Chapter 1060 - 635: Volcanic Eruption! (Part 2)
Like Smoker...
And there are some Logia-type users who are disasters just by standing there.
Magma, just existing is enough to make people unable to bear it. It’s not like ice where you can still stand on it—who the hell can stand on magma?
And when it came to dealing with a Logia-type, Sage felt pretty stifled, especially with this kind of fluid substance. Plus Akainu’s Observation on top of that—landing a hit basically felt the same as not hitting at all. Besides, what sane person has nothing better to do than punch magma with their bare fists?
Haki can’t grab hold of nature.
That punch just now had also caused his fist to get scorched. If not for his terrifying Recovery Power, just those few moves would’ve left him injured.
However...
"So it’s not completely useless, huh? Your reaction speed isn’t on par with your firepower." Sage grinned ferociously at Akainu, whose mouth was trickling blood.
That punch wasn’t without results. Even if his Elementalization had been timely, Sage’s strike was faster and still managed to inflict damage.
"Is hitting this old man once something worth celebrating that much? The Navy and Pirates fight every day, and there are casualties every day. We... are just part of that, that’s all."
Akainu swept his gaze around the surrounding rock walls. The magma flowing over his fist began to smoke, and the magma covering his entire body poured downward, completely turning the terrain into molten lava.
"This terrain is in this old man’s favor! Great Eruption!!"
Akainu’s shout shook loose chunks of rock from the walls. The lava erupting from his fist was like fiery meteors; the moment it burst out, the surrounding walls collapsed even more violently and melted into streams of magma.
The decisive giant magma fist erupted inside the cavern, making this enormous hollow blasted out by Pluton suddenly feel a bit cramped. The searing high temperature instantly dyed all surrounding ground a blazing red.
"Evil should be completely eradicated! So what if something could sink half the world—if you’re around, a sea thrown into chaos might as well be sunk! That kind of price is something this old man can bear!" Akainu roared.
Just like during the Summit War back then, no one wanted to accept the matter of turning the ’Maelstrom Spider’ because it hurt their dignity and didn’t fit the Navy’s image.
As a Navy Admiral, the one who should’ve cared most about face, Akainu accepted that mission without hesitation.
When it came to eradicating evil, he was willing to bear the cost!
He did it that way two years ago; he’d still do the same now!
This kind of battle was exactly what he wanted—no need to think about orders from above, no need to weigh pros and cons, just fight. As long as he won... everything else could be talked about!
If he won, Pluton wouldn’t have time to destroy half the world. By then, he would definitely lead the entire Navy to throw everything they had into it, even if it meant stirring up another war!
Over thirty years ago, the New World wasn’t under the level of control it is now; back then it was even tighter, but after countless battles with Pirates, they simply withdrew their forces.
If he took down Whitebeard and then took down Sage as well, with that kind of prestige backing him, he would definitely be able to achieve his goal!
"Son of a bitch!"
The appearance of that meteor-like fist made Sage curse out loud. He stomped once more, cracking open the rapidly flowing magma floor around him and blasting a boulder loose at high speed.
"You’re not the only one who can do that!"
Planting one hand on the boulder, he ignored the magma streaming over his fingers and instantly activated his ability, rapidly enlarging this magma stone and sending it hurtling toward that living meteor at a speed so fast it left only afterimages.
Boom!!
The magma fist created by Great Eruption—the true form of a volcanic eruption—was indeed explosive, but even so, within such a short distance it still couldn’t compare to the speed boosted a hundredfold. As the afterimage streaked past, the fist exploded midair, breaking apart into masses of molten magma that splattered to the ground.
And that magma boulder with its speed amplified a hundredfold slammed straight into Akainu himself. The massive stone’s momentum blew Akainu’s entire body apart, turning him into magma that merged into the ground.
Boom!!
Only when the giant magma boulder crashed into the likewise molten rock wall did a deafening boom sound. It ripped open an extremely deep tunnel, and the surrounding area shook violently. The magma floor shattered inch by inch under the impact, lowering the terrain again—just enough that seawater could surge in.
Splash!
