"Fire Fist Ace, Black Fox Sabo."
Akainu's murderous gaze locked onto the two young men. "The two most famous supernovas of the year. Hmph, today will be your funeral."
"Sorry, but I'm not dying here," Ace replied fearlessly, exuding the arrogance of youth unafraid of danger.
While other pirates fled in terror, the Black and White Pirates stood their ground.
"Akainu, I heard you've forced the Sun and Moon Pirates to retreat multiple times. Is that true?" Ace asked, clearly fixated on this point.
Akainu's stern expression shifted unnaturally.
Veins bulged on his forehead as years of suppressed rage and resentment were reignited.
Seven years had passed.
Akainu would never forget what happened seven years ago.
He could not erase the memory of the devastated scene at Mary Geoise, nor could he accept the World Government's weakness in conceding.
In those seven years, Akainu threw himself into hunting pirates, purging the first half of the Grand Line over and over again.
The number of pirates who perished at his hands was beyond count.
This was the directive given to the Navy by the World Government.
Unable to deal with Kuke or enter the New World, their frustration was vented on the pirates of the first half, attempting to restore the tarnished reputation of the Navy and the World Government.
Akainu willingly carried out this task.
Only through massacring pirates could he momentarily quell the humiliation and bitterness brought by Kuke.
Seven years.
Akainu had subconsciously convinced himself that he thought of Kuke less and less.
With the World Government's relentless efforts, many truths were obscured, and the Navy's reputation had significantly improved.
Over time, Akainu's mood gradually lifted.
But now, Ace had reopened old wounds.
The memories of being made a fool resurfaced, fueling his anger.
When he saw the Black and White Pirates' flag—a sun and a moon—it felt like an unbearable provocation.
"Worthless scum don't deserve to know the truth," Akainu roared, leaping from his battleship.
His magma-coated fist surged toward Ace.
"Fire Fist!"
Ace didn't retreat but advanced, his fiery fist meeting Akainu's magma punch head-on.
The two blazing attacks collided, but the difference in power was clear.
The Flame-Flame Fruit was a lower-tier ability compared to the Magma-Magma Fruit.
In an instant, Ace's fire was extinguished.
"So strong?" Ace muttered in disbelief as his flames dissipated.
Since obtaining the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace had been unstoppable in the first half of the Grand Line, easily defeating any opponent, including Navy vice admirals.
In his mind, even admirals should have been within his reach.
Against other admirals, Ace might have held his ground briefly, but Akainu was his natural counter.
"Ace, watch out!" Sabo shouted, using the powers of his String-String Fruit. Sharp silver threads sliced toward Akainu, severing him into pieces.
"Did it work?"
The Black and White Pirates cheered in excitement.
"String-String Fruit... Doflamingo's former power," Akainu muttered as molten magma repaired his body.
"Another Logia user," Ace said, clenching his fists.
"Great, just like our captain's power—Logia. We can't handle Logia users," one crew member lamented.
"Stop whining! Ace is Logia too. We might not be able to beat an admiral, but Akainu can't defeat Ace either," another crew member shouted, unaware of Haki's existence.
"Ignorant trash," Akainu sneered, charging forward with his fists blazing.
The ground trembled as magma surged beneath his feet.
Ace and Sabo fought together, engaging Akainu in an intense battle.
The two supernovas of the year—Ace with a bounty of 500 million berries and Sabo with 380 million—were the focus of the seas.
But against Akainu, they were utterly outmatched.
With a devastating punch, Akainu sent Ace flying. Blood spewed from Ace's mouth as his trembling hands bore severe burns.
"He hurt me?" Ace stared at his scorched arms in disbelief. If he hadn't dodged quickly, he would have lost both hands.
"Why can he hurt me, but I can't hurt him?" Ace struggled to comprehend the disparity.
Sabo, too, was overwhelmed. His threads were incinerated, and a punch from Akainu left a charred imprint on his chest. He tumbled hundreds of meters, coughing up blood.
"Pathetic rookies," Akainu mocked. "You think having decent powers makes you strong? How laughable."
He raised his glowing fist, the surrounding air warping from the heat.
"None of you supernovas are fit to enter the New World. I'll bury you all here," Akainu declared, magma churning beneath his feet with every step.
"Damn it," Ace growled, clenching his teeth as he stood up. "You all go! I'll hold him off!"
Ace wasn't afraid of dying but understood the insurmountable gap in power.
He couldn't win.
Not even close.
But for the sake of his crew, he would stay behind.
"No way. We said we'd stick together," Sabo said, staggering to his feet.
"That's right!"
The rest of the crew drew their weapons, firing their guns at Akainu. But without Haki, their bullets were useless.
Even with Haki, Akainu was not an opponent just anyone could face.
"You fools and your misplaced loyalty. None of you are leaving here," Akainu sneered, suddenly appearing before Ace and throwing a punch.
Ace's eyes widened.
At that moment, he felt the shadow of death looming.
"Move!" Ace roared at himself.
At the last second, a blade intercepted Akainu's magma-coated fist, saving Ace.
Akainu's pupils contracted as he stared at the elderly man with white hair—Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King.
"Young man, their journey shouldn't end here," Rayleigh said with a light chuckle, his sword firmly blocking Akainu's attack.
"It's you?"
Ace stared in shock at the old man who had been casually chatting with him earlier.
"Who is this old guy? He stopped Admiral Akainu's attack... and how can he block a Logia user?" Sabo questioned, astonished by Rayleigh's strength.
"This... is Silvers Rayleigh," Akainu growled, glaring at the legendary pirate.
"Silvers Rayleigh?"
Sabo, the most knowledgeable about the seas, explained, "He was the right-hand man of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. A figure of such stature..."
The crew gasped, overwhelmed by the revelation.
Ace, too, was stunned, his expression complicated as he stared at Rayleigh's back.
He was Roger's crewmate.
"Silvers Rayleigh, I have no interest in fighting you. The Navy isn't looking to capture you. If you're wise, leave now," Akainu said, barely containing his anger.
Though Akainu yearned to annihilate every pirate he encountered, especially one of Rayleigh's caliber, he couldn't act.
Not because of Rayleigh's reputation, but because the World Government had issued an absolute order:
For ten years, no one—regardless of rank—was to harm anyone connected to Kuke. Those who disobeyed would face trial, imprisonment, or even execution.
This decree came directly from Im.
Even the Three Elders dared not defy it, let alone the lower-ranking Navy.
No matter how much resentment Akainu harbored, he had no choice but to swallow it.
"I'm too old to be fighting admirals," Rayleigh said, slowly lowering his blade.
The battle ceased.
"So this is the power of Silvers Rayleigh, the legendary first mate of the Pirate King's crew? His mere presence forced an admiral to stand down," Sabo muttered in disbelief.
It was awe-inspiring.
Even after nearly two decades, the legacy of the Roger Pirates still cast a long shadow.
Ace clenched his fists.
Though he despised his father, Roger, he couldn't deny the weight of his name.
"One day, Master Kuke will surpass that bastard Roger," Ace thought, vowing silently.