Chapter 73 The battle ends

Upon seeing the clash between two Logia users about to erupt, the onlookers swiftly cleared the area.

When Logia users fight, the only certainty is destruction.

"Keep your distance, or you'll definitely get caught in the crossfire," someone muttered, stepping back.

Jakie glanced at Hina with mild concern. "Hina, Smoker's about to go up against a future admiral. Aren't you worried?"

Hina shook her head confidently, her gaze full of trust. "Not at all. Smoker is strong. He can handle it!"

Jakie, Zephyr, and Tsuru exchanged surprised looks.

She really trusts him, doesn't she?

Hina raised her chin slightly, proud and resolute. "Besides, I don't believe Akainu would actually kill him!"

The trio collectively fell silent at her unwavering declaration.

Akainu, warming up, began exuding intense waves of heat, his body releasing molten magma. The lava didn't glow brightly but carried an ominous dark hue. As it dripped to the ground, the rocks and sand beneath instantly liquefied, and the air wavered under the immense heat.

"Last time we clashed, it was always on a ship, limiting what we could do," Akainu remarked casually. "But this time, you can go all out. Of course, if you're afraid, I can refrain from using Haki."

Against any other Logia user, not using Armament Haki would have been a significant handicap—a gesture of immense leniency.

But Smoker wanted to curse aloud.

What's the point? My powers don't care about Haki!

Naturally, retreat wasn't an option. Smoker nodded calmly. "No need to hold back. Please, feel free to fight at your full strength."

With those words, Smoker's body began to transform, dark tendrils of shadow-like energy spreading from his feet across the battlefield. From a distance, the visual intensity rivaled Akainu's fiery display.

Akainu chuckled. "Confident, are we? Let's see how you handle this. Hound Crimson Lotus!"

His arm morphed into a massive, molten hound that lunged at Smoker with a deafening roar.

Smoker raised an eyebrow. Opening with a signature move? Bold.

Despite its ferocity, the magma hound was still a straightforward elemental attack. Smoker knew better than to be intimidated by its sheer size or speed.

He exhaled, grounding himself as his dark energy intensified. The ground under him darkened, an oppressive gravitational pull emanating outward.

"Dark Pit!"

A surge of darkness rose up, its massive pull dragging the magma hound downward mid-lunge. The fiery beast writhed, howling in defiance before being swallowed entirely, dissolving into the shadows.

Akainu's expression shifted slightly.

"Just as they say," he muttered. "Your abilities are strange... and powerful. But let's see how you handle this."

He raised his hands, and a series of massive molten orbs formed around him, glowing ominously.

"Volcanic Meteor Shower."

The magma orbs launched into the sky, arcing down like flaming meteors. Each orb exploded in midair, splitting into smaller fiery fragments that spiraled down unpredictably. The night sky lit up with streaks of burning red, the ground quaking under their impact.

Smoker locked his gaze on the incoming barrage.

"Tempest Kick!"

With a swift motion, razor-sharp air blades shot upward, colliding with the magma orbs and causing a chain of explosions. However, the fragmented magma spheres continued their descent, smaller but no less deadly.

Akainu smirked, watching from a distance. Let's see how he handles this.

The smaller orbs darted toward Smoker with relentless precision, their paths erratic and impossible to predict.

Smoker cursed under his breath, dodging left and right. The heat was suffocating, and even with his enhanced speed, the orbs seemed to anticipate his every move.

"Shave!"

Smoker blurred to the side, evading one cluster of magma balls before releasing a concentrated burst of dark tendrils.

"Dark Lash Barrage!"

Whip-like strands of darkness lashed out, intercepting the molten spheres midair and scattering them. The fiery remnants rained down, igniting patches of the ground in a molten inferno.

Despite his counterattack, a few magma splashes landed on Smoker's arms and chest.

"Ah! Damn it, it burns!" Smoker yelled, gritting his teeth as the searing pain overwhelmed him.

Hina gasped audibly, taking a step forward, but Tsuru held her back with a calm hand. "Don't worry. Smoker's tougher than he looks. And besides, magma has its limits."

Before Tsuru could finish, Smoker's agonized scream echoed across the battlefield.

"Ahhhh! It's too hot!"

The group watched in silence as Smoker staggered, dark energy swirling around him in an attempt to absorb the magma. While it stopped the burning, the pain left him drenched in sweat.

Akainu raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? A Logia user should find this easy to handle."

Smoker shot him a glare, panting heavily. "I'm fine. Let's continue!"

Akainu's response was immediate. "Great Eruption!"

A massive, molten fist shot forward, glowing ominously as it tore through the air toward Smoker.

Smoker's own hand transformed, darkness condensing into a massive shadowy fist that met the magma head-on.

The collision sent shockwaves through the air, lava splattering in all directions while Smoker's darkness surged violently. The resulting explosion turned the night into day, the ground shaking under the force of their clash.

As Smoker prepared his next move, he felt a sudden shift beneath him and leapt instinctively to the side.

The ground erupted in a fiery column, magma shooting up like a volcanic geyser.

"Akainu! Are you trying to kill me?!" Smoker shouted, barely dodging the searing blast.

Akainu's face remained stoic. "If you can't handle this, you're not ready to bear the weight of true justice."

Smoker's expression darkened. "Fine, if that's how you want it—Dark Pull!"

With a surge of gravity, Akainu was dragged toward Smoker, who delivered a swift kick to his face, sending him tumbling backward.

Akainu stood slowly, wiping the blood from his mouth.

He smirked. "Not bad. But it'll take more than that to win."

Smoker growled, realizing that this fight was far from over.

Molten lava burns far worse than ordinary fire, and for the first time, Smoker was experiencing such pain.

He knelt on the ground, veins bulging on his forehead, sweat dripping steadily.

Only when he used the powers of darkness to absorb the damage could he shakily stand back up.

Sakazuki, showing a rare sense of fairness, did not pursue him. He waited for Smoker to rise before speaking.

"You didn't use Haki just now, did you? How did you manage to hit my real body?"

Inwardly, Sakazuki marveled. A few years ago, Smoker couldn't even touch him, no matter how hard he tried.

He hadn't slacked off in his own training and had grown much stronger. Yet, this guy had improved even more!

Smoker nodded, not intending to hide the truth.

"Yes, the Dark-Dark Fruit can neutralize your powers. The moment we make contact, you can't activate your abilities."

Sakazuki touched his still slightly numb face. "An impressive ability. Let's continue. Corroding Crimson Rain!"

Raising his hand, Sakazuki fired several massive magma fists into the sky, disappearing into the dark clouds above.

The clouds churned, thunder rumbled, and flashes of red light flickered ominously.

The light intensified until magma rained down, scorching the earth.

Whether it fell on rock or sand, the magma corroded everything, leaving deep pits behind.

Even though Hina, Jakie, and Gion stood far from the battlefield, they were still affected.

Jakie and Gion were ready to intervene, but Hina stopped them.

"I'll handle this," she said calmly.

With a wave of her hand, the magma rain stopped mid-air, just a few meters above everyone, as if it had hit an invisible barrier.

Hina was stunned.

This was exactly what Smoker had described—the invisible armor!

This was an advanced level of Armament Haki, beyond simple hardening.

She had thought such a technique only protected the user's body, but Vice Admiral Tsuru had casually used it to shield multiple people.

Not only that, judging by her composed expression, the effort seemed to cost her nothing.

Was this the true strength of the older generation?

Hina glanced at Smoker and froze.

For some reason, he neither dodged nor resisted the falling magma.

Instead, he closed his eyes and stretched out his arms, welcoming the rain with his body.

Each drop of magma burned a bloody hole into him, only to be immediately healed by the darkness.

Sakazuki frowned.

"What are you doing?"

After observing for a moment, realization dawned on him.

"I see... Let me help you!"

He sent more magma into the sky, intensifying the rain.

Smoker nodded at Sakazuki and closed his eyes again, enduring the fiery deluge.

He was repeatedly injured and healed, the smell of burnt flesh lingering in the air.

Yet, he stood unmoving, silently bearing the searing pain.

Hina, Jakie, and Gion were baffled, watching anxiously.

Tsuru, seemingly understanding everything, remained silent and calm, simply observing.

Suddenly, her eyes gleamed.

"It's happening!"

The three turned their attention to Smoker.

At first, there was nothing unusual. But soon, they noticed a change.

Some magma drops no longer hit Smoker. His body instinctively transformed into smoke, avoiding them just before impact.

The frequency increased.

What started as a few drops became a steady stream of avoided attacks.

Jakie stared in shock.

"This guy... is using magma to train himself?!"

Gion nodded. "Exactly. He's practicing dodging attacks with Logia transformation. But..."

She glanced at Hina, remembering that Hina had mastered this technique years ago.

Hina didn't look away from Smoker, but she explained.

"The Dark-Dark Fruit is unique... Its gravitational pull makes it difficult to use elementalization to evade dense attacks."

"This means he's gained a deeper level of control over his fruit's abilities."

Jakie and Gion exchanged looks of understanding, their view of Smoker subtly shifting.

Time passed.

Smoker was now able to avoid most of the magma.

Finally, he spoke. "Vice Admiral Sakazuki, you can stop now..."

Sakazuki nodded, raising his hand to halt the rain.

He approached Smoker.

"Congratulations, Smoker. Let's end it here for today."

Smoker looked exhausted but managed a smile.

"So, did I pass?"

Although Sakazuki found it odd that Smoker had only now mastered a relatively basic technique, he acknowledged Smoker's overall strength, Haki, and abilities.

He simply nodded.

"Thank you," Smoker said gratefully.

Out at sea, a warship with a dog-head figurehead floated quietly.

Onboard, Zephyr, Garp, and Sengoku stood with telescopes, watching the battle.

As the fight concluded, Zephyr put down his telescope and smiled smugly.

"So, what do you think? My student isn't bad, huh?"

Garp picked his nose and flicked the debris at Zephyr's face.

"What are you bragging about, you purple-haired idiot? I'm the one who brought him into the Navy!"

Zephyr grabbed Garp by the collar.

"Say that again, you donut-munching moron! I dare you!"

Unbothered, Garp sneered. "Bring it on, purple fool! You think I'm scared of you?"

Sengoku had enough.

"Both of you, shut up!"

He tossed aside his telescope and smacked both of their heads.

The kind of punch that could flatten an average Vice Admiral's skull only made them yelp in pain.

"Ow! Damn you, Sengoku!"

"You golden-headed old goat!"

The two glared at Sengoku's head, clearly plotting revenge.

Veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead as he shouted, "Knock it off, you idiots!"

"The future of the Navy—our next generation, even the one after—is right there on that island!"

His voice softened.

"Garp, Zephyr..."

"Hmm?"

"Yeah?"

"We can't let what happened with Dragon repeat itself."

Hearing that name, both men's expressions darkened.

Garp, especially, had a murderous glint in his eyes.

"Yes. I had such high hopes for him, gave him everything I could, and he threw it all away!"

"All because of those so-called leaders, clinging to their illusion of balance..."

"Enough!" Zephyr snapped.

Garp froze, then let out a frustrated grunt, falling silent.

Sengoku placed a reassuring hand on Garp's shoulder.

"The past is the past. At least he's living his own way."

"But the rising stars we see now—they need our protection."

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