One Piece: The Arm of Fate

Whoosh—

Before the smoke from his last exhale could disperse, Guina had already swept overhead, her sword flashing bright as snow, aiming straight for Dalmatian's throat.

"Oi oi oi…"

Dalmatian raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Coming for me the moment you show up? Isn't that a bit…"

"…Too arrogant, pirate!"

The sword edge was about to pierce his throat, but his eyes suddenly flashed red. He sharply turned his head to dodge, while his half-beast form's claw—already coated with thick Armament Haki—swung backward, grabbing toward her wrist.

Clang!

The loud crash of metal rang out as Guina used her sword to block and leveraged the momentum to flip backward. Her blade scraped against the ground, sending up sparks as she landed cleanly.

Dalmatian was forced back two steps by the impact.

He looked down at his claw—across the steel-hard bones of his fingers, a wide white scar had appeared.

"Interesting…" he licked his sharp canine teeth, "Not bad, little girl. Good sword skills. But… you still lack strength."

Guina didn't reply. She slowly adjusted her breathing. Though her palm tingled with numbness, her grip on the sword remained firm as ever.

"Then…"

Dalmatian suddenly crouched slightly, the muscles in his legs tensed like springs. "Just this won't cut it!"

Swish!

His figure vanished instantly, leaving only a blurry afterimage.

Guina's pupils shrank. She hadn't learned Observation Haki yet, but her swordmaster instincts let her react on intuition.

Left side!

Clang!

She barely blocked the incoming claw with the blade of her sword, but the force behind it knocked her back several meters.

Dalmatian appeared again, not letting up in the slightest, slashing down in a violent barrage.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Sparks flew as metal clashed repeatedly. Guina's swordplay was fluid like flowing water—every strike was perfectly timed—but the sheer force of each blow still pushed her back step by step.

"What's wrong?!"

Dalmatian mocked with a smirk. "All defense now? Where's that earlier momentum?"

Snap! His tail suddenly lashed out like a whip—fast and fierce.

Guina's focus had been on his claws. She barely managed to dodge, but still got grazed at the waist. A sharp, burning pain struck her side, making her stagger and nearly fall.

Thankfully—

Nokigo finally broke through the surrounding lieutenants and dashed over.

"I'm here to help!"

The silver gauntlet on her hand suddenly glowed blue. She swung her right fist like a cannonball toward Dalmatian's flank.

"—Ripple Fist: Collapse Extreme!"

"Hm?"

Dalmatian's canine ears twitched. He pulled back one claw to defend.

The moment their fists and claws collided, Guina seized the opening. Her blade slashed upward from below.

"Headwind Slash!"

Tsshhh!

His military green uniform tore open, and a long wound ran from his abdomen to chest.

With a howl of pain, Dalmatian went berserk and swung his right claw tightly into a fist, slamming it toward Nokigo's face.

She didn't hesitate—instantly drawing back her punch, she crossed her arms in front of her head. Buzz!

Jet-black Armament Haki instantly coated her arms.

Boom!

The blow sent her flying backward. She rolled several times on the ground before flipping up in a clean motion.

Shaking off the numbness in her arms, she gave a fierce, excited smile.

"Not bad, big dog." She cracked her knuckles. "But now this is getting fun."

A year ago in Cocoyashi Village, during the critical stage of her martial arts training, Shano had acted as her full-time sparring partner for a while.

Dalmatian's strength was about on par with how strong her brother had been back then—or maybe even weaker?

Totally manageable!

"…?"

Dalmatian looked down at the gash on his chest. Blood was slowly seeping out—and this, this was unacceptable. His eyes gleamed with rage.

"You two little brats!"

His body began to expand, fur growing rapidly. In seconds, he fully transformed into a massive black-and-white spotted dog, over five meters long—much more massive than A'Yin.

"Then I'll show you… the true strength of a veteran Vice Admiral of Marine HQ!"

Guina and Nokigo stood back-to-back. They turned to each other and exchanged a quick look of understanding.

"Like we planned, I'll lead."

The black-haired, high-ponytailed girl said quietly.

"Got it."

The blue-haired girl slammed her fists together. "I'll flank and open a path."

"Roar—!!"

Dalmatian's back legs kicked hard, cracking the sturdy dock ground beneath him.

Despite his huge body, he moved incredibly fast—within a blink, he was in front of them.

His gleaming fangs reflected the sunlight, mirrored in the two girls' unwavering gazes as they looked up.

