radicalducati Chapter 72 Battle, A Fateful Reunion
Chapter 72 Battle, A Fateful Reunion
Alabasta, deep in the rainforest.
The once scorching sand dunes have been replaced by layers upon layers of slippery, sweltering vines.
The air was so thick it felt like you could wring water out of it, a mixture of the scent of decaying plants and some kind of sweet pollen.
Portgas D. Ace pulled his hat down low and moved nimbly through the rainforest, his orange denim shorts and vest already soaked with sweat and dew.
"Tsk, what a lousy place..."
Ace wiped the sweat from his face and irritably kicked aside a clump of vines blocking his way.
"They used to dry people out when they came, now they suffocate them! What kind of monster is that sand crocodile summoning?"
The air around him distorted slightly, and the spirit form of the little sun appeared and disappeared, its calm voice resounding directly in Ace's mind.
"To alter the landscape and climate, to distort reality... Master, this is a divine power. It is no ordinary Heroic Spirit. Its power contains the essence of 'chaos' and 'transformation,' so extreme caution is required."
Ace's eyes narrowed, and he stopped in his tracks. "A god? Hmph, Little Sun? Aren't you a god too? What are you afraid of him for!"
He clenched his fist, flames leaping between his fingers.
"That bastard Teach! He's probably allied with the Sand Crocodile."
Upon hearing this name, Ace's eyes instantly turned icy cold, and his killing intent surged like a tangible flame, causing the surrounding moisture to evaporate into a white mist.
"The intelligence says he's also been put into this 'big cage' and headed towards the rainy area... Perfect! Time to settle both old and new scores!"
He followed Blackbeard to Alabasta, partly to wait for his brother's arrival and partly to find Teach.
He must confront Blackbeard directly and ask him why he betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates. Deception and betrayal must be repaid with blood!
Little Sun remained silent for a moment. He could feel the burning anger and responsibility in his Master's heart, and he couldn't help but recall the invincible figure from back then.
As a hero who also bears a heavy destiny, he understands this persistence.
"Master, the fire of vengeance needs guidance, lest it burn you. Rainfield is the enemy's core, and every step is fraught with danger."
He reminded him again, "My posture is too conspicuous; becoming a spirit would make it easier to move stealthily."
Ace nodded, suppressing his surging anger: "Understood, Little Sun. You'll be my secret weapon for now!"
"We'll give them another surprise when we find that black loach, or when we face off against the sand crocodile!"
Although the news of Ace summoning Karna had already spread throughout the world, he didn't seem to care.
He grinned, started walking again, and his figure moved through the dark rainforest.
Along the way, they witnessed the bizarre ecosystem under the power of the smoke mirror.
The enormous carnivorous plant secreted corrosive mucus, turning the once docile desert fox into a massive creature with exposed fangs and its eyes flashing with a ferocious red light.
Ace, thanks to the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit and the early warning from the Little Sun's spirit form, managed to avoid or eliminate these obstacles without serious harm.
After all these events, his vigilance towards the enemy hero he had never met reached its peak.
The outer edge of the rainforest, the port rainforest.
After passing through the last massive, towering forest, the faint outline of the city of Yudi finally came into view at the edge of the horizon.
In the direction of the port, the mangroves that have been spurred to grow are even denser, with their twisted roots reaching into the murky seawater.
"Almost there!" Ace's spirits lifted, and he was about to speed up.
"Master! Watch out!"
Karna's warning exploded in Ace's mind like a thunderclap!
An unprecedented sense of crisis erupted in Ace's heart.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several massive naval warships ruthlessly smashed through the dense mangrove forest surrounding the harbor, crushing the floating sea, and stormed into view!
The seagull flag flying at the bow of the ship was particularly glaring!
At the bow of the lead warship stood a figure that Ace recognized very well—Admiral Akainu, Sakazuki!
He crossed his arms, his Magma-Magma Fruit power unconsciously radiating outwards, scorching and distorting the surrounding air.
The gaze beneath the brim of his hat, like that of a hawk searching for its prey, instantly locked onto Ace at the edge of the rainforest!
"Fire Fist Ace!" Akainu's voice rolled like muffled thunder, filled with absolute killing intent.
"As expected, you're here. Perfect, I'll wipe you out along with the soon-to-arrive Straw Hat Luffy!"
Without a word, Akainu's right arm instantly transformed into a giant fist of boiling magma, larger than ever before, and slammed towards Ace like a volcanic eruption!
"A massive fireball!!!"
The terrifying magma fist carried an aura of annihilation; wherever it passed, thick trees instantly charred and burned, and the ground was plowed with scorched trenches.
The scorching heat almost suffocated Ace!
"Akainu!!!"
Ace's pupils contracted sharply, and his fighting spirit ignited instantly!
He knew the gap between himself and a general, but at this moment there was no way to retreat.
He clenched his fists, and blazing white flames gathered on them like the core of the sun!
"Entei the Flame Emperor!!!"
Ace roared and unleashed all the fire power in his body without reservation.
A colossal, blindingly bright crimson fireball fiercely met the destructive magma fist head-on!
