One Piece: Song of Despair - Chapter 28

“You’re courting death!” Akainu could no longer tolerate being repeatedly called a dead dog. His body erupted with magma, his right fist brimming with terrifying energy. Even before the match officially began, he launched his attack.

“Dog Bites.”

The atmosphere trembled, the temperature soared, and the ground shook. Akainu appeared beside Nokiyoru, his right fist like a blazing locomotive, carrying a powerful shockwave aimed at Nokiyoru’s chest.

Nokiyoru’s eyes narrowed, and then he smirked coldly. If Akainu hadn’t provoked him, Nokiyoru might have had a modicum of respect for his opponent.

Akainu didn’t focus on the heat of his magma; instead, he developed the eruption force, explosive power, and devouring ability of a volcano. In this regard, Akainu was undoubtedly the most suitable person for the Magma-Magma Fruit. But unfortunately, Akainu had to die.

Without warning, Nokiyoru vanished just as Akainu’s attack was about to land.

Noticing the small crater where Nokiyoru had stood, Akainu knew something was wrong.

Indeed, the next moment, a cold, chilling voice echoed.

“Dead dog, you’re too slow.”

Every muscle in Akainu’s body tightened, his hair stood on end. Following his instincts, he ducked.

As soon as he crouched, the space above him roared. A jet-black whip-like leg sliced through the air with a thunderous whoosh.

Nokiyoru’s lips curled up as he flipped backward in midair, a flaming spear materializing in his right hand. The spearhead was as black as ever, clearly imbued with Haki.

Without hesitation, Nokiyoru hurled the spear with all his might. The spear, like an arrow, pierced the air straight toward Akainu.

Sensing the incoming attack, Akainu twisted his face in fury and had to roll to the ground to evade. Despite his Observation of Haki detecting Nokiyoru’s attack, his body couldn’t keep up with the pace.

“Flame Laser.” Hovering midair, Nokiyoru mercilessly attacked Akainu, giving him no time to catch his breath.

“Swoosh… swoosh…” Ten thick beams of scorching light continuously surged toward Akainu.

“Enough!” Akainu roared, his face twisted in rage, unable to tolerate the humiliation any longer.

“Hellhound.”

Magma surged, shooting skyward, accompanied by thick smoke.

“Boom… boom…”

The battlefield was engulfed in smoke and dust, with swirling sands and violent shockwaves making the entire area chaotic.

“You think it’s over just because you say so?”

A voice filled with deep hatred rang in Akainu’s ears. He turned his head, eyes widening in fear as a flaming claw kicked toward his head.

Without a doubt, Nokiyoru had entered his half-beast form.

Unable to attack, Akainu raised his right hand, coated in magma, to protect his head.

“Bang…” The impact was intense, the ground beneath them shattered, and countless cracks spread rapidly.

“Ugh…” Akainu grunted, retreating quickly, his right hand trembling.

Barely catching his breath, his body tensed again.

“Flame Spear.”

In front of him, Nokiyoru spread his arms, his head tilted back as flames gathered. A massive spear, a hundred meters long, formed and plummeted toward Akainu like a meteor.

“Great Eruption.”

Raising both hands, Akainu sent a barrage of magma spheres soaring into the sky.

“Boom… boom…” The colossal weapons clashed, causing the battlefield to spiral into chaos.

“Infinite Arrows.”

Flames covered the sky, gold and red, with countless swords, spears, and halberds appearing behind Nokiyoru. He smirked and pointed, sending a barrage of attacks at Akainu.

“Hellhound.”

Akainu’s hands plunged into the ground, magma surging forth, forming a massive beast that roared and charged forward.

“Extreme Speed.” Nokiyoru crouched slightly, his legs, now transformed into golden crow talons, boomed as they hit the ground, shattering it.

Watching Nokiyoru’s movement, Kizaru’s face darkened, his fists clenched tightly.

“Is he finally going all out?” The top brass, including Sengoku and Garp, watched intently, knowing Nokiyoru was about to unleash his full power.