At the same time, the light also reflected the chaos erupting on the other side of the battlefield—

…

"White Fist!"

"Shoulder Meat—Shoot!"

Thud!

Smoker and Zeff sent two surrounding Marines flying and landed side by side.

Both of them focused their attention on the slender figure up ahead, draped in a Justice cloak.

Vice Admiral Bumaya was licking the tip of a syringe, her eyes filled with a sick excitement.

"Hey, old man."

Smoker gritted his teeth around his cigar. "That woman's not right in the head—and her Devil Fruit is weird. Watch out."

"Lived this long, kid. I've seen every kind of lunatic."

Zeff grinned, lifting his mechanical right leg. The steel joints clicked.

"But you, Smokey brat, don't drag me down."

"…Hmph." Smoker snorted and silently coated his jitte in Armament Haki.

"Yah-ho-ho, how exciting~"

Bumaya suddenly giggled behind her hand. "Two strong men ganging up on little me? Sure, I love it! I adore turning strong guys like you into pin cushions!"

Swish!

She leapt into the air with Moonwalk, blinking instantly above Smoker's head, driving her syringe down like a spear.

"Time for your shot, boys~!" she giggled sweetly.

Shave!

Smoker dodged in a blur, but the needle plunged into the ground, instantly corroding it into a smoking black crater.

"Poison?!"

Zeff's eyes widened. "Watch out, Smoker! That needle can inject lethal toxins!"

"Just noticed now? Too late~"

Bumaya appeared behind Zeff like a ghost, swiping the syringe toward his neck.

"Oh yeah?!" Zeff snarled, spinning into a back kick.

You think I'm so old and slow I can't react to something like this?!

Clang!

His steel leg, coated in Haki, kicked the syringe away.

Bumaya was knocked back but kept grinning. Still in midair, the syringe tip began spinning rapidly, spraying pink mist.

"Doctor's Mercy: Sweet Scented Wind!"

The pink cloud surged toward Smoker and Zeff. Its sweet fragrance masked something sinister.

They immediately tried to retreat—but—

Crackle!

A flash of lightning lit up the sky, forming a dome-like electric shield over them.

"Nice one, A'Yin!"

Seeing the familiar light, Zeff shouted in praise.

"Awoo—!"

A'Yin barreled through from the flank, smashing through the blockade. The two Rear Admirals who tried to stop him barely managed to hold him back.

But this brief opening was all it took for him to come help his friends.

Zzzzt~

The electric field expanded, repelling and neutralizing the mist, which was swept away by the sea breeze.

"Not good!"

A Marine shouted, "That's Vice Admiral Bumaya's gas! Hold your breath and retreat!"

Some reacted in time—but many others weren't so lucky and inhaled the gas.

"Die! Die!"

"You there—die too!"

Their breathing grew ragged, eyes bloodshot, and they went berserk, slashing everyone in sight.

The Marine formation fell apart instantly—chaos erupted.

"This is it, Nami! Break through here—we're heading to the ship!"

"Got it, Zeff-san!"

The orange-haired girl rushed toward the Curtain Call. Some officers tried to block her—but flames suddenly surged and forced them back.

"So hot—!"

"Damn it! More tricks from that giant wolf?!"

It's me!

Nami grumbled as she neared the edge of the chaos.

What is with these guys?

Lightning is lightning, fire is fire—and they think it's all A'Yin?!

Are they blind?! Can't they see where the fire's coming from?!

…

Zzzz—BOOM!

The electric dome finally dissipated.

Zeff's steel leg slammed the ground, blowing away the remaining mist. He glared at Bumaya.

"Thanks for the assist. But this 'Doctor's Mercy' of yours… sure is merciless to your own men."

For the first time, Bumaya's smile froze.

She spun around to look behind her—

Her poisoned subordinates were still fighting blindly, attacking each other, spreading the madness.

Even the unaffected ones were panicking and retreating.

That section of the formation had utterly collapsed.

"You worthless trash! You're making me look bad!"

She screamed, and her syringe shifted form again—the tip opened wide.

"Fine! If you won't calm down, then I'll 'cure' you myself!"

"Doctor's Mercy: Mass Cleansing!"

Hundreds of toxic needles rained down on her own men.

They collapsed, foaming at the mouth.

The rest stared at her in horror.

"Psycho…"

Smoker's face twisted with rage. "You lunatic… You think this is justice?!"

