Chapter 19: Ice vs Magma (I)

Three kilometers from the Sabaody Archipelago, aboard a Marine warship.

"Sakazuki-san! Just now... Three Celestial Dragons... Were publicly executed!" a Marine officer sputtered into the Den Den Mushi. "Beheaded by that Ling Bai!"

"Borsalino-san and the others are restrained by Bullet and can't intervene!"

Akainu's face darkened as he slammed the Den Den Mushi down.

"Inform Marshal Sengoku," he growled.

With that, Akainu use Moonwalk at full power and shot towards Sabaody Archipelago. His speed was inhuman, vanishing from sight within seconds.

...

Meanwhile, on the archipelago itself, Ling Bai sheathed his sword and turned away. His objective was complete.

Public execution of Celestial Dragons. He had to be the first in history. Had even the infamous Rocks attempted such a feat?

"Maybe Rocks was a madman," Ling Bai mused, "but even he wouldn't have done what I just did."

It didn't matter. The seeds were sown. The world would soon see the Celestial Dragons for what they truly were: swine.

The forced confession, though humiliating, would be amplified by the ravenous news media. Ling Bai had essentially declared war on a supposed celestial power.

But were they truly gods?

Of course not. They were mostly garbage. Though, undeniably, some exceptions existed. After all, not every apple in the orchard was rotten. Doflamingo, with his Conqueror's Haki, was a prime example. Surely, he wasn't the only anomaly amongst the Celestial Dragons.

Also, is Shanks really Celestial Dragon? This guy, even the Five Elders have to find time out of their busy schedules to meet in person.

Finally, the biggest enigma: Im, the enigmatic king who sat at the pinnacle of the Celestial Dragons.

Soon, Ling Bai arrived at the illegal area where Bullet and the others were stationed.

This area, with a radius of several hundred meters, had been ravaged by fierce fighting in just a few minutes. The most destructive encounters were Kizaru's clash with Bullet and Crocodile's "Desert Reincarnation" technique unleashed upon the Marines. The earth's moisture was sucked dry, transforming the once-lush grassland into a desolate wasteland.

"Are they truly dead?"

Seeing Ling Bai approach, Kizaru felt a sense of despair. He knew the Celestial Dragon was likely deceased.

He was currently locked in a fierce battle with Bullet, their strengths nearly equal. Determining a victor seemed impossible, at least for now.

"Die, you mutt!"

A roar echoed through the air, accompanied by scorching waves of heat.

Ling Bai, possessing high-level Observation Haki, sensed the imminent danger and even before turning around, several enormous ice walls forming an impenetrable fortress in the direction of the colossal lava behemoth.

A tremendous explosion erupted, spewing hot lava in all directions. The ground fractured, and the air shimmered with steam as the intense heat warped it.

"Hiding behind something is nothing but a coward's tactic!"

Ling Bai remained unscathed, contorting Akainu's face with frustration.

"Did that sneak attack bruise your so-called justice and Admiral pride?" Ling Bai's voice dripped with mockery.

"Sakazuki, handle him! This guy's a monster, don't underestimate him!" Kizaru yelled, but Bullet landed a clean punch, sending him flying.

"Damn pirate!" Akainu growled, fiercely urging the lava dog, the size of a small Sea King, to shatter Ling Bai's ice wall.

In that moment, Ling Bai pressed his palm against the thick ice. From the other side, a colossal ice pick erupted, striking Akainu's head unexpectedly. With a brutal blow, Akainu's head disappeared. Moments later, everything above his chest was brutally pummeled, and his entire body was launched away.

It wouldn't harm Akainu with his elementalization, but the humiliation was undeniable.

"This ice," Ling Bai stated, "isn't this Aokiji's brand? My Teigu can perfectly replicate abilities and even create new moves through imagination."

The Ice Teigu surpasses the Frozen Fruit!

In this regard, Ling Bai brimmed with confidence.

A cacophony of shouts erupted as the execution platform became the center of attention. The clash of steel and booming explosions had drawn a motley crew: pirates with cutlasses glinting in the harsh sunlight, reporters skulking in the shadows, hoping to snag a scoop, and even outlaws drawn to the chaos like vultures.

Amidst the gathering storm, Luffy stood apart from his fellow Supernova pirates. Lost in the throes of frantic searching for his missing partner, he remained blissfully unaware of the impending doom hanging over his brother, Ace.

Whispers and gasps rippled through the crowd, punctuated by bursts of shocked exclamations.

"It's Akainu!"* someone bellowed, his voice thick with disbelief. "Both Admirals are here!"

"Bullet, the Devil's descendant? Even Garp couldn't put him down easily back then! But wasn't he supposed to be rotting away in Impel Down?" A grizzled pirate with a weathered face scratched his beard, voicing a question that echoed in many minds.

"That Ling Bai is terrifying!" A young woman, her voice barely a squeak, spoke for the first time. "A monster appearing out of nowhere. Where did he come from?"

The air crackled with nervous tension. Conversations, once hushed, escalated into a heated exchange of theories. "Is he as strong as an Admiral?" someone dared to ask.

"Akainu wouldn't have escaped without that kind of power!" another retorted, his voice laced with a grudging respect. "Killing a Celestial Dragon means instant execution, that's for sure!"

The Worst Generation and other pirates huddled closer, exchanging nervous whispers. The fierce battle, especially the scene where Akainu was blasted away in a fiery explosion, had left them stunned. The shock was palpable, a heavy weight hanging in the air, thick with the chilling premonition of even greater chaos to come.