Akainu roared hysterically.
In the sky above, countless enormous magma meteorites descended like divine punishment, crashing toward the small, silver-haired figure with terrifying heat and momentum.
Each meteorite was enough to obliterate a town.
This was a full-power assault at the level of a Logia Awakening—
the Marine Admiral's final, desperate stand, a moment he staked his very life on.
Yet—
Facing this apocalyptic destruction, Tobirama stood upon the sea without moving an inch.
He merely raised his right hand, palm upward.
"Do I really need to teach you the same move again?"
Hungry Ghost Path.
Buzz!
Just as the first magma meteorite was about to smash into Tobirama's head, an invisible black vortex appeared out of thin air in his palm.
The instant the blazing magma fists touched it, they were swallowed whole—like noodles being sucked into a vacuum.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
In barely three seconds, the sky filled with lava meteors was completely devoured by that palm-sized vortex.
Not even a spark remained.
The sea breeze blew gently.
The sky returned to its clear blue.
It was as if the apocalyptic scene from moments earlier had never existed.
"W… what…"
Akainu froze midair, his arms still raised.
His mind went blank.
His worldview collapsed.
"Absorbed…?"
"All of it…?"
Staring at Tobirama's pale hand, a deep despair finally surfaced in Akainu's eyes.
Fear of the unknown.
All Devil Fruit abilities—nullified.
"If abilities are useless…"
Akainu clenched his teeth so hard that one cracked, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
As the Navy's highest combat force, retreat was not an option.
"Then I'll use Haki!!"
"My fists carry not only magma, but the strongest Armament Haki!!"
Boom!
Abandoning all techniques, Akainu shot downward at explosive speed.
His fists turned pitch-black, wrapped in high-level Ryūō, ripping through the air with a shrill whistle as they aimed straight for Tobirama's throat.
"Die!!"
However—
When his fist was still three meters away, Tobirama slowly lifted his eyelids.
"Kneel."
Two words.
Like a divine decree—words that became law.
Boom!!!!!
A burst of Conqueror's Haki, dozens of times more terrifying than before, descended instantly.
Crack!
Akainu's charging body stopped dead in midair.
Then—
Bang!!!
He fell straight down, smashing heavily into the sea before Tobirama.
Both knees hit first.
The seawater compressed violently, forming a vacuum crater over a hundred meters wide.
At the bottom of the pit, Akainu knelt, hands gripping the ground as his bones cracked and his muscles tore inch by inch.
"Aaaaargh!!"
A roar of utter humiliation tore from his throat.
He tried to stand.
He was a Marine Admiral—
the face of the World Government!
How could he kneel before a pirate?!
"Move! Move!!"
He desperately activated his Haki and Devil Fruit power—
only to discover, to his horror, that his Devil Fruit was completely sealed.
Locked down.
"Is this all you have?"
Tobirama stepped forward, descending into the crater.
His black boots echoed softly against the compressed seabed.
Looking down at the kneeling admiral, his gaze was cold and indifferent—like one gazing at an insect.
"Sakazuki."
"Didn't you want to kill me?"
"Then why are you offering such a grand salute now?"
Humiliation.
Far worse than death.
Akainu suddenly raised his head, blood streaming from his eyes, his expression twisted like a demon.
"You bastard!!"
"If you have the guts, then kill me!!"
"Justice will never die! The Navy will never let you escape!!"
"You evil—"
"Noisy."
Tobirama shook his head.
In this world, nothing was more useless than the barking of a defeated dog.
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."
"But letting this power go to waste would be a shame."
He extended his right hand, fingers forming a claw, and seized Akainu by the skull.
Devil Fruit Reclamation.
"Come out."
Boom!
An overwhelming suction force erupted.
"Gaaaaahhh!!!"
Akainu screamed—the most agonized scream of his life.
The sensation of his very essence being torn apart made his body convulse violently.
A crimson mass of magma energy, radiating terrifying heat, was forcibly extracted from his head.
The Magma-Magma Fruit—one of the most destructive Logia powers.
In Tobirama's hand, the raging red light rapidly condensed into a Devil Fruit covered in spiral patterns.
He casually tossed it into his system space.
As for the Red Dog kneeling on the ground—
With the Devil Fruit torn from his body, his vitality drained away.
His robust frame withered rapidly, his hair turned gray, and the light vanished from his eyes.
Thud.
Akainu's body collapsed, lifeless and dried out.
A generation of Marine Admiral—
a hawkish leader—
ended here.
Tobirama didn't spare the corpse a glance.
He turned, his gaze sweeping across the distant sea—the remaining nine warships, and the flagship now leaderless.
"Leave the largest flagship behind."
"I need transportation. Those old merchant ships are too slow."
"As for the rest…"
His eyes turned cold.
One-handed seal.
Sage Art: Wind Release — Great Annihilating Hurricane!
Whoooooosh!!!
The four raging dragon-shaped tornadoes instantly tripled in size as Tobirama's chakra surged through them.
They transformed into a world-ending storm that connected sea and sky.
"No!! The admiral is dead!!"
"Run!!"
"The wind—!"
Despairing screams erupted from the nine warships.
But before such a disaster, escape was meaningless.
Crack! Boom!
The massive warships were swept up and torn apart instantly.
Steel twisted. Wood shattered.
Thousands of elite naval soldiers vanished along with their ships, scattered into nothingness across the sea.
In less than one minute—
Only a single flagship remained.
The entire Buster Call fleet was annihilated.
…
Cocoyasi Village — Orange Orchard
The flame barrier slowly dissipated.
The sky brightened once more.
But Bellemere's heart grew ice-cold.
She stared at the hellish sea in the distance—
at the silver-haired man who returned alone, walking through slaughter as if it were nothing.
The admiral… dead.
The fleet… gone.
That was the Marine Headquarters' elite force.
They hadn't even lasted ten minutes.
"G-gulp…"
Bellemere swallowed hard, her legs giving out as she collapsed.
"So… so cool!!"
Beside her, Hancock clutched her chest and let out a dreamy cry, eyes glowing as she watched Tobirama approach.
"That's my man!"
"That heroic figure who trampled admirals and wiped out fleets with a flick of his hand…"
"Ah~ I'm going to faint! Someone help me!"
Robin and Kaya were also stunned, though far more restrained.
Still, the awe in their eyes was unmistakable.
With a master like this…
even opposing the entire world didn't seem frightening.
Tobirama approached, his clothes spotless.
He glanced at Bellemere on the ground.
"Are you packed?"
Bellemere jolted upright, bowing deeply, her voice trembling with respect.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty."
"All the luggage is ready."
"Nami and Nojiko… are prepared as well."
She had completely resigned herself.
For her daughters' safety, she was willing to accept anything.
"Good."
Tobirama nodded.
With a wave of his hand, a gravitational force enveloped everyone and their belongings.
"Get on the ship."
"It's ugly, but usable."
The group rose into the air, flying toward Akainu's captured flagship.
Under Bellemere's complicated gaze, the massive warship turned and sailed away from the blood-stained sea.
…
On Deck
Tobirama sat in the admiral's chair that once belonged to Akainu, idly toying with the Magma-Magma Fruit.
The sea breeze blew softly.
"The matter in the East Blue is mostly settled."
"The admiral is dead, the 'hero' is gone, and the harvest was plentiful."
He studied the nautical chart, pressing a finger firmly on a familiar location.
"Next stop—Loguetown."
"Time to see the must-visit sights of this world."
"And by the way…"
A faint glint flashed in Tobirama's eyes.