“Bang…” The ground exploded as Nokiyoru disappeared, reappearing above Akainu.

“Finger Gun: Golden Crow Claw.”

His foot stomped down, the air bursting apart, the sheer force distorting Akainu’s face.

“Hellhound.”

“Boom…” Flames and magma clashed, sending Akainu deep into the ground, leaving the surroundings in disarray.

“Finger Gun: Feathers.”

Flames erupted, black feathers as hard as iron rained down.

“Magma Shield.”

Magma surged, forming a tall wall, reinforced with Haki, standing firm.

“Infinite Arrows.”

“Great Eruption.”

“Extreme Speed.”

“Gah…” Blood sprayed from Akainu’s mouth as he was sent flying, rolling on the ground, carving a long trench.

“Swoosh…” Nokiyoru, seizing the opportunity, kept up his relentless attacks.

Due to Nokiyoru’s incredible speed, Akainu could only defend passively. In just moments, his body was covered in bruises, blood dripping from his mouth, looking extremely dire.

If it weren’t for a few well-timed elementalizations, Akainu might already be gravely injured.

“Pant… pant…”

The continuous high-intensity attacks left Nokiyoru panting.

“Dead dog, you’re just like a dog, struggling on the brink of death.” Nokiyoru’s chest heaved, his shoulder-length hair disheveled, giving him a rugged look. Yet, no one dared to underestimate him.

“Hmph… What can you do to me?” Akainu stood, clothes torn, his face swollen and bruised.

“What can I do to you? Let’s see how long you can last. One misstep, and you could die.” Nokiyoru smirked coldly, his eyes glowing gold-red.

“Release: Full Beast Form.”

“Boom… boom… sizzle…”

The intense heat turned the sky gold-red as countless flames surged upward.

“Screeech…” A terrifying aura and overwhelming violence filled the air as a colossal creature roared in the sky.

Majestic, fierce, cruel, and savage, the presence spread fear across the entire island.

“This… this…” On the high platform, Tsuru stood, her eyes fixed on the massive bird in the sky.

“Is that a flame bird?” The spectators were shocked by the sheer power and ferocity of the creature.

“Tsuru, are you sure this is an Ancient Zoan-type?” Garp frowned, the ancient aura overwhelming.

“Tsuru, you’ve seen more Devil Fruits than anyone. What kind of Zoan-type is this?” Sengoku asked seriously, watching the enormous bird spreading its wings in the sky.

“I’ve never seen this Devil Fruit before, but Nokiyoru said it’s an Ancient Zoan. Regardless of whether he’s right, I believe this fruit is an Ancient Zoan, or even a Mythical Zoan, rarer than Logia.” Tsuru took a deep breath, her voice trembling with excitement. Nokiyoru’s fruit was likely a Mythical Zoan.

Five elders watched the battle through a visual Den Den Mushi on the Red Line at the World Government’s power center.

“What kind of Devil Fruit is that?”

“Interesting, interesting.”

“It can stand up to a Logia. The boy has developed it well.”

“Has this fruit appeared in history?”

“No…”

“Then this means new things are emerging?”

Silence fell, their faces grim.

“What about Gol D. Roger?”

“Currently missing.”

“He must be found and killed. If he reached that place, he knows too much. We can’t allow those people to re-emerge in this world.”

“Rest assured, Gol D. Roger, as one of the D, and having reached that place, should understand how dangerous the descendants of those dragons are. Even though we aren’t from there, we share this world. Compared to those dragon descendants, people from the same world are more trustworthy.”

“Hmph, to the D clan, the World Government might be their greatest enemy now. After all, we betrayed…”

“Enough. No matter what, Gol D. Roger must die. Now isn’t the time to discuss this.”

“Agreed. Perhaps we should bolster our forces. Neither Nokiyoru nor Akainu can die.” One pointed to the images of Nokiyoru and Akainu.

“For now, let’s see the outcome of this battle.”

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