The moment seawater flowed onto the magma floor, it was instantly boiled into white steam, completely evaporated by the extreme heat. But the seawater outside was endless, and as it poured in relentlessly, the magma cooled into Obsidian. The heat in the air, however, didn’t lessen at all; if anything, it grew even more suffocating.
The scorching gases and still-blistering Obsidian formed a high-temperature Hell. Even Sage’s skin started showing burns.
"Hah..."
He exhaled, standing with both feet in the seawater lapping around his ankles. In the shrouding high-temperature steam, white vapor rose from his own body as well, healing his burned skin back to its original state.
On the opposite side, the scattered magma that was Akainu gathered again into his body. The magma streaming off him showed no sign of diminishing; as it poured down, it evaporated the seawater that tried to encroach around him, forcing open a small dry ring so he could stand.
This terrain really did favor someone like Akainu, a Logia-type user.
The narrow terrain could be completely melted by magma, turned into a new molten region; the higher the temperature climbed, the more it put Sage at a disadvantage.
Should he go out?
Sage glanced at the vast ocean outside. If they fought from out there, he could actually seize the advantage.
"Go out my ass!"
Sage took a step forward, his left hand braced against the back of his right palm. A black-and-red beam as tall as half the cavern blasted out, directly engulfing Akainu’s figure and lancing deeper into the cave.
"Let’s see how much Haki you’ve got to block me!" Sage shouted.
This wasn’t like fighting Kaido; he couldn’t just go fist-to-flesh this time. Here it was purely Haki and abilities clashing.
As for Body Techniques, as long as a Logia-type was experienced enough, actually managing to touch them was a pain.
At their level, the way battles played out varied depending on what you specialized in.
He’d always felt the old three Admirals were a real pain—whether it was Kuzan or Kizaru—and this time’s Akainu... was on a whole different level.
Within the range of the attack, even Elementalization couldn’t fully ward it off. Reconstituted in his physical form, Akainu could only cross his arms and bear down with Haki, forcing the beam back. His body was driven into the rock wall deep in the cave, and the beam bored straight on behind him, continuously chiseling through the Red Earth Continent.
"You evil brat!"
Magma poured over Akainu’s body again, and this time it didn’t just erupt from his hands—massive fiery meteors exploded from his entire body. It was like a true volcanic eruption; the surge of blasts and shockwaves instantly blew open the already cramped cavern, turning everything into molten lava.
"Meteor Volcano!!"
The magma eruption spread rapidly over a wider area, quickly reaching Sage’s surroundings, making the seawater under his feet boil hotter and hotter. On his left, right, and above, everything started glowing a hellish red as the rock softened and melted into flowing lava.
Especially overhead—a massive blob of magma came crashing down. If he didn’t dodge, even his bones could be dissolved.
But if he dodged, wouldn’t that mean... Sage was the first to chicken out in this head-on clash?
"Just keep attacking!"
Sage stomped forward, his Haki Wave never ceasing. He dashed along the molten tunnel carved out by the lava, slipping past the falling magma as he shot toward Akainu at high speed.
Only when he was close did he finally spread his hands, the Haki Wave instantly dissipating and revealing Akainu ahead—half his body embedded in the lava, the other half already beginning to merge with it, about to fully Elementalize.
"Hundred Ghosts Assault Purgatory!!"
In the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of Akainu. His hands became a blur and vanished; firecracker-like cracks exploded all over Akainu’s body, pounding his molten torso so hard that magma splattered everywhere, and even his true body trembled.
This half-Elementalized state was exactly when his real body was exposed.
Hit!
"Who the hell do you think I am?!"
Sage suddenly roared. The hand that had vanished reappeared, fingers clenched into a fist, and he smashed it viciously into Akainu’s face.
Boom!!
Akainu’s body was driven violently backward, blasting more half-molten rock as he was shoved through, carving out a massive tunnel.
Sage shook out his hand. White vapor healed the flesh that had been burned off. Grinning ferociously at the tunnel, he sneered, "Whether that story about you getting your face smashed and badly injured by one punch from Whitebeard is true or not doesn’t matter. What matters is—I really am beating the shit out of you!"