Hearing Ren's mockery, Akainu flew into a rage, his face contorting into a hideous snarl. "Bastard! I'll kill you!"
Ren met this outburst with a look of pure contempt. He really didn't want to laugh, but Akainu's acting was just too transparent. Given Akainu's track record, Ren didn't believe for a second that an insult toward Kujaku would genuinely send him into a blind, mindless fury.
It didn't fit the man's character.
The reason Akainu was putting on this show was simple: he was feigning a loss of reason to lure Ren into a false sense of security. He was waiting for that one moment of perceived carelessness to launch a lethal sneak attack.
It was a game of chess with eight hundred hidden motives on each side. You think you've seen through my plan? No! I have layers you haven't even begun to peel back!
"Great Eruption!"
Half of Akainu's body transformed into roiling magma, forming a tidal wave of molten rock that crashed toward Ren. Ren drew his blade, unleashing a slash infused with Conqueror's Haki that cleaved the magma wave in two instantly.
Rumble—!
The magma fell into the sea, instantly bringing the surrounding water to a violent boil. Ren's eyes locked onto Akainu, and with another swing of his blade, a white arc of energy swept past the Admiral's head, seemingly slicing him in half.
A second later, Akainu reformed, his "Justice" cloak perfectly intact. He looked at Ren and sneered, "What's the matter? Is that the extent of your power? There was no need to even dodge that."
Ren didn't respond with words. He looked toward the distance, where Bonney had thrown their ship out of sight, before smiling. "Admiral Akainu, do you know why Aokiji desperately used Absolute Zero just to stay alive?"
Akainu's gaze sharpened. Is it finally coming? The move that can one-shot an Admiral.
Strategically despising the enemy while tactically respecting them—no matter how much Akainu looked down on Ren superficially, every one of his strikes was delivered with 100% effort. Yet, after these few exchanges, Akainu realized that his chances of defeating Ren were slim. Furthermore, Ren possessed a trump card that could threaten an Admiral's life, and Akainu had been guarding against it the entire time.
"Come then. Show me the source of your confidence."
In the next heartbeat, a fist appeared before Akainu's face!
POW!
A fist infused with Conqueror's Haki slammed into Akainu's jaw, hitting him so hard his face distorted. His head snapped back, and his neck stretched out like a rubber band!
Wait—!
Only one thought occupied Akainu's mind in that instant: based on his previous clashes with Ren, the boy shouldn't have this much raw power! So why? Why was his body hurtling backward uncontrollably?!
Skip-skip-skip—!!
After skipping across the water surface like a stone for an unknown distance, Akainu finally regained a sliver of sensation in his face. He forced his body to stabilize and stood up. Using his one functioning eye to look at Ren, he was filled with utter disbelief.
Ren watched him with a pleasant smile. He had only used a little extra effort; he hadn't expected Akainu to be so fragile.
As expected of Super-God strength. It's monstrous! Ren thought, feeling quite satisfied.
Looking at the stunned Akainu, Ren asked, "Admiral, do you still want to fight?"
With half his face numb, Akainu's breathing was ragged and his speech was slurred. It took him a long time to string a coherent sentence together. But Ren was in a good mood; he didn't rush him and waited patiently.
Minutes later, Akainu spoke: "You... you evilly born pirate. No matter the cost, I will keep you here today!"
Akainu didn't know what had happened to Ren. According to the intelligence Garp provided, Ren was strong, but he shouldn't be able to punch an Admiral into a daze with a single blow. Therefore, Ren must have experienced a sudden, explosive surge in strength recently.
Thinking about it, it had been less than three months since Ren set sail. He had only become truly famous after defeating Aokiji a month or two ago. Garp's last report was from just a week prior. Even if Ren had been hiding his strength, he shouldn't be this much stronger than an Admiral.
Thus, Akainu concluded it was a recent, massive breakthrough. He just didn't know the cause.
"Aaaaaagh!"
Magma bubbled violently across Akainu's body. The seawater beneath his feet was no longer enough to cool the molten rock dripping from his frame, turning the area into a glowing red furnace.
"Scalding Hell!"
A massive hand of magma erupted from the sea, gripping Ren in its fist! Seeing this, a flicker of triumph appeared on Akainu's face, though his molten features made it hard to see.
The next second, Akainu roared: "Great Eruption!"
BOOM!
It was like a submarine volcano had erupted. Billowing black smoke blanketed the sky, blocking out every ray of sunlight. Below, however, the world was illuminated by the piercing glow of molten rock.
Ren was bathed in the magma. The three-to-four-thousand-degree heat caused him no pain; it actually felt a bit warm and comfortable, like a hot spring.
If Akainu ever gets fired from the Marines, he should consider being a heater in a cold country.
After worrying about Akainu's future employment, Ren noticed the magma around him cooling rapidly. The molten rock turned into solid obsidian, locking Ren's body in a firm cage.
"Cooled down? That was fast," Ren noted, slightly surprised. He realized Akainu hadn't just hit him into the air—he was dragging him down into the deep sea. In just a few seconds, they had descended thousands of meters.
Ren flexed his muscles, and the obsidian began to groan and crack.
CRACK!
The obsidian shattered. The immense pressure of the deep sea, enough to crush steel, slammed into Ren's body, making him let out a small burp. A faint white glow appeared around him; the freezing deep-sea water boiled instantly upon contact with the aura, turning into a cloud of rising white bubbles.
If I fire Reiatsu from my feet, is that basically the Sky Dance technique? The thought flashed through Ren's mind, and he immediately put it into practice. He controlled his Reiatsu, blasting it from the soles of his feet.
The next moment, Ren's body was propelled forward!
Whoosh!
He surged toward the surface at high speed, following the trail of cooling magma Akainu had left behind. Gradually, the light from above grew clearer, and he could see Akainu's silhouette through the water.
Ren opened his mouth, and a white Cero began to form!
BOOM!
The white beam tore through the water and air, leaving a thin white line in its wake. Akainu turned in disbelief, looking at the ocean that had not yet closed back up. His eyes met a pair filled with intense killing intent.
Akainu shuddered and instinctively asked, "What... what exactly are you?!"
Splash!
Ren burst through the water and magma, standing on the surface. He looked at the trembling Akainu and smiled. "Yo. That move had good creativity. Have you got anything stronger? Like an Awakeningor something?"