Chapter 20: Ice vs Magma (II)

At this moment, Ling Bai crossed the ice wall ahead, spotting a panicked Akainu in the distance.

It's worth noting that when Akainu first arrived at Sabaody Archipelago, Ling Bai got the upper hand.

A colossal ice pick launched by Ling Bai sent Akainu reeling, ultimately smashing him into a nearby hill, reducing it to rubble.

Akainu, quickly reforming his human shape, erupted in a geyser of scorching steam. It wouldn't take a blind man to see the fury radiating from him.

With a single powerful stride, Akainu rocketed towards Ling Bai.

"Dark Hound!" he roared, unleashing a crimson lava fist that superheated the air around it.

Facing Akainu's assault, Ling Bai countered with a fist of his own, not of flesh and bone, but of solidified ice. The two fists collided in a thunderous explosion.

Akainu's punch was undeniably powerful, his face contorted in a vicious snarl, conveying the raw fury behind the blow.

Shockingly, Ling Bai withstood the direct hit! This wasn't a defensive maneuver like the ice wall – this was a head-on clash.

The two fists collided, generating a massive airwave that swept outward. The point of contact separated into two distinct areas: red, representing the scorching lava, and white, representing the chilling ice. One side burned fiercely, while the ground on the other froze solid.

These two phenomenal powers seemed evenly matched.

The air around them vibrated intensely.

Undeniably, Akainu possessed immense strength. Rumors swirled that he was the strongest among the three Admirals, though they had never clashed directly. Regardless, Admirals were undeniably the world's top combatants.

But here, the spectators witnessed a scene that defied expectations. The young man who dared to decapitate a Celestial Dragon was proving himself Akainu's equal!

A typical victim of Akainu's strike would be flung tens of meters away, or worse, lose a limb.

This begged the question: could this young man truly match an Admiral's combat power?

Compared to Ling Bai, the so-called Supernova pirates suddenly seemed insignificant.

"What godforsaken sea did this monstrosity crawl out of?" someone muttered skeptically.

Law, recalling Ling Bai's request for a skilled doctor for his pirate crew, furrowed his brow in contemplation.

"This freezing ability... could Aokiji still be alive? But with such mastery, shouldn't the Devil Fruit have been recently consumed?"

Rayleigh's brow furrowed in thought, unaware of the truth: Ling Bai possessed no Devil Fruit at all.

"Trying to stop me, Akainu?"

Ling Bai smiled, appearing far calmer than the rage-filled Akainu.

"Damn pirate!" Akainu roared, clearly irritated. He hadn't expected Ling Bai to block his punch, let alone display strength rivaling his own. This only strengthened his resolve to eliminate Ling Bai.

Furthermore, like Roger back then, Ling Bai had severely provoked the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. While Akainu thought of Roger, he didn't yet consider Ling Bai an equal threat.

"The war with the Whitebeard Pirates is imminent, and the world is on the brink of change. Akainu, a fight to the death here might not be wise."

Marine Headquarters couldn't have foreseen that even after Whitebeard's fall, a far more dangerous Blackbeard would rise. Whitebeard, content ruling his corner of the New World with his sons, held the closest claim to the One Piece throne, yet lacked the ambition for it.

Blackbeard, however, was different. The naming of his ship, "Xebec," and his use of Hive Island (Hachinosu) as a base made his intentions clear: he craved to become the next Roger!

Both ability and ambition positioned Blackbeard as the potential ultimate boss. The Summit War, ironically, pushed the era of Great Pirates to its zenith.

"Justice will prevail!" Akainu roared, a surge of power coursing through him. He flung Ling Bai back a meter with a single blow before launching another punch.

"Great Eruption!"

Akainu roared, a torrent of lava churning within his right hand, solidifying into a colossal fist. As he threw it, it unleashed a terrifying power akin to a volcanic eruption. This truck-sized fist of molten rock hurtled towards Ling Bai like a meteor.

Unfazed, Ling Bai raised a hand, as if issuing a command. A giant ice ball materialized out of thin air, slamming into Akainu's fist with the force of a meteorite.

A deafening boom echoed as the two attacks collided. The air contorted violently.

Even as the ice ball shattered, Akainu's fist continued to erupt with lava.

"This is even weirder than Kuzan's ice powers. That guy can't conjure ice balls of this size out of thin air. This kid needs to be dealt with now, or he'll be a major problem later!"

Akainu's scowl deepened. Shattering that ice ball had been no easy feat.