Chapter 22: Ice vs Magma (IV)

Disbelief hung heavy in the air. Supernova, Rayleigh, countless pirates, even the Marines...

All eyes were fixed on Ling Bai.

"What in the world is that power, Captain?!" Crocodile and Shiryu stammered, their scalps crawling. They were frozen, powerless to even budge Akainu!

The horror of this ability was unimaginable! Ling Bai's reputation for mystery and power just skyrocketed in their eyes.

A heavy blow landed. Ling Bai's fist connected with Akainu's stomach – a bare-knuckled punch, devoid of Armament Haki. It passed straight through Akainu's body, thanks to his Logia Devil Fruit power, causing no immediate damage.

Logia users, by nature, possess elementalization. In this state, they're akin to a block of tofu in their element – still and intangible. However, this very property prevented Akainu's stomach from automatically reforming after the attack.

The chilling fact remained – Akainu was completely immobilized. Anyone else in his place would likely be grievously wounded, if not dead.

Akainu, however, seemed unaffected. His expression remained unchanged, his body frozen, his mind a blank slate. He had no clue what had just transpired.

"Akainu didn't fight back!" someone shouted, shock evident in their voice.

"He can't move at all! That monster wants to kill him, it's so easy!"

"This is terrible! What kind of ability is that?" A murmur of questions and gasps rippled through the crowd. If Ling Bai wanted to kill them, and used this ability, they couldn't even resist!

"My ability is the same freezing power as Aokiji," Ling Bai declared, his voice cutting through the panic, "but much stronger than his Frozen Fruit!"

He clenched his fists, one in each hand. With a determined glint in his eyes, he raised them above Akainu, then slammed them down repeatedly, Armament Haki crackling around his knuckles. This time, he wouldn't let anything stop him.

Mahapadma, however, had its limitations. With Ling Bai's current strength, it drained him immensely. It could only freeze time and space for a short duration, and he could only use it two or three times a day at most. He had to act fast.

But Ling Bai didn't intend to kill Akainu. Not yet. It wasn't necessary.

"If Akainu's dead," Ling Bai muttered, "the Summit War loses its spark. You know, the whole thing's only exciting because of his promotion match. Without Akainu, who knows if Whitebeard and Fire Fist Ace even die."

A glint flickered in Ling Bai's eyes. His fist wasn't just clad in Armament Haki; it concealed the "Six Forms" technique, Finger Pistol. And Ling Bai's mastery of the Six Forms was now complete, granting him access to the Profound Techniques!

With this combination, even a casual punch would pack a devastating power.

"Danger!"

As a colleague, Kizaru naturally couldn't stand idly by. But just as he was about to make a move, Bullet wouldn't let him go.

Even if Kizaru could get a shot off, he couldn't catch up with Ling Bai's speed.

Finger Pistol: activated!

This was the first time Ling Bai had used it, and he had to admit, he was a bit excited to use it on Akainu.

Akainu, immobilized, became a sitting duck. His chest caved in at that moment.

In that instant, time and space unfroze, and endless pain ripped through Akainu's nerves.

Stunned and wracked with searing pain, Akainu didn't know what had happened. The agony nearly caused his mind to go blank.

"I-"

Puff!

Akainu coughed up blood.

Everyone heard a sickening thud as bones cracked. It was horrifying!

Akainu took the full force of the finger gun attack. His insides got messed up.

BOOM!

The sound exploded outwards for hundreds of meters. Akainu flew like a ragdoll launched from a rocket. He crashed hundreds of meters away, slamming into a bunch of big trees. The trees snapped and finally stopped him.

"Sakazuki!"

Kizaru's face went pale with shock.

A Marine officer, waiting for a chance to deliver Fleet Admiral Sengoku's retreat order, froze in disbelief. He saw what happened to Akainu, then looked at Ling Bai, his body shaking uncontrollably.

The time-freeze lifted.

"Admiral Borsalino!"

The officer rushed to Kizaru, trying to relay Sengoku's message.

"It's too late!"

Kizaru, furious, turned into a beam of light and disappeared, racing towards Akainu. Bullet started to follow, but Ling Bai stopped him.

"Hold on, Bullet," Ling Bai said. "Things will get exciting soon enough. No need for a full-out war now. Let's head to the New World first and stir things up there."

Akainu lay on the ground, struggling to rise. Bloodshot eyes stared up, chest caved in, a taste of blood in his mouth.

"Borsalino," he rasped, "what... what happened?"

Akainu's face was drained of color. His memories were a jumbled mess. He recalled a strange blue orb erupting from the young pirate's hand, then nothing.

"Sakazuki," Kizaru said, "I'm not sure, but you're frozen."

"Frozen? Everything stopped? Even the dust?" Akainu felt ridiculous. "Time? Time and space?"

Kizaru frowned. "Seems like it."

Akainu's resolve hardened. This kid was dangerous. Stopping time itself? As an Admiral, he couldn't let this threat roam free.

But Kizaru shot out a hand, stopping Akainu from rising. The Admiral was badly hurt, and Kizaru knew they needed a new plan.

"Hold on, Sakazuki. We got bigger problems and Sengoku ordered us to stand down. You're hurt too!"

Akainu, burning mad, forced himself to cool off at the mention of Sengoku's order.

This injury was a real pain, not that he wasn't used to getting beat up, but it had been a while since something this bad got him.

"If this guy can really freeze time and space, that's bad. Everything stops, throws all three Admirals in, and we're toast! Dead before we even know it!"

Kizaru's eyes narrowed. He saw the danger.

Akainu's face hardened. "We gotta report this back. These guys are beyond anything we expected, but the war with Whitebeard is about to kick off, and we..."

"Damn it!"

Akainu wanted to scream, but a sharp pain shot through his mouth. He coughed up a mouthful of blood.