FF

I looked down at the body of Akainu, and before I could forget, I opened my storage and pulled out a bright red apple and held it near his corpse. I felt the energy transfer from Akainu into the fruit and the smooth red skin transformed into a picture of ever-moving magma.

Putting the devil fruit away in my inventory, I already knew who I would give it to. Turning back to the admiral's body, I reached down and tore off the most significant pin on his jacket, "Just a little keepsake to remember our time together."

Before I could get too comfortable with myself, I felt a sudden cold wash over me, and I stepped to the side to avoid the pillar of icy that almost gouged out my eyes. Moving backward, I danced as the ground around me turned into a minefield as one step could lead to a severe blow.

Jumping into the air, I spotted my attacker, "I guess It's time for round two." At blinding speeds, I dove at Kuzan and was able to plant my foot on his shoulder, driving him into the ground and dragging him across the floor.

Reaching up, Kuzan grabbed my foot, and Ice started to spread from his grasp. Grunting, I grew a pair of talons and threw him away and watched as cloud shot up from where he landed—giving me time to assess my injury. The blood flowing to my ankle had already frozen, and cells were starting to die from the lack of fresh oxygen.

Gritting my teeth, I raised my sword, and without hesitation, I cut off my foot. Not even a drop of blood was able to escape before a limb grew back with no signs of injury. Feeling my energy levels dip, I was about to reach for a pill when I felt the ground start to tremble.

Looking up, I craned my neck at the ship-sized block of ice flying across the ground. Then, in quick succession, I sliced the air with Sanguinem, sending out a volley of air blades that reduced the ice to powdered snow.

But the glacier was only a distraction as Kuzan was right behind his attack using blasts of frigid air to propel him forward. Then, holding out my hand, I opened a portal, ready to send him into the abyss.

However, out of nowhere, I was struck with a beam of light that turned my body, distracting me and making the portal close. I spotted Kizaru's smug face of superiority before Kuzan plunged a large spike of ice through my chest.

The shard pierced through my flesh before pining me through the ground as it stuck to the floor. I spat blood, staining the snow surrounding me red. Then, I felt the ice in me shift as Kuzan struck me again, using his powers to create a beam of ice that spread through my entire body.

Landing a couple of hundred meters away, I looked up at the sky, "Well, this sucks." Looking at the hole in my chest, I frowned when I saw I wasn't healing. "So ice slows down the healing process. I didn't think that one through."

Standing up, I reached back into my inventory and pulled out Akainu's devil fruit, "Sorry, Cal, but I'm going to need this right now." Taking a bite of the fruit, I gaged but forced the fruit down. Suddenly a sharp pain stabbed at my abdomen, and I grasped my stomach in pain.

My vision shook as a loud roar rattled my eyes in their sockets. Falling to one need, I started to blackout. Reaching into my inventory, I grabbed a few pills and shoved them into my mouth, not even waiting to swallow them.

Gasping, I finally felt my body start functioning as usual before a heat spear through my bones and flesh, immediately melting the ice on my chest. My veins began to glow as if magma itself was coursing through me.

My breath came out in a gout of steam as the hole in my chest started to heal. Sensing the ground start to freeze again, I watched as another ice pillar tried to spear through me again.

I pulled on my devil fruit powers almost instinctually, turning my body to magma and allowing the attack to pierce through me. But I didn't have a moment to rest as Kizaru teleported in front of me, his leg raised to kick me again.

Thrusting out my hand, a pillar of magma erupted from the ground below Kizaru, but he had already retreated, avoiding the attack with his insane speed. As I was about to follow up on the attack, my Den Mushi Mushi vibrated.

Knowing it had to be something serious, I took a moment to answer the call, "What is it? I'm in the middle of a fight!"

"Soren, it's Dragon. I need you to do me a favor." I gritted my teeth as I looked around for where the next attack was coming from. "I'm kind of busy at the moment." Holding out my sword, I deflected a shard of ice, "It has to do with Kuzan. You can't kill him, Soren."

I didn't believe what I was hearing, "What do you mean I can't kill him? You have five seconds to explain before I hang up." I could listen to Dragon grumble as he never liked to be forced into a position, "Kuzan is a spy. He's been one for decades. Most of our victories are due to information supplied by him."

Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose, "You really don't trust anyone other than yourself, do you?" Dragon chuckled darkly, "Are you any different?" I hung up instead of responding and looked towards the two admirals watching me with eyes full of murder.

And I wondered if Dragon was telling the truth.