Chapter 576: Demon Realm Fire vs. Magma
Luffy, Franky, and the others followed the remaining division commanders, locked in fierce battles with the Marine vice admirals, neither side gaining an advantage.
Jinbe had taken on Moria, and given his strength, it was estimated that Moria wouldn't last long under his assault.
The three Pacifistas Ian had brought were now engaged with the Marines' Pacifistas. Although they lacked numerical superiority—the Marines also had Bartholomew Kuma, a Pacifista capable of using the Paw-Paw Fruit's abilities—Waldo led the Dragon Hunter Pirates' Sardine and Zeke, who were firing Thunder Stone Cannons from the rear for support.
There was still Doflamingo. Ian initially thought Law would seek him out for revenge. However, when Ian's gaze swept over him, he saw Law and his Heart Pirates following closely behind Konenai and the other two, charging forward.
He seemed to be protecting them. No, to be more precise, he was likely protecting Walnut!
Law had a deep connection with Ian's Dragon Hunter Pirates, and the reason was Walnut! When they reached Skypiea and Law discovered that Walnut was a user of the Silent-Silent Fruit, his entire expression froze!
Besides his original parents and sister, Rosinante had been the most important person in Law's life. And Rosinante had been a user of the Silent-Silent Fruit!
Rosinante had died many years ago, but now, seeing the same Devil Fruit ability in Walnut that Rosinante possessed, one could imagine how Law felt.
Almost the moment he learned of Walnut's ability, Law found his future direction: he would protect Walnut, protect this little girl who had inherited Rosinante's Devil Fruit power.
Especially after Ian told him that although Walnut looked like a little girl, she was actually over twenty years old. Law's feelings for her became even more uncontrollable, because if his sister hadn't been burned to death in the hospital back then, she would be the same age as Walnut now!
Completely regarding Walnut as his own sister, Law now ignored even Doflamingo, his enemy, who was not far away, in order to protect her.
And what was Doflamingo doing? He was currently facing Sugar and Baby-5!
He seemed to be saying something to them, but Sugar and Baby-5 stood frozen in place, trembling, their faces filled with terror.
Although Sugar had been Doflamingo's subordinate, she hadn't been a member of the Donquixote Family from the start. Doflamingo had only found and brought her back in recent years. She felt only fear toward him, not the sense of family. That was why Ian had decided to keep them both.
Glancing over there, Ian sighed. He knew Doflamingo was about to be in trouble.
As expected, Fujitora sensed the situation, his expression turning cold. While clashing with Aokiji, he suddenly shifted direction and thrust his staff sword into the ground.
An invisible wave of powerful Observation Haki shot into the sky, and a massive meteor appeared, hurtling down toward Doflamingo's position at incredible speed. At the same time, Fujitora slashed horizontally with a Gravity Blade, sending a trajectory of gravity flying forward, cutting between Sugar and the others and Doflamingo, separating them!
Fujitora was angry. Sugar was someone he had personally brought back from Dressrosa. He liked children. Among the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Walnut and Sugar, both with the appearance of little girls, had the best relationship with Fujitora. Now, Doflamingo dared to appear before Sugar again, frightening her. Fujitora couldn't hold back.
Chaos! The entire battlefield could only be described as chaos. In the sky, various devastating attacks appeared continuously: lightning, magma, ice, and now a meteor of such size crashing down. The people watching the live broadcast felt as if doomsday had arrived. Some with fragile hearts were on the verge of mental collapse.
How had the war to annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates turned into this?
Every second, Marines or pirates fell in battle. At this point, the war could no longer be described as merely brutal.
Taking in the entire battlefield, Ian realized he had to do something.
Why had he intervened in this war? Was it to help the Whitebeard Pirates win against the Marines? No, it was to stop this war!
In simple terms, Ian's intention was the same as Red-Haired Shanks's!
Stopping this war and preserving the Whitebeard Pirates were his goals. As for defeating the Marines... ha, could the Marines be easily defeated in a single war?
When he realized that even bringing the Dragon Hunter Pirates with such a lineup couldn't dissuade the Marines from attacking, Ian understood that since this war had started with Whitebeard, only Whitebeard could end it.
At that moment, Garp picked up a massive meteor hammer from the battlefield and swung it with his immense strength, continuously smashing it toward Ian.
Throughout his fight with Garp, Ian hadn't fought back, which displeased Garp. So, while swinging, Garp shouted at Ian, "You brat! Are you looking down on this old man!?"
With a whoosh, Garp hurled the meteor hammer, which whistled as it flew straight at Ian's face.
But this time, Ian didn't dodge. Instead, he extended his palm toward the incoming hammer.
Crack! A faint sound of shattering came. When Garp's meteor hammer reached Ian, it seemed to break something, and the next second, the hammer uncontrollably reversed course and flew back at Garp!
Ian had struck back, and he immediately used the Great Serpent's reflection ability. Garp hadn't expected this, and caught off guard, the rapidly returning hammer smashed into his chin, sending him tumbling backward!
That blow wasn't a big deal for Garp, but Ian's figure instantly appeared beside him. He placed the blade of his Thousand Cherry Blossoms against Garp's neck, stopping him from getting up, and said, "Old man, sorry! You'd better rest. I promise you, Ace will be fine, and Luffy will be fine too!"
Then, ignoring Garp's thoughts, Ian vanished in a flash.
Garp didn't get up either. He lay on the ground, a dazed expression on his face, lost in thought.
After leaving, Ian turned and appeared where Marco was fighting Akainu. Marco was pressing the attack up close, while Akainu blocked with his magma arm. Ian suddenly appeared, leaped, and kicked Akainu square in the face from the side!
Boom! With immense force, Akainu was sent flying, crashing like a cannonball into the ice layer nearby!
"I... Ian!" Marco panted, stunned. "Why are you here!?"
Marco could spar with a Marine Admiral like Akainu, but that didn't mean he could defeat him. As time passed, Marco's stamina would deplete faster than Akainu's. In other words, if the fight continued, Marco might lose.
But before Ian could respond, Akainu roared and leaped out of the ice. Ian's kick had been incredibly fierce, and the Armament Haki had directly struck Akainu's body, drawing blood from his mouth. So, as soon as he appeared, Akainu immediately launched a Great Eruption at Ian!
A massive fist of magma, with enough heat to instantly vaporize a huge iceberg, carried terrifying power.
But Ian didn't dodge. The bells on his wrist jingled, and two Black Dragon Waves intertwined and shot out, spiraling like twin dragons as they lunged at Akainu's enormous magma fist!
During his fight with Garp, Ian hadn't fought back. His true intention was to recover his Psychic Power. His recovery speed was now quite fast; Master-level Nen Training was no joke. In that short time, his Psychic Power had nearly fully recovered. Now, even without Enel as a battery, he had enough strength to sustain a period of high-intensity combat.
Boom! The first thing to explode was a massive energy shockwave. When Akainu's magma struck the Black Dragon, it was instead melted away!
The heat of Ian's Black Dragon Wave was higher than Akainu's magma. Magma might melt stone into liquid, but Ian's Demon Realm Fire could directly vaporize rock. The two were not on the same level!
Moreover, this time, Ian had released a double Black Dragon Wave. So, to everyone's disbelief, Ian's Black Dragon Wave directly devoured Akainu's Great Eruption and continued flying toward him, undiminished.
"Damn it!" Akainu encountered this situation for the first time. Even Aokiji's ice could be melted by his magma, but now Ian's Black Dragon Wave had caught him off guard!
Only then did he understand why, during the Mary Geoise incident, Aokiji, who was in pursuit, had returned injured. Ian's flames were indeed extraordinary!
"This threat must be eliminated!" Akainu reacted quickly and fired another Great Eruption, but this time, he coated his magma fist with powerful Armament Haki.
The incoming Black Dragon Wave's energy had already been partially depleted, and under Akainu's attack, it was finally neutralized!
But while Akainu was focused on dealing with the Black Dragon Wave, Ian had already asked Marco the question he wanted to ask.
"Where is the Old Man on the island?"