Boom-! ! ! !
The incandescent fireball of the sun and the dark red, destructive magma collided violently in mid-air!
The deafening explosion resounded through the sky!
The terrifying energy shockwave spread wildly like a condensed ring, instantly leveling the giant ferns and trees within a radius of 100 meters, turning them into burning charcoal.
Hot magma droplets and scattered flames rained down like a storm, igniting everything around them!
A stalemate! For a mere instant!
Ace's "Emperor of Flames," unleashed with all his might, was swallowed up by Akainu's "Great Flame Burst," which contained terrifying penetrating power and high temperature, like waves hitting a reef!
The crimson flames were gradually forced back and compressed by the dark red magma!
"Ugh—!"
Ace groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
The immense force and the terrifying heat of the magma traveled through the flames, causing him excruciating pain in both arms. His body involuntarily slid backward, his feet carving deep furrows in the ground!
The gap in strength becomes undeniable when absolute power clashes.
"You stubborn pirate scum! Turn to ashes!"
A cold, triumphant glint flashed in Akainu's eyes as his magma fist expanded once more, ready to engulf Ace and his flames completely!
At this critical moment!
Om-! ! !
Behind Ace, the air distorted violently like ripples on water.
A dazzling golden light erupted, instantly dispelling the smoke and scorching heat of the explosion.
Karna—son of the sun god, has shed his spiritual form and descended in his true form!
He was clad in golden armor, as dazzling as the sun itself!
Facing the terrifying magma fist that was about to devour Ace, Karna's golden eyes remained calm, even carrying a faint trace of pity.
The Undying Blade, carrying the momentum to pierce through the stars, stabbed towards the earth-shattering magma fist in front of it.
The golden spear was imbued with an aura more powerful than magma or domineering force; it possessed a divine majesty.
In an instant, the world's most destructive magma collapsed, and Akainu was forced to retreat by the force, unleashing even more massive fireballs as he did so.
Little Sun had no intention of letting him go either. He plunged the Undying Blade in his hand into the ground, clenched his fists, and his eyes shone with unstoppable divine power.
The pure and domineering power of the sun god condensed into a sphere of extreme light and heat in his eyes.
"A true hero kills with his eyes..."
"Brahmastra, cover the earth..." Karna's calm voice was like a divine oracle.
call out--!
A golden beam of light, as thin as a hair yet so dazzling that even Akainu found it blinding, shot out from Karna's eyes in an instant.
Its speed surpasses what the eye can perceive.
laugh--!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a soft sound, like a hot knife cutting through butter.
The massive magma fist "Great Fireball," powerful enough to destroy a town, was silently annihilated like a mirage before this seemingly tiny golden beam of light.
The beam of light continued its relentless advance, precisely targeting Akainu Sakazuki's heart!
The purifying and destructive power contained in that light made even Akainu, a seasoned admiral, feel the chilling aura of death.
His pupils contracted sharply, and his entire body instinctively boiled with magma in defense, but it seemed... it was too late!
For the first time, an emotion called "horror" appeared in Akainu's eyes.
At this crucial moment that would determine life or death!
"Buzz—!"
A strange bowstring twanged, as if from the beginning of the universe, or as if resounding deep within the soul.
An arrow, shrouded in deep blue divine light and formed from stars and karmic fire—the Beast Lord's magical artifact Gandiva—shot in from the side without warning.
bite--!!!
The azure divine arrow struck the thin yet deadly golden beam of light with perfect accuracy.
Two completely different, supreme divine energies hummed in their extreme confrontation! Space itself was distorted by the impact.
The point of impact burst forth with a brief but dazzling blue-gold light before both vanished without a trace.
Akainu, having narrowly escaped death, took a step back in shock, the magma around him surging violently.
Karna slowly lowered his hand, and for the first time, a noticeable fluctuation appeared in his calm, unwavering golden pupils. But there was also a sense of relief, as if he had known all along.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze piercing through the giant trees growing from the sea, and precisely locked onto a direction.
At the top of the watchtower of a warship behind the Akainu fleet, a figure stood silently.
He was dressed in a magnificent white robe and held a simple, ancient-looking divine bow that exuded an aura of stars and destruction.
His face was handsome yet aloof, his eyes deep as an ancient well, reflecting the fate of countless worlds.
He exuded an aura that was of the same origin as Karna's, yet slightly different.
He gives people a feeling of warmth and comfort, as if he is blessed by the heavens.
It was Archer—Arjuna!
The hero who gave alms and the hero who was given by heaven—these two brothers from ancient Indian epics, whose fates are intertwined, crossed the barriers of the world and completed their destiny-bound gaze in this rainforest shrouded in mist.
A knowing glint flashed in Karna's eyes, before settling into a deep, calm silence.
Arjuna's gaze was even more profound, as if he were examining a creation destined for destruction, devoid of sorrow or joy.
An eerie silence fell over the battlefield, and the sailors on the dozen or so warships dared not even breathe.
Only the crackling of the burning rainforest and Akainu's heavy breathing echoed through the air.
The confrontation between these two brothers is more suffocating than a thousand troops.