Even as a Marine defector, Smoker still restrained himself—his Smoke-Smoke powers were used to knock people out, not kill.

But this woman—

A Marine Vice Admiral—casually massacring her own men?!

This wasn't justice—this was madness.

Just like Onigumo!

Thank god… he had chosen his own path back in Loguetown.

If he'd stayed with filth like this, what right would he have to speak of "justice"?

"Oh? Talking about justice now, traitor?"

Bumaya laughed coldly as she lunged again.

"Someone like you has no right to speak of such things. If sacrificing pawns helps Admiral Sakazuki's cause… what's the problem?"

——

BOOM—!!!

A thunderous explosion suddenly tore across the northern sky.

The entire island trembled.

Everyone paused instinctively and looked up—

The moment the eye sees the distance, crimson magma poured down like a storm, dyeing the clouds in the distance a dark red.

What a terrifying movement.

As expected of Mr. Sakazuki...

Bumaya's eyes instantly turned dreamy, her cheeks flushed unnaturally, and even the hand holding the syringe trembled slightly.

"Hey, why don't you just put down your weapon and surrender nicely? That way, when big sis gives you the shot later, I'll use a little less force~"

She suddenly spoke in a sweet and sticky tone, tilting her head and showing a strange smile to Smoker:

"Didn't you see? Mr. Sakazuki is already angry. Your captain will soon turn into charcoal..."

————

"Rokushiki Secret Art—Yamabuki Ripple Rush!"

Boom!

At the moment the punch was thrown, a huge wave of air blasted up from the surrounding ground. Not far away, a natural stone bridge nearly a hundred meters long completely collapsed and broke apart.

And the nearby Akainu's face rippled like water, waves of ripple-shaped wrinkles lifting.

Not good!

His pupils suddenly shrank.

This move—it seemed like this brat's entire physical technique fused to its peak, and he even applied the internal destruction method of Armament Haki. He probably shouldn't have—

Just as the thought rose, the terrifying impact force had already entered his body!

Crack!

A clear sound of bones breaking came from Akainu's chest. The upper half of his clothes instantly shattered.

His whole body flew back like a broken kite, smashing through several massive reef stones along the way, and finally crashed heavily into the coastal cliff!

Rumble——

The entire cliff collapsed from the impact, tons of falling rocks poured down, completely burying Akainu's figure.

Crash—waves surged from the shockwave, lifting into a tsunami dozens of meters high, then poured down like a storm on the rubble.

"Huff, huff…"

Shano held his punching stance, scorching white steam rising from his fist, breathing heavily, eyes locked onto the wreckage below.

Crash!

A giant magma-covered hand suddenly broke out from the rubble!

Akainu slowly stood up, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his chest slightly caved in. But other than that, he had no visible wounds, and his aura remained overwhelmingly strong.

"..."

He actually bled?

His eyes narrowed slightly. For a moment, he couldn't even recall the last time he saw his own blood.

It had been many years…

Akainu didn't wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. He just expressionlessly raised his head and locked eyes with Shano standing atop the cliff.

"What are you looking at?"

Shano grinned. "My attacks aren't over yet!"

So this is a Marine Admiral?

The attack that completely defeated Crocodile earlier—only made this guy bleed a little and lose face in front of no one?

Damn it, he's seriously tough!!!

As the words fell, Shano's figure disappeared!

Soru!

This time, his speed was even faster. The instant he left an afterimage on Akainu's retina, the fist wrapped in Yamabuki-colored ripples was already crashing toward his temple!

"Useless. The same move only works once."

Akainu said in a low voice. His Observation Haki had long since predicted it. His head instantly turned to magma, letting the fist phase through.

At the same time, he lifted his right knee fiercely, the magma-covered knee aiming straight at Shano's abdomen!

"Tekkai!"

Shano didn't dodge or evade. His abdominal muscles instantly tensed like iron, directly taking the knee strike, while both hands formed spear-like fingers, stabbing straight toward Akainu's chest like a storm!

"Shigan: Rainstorm!"

Swish swish swish—Shano's finger strikes were too fast for the naked eye to follow, but Akainu's figure moved like a willow leaf in the wind, dodging nearly all of them.

This was the result of having mastered Kami-e to the highest level.

From the training camp of HQ all the way up step by step, his Rokushiki was also at world-class level!

Boom!

Boom!!

BOOM!!!

Deep, thunderous impacts echoed along the coast, shaking the air with terrifying pressure.

The two had unknowingly exchanged dozens of blows.

The longer they fought, the angrier they got. Eventually, both sides gave up dodging and fought with pure, brutal force.

Magma and punch winds collided and rippled, exploding in visible shockwaves.

The entire coastline kept collapsing under the intense battle. Seawater flooded into newly formed craters, only to instantly evaporate into billowing white steam due to the magma's heat.

"To be able to fight me until now—as a kid only in your teens—you should feel proud."

As their figures blurred in high-speed clashes, Akainu said in a deep voice, "But, it's about time to end this."

His uniform was tattered, and his exposed skin had blue and purple bruises in several spots.

His iconic Marine cap, worn for many years, had vanished.

He looked rather battered.

But compared to the boy across from him, he looked like nothing.

Shano's body was covered in terrifying burns. In some places, scorched flesh had peeled open to reveal charred skin and sizzling steam.

Most serious were his waist and flanks—both exposing white bone.

Though the lava wounds were slowly healing, every movement oozed fresh blood.

Also, his left arm dangled unnaturally.

Clearly, during a previous block, he failed to absorb all the impact and fractured his arm badly.

If not for his incredibly strong body and astonishing regeneration…

In that barrage of close-range high-intensity fighting just now, he'd have long since gone down.

"Cough, cough…"

Shano panted violently, his aura rapidly weakening.

Boom! Another punch clashed with Akainu's. The latter was only pushed back a few steps, while Shano was sent crashing into the ground.

Crack—crack—

Web-like cracks spread out wildly. Akainu landed at the pit's edge, expressionless, staring down at the figure slowly climbing from the dust.

"All you know is talk, old man?"

Shano's face was pale, but he spat out a mouthful of blood and grinned from ear to ear. "It's been over half an hour, and half an hour ago you were saying the same thing! And now? You still haven't taken me down!!!"

"..."

Akainu's gaze darkened slightly, but he had no rebuttal.

Even though only a few of the kid's attacks had hurt him—and he'd mostly dominated the fight—

Just as the brat said, over half an hour had passed, and he still hadn't taken him out.

For a Marine Admiral, that was disgraceful.

"This reckless, wound-ignoring style of fighting… To last this long against me—there are few people on the sea who can do that. Below the level of the Yonko, only one: Marco. Now, barely, I'll add you."

Akainu said in a low voice. "You have made me take a second look, brat…"

"But in the end, your style relies on stamina, doesn't it?"

"Now, your aura is so weak, your stamina should be nearly exhausted. So I wasn't wrong. It is time to end it. That includes your companions. Do you still think, in this state, that you can last long enough for them to esc—"

Right at that instant.

Pa!

In the distance, the sea lit up with a burst of orange-yellow flame, rising like a flare and exploding high in the sky.

"Oh?"

Seeing this, Shano's eyes lit up, and he suddenly giggled, "Looks like we really made it, huh?"

What?

Akainu's eyes flashed coldly. With one Geppo, he rose high into the air.

Far off, he saw the Fallenders' ship already leaving the port, sailing swiftly into the open sea.

His expression completely darkened.

Dalmatian, Bumaya—two HQ Vice Admirals—plus multiple captains and over two thousand elite soldiers…

Such firepower, and they couldn't hold the enemy at the harbor?

What the hell were those useless fools doing?!

Buzz—!

Akainu's lower body instantly turned to magma, spewing behind him like a rocket's thruster, propelling him straight toward the southern port.

But just a few meters out—

His vision flickered!

A figure suddenly appeared above him, and a foot came stomping down from above with tremendous force!

"Take this—!"

Shano grinned savagely, delivering a powerful axe-kick straight to Akainu's shoulder!

"GET DOWN!!!"

BOOM——!!!

Akainu's pupils shrank. He had no time to react as he fell like a meteor from several hundred meters in the air, slamming hard into the rocky coast!

The terrifying impact shook the entire coastline, sent rocks flying, smoke rising, and waves surging dozens of meters high!

"Cough…"

Akainu supported himself up from the crater, coughing repeatedly. Magma dripped from his body as he looked up in disbelief.

That speed… That power… They matched the brat's peak state from the beginning. How!?

"What are you spacing out for, old man? I'm your opponent!!!"

The black-haired boy's laughter echoed in the air. He even seemed to be chewing on something.

"We've come this far… You think I'd throw it all away and just let you stop my crew now!?"