Chapter 144: Blackbeard Appears

Chapter 144: Chapter 144: Blackbeard Appears

The color of flames changes with temperature. For example, Ace's flames are red and orange, with a temperature of around 3,000 degrees Celsius or lower.

As the temperature increases, the color of the flames changes—yellow-white at approximately 4,000 degrees Celsius, blue-green at around 6,000 degrees, and violet above 7,000 degrees.

At this moment, Alex manipulated endless heat, compressing it within his palm and amplifying its temperature tenfold in defiance of the laws of thermodynamics. The temperature of the brilliant fireball in Alex's hand had reached an astonishing 100,000 degrees Celsius!

If not for Alex controlling the heat to keep it contained within his palm, the surrounding rocks would have instantly melted into magma.

Once the fireball stabilized, Alex smiled and said to Akainu:

"Do you know that matter generally exists in three states—solid, liquid, and gas?

Lava is liquid rock. But have you ever wondered if rock could exist in a gaseous state? Let's find out!"

With a flick of his finger, Alex sent the fireball flying toward Akainu.

The fireball moved at a speed that was neither too fast nor too slow, giving Akainu enough time to see and block it but not enough to evade.

As the fireball approached, Akainu instinctively sensed the immense threat it posed. His observation haki warned him that he absolutely had to stop this seemingly ordinary fireball—it was a lethal attack!

"Inugami Guren!"

Akainu's arm turned to magma, reshaping into a dog-like form as it lunged at the fireball.

While this attack could burn Ace, it was utterly ineffective against the fireball. The magma, heated to thousands of degrees due to Akainu's Devil Fruit ability, was instantly vaporized by the overwhelming heat of the fireball, turning into a strange mist that spread in all directions.

Seeing his attack fail and the fireball continuing on its path, unchanged in speed or form, Akainu's expression darkened.

He swung his fists with all his strength, unleashing massive magma punches to intercept the fireball. However, every punch met the same fate—instantly vaporized upon contact.

Akainu tried to continue his assault, but the fireball reached his chest in the next moment. Its immense power erupted instantly, creating a towering column of fire hundreds of meters high and dozens of meters in diameter. The column continued to expand, growing larger and more destructive.

This terrifying sight drew everyone's attention. If this fire pillar wasn't contained, it alone could destroy Marineford without Whitebeard having to lift a finger.

Amid the chaos, Aokiji ignored his opponent and rushed toward the fire pillar.

When he was still dozens of meters away, Aokiji unleashed his full power:

"Ice Age!"

A massive wave of cold surged toward the fire pillar. Ice and flames clashed violently, melting and countering each other.

Aokiji had an endless supply of ice at his disposal, while the fire pillar lacked Alex's direct support, leaving it to be gradually diminished. Even so, Aokiji expended nearly all his energy, and the fire still remained.

Seeing the situation worsen, Kizaru intervened, kicking at the flames repeatedly to destabilize the fiery tornado. Only then did the ice begin to gain the upper hand.

After a prolonged struggle, Aokiji was nearly exhausted, but the fire pillar finally extinguished, revealing Akainu's body within. His flesh was charred, and his condition was unclear.

Kizaru immediately carried Akainu's body away from Alex.

Once they reached a safe spot, Kizaru checked Akainu's injuries. Despite being a magma user, Akainu's body was covered in severe burns. He was on the brink of death, and without immediate treatment, the Admirals would be reduced to two.

"Damn it... That monster Alex—what is he?

He's absolutely terrifying!"

At this moment, Kizaru's usual sarcastic remarks was no exaggeration—he truly felt fear. Admirals were considered the peak of power on the seas, their strength rivaