Laxus watched the sky intently before turning his gaze toward Kara, who was facing off against the massive old man"a figure radiating overwhelming strength. The ground beneath their feet trembled with every movement of the battle, and the air was thick with tension.
"Looks like this chick gets stronger every time we leave her alone for a few days… and crazier too," Laxus said, his tone reflecting both curiosity and a hint of amusement as he shifted his eyes toward King. "So, I guess I'm supposed to capture you for the old man. Let's get this over with," he added with a defiant smile, electricity crackling fiercely around his body.
King, already aware of Laxus's power from their previous clash, still felt the lingering pain from that earlier strike. Even though he hadn't used his Haki, the damage had been real. But he didn't let that stop him. Fixing his eyes on Laxus, he spread his massive flaming wings, ready to go all out.
"Andon," King murmured as he suddenly appeared in front of Laxus, moving at a speed only his fire wings could provide. With a swift motion, he launched a punch wreathed in flames, the impact shattering the ground and creating deep fissures.
"Another fire idiot?" Laxus scoffed, smirking as golden lightning surged into his fists. With a quick move, he absorbed King's strike without flinching, channeling his own lightning into his opposite hand.
"Lightning Fist," Laxus declared, forming a sphere of electricity around his fist that unleashed a massive shockwave upon impact. The attack was designed to amplify damage by concentrating all his lightning magic into his hand.
King blocked the blow with his arm, reinforcing it with Armament Haki. Still, Laxus felt his punch collide with something as hard as steel. His gaze grew even more intrigued.
"Interesting," he murmured, watching King closely. Though he had withstood the impact, he wasn't completely unscathed. Without wasting a second, Laxus inhaled deeply and launched his next attack.
"Rairyū no Hōkō!" he shouted, unleashing a stream of lightning from his mouth in an explosion that lit up the battlefield. The bolt was so intense it momentarily paralyzed King, leaving him vulnerable for the next strike.
Though slowed by the golden lightning coursing through his body, King didn't waste time. Despite the brief paralysis, he recovered quickly and, with a roar of fury, prepared a powerful counterattack.
Karyudon. His flaming wings flared wide, and his sword glowed fiercely. From its tip, he unleashed a fire dragon"a blazing serpent that roared as it charged forward, devouring the air in its path. The flames resembled molten magma, and Zoro had once described it as the fury of a volcano itself. The fire dragon surged toward Laxus with the intent to obliterate him.
"You'll have to be faster than that," Laxus muttered, a spark of resolve in his eyes. Instantly, he channeled his lightning magic into his hands, forming an electrified spear that he hurled directly at the dragon in one fluid motion.
"Thunder Dragon's Halberd," he said firmly, watching the energy spear tear through the fire dragon in a burst of lightning and flames. King's attack had been incredibly powerful, but Laxus was ready to match it.
But then, Laxus felt the temperature rise around him. When he looked at King again, he noticed something different"the flames surrounding him had grown fiercer, more concentrated. Laxus knew he had to end this quickly.
"This has to end now," he said, his tone serious. With a shout, his power surged.
"Dragon Force," he declared, his body growing slightly larger as golden scales formed on his arms, and his clothes burst apart from the electricity his transformation unleashed.
In his dragon form, Laxus launched himself at King, now pure golden energy. He appeared before him with overwhelming speed and let out a fierce roar as he made his next move.
"Thunder Dragon's Bite!" he bellowed, pouring all his power into a devastating blow. He brought both hands together like a hammer and slammed them down, crashing into the ground with a blinding flash.
King reacted quickly, defending himself with his Haki-coated sword. Despite Laxus's speed and power, King unleashed a flurry of quick slashes, trying to cut through the barrier of golden lightning. Laxus was surprised to feel some of the slashes reach him, albeit with reduced strength. Still, it wasn't a total shock"after all, Kara had once defeated him using magical power.
Meanwhile, the Marines watched the battle in awe. Not only was Laxus a complete unknown to them, but King"Kaido's right hand"was being pushed to his limits. No one had expected such an impressive fight between these two warriors.
Even so, they couldn't afford to lose focus. The battle between Whitebeard's men continued, and the island itself had begun to shift from the magnitude of the powers being unleashed.
Elsewhere, Kara was fighting fiercely against Whitebeard, watching as the island transformed under the force of their clash.
"Come on, old man!" Kara shouted, letting her excitement boil over as she immersed herself in the fury of battle. With a defiant roar, she hurled a punch charged with power, but Whitebeard, with his seasoned agility, dodged by tilting his head slightly. Still, the impact cut part of his mustache and damaged his ear"challenging the unshakable legend of the Yonkou. Despite this, Whitebeard didn't hesitate for a moment, and with fury, unleashed another strike toward Kara, channeling all his might.
Kara, without losing her composure, watched as the slash came at her with deadly speed. With a mocking smile, her body began to disintegrate, breaking apart into multiple cubes, as if it were a spell few could imagine"similar to something August might use in the future. The cubes shifted with surgical precision to one side of Whitebeard, and in the blink of an eye, Kara's body reassembled on the other side of her enemy.
Taking advantage of the distraction, she threw a punch directly into Whitebeard's stomach, causing the air to tremble.
"Looks like it worked," Kara murmured with a confident smile.
But Whitebeard, ignoring the grid marks that appeared on his chest, reacted with inhuman brutality. With a growl, he unleashed a punch charged with his power that sent Kara flying backward, the impact tearing through the distance between them. Kara, though showing impressive endurance, wasn't entirely unscathed. For every ten hits she landed on Whitebeard, the Yonko returned a single blow strong enough to equal the damage of all of Kara's combined attacks.
Despite her astonishing strength, Kara was exhausted. Her magical energy was beginning to wane again, and Wendy could only restore her power once in a while. Her breathing was ragged as she stood up, her stomach burning with pain, her ribs possibly broken again.
"Ugh, you're tougher than I thought, old man," Kara muttered, fixing her eyes on her opponent.
Meanwhile, in the distance, someone was watching both Whitebeard and Kara carefully. It was Akainu, the admiral eager to gain fame amidst the war. The elders' orders were clear: he was the one who had to finish off Whitebeard, and he was waiting for the perfect moment to strike and claim victory.
What surprised him was Kara's unexpected growth. The young warrior now seemed to have the power and skill of an admiral, an overwhelming force that surpassed many expectations.
Suddenly, Kara charged at Whitebeard again, using both hands to create multiple floating energy fences aimed directly at the Yonko, as if she meant to pulverize him. Whitebeard, unfazed, coated his body in Haki at full power, unleashing the pressure of his ability to resist the attacks coming his way.
"Your ability no longer affects me. I am Whitebeard!" he roared, his Haki enveloping him in a powerful aura.
And with a devastating motion, Whitebeard unleashed a slash toward Kara, loaded with all his power, his Haki, and his Gura Gura no Mi ability. Kara, however, was ready"dodging that attack would leave her next move heading straight toward the Marines.
At that moment, Akainu, hidden in the shadows, saw his opportunity.
"Now!" he said, emerging behind Kara, using her as cover for his lethal strike. His fists, turned into lava, shot toward Kara at infernal speed, intending to use his strategic position to hide his true target: Whitebeard.
However, to his surprise, Kara disintegrated into cubes once more, vanishing from his line of sight. In the blink of an eye, she reappeared behind Akainu, launching an attack at the ground that turned everything into cubes shooting upward, forming an improvised wall.
Whitebeard's slash, which had been heading toward Kara, was now dangerously close to Akainu. With no time to dodge, Akainu quickly transformed his entire body into magma, using his ability to withstand the blow.
But something strange happened. A magical flash of energy lit up within Whitebeard"a fleeting glow that made him faster and stronger.
In that instant, his slash, which once seemed like a simple attack, gained devastating power. It moved with such deadly speed and precision that Akainu couldn't do anything to stop it. The blow severed one of his arms and part of his torso, slicing through his internal organs before being halted by Akainu's magma, which flooded Whitebeard's chest with scalding lava.
Meanwhile, Kara, with a dark smile, stopped what remained of Whitebeard's attack, as if everything had been part of a plan. She winked at Wendy, who was being lifted by Carla while pointing her hands toward Whitebeard. No one noticed the slight power boost the Yonko had received. Only a few elders"Sengoku, Garp, and Makarov"who knew well Kara's vengeful nature, chose to ignore it, watching as the young woman advanced.
"Ugh..." groaned Akainu, feeling the pain of his shattered body, spitting blood as he struggled to remain conscious. Whitebeard's wound had nearly split him in two, cutting through vital organs.
Despite being gravely injured, Whitebeard remained standing, defying death once again. With his organs scorched by Akainu's attack, the Yonko ignored the damage and raised his fist to strike again, aiming at the wounded admiral"a blow that would likely mean death for Akainu in his current state.
"Kara, don't let him die!" shouted Sengoku, knowing he couldn't allow the death of an admiral during the war"especially when Akainu had once tried to kill Kara. It would be a devastating blow to Marine morale.
"Tsk..." Kara moved at astonishing speed, intercepting Whitebeard's punch and cushioning it with her own Haki. She was sent flying by the force of the strike but used the moment to grab Akainu, who was on the verge of death, using him as a cushion to prevent him from falling.
The impact likely worsened Akainu's injuries, but at least he would survive... though he'd need months of intensive care.
"I give up. Aokiji, your turn," Kara said, tossing Akainu to the side and sitting down to rest.
"Alala... Giving up so soon?" said Aokiji from behind her, appearing out of thin air.
Kara ignored him, her gaze shifting to the other ongoing battles.