One Piece: Starting at the War of the Best

"Why so quiet, Akainu?"

"Don't get too comfortable—an even bigger surprise is coming. You better be careful not to die."

Seeing Akainu's expression, as if he had swallowed a dead rat, Katie felt immensely satisfied. After being ambushed again and again, did they really think she was that easy to bully? Even a clay figurine has a temper, let alone someone like her. Now that she finally had a chance, of course she was going to strike back hard.

"Bastard! Just because your flames changed color, you think you're invincible? You're nothing but a clown!"

Faced with Katie's continuous taunts, Akainu snapped and threw a punch, forcing Katie to retreat.

"Heh... since that's how it is, I'll make sure you die with clarity!"

"Heavenly Fire – Threefold Transformation!"

With a low shout, Katie's aura surged wildly. Blue-green flames shot skyward, so vast they seemed to blot out the sun. The heat radiating from them was far greater than before—this wasn't even on the same level as the orange-yellow flames from earlier.

"Wh-What is this? Does she have no limit?!"

In mere moments, Katie's aura had grown to an overwhelming level—far surpassing 99% of everyone present, rivaling even the Navy Admirals.

People didn't even know how to react to Katie's power that kept rising again and again.

In their eyes, she had started off as just a promising rookie. Her duel with Mihawk raised him to the level of a worthy rival.

But now, as they felt the suffocating aura she exuded, they could only look up to her with awe—she had become someone to revere, and it had all happened in the course of this one battle.

Those who had witnessed it from the start were left speechless.

"This woman hid her power really deep… I'm not even sure if this is everything she's got."

Compared to the possibility that Katie was powering up again and again, they'd rather believe that she had possessed this strength all along. After all, the path to becoming a powerhouse was never supposed to be easy. No one should be able to grow this fast. Otherwise, what would be the point of effort?

However, that rule might apply to others—but not to Katie, who had a system. The system's very existence transcended all logic. When it came to that, no rules applied.

"Akainu! Hand over your life!"

With a furious roar, Katie took the initiative. Compared to before, the flames she now controlled weren't just different in color.

These blue-green flames burned at a terrifying 5,000 degrees Celsius, nearly 2,000 degrees higher than before. The energy they unleashed in a single burst had multiplied several times over.

With the boost from the Heavenly Fire – Threefold Transformation, both the temperature and power of the flames had risen again. Katie even felt a kind of saturation, as though she was approaching her next bottleneck.

But instead of frustration, Katie felt pure excitement. This meant the Flame-Flame Fruit still had potential. Her current fire could already neutralize Akainu's magma—so that meant the next level could completely suppress it. Just the thought was exhilarating!

She even considered converting all her exchange points into skill points to raise the Flame-Flame Fruit's ability level. But Katie didn't act on impulse—she decided to keep her points as a reserve, just in case.

"Hmph! Let's see how long you can keep this form up!"

At close range, Akainu could sense that Katie's power wasn't her true strength—it had been forcibly boosted by some unknown means. There was no way it could last.

"So what? Even if it's just for one minute, it's enough to take your damn life!"

Katie didn't deny it. She didn't need to.

"Fire Fist!"

With a roar, blue-green flames burst from her fist. Though the move looked the same as before, the power behind it was on a whole other level. This time, Akainu couldn't deal with it so casually.

"Great Eruption!"

Magma exploded forth, crashing into Katie's Fire Fist.

Under countless eyes, the extreme heat of the flame and the violently erupting magma collided head-on.

"How is this possible?!"

The next second, Akainu's voice rang out from afar, filled with disbelief. He simply couldn't accept what he was seeing—his usually unstoppable Great Eruption had failed to break through Katie's flames. If that were all, he might've been able to stomach it, but the reality was even worse.

The blue-green flames had instantly spread, completely engulfing his attack—and then, without slowing down in the slightest, surged toward him.

"Canine Crimson Lotus!"

His magma-transformed arm morphed into the shape of a dog's head and lunged at the oncoming blue-green fire.

At last, Katie's Fire Fist was shattered and dissipated.

However, there was no hint of relief on Akainu's face. On the contrary, his expression grew even more grim.

It had taken him two attacks to fend off a single strike from the enemy—and during that close-range collision just now, the blue-green flames had actually burned him. That was something he found hard to accept.

His Magma-Magma Fruit might not produce true flames, but it possessed extremely high temperatures. After years of refining it, the magma he produced had long since reached 4,000°C. In past clashes, he had always been completely immune to enemy fire-based attacks—but now, that was no longer the case.

Suddenly, a voice from his youth echoed in his ears—the advice of a certain man:

"As the Logia fruit with the highest burst potential, the most important thing about the Magma-Magma Fruit is its instantaneous output. Everything else—whatever it is—is secondary."

Only now did Akainu truly understand what that man had meant.

Without a doubt, there were many Devil Fruits out there that surpassed his in terms of raw temperature. In that regard, he did not have the upper hand.

What he should have done was focus solely on ultimate burst power and output, delivering the world's most devastating attack in an instant!

Unfortunately, he had never fully followed that man's advice.

Although he had devoted much of his training to explosive power, he hadn't taken it to the absolute limit—and that was why, now, he was being overwhelmed by these damned flames.

"Damn it… DAMN IT!"

Whether he was cursing Katie, himself, or both—he wasn't sure.

Either way, Akainu was filled with regret. He shouldn't have ignored that warning.

As for Akainu's inner turmoil, Katie had no idea—nor did she care.

Her mind was focused solely on defeating Akainu as quickly as possible. Though she talked big, Katie knew full well that Akainu wasn't someone easy to beat.

After all, even when Whitebeard, in a fit of rage, had slammed Akainu into the ground repeatedly, the man still didn't die.

Katie didn't dare assume her own attacks were stronger than Whitebeard's.

Moreover, she wasn't even sure how long the Heavenly Fire – Threefold Transformation could last.

Once its boost ended, she wouldn't just lose her advantage—she'd be at a disadvantage, maybe even in serious danger.

This kind of power-up came with side effects, after all.