Jasmine gripped her sword with both hands, her expression solemn as she stared at Sakazuki, who hovered slightly in the air.
With a slight movement of his right foot, a deafening sonic boom erupted, yet Sakazuki remained suspended, gazing downward.
Bang!
The sharp crack of the sonic boom tore through the battlefield, accompanied by a rush of air. In an instant, both figures vanished from sight.
Blades clashed repeatedly, their strikes seemingly lagging behind their movements. The two warriors flashed and collided, sometimes in midair, sometimes atop scattered chunks of flesh.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ocean churned violently, towering pillars of water shooting skyward. When the two reappeared, their weapons were locked in a fierce struggle.
Clang!
Sparks crackled as a sudden force sent Jasmine flying backward. Her body streaked through the air, leaving afterimages in her wake, before crashing onto the Kuja Pirates' ship
Boom!!!
"What was that?!"
"Huh?!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Catch her!"
"Hurry!"
The crew gasped as they saw a figure hurtling toward them. Realizing it was their empress, they rushed to intercept her.
The moment they made contact, an immense force overwhelmed them. A deafening sound echoed as several of them were sent crashing into the ship's cabin alongside Jasmine.
"Urgh..."
"Hiss…"
"Where's Her Majesty?!"
"Ahem!"
"Cough... cough..."
Pained groans filled the cabin. Ignoring their own injuries, the crew scrambled to check on their leader.
"Cough... I'm fine," Jasmine's voice rang out as she used her sword to prop herself up. Her face was pale, a trickle of blood running down the corner of her lips. Her right hand, still gripping her weapon, trembled slightly.
The gap in strength was overwhelming. Every clash sent shockwaves through her body, as if she were being struck by an erupting volcano. The impact numbed her hands, robbing them of all feeling.
Sensing something, she looked up. With a forceful step, she shot out of the cabin.
From the sky, Sakazuki's cold voice echoed down. "Great Eruption."
A colossal magma fist, several times larger than the Kuja Pirates' ship, came crashing down.
At the same time, a crescent-shaped sword aura shot up from the ship, slicing cleanly through the molten mass. The severed halves fell to either side, sending waves of searing heat across the deck.
Then, Jasmine's furious roar followed. "Enough, Marine!"
Standing on the deck with her sword raised, she glared at Sakazuki, who hovered in midair using Geppo. "This time, we admit defeat. Take all the treasure on this ship."
Sakazuki merely gazed down at her indifferently, his voice cold. "You think this is some child's game?"
Clap!
High above, he pressed his palms together. The two halves of the magma fist, still falling, suddenly twisted and reshaped into massive molten hands. Magma gushed from their backs as they moved inward, threatening to crush the ship between them.
Boom!
The colossal magma hands collided with a deafening explosion. Molten rock erupted, spreading rapidly. Within moments, a small island of magma had formed, only to sink shortly after. Aside from the thick steam billowing into the air, the ocean's surface was left eerily empty.
On the marine warship, soldiers erupted into shocked, awe-filled discussions about what had just transpired.
"Whoa!"
"Did you see that?!"
"Incredible!"
"Those magma hands were unstoppable!"
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki!"
"He's back!"
Sakazuki landed on the deck, his justice cloak billowing. Ignoring their injuries, the marines scrambled to their feet, admiration burning in their eyes.
Sweeping his gaze over them, Sakazuki spoke in his deep, commanding voice. "Enough. Go tend to your wounds. Get some rest."
The marines, still brimming with high spirits, responded in unison.
"Yes, sir!"
Sakazuki then strode to the highest deck railing and activated his Devil Fruit. His arms transformed into thick, smoke-spewing magma that pooled onto the deck.
Raising both arms, he aimed at the sky. "Meteor Volcano."
Like a barrage of rockets, numerous magma fists shot upward, piercing the cloud layer before vanishing from sight.
Boom! Boom! Boom!...
The attack continued for five full minutes before finally ceasing. Sakazuki's arms returned to their normal state, and without another word, he turned and walked into his quarters.
...
Deep beneath the ocean's surface, a hundred-meter-long serpent, its body covered in burns, swam frantically forward. Clinging to its massive scales were over a dozen female figures.
The eruption had annihilated most of the Kuja Pirates along with their ship and belongings, reducing them to ashes. Only this serpent and the survivors on its back remained, fleeing in sheer desperation.
After traveling an unknown distance, Jasmine finally considered surfacing for air.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
The sound of water evaporating on scorching metal filled the depths. Jasmine's pupils shrank sharply as she looked around. One after another, massive magma fists, each several meters wide, plummeted into the ocean.
Thick smoke and intense heat churned the sea, sending bubbles surging to the surface amidst deafening explosions. The water boiled at an alarming rate.
The suffocating heat made the serpent twist in discomfort. Jasmine ordered it to surface.
The moment they broke through, before anyone could catch their breath—
Boom!
An explosion tore through the air. The sickening sound of magma corroding flesh followed. A single magma fist struck the serpent's massive head, obliterating it on impact. Molten rock corroded its flesh, spreading like wildfire.
The once-mighty serpent stopped moving. No more writhing, no more resistance. It simply floated, lifeless, on the water's surface.
The remaining survivors, now without their mount, had no time to grieve. They could only stare in horror at the scene before them.
Above them, the sky burned blood-red, an endless sea of fire-lit clouds. Magma fists tore through the sky, shrouded in thick black smoke, crashing into the ocean like meteors of the apocalypse.
Beneath the waves, countless bubbles burst. The sea churned and boiled violently. Dead marine creatures floated to the surface in droves, turning the ocean into a vision of hell.
"That's...!"
"Run! Hurry!"
"Quick—!!!"
Boom!
A colossal magma fist plummeted from the heavens, landing in the middle of the survivors.
The one who noticed it barely had time to cry out before it struck. The explosion swallowed everything.
Thrown into the sea, Jasmine used Haki to cover herself and swam upward.
Suddenly—
"Roaaar!"
A deep, ancient cry echoed through the ocean, laced with panic. The sea raged violently as a monstrous force surged through the depths.
Fighting to steady herself, Jasmine's eyes widened in terror as she spotted a massive shadow below.
She tried to flee. But the shadow grew at an impossible speed. In an instant, her entire field of vision was consumed by it. Despair and unwillingness filled her eyes as she stared at the oncoming darkness...
BOOM!!!!!!!!
A colossal Sea King, as large as an island, burst through the surface, its body marred by magma burns. Towering waves, hundreds of meters high, crashed outward in every direction.
ROAAAAAARRRR!!!!
The ancient cry, filled with panic, echoed once more.
BOOM!!!!!
With another earth-shaking roar, the behemoth dove back into the depths, vanishing into the distance…
Days passed. No one knew how many sunrises and sunsets had come and gone.
The once-apocalyptic waters were now eerily calm beneath a cloudless sky. A few seagulls drifted lazily overhead, undisturbed. The only remnants of the chaos were the countless, bloated corpses of sea creatures dotting the water's surface.
...
At the edge of the Calm Belt.
After days of emergency repairs, the marine warship was finally operational.
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki. The engine room has been fully repaired." Carlo reported to the figure standing at the front of the ship, his justice cloak billowing behind him.
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