Chapter 82: Kuke vs. Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru

Akainu found an excuse, "Dragging this out might lead to unforeseen problems."

Normally, his comrades would understand the unspoken agreement. However, Aokiji, who never got along with Akainu, replied calmly, "What kind of problem? Gion and her crew returning? Or maybe the Dark King Rayleigh coming back? That would actually work out perfectly—we can catch them all in one go. We've already received word that Teacher Zephyr is on his way. Or are you worried about other sea monsters coming to help Kuke? The Navy has been monitoring them closely. Even if we drag this out for days, they won't make it here in time. Or are you afraid Kuke will run away? If he tries, we'll handle it."

Aokiji's words hit Akainu hard, leaving him speechless, his face covered in blood, unable to hide his embarrassment.

"This... this..." Akainu's lips twitched as he searched for a valid reason to argue back.

But Kuke wasn't going to wait for Akainu to come up with one. His sword strikes came one after another, each swing aimed at a lethal spot. Akainu struggled to block them, retreating clumsily across the 13th island.

"His attack power isn't weaker than mine, and his defense and recovery are even better. How has he improved so much in just one year?" Akainu thought, feeling the full brunt of Kuke's strength as the battle dragged on.

Even without such a reckless fighting style, Akainu knew that taking Kuke down would require him to risk his own life in a fight to the death. Today, however, Akainu had no desire for a mutually destructive battle.

"What's the matter, Akainu? Is the mighty admiral only good at running away? Didn't you promise me a grand funeral? Well, I don't see how you can throw one if you keep running," Kuke mocked as he chased Akainu relentlessly.

From the 13th island, the battle spilled over onto the 12th, and then the 11th... The battlefield continued to expand.

All around, people gathered, watching the battle from a distance.

Those on the islands, who had been spectators up until now, suddenly found themselves much closer to the action. They stood frozen in shock, their eyes wide, watching as the infamous Akainu was chased around.

"That's Akainu... being chased by Kuke?"

"Kuke's grown this powerful? It's hard to believe."

"Or maybe Akainu isn't as strong as the rumors say?"

"Even an admiral is nothing special in front of Kuke!"

The pirates watching were thrilled to see Akainu in such a sorry state. They'd never imagined they'd get to witness a scene like this.

Even those who weren't pirates were excited.

Logically, as non-pirates, they should have been terrified of Kuke. But seeing him chase down the one who was supposed to protect them, many couldn't help but cheer for him.

Akainu, still dodging and using his Observation Haki to predict Kuke's every move, could hear the whispers from the onlookers. His already disfigured face turned a shade darker with anger.

Where did I lose? I'm not trading my life for his—that's called rationality!

Meanwhile, Kizaru and Aokiji, who hadn't yet joined the fight, furrowed their brows. Both stood up, surveying the growing crowd that was even spilling onto the icy surface.

"These people are brave, aren't they? Coming this close to watch the fight. Aren't they afraid of dying? Kuke's still a pirate—what if he decides to use them as shields?" Kizaru asked, shaking his head at the recklessness of the spectators.

"The thing is, they're not afraid of Kuke," Aokiji replied with a sigh.

Kizaru squinted, his eyes narrowing to mere slits as he looked at Kuke, still relentlessly pursuing Akainu.

He had never encountered a pirate with such a good reputation among the people.

"We can't just keep watching. The Navy's reputation is on the line. If we keep sitting around, it'll be a problem when we face Sengoku and the Five Elders later," Kizaru said, glancing at Aokiji.

If they did nothing, they were certain to be reprimanded upon their return.

Aokiji nodded in agreement. It was time to take action.

"Let's send Kuke off ourselves, then," Aokiji declared as he leaped into the air, crossing hundreds of meters in a single bound. Wherever he stepped, the molten lava on the ground beneath him instantly froze. Every step he took spread the freezing cold farther.

Kizaru turned into particles of light, zipping across the battlefield at the speed of light. Within moments, he appeared next to Kuke, his hands forming the Heaven's Cloud Sword to block Kuke's blade.

At the same time, a cold chill spread across the ground beneath Kuke, creeping up from his feet and aiming to freeze him solid.

"Finally, you two decided to join in," Kuke muttered, his body shaking as he shattered the ice crawling up his legs. He tightened his grip on his sword, forcing Kizaru back, and vanished just in time to avoid Akainu's sneak attack.

He reappeared in the distance.

The three admirals, Kizaru, Aokiji, and Akainu, now surrounded Kuke in a triangular formation.

"That was some impressive power," Kizaru remarked, still feeling the tremors in his hands from their brief clash.

He had barely managed to block Kuke's strike.

Akainu shot Kizaru a glance, as if to say, "Now you see it, don't you? You think I was just playing around?"

The three admirals surrounded Kuke, and none of them said a word.

Three against one—there wasn't much point in trash talk.

They attacked simultaneously. Three high-level elemental assaults were unleashed at once—Akainu's massive magma fist, Aokiji's ice bird, and Kizaru's laser beams.

The combined attack left Kuke no room to escape.

Kuke spun his body, sword held horizontally. A powerful wave of sword energy began to whirl around him like a cyclone.

"One-Sword Style: Heavenly Dragon's Dance!"

A massive tornado of sword energy enveloped Kuke, blocking all three attacks. The magma splattered, the ice shattered, and the lasers exploded.

A massive explosion rippled outward from Kuke's position, sending shockwaves hundreds of meters across the battlefield. A mushroom cloud of dust and debris rose into the air, threatening to consume the entire 10th island.

"The power of the admirals is terrifying."

"Going one-on-three is just insane."

The crowd watching from a distance was sent flying by the shockwave, tumbling across the icy ground before scrambling to get farther away from the battlefield.

Breathing heavily at the center of the chaos, Kuke propped himself up on his sword.

"I need to wait for the right moment," he muttered between breaths.

He hadn't reached his limit yet. He still had a trump card up his sleeve—an ability he had gained recently, one that combined his Lightning powers with his strongest attack. He hadn't used it yet.

He was waiting for the perfect opportunity.

His plan was to lull his opponents into a false sense of security before striking. Even if he couldn't kill one of them, he was determined to inflict a life-changing injury on at least one of them.

Kuke's gaze locked onto Akainu. He had already injured him several times, making Akainu the most vulnerable of the three.

Just then, Akainu, still brimming with fury, charged straight into the dissipating explosion. "Now it's my turn to strike back!"

Kizaru and Aokiji followed closely behind.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rippled across the islands as the battle raged on. The 10th island was gone, reduced to ash. The 9th island's trees and buildings were all leveled, and cracks spread all the way to the 8th island.

For nearly half an hour, the battlefield stretched across the archipelago, reaching the 1st island.

Islands 13 through 2 had already been reduced to scorched earth.

Yet, the battle still wasn't over.

Kuke was still standing, swinging his sword with relentless ferocity. His eyes, now completely bloodshot, saw nothing but the blade in his hand.

The way he swung his sword had grown increasingly unpredictable and deadly.

As the battle raged on... a warship arrived, but the fighting had yet to cease.

"Today, I'll personally teach you all a lesson," Zephyr said, looking back at the students gathered behind him.

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