and intensity wore on, his companions' advantage was gradually slipping.
Considering the legendary ten-day battle between Aokiji and Akainu, it was clear the Admirals were tireless stamina beasts, masters of prolonged combat.
On their side, Kana was still fine, but Ishtar, who had recently unleashed a powerful special move, was already running low on stamina.
Moria's situation against the life-force-laden Green Bull was even less favorable.
Only Escanor, under the Sun's Blessing, could remain invincible!
Despite his recovery, Zyhark had no intention of intervening to support them.
This epic 5v5 battle was meant to push his companions to their limits, squeezing out their potential to prepare them for the final showdown. Stepping in would defeat the purpose.
Besides…
Electricity sparked in Zyhark's eyes as his Observation Haki waves spread across the entire sea of Wano, landing on a certain man hiding on a pirate ship among the wooden stakes.
He needed to reserve his strength for dealing with those sneaky pirates lying in wait!
(End of Chapter)