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"The touch of burns?"
Hearing Rowen's mocking laughter, veins throbbed on Akainu's forehead.
Burns were no stranger to any Marine.
In battles against pirates, burns were inevitable. Though Haki allowed one to withstand fire and explosions with their physical body, not every Marine was born with Haki. Even he, Akainu, Aokiji and Kizaru as well—had all started weak, gradually growing stronger.
Haki was learned only after years of service.
Before that, they too suffered injuries. But after eating the Magma-Magma Fruit, the word 'burn' had vanished from Akainu's vocabulary.
He was a Magma Human capable of burning away even fire itself—without even using Haki, flames and explosions couldn't harm him. The feeling of being burned was a distant memory for Akainu.
But now, the searing pain from his Fist reminded him. Though not a true injury like the brat suggested, merely the stinging sensation of his Devil Fruit's power being burned—for him, a Magma-Magma Fruit user, this sensation was the ultimate insult!
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"BRAT!" Akainu's expression turned incredibly grim.
BOOM!
His Great Eruption Magma Fist erupted violently, using the explosive force to blast away the burning flames.
"Asura Aura——! God Eater——!" Rowen instantly commanded, his fused demonic aura and Haōshoku Coating surging towards Akainu.
The Flare-Flare Fruit, still unawakened, even combined with Asura Aura and Haōshoku Coating, wasn't as powerful as the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Inflicting that momentary stinging 'Burn' on Akainu was its limit.
But Rowen's goal wasn't to actually injure Akainu, but to enrage him, to create an opening in his mental defenses...
And then—
"BASTARD!" Akainu roared, eyes bloodshot, his voice laced with pain.
'Tricked again...!'
That brat used the Flare-Flare Fruit solely to anger him.
When enraged, one's mental defenses inevitably weakened. And that demonic power combined with Haōshoku Coating could exploit that opening to directly attack his spirit.
The feeling of his spirit being attacked—even a tough-as-nails man like Akainu felt a horrifying pain!
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"Asura Aura——! Five Hundred Million Volt—Thunder Serpent—Black Mamba!"
Seeing the perfect opportunity, Rowen wasted no time.
To guarantee a hit, he used his fastest Rumble-Rumble Fruit attack: Thunder Serpent - Black Mamba!
He immediately unleashed his full Rumble-Rumble power.
Under the influence of Asura Aura, the Black Mamba was further enhanced, retaining its extreme speed while also gaining some of King Cobra's destructive power.
CRACKLE!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A colossal Thunder Serpent rapidly materialized in the atmosphere. Accompanied by a terrifying roar, its fangs, wreathed in the bizarre, dark-red lightning from Rowen's Asura-infused space, lunged at Akainu with blinding speed!
VMM!
A strange ripple emanated from Akainu.
GURGLE! GURGLE!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The Magma world beneath Akainu's feet suddenly began to churn violently. In a way that defied physics but was perfectly natural for a Devil Fruit, the molten rock surged upwards from the earth!
In an instant—a volcano, composed entirely of magma, erupted into existence!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
The giant Thunder Serpent - Black Mamba slammed violently into the newly formed magma volcano!
A horrifying explosion erupted!
Countless volcanic bombs were launched into the air, clashing fiercely with the Thunder Serpent's energy. The shockwaves from this monstrous collision further accelerated the main island's collapse.
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"Vice Admiral Momonga..."
The remaining Marine elites huddled around Momonga.
With Yamakaji and Onigumo defeated, of the five Vice Admirals, only Momonga was left.
And Momonga's own situation was dire; he was heavily injured. Straw Hat's strength was too strong, on par with Admiral Candidates like Gion and Chaton.
Though Admiral Candidate level wasn't vastly different from top-tier Vice Admirals, only with the help of several Rear Admirals could he block Straw Hat's attacks—though they lost two Rear Admirals in the process, Straw Hat's stamina and Haki were now at their limit. He had deactivated that Gear Fourth form.
Seeing Straw Hat, Pirate Hunter, and Black Leg trying to recover by eating, Momonga desperately led his remaining forces in a desperate, all-out assault.
Only he remained among the Vice Admirals.
If Straw Hat and the others recovered, they would surely be annihilated.
Momonga wasn't afraid of death, but if all five Vice Admirals were lost here, even for Marine HQ, it would be a historically devastating blow.
Justice on the seas would be severely weakened.
And the forces of evil were already growing stronger, fueled by the arrival of Sky Sovereign Rowen. They could not afford further losses to their strength!
He sent frantic status reports back to HQ while relentlessly pressing the attack, even ordering soldiers below Captain rank to join the fray.
As long as Admiral Akainu achieved victory, they would still win this war. Momonga had faith in Akainu.
Though caught off guard by Rowen's tricks, Akainu, with his superior strength and resilience, had recovered.
Sky Sovereign Rowen's carefully planned attack couldn't defeat Admiral Akainu—In terms of absolute strength, Akainu was clearly the stronger one.
Momonga was confident Akainu would swiftly overwhelm Rowen and lead the Navy to victory...
....
"Sky Sovereign... Rowen,"
Momonga murmured, staring in horror at the towering volcano of magma and the magma projectiles erupting from it, clashing with the lightning in the atmosphere.
This man's power—had increased again!
Sky Sovereign Rowen was truly fighting like an Emperor now.
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"Hey, Moss-head—that's your Asura Aura, right?"
Sanji commented, watching Zoro as they both rested and recovered their stamina and Haki, their battle area having shifted away from the main conflict due to the massive explosions.
"Yeah. Looks like Rowen finally finished equipping my Asura Aura," Zoro grinned, looking towards that dark-red space filled with demonic figures with a smile.
He hadn't expected the power of Asura Aura to be so terrifying in Rowen's hands, so much stronger than when he, Zoro, used it.
According to Rowen, this Special Trait manifested differently depending on the user.
In Zoro's hands, it channeled some of Conqueror's Haki's power, enhancing his swordsmanship. But in Rowen's hands, it was far more scary, manifesting actual demonic figures.
"Too bad, Curly-Brows! Rowen chose to use my Asura Aura, not your stupid whatever-Exoskeleton! Who's Rowen's No. 1 now?? No need to argue anymore, right??" Zoro taunted, laughing.
"HAAAAAA? What nonsense are you talking about? Look at the power of Asura Aura in Rowen's hands, then look at it in YOURS. You needed Miss Vivi's help to defeat a Vice Admiral! I finished mine off all by myself! Who's Rowen's No. 1? Need I say more?" Sanji retorted, not backing down.
Sanji retorted indignantly.
"HUH??? Wanna fight?!" Zoro glared at Sanji.
"I'm not afraid of you!" Sanji glared back.
BOINK! BOINK!
Two fists landed on their heads.
"You just recovered a little stamina and you're wasting it already?! You two idiots! If you hold Rowen back, watch out for my lightning!" Nami scolded, shaking her fist.
"S-Sorry," Zoro and Sanji instantly apologized.
"Shishishi! Rowen is really strong!!" Luffy chuckled, now perched on Franky's shoulder.
This battle was the fiercest they had faced since setting sail. Those Vice Admirals were incredibly powerful!
If not for Rowen taking out two of them, the situation here would be reversed!
And those Vice Admirals were no match for Rowen. Only after personally clashing with them did they truly understand just how terrifyingly strong Rowen was.
Though they had grown much stronger, they were still far from being Rowen's equals, true assets by his side.
After all—facing Akainu, they wouldn't last a second.
To be Rowen's No. 1... you at least had to be able to fight Akainu, right?
....
"You two aren't even as perceptive as Luffy!" Nami lectured.
"She's right. Before an Admiral, our strength is still too weak. And the Navy has three of those guys..." Zoro admitted, rubbing his head, his expression turning serious.
"Ah. To be Rowen's No. 1, you at least need to have Admiral-level strength, huh?" Sanji's eyes burned with renewed determination.
To truly help Rowen achieve his dream, Admiral-level strength was essential. If not for Rowen's Rumble-Rumble Fruit, if the Navy deployed two or more Admirals against them, they'd still be utterly helpless.
"That's right! That's how it is!" Luffy beamed.
"Me too!" Vivi, standing beside Nami, also declared with fierce determination.
"Vivi!"
"You have the Sand-Sand Fruit! Once you awaken it, you too can defeat a Vice Admiral alone!" Nami smiled encouragingly at Vivi.
"That's not enough!" Vivi replied with a determined smile.
The Sand-Sand Fruit was powerful, but even Awakened, it wouldn't make her an Admiral.
To reach Admiral-level strength, she still needed Haki.
"Rowen said he already has some targets in mind for plundering Conqueror's Haki from," Nami added with a wink.
Everyone had witnessed how powerful Conqueror's Haki could be.
Mastering Haōshoku Coating was the path to becoming a true top-tier powerhouse—
—And thus a true asset by Rowen's side.
And currently, in their crew, besides Rowen, only Luffy and Zoro possessed Conqueror's Haki.
"Then let's just give it to Vivi! Anyway, Curly-Brows is already stuck at No. 3; being No. 4 shouldn't make a difference," Zoro suggested, glancing dismissively at Sanji.
"NO! Give it to Sanji!" Vivi declared seriously.
"Maximizing his strength is how we can best help Rowen, isn't it?" Vivi smiled, gazing resolutely towards the distant battlefield.
She wanted to become stronger—for Rowen's sake.
"Look at Vivi's resolve! You two idiots were just fighting moments ago!" Nami scolded.
"Sorry," Zoro and Sanji mumbled, genuinely ashamed.
"Then hurry up and recover! Capture those Marines! If the Navy sends more reinforcements, at least we'll have hostages!" Luffy declared, grinning.
Everyone looked at him with surprise.
Luffy, usually so simple-minded, showing strategic thinking now?
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Marine Headquarters!
"Yamakaji and Onigumo are defeated! And Akainu is at a disadvantage against Sky Sovereign Rowen!"
Hearing this report, Sengoku's eyes widened in horror.
"No way..." Aokiji murmured in disbelief.
Akainu, stronger than him, with offensive power on another level, was at a disadvantage in direct combat??
"Sky Sovereign Rowen has acquired a new power called 'Asura Aura'! It amplifies Haōshoku Coating and Devil Fruit abilities," Sengoku stated grimly.
Rowen's combat strength was already troublesome.
Though his Haki intensity wasn't quite at peak Emperor level... to fight Akainu head-on like this! This man's power had undoubtedly reached the true pinnacle of these seas!
Peak Emperor level strength!
"KIZARU! HEAD TO ENIES LOBBY IMMEDIATELY! WE CANNOT AFFORD THIS DEFEAT!" Sengoku roared into another Transponder Snail.
He hadn't anticipated Sky Sovereign Rowen and the Straw Hat crew's strength would reach such heights...
This was, aside from the small number of commanders, a complete Emperor crew. If they stubbornly let Akainu keep fighting Rowen alone, Momonga and the others might be completely annihilated.
Under these circumstances, dispatching Kizaru was the best choice!
"Understood," Kizaru's characteristically lazy voice replied.
Marine HQ Admiral 'Borsalino' Kizaru—DEPLOYED.
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"The Magma-Magma Fruit... Awakened, is it?" Rowen looked at the magma volcano Akainu had become, and exhaled slowly.
His eyes blazed with an intense purple-black light as demonic aura surged outwards.
The next move... would be his ultimate current form.
His absolute pinnacle!
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