One Piece: Song of Despair - Chapter 10
“What the hell do you think you are?” roared Chaton, seizing a weapon with fury, channeling all his strength into his attack, aiming to impale Nokiyoru.
“Don’t…” Gion tried to stop him, but it was too late.
Akainu, nearby, considered intervening but decided to watch for now, planning to step in only if things got out of hand.
“Wow… that’s scary,” Kizaru mockingly clapped his chest, feigning fear.
Nokiyoru was genuinely enraged. Three consecutive attempts on his life pushed him to the edge. Since arriving in this world, he had avoided provoking anyone. But now, his patience was utterly exhausted.
Spinning around, Nokiyoru’s face twisted with anger and murder in his eyes. “You want to die? I’ll grant your wish.”
With boundless rage, Nokiyoru vanished, reappearing to seize the airborne spear. A dust storm swirled around him as he locked eyes with Chaton, raising the weapon to strike at his heart.
This deadly confrontation happened so quickly that no one could react in time to stop it. Chaton was on his own.
To his credit, Chaton showed why he was a candidate for admiral decades later. At the last moment, he twisted, making the spear pierce his shoulder instead of his heart.
“Boom…” Dust filled the air as Chaton was blasted backward. But Nokiyoru still needed to be finished. Chasing after him, his hand ignited with searing flames, intending to finish Chaton off for good.
“This is bad… Nokiyoru wants to kill Chaton,” Onigumo and others watched in horror as Nokiyoru’s face, filled with malice, shook them to their cores.
“What a terrifying lunatic. If we don’t stop him, we’ll get caught up in this. I don’t want Zephyr punishing me,” Kizaru transformed into light, appearing before Nokiyoru instantly.
“Nokiyoru, have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?” Kizaru’s sneering voice echoed as his glowing foot swung down on Nokiyoru.
“You’re dead, Kizaru,” Nokiyoru growled, fully enraged. His right hand turned into fire, and faint wings of flames emerged, attacking Kizaru with intense heat.
“Bang…” Golden light and fire collided, the ground shattering beneath them as a shockwave spread.
“Infinite Arrows.” Nokiyoru spread his hands, surrounded by fire, and dozens of weapons made of flames appeared in the sky above, each weapon flickering with strange runes.
“Whoosh…” The fiery projectiles shot through the air, making Kizaru’s face change color.
“Red Dog.” Boiling magma took the shape of a vicious dog, spewing forth.
“Akainu,” Nokiyoru snarled. “Let’s see if you can stop me from killing him.”
“I’ll repay this tenfold in the future,” Nokiyoru roared, his body burning intensely. A vague figure in the flames spread its wings, ready to unleash destruction.
The air buzzed with tension as everyone watched Nokiyoru’s wrath, terrified.
Kizaru and Akainu’s expressions hardened at Nokiyoru’s words. They knew they had provoked a dangerous enemy.
“Damn it.” Kizaru retreated, his body transforming back to light. “You two can continue. I was just stretching.”
Kizaru avoided unnecessary fights, especially with someone as unhinged as Nokiyoru.
With Kizaru out of the way, Akainu faced Nokiyoru’s full fury alone, cursing Kizaru inwardly.
“Fire God Spear.” Nokiyoru’s hands came together, summoning a massive ten-meter-long flaming spear that shot down at Akainu.
“Boom… Boom…” Waves of heat spread out, turning the ground into magma. Akainu, forced to reconstitute his body, looked pale as he realized Nokiyoru’s flames could still harm him despite his magma form.
“Pant… Pant…” Nokiyoru panted heavily, his explosive attacks draining his energy rapidly.
Taking a deep breath, Nokiyoru’s eyes burned with determination. He raised his right hand, compressing the flames into a small white-hot ball, its heat melting the ground around him.
Everyone watched in fear, sensing the destructive potential of the fireball.
“Nokiyoru, stop! You’ll destroy everything!” Aokiji, cloaked in cold air, tried to intervene but doubted his ability to stop the blast.
“Stop… What are you doing?” Garp’s voice boomed from a distance as he sped towards them like a missile.
“Nokiyoru, calm down,” Zephyr followed closely.
“Enough!” A more authoritative voice came from Kong, who approached rapidly.
But Nokiyoru ignored them, hurling the fireball at Akainu.
“High-Energy Explosion.”
“Nokiyoru Kara,” Akainu roared, not expecting Nokiyoru to attack despite orders from his superiors.
“Great Eruption.”
Three figures rushed into the firestorm.
“Boom… Boom… Boom…”
Explosions rocked Marineford, waves of fire rolling across the ground.
“Ice Wall.” Aokiji erected a thick wall of ice to shield everyone.
The chaos eventually subsided, leaving a massive crater.
In the crater, Zephyr stood, charred, holding the barely conscious Chaton. Akainu, battered, stood behind Kong and Garp, spitting blood.
Seeing the three unscathed, Nokiyoru narrowed his eyes, realizing they were far stronger than he had imagined.
Akainu, weakened by his arrogance, learned that even magma had its limits against powerful opponents.
As the fight ended, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, still shaken by Nokiyoru’s fury.
“Why didn’t you stop when I ordered you?” Kong demanded, furious.
“I intended to kill them,” Nokiyoru replied calmly, though exhausted, slowly recovering his strength.
“You…” Kong’s anger flared, giving Nokiyoru a chance due to his talent.
Knowing Nokiyoru’s temperament, Zephyr understood there was more to the story.
“Someone explain what happened,” Zephyr demanded, anger evident.
“It’s my fault…” Gion, feeling guilty, began to explain.
After hearing the full story, Kong and the others felt a heavy silence.
Zephyr, annoyed, dropped Chaton, frustrated by the situation.
Nokiyoru had acted in self-defense, giving Chaton multiple chances to back off. In their shoes, they might have reacted similarly.
“Ha… Ha… You’ve grown strong in just a few days,” Garp said, patting Nokiyoru on the shoulder, nearly making him cough blood.
“Since it’s over, let’s move on,” Kong decided, but Nokiyoru wasn’t satisfied.
“If someone tries to kill me, they must be ready to die themselves,” Nokiyoru said coldly, glaring at the unconscious Chaton and the grim-faced Akainu.
“You can’t let go of Chaton and Akainu? That’s not a good attitude,” Garp frowned.
“I don’t start fights, but I don’t back down either. That’s my principle,” Nokiyoru replied firmly.
“Enough. Do you think I fear you?” Akainu, covered in magma, growled.
“If you want to die, I’ll oblige,” Nokiyoru, burning with rage, prepared to attack.
“Enough…” Kong’s oppressive aura stopped Nokiyoru, freezing his flames.
“This ends here. If anyone dies in Marineford, I’ll deal with it myself,” Kong declared, his presence intimidating.
“Take Gion and Akainu for treatment. Everyone else, dismissed.”
Nokiyoru smiled grimly, understanding Kong’s implicit message: outside Marineford, anything could happen.
“There’s plenty of time. We’ll see who lasts longer,” Nokiyoru muttered, watching Chaton and Akainu’s retreating figures, a sinister glint in his eyes.
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