Seeing Borsalino and Garp dawdling, Akainu couldn't help but frown.
I was just beaten half to death, and you two come here acting like it's a reunion.
"Borsalino, Garp, stop wasting time and deal with him already!"
Akainu's magma fist surged, his eyes fierce as he stared at Caelan.
He had been badly beaten earlier. Now that it was three against one, he was finally getting his pride back.
Garp and Borsalino exchanged glances and attacked simultaneously.
"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph!"
The two Celestial Dragons nearby were elated. They saw hope once again.
Three against one—the advantage was obvious.
But their joy didn't last. The battle between three top-tier powerhouses, even when they deliberately avoided harming the bystanders, still caused enough destruction to make the Celestial Dragons wish they'd never been born.
"Fist Impact!"
Garp's expression turned serious in an instant. He leapt into the air like lightning, slamming his iron fist, reinforced with advanced Armament Haki, down at Caelan.
The sheer force of the punch, combined with top-level Haki, instantly shattered the very air around it.
"This is more like it!"
Facing a punch strong enough to destroy a mountain, Caelan grew excited.
Gripping his massive sword with both hands, he channeled mountain-splitting strength into his counterattack and slashed toward Garp.
Boom!
The giant sword and the iron fist collided with the force of a missile explosion.
The entire island trembled as the deafening roar rang out, shaking everyone's eardrums. The two Celestial Dragons nearby bled from the shock.
"What terrifying power!"
Garp stared at Caelan, deeply shocked.
In the moment of impact, he could clearly feel that Caelan's strength exceeded even that of a Mythical Zoan user. In terms of raw power, Garp wasn't Caelan's equal.
"Let's go again!"
Garp's fighting spirit surged.
Since Roger, no one had given him such a satisfying battle in a long time.
The next moment, the two clashed once more.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Sword swings wide and forceful, each strike deadly.
Garp's punches were solid and overwhelming.
The two figures blurred in the sky as they fought fiercely.
But from the perspective of Borsalino and Akainu, it was obvious—Garp was being pushed back. He was clearly at a disadvantage.
"Even Vice Admiral Garp can't hold him off?"
Both Borsalino and Akainu were stunned.
Garp had once chased Roger across the seas with his bare fists, yet now he was unable to gain the upper hand against Caelan.
The two exchanged a glance and launched their attacks at once.
"Great Eruption!"
Massive lava, like a small mountain, condensed and crashed down on Caelan with ferocious force, venting the humiliation Akainu had just endured.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Dazzling golden beams, guided like missiles, rained down on Caelan with pinpoint precision.
"Haha, pretty accurate, huh?"
As Caelan continued clashing with Garp, he noticed Borsalino's laser barrage. The corners of his mouth twitched.
Yasakani no Magatama, huh?
The golden beams not only avoided Garp, but also completely boxed Caelan in.
Even with Observation Haki capable of glimpsing the future, it was nearly impossible to dodge such a dense barrage.
Caelan could only keep swinging his massive sword to block as many beams as he could.
The unending laser rain, Akainu's overwhelming magma, and Garp's iron fists all converged on Caelan.
He used his left hand to block Garp's punch, his right to slice through the magma.
But many of Borsalino's lasers slipped through. He had no choice but to take them head-on.
Crack!
Unable to anchor himself, Caelan was blasted back and crashed into a forest.
"Haha, now that's what I'm talking about!"
Caelan stood up, brimming with fighting spirit.
Whether it was the inheritance of his Heroic Spirit or the ancient wildness in his blood, his fighting will only burned brighter.
Press forward fearlessly, fight harder!
Though Caelan had been blown back, it was Garp and the others who looked worse for wear.
"What kind of defense is that?!"
Borsalino stared at the red mark on Caelan's chest in disbelief.
A dozen lasers had hit him squarely in the chest, yet they left only a few shallow red marks.
That level of durability… it was almost on par with Kaido.
"If it were just one of us, we'd be running for our lives right now."
Garp shook his head with a wry smile.
"But with three of us, we're grinding him down bit by bit!"
"This dangerous criminal must be eliminated here and now!"
Akainu's expression darkened, his tone resolute.
He didn't know why Caelan had trapped him on this island, but today might be their only chance.
If Caelan survived, the world would know no peace.
"Go!"
Akainu roared and launched another magma fist at Caelan.
The scorching punch burned the air, and a rain of fire fell on Caelan's head, engulfing him in magma.
"Iron Fist: Galaxy Impact!"
Garp once again leaped high and punched at Caelan's face with all his strength.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Not to be outdone, Borsalino followed up with another wave of golden beams, bombarding Caelan in a saturation assault.
"Come at me!"
Caelan gripped his massive sword in both hands and let out a deafening roar.
In that moment, he truly looked like a berserker.
The number of enemies didn't matter—he would fight them all!
Boom!
He clashed with Garp first. Each exchange created shockwaves that shattered rock and splintered trees.
Meanwhile, Akainu and Borsalino continued their ranged attacks, pelting Caelan with lava and lasers.
After a few rounds, Garp's arms began to tremble. He was already exhausted.
"I'll take over!"
Akainu growled, stepping in for Garp.
His magma body was repeatedly shattered by Caelan's attacks, but he used his Logia intangibility to stay in the fight.
"Come on, then!"
Caelan bellowed and slashed with a powerful blow.
The sword strike was like a landslide, threatening to cleave everything in two.
Swish!
Akainu's hair stood on end. Alarm bells blared in his Observation Haki.
He instantly turned into magma and barely managed to dodge.
His body was sliced in half and then exploded under the pressure.
A hundred meters away, a pool of magma reformed and quickly took shape.
Akainu gasped, narrowly avoiding death, and turned to glare at Borsalino, who was still sniping from the side.
Damn it. Based on our plan, this guy should've taken the front by now.
"Oh no…"
Borsalino wore a bitter expression and reluctantly moved in.
He was stunned by Caelan's ferocity. The three of them had ganged up on him, but they were still being pushed back.
Relying on the speed of the Glint-Glint Fruit, Borsalino avoided direct confrontation and played hit-and-run.
The trio cooperated well—one engaged Caelan directly while the other two attacked from a distance.
After one intense exchange, they finally landed a solid hit.
Caelan now had a half-inch deep wound on his chest, the flesh around it charred black from magma. He looked quite battered.
"He can't last much longer! Just a couple more rounds and he'll go down with serious injuries!"
Akainu looked at Caelan's condition and finally saw a glimmer of hope.
Can't last? Who says so?
Hearing Akainu's words, a mocking smile tugged at Caelan's lips.
His Personal Skill, [Battle Continuation], allowed him to stay at his peak until the very moment of death.
(To be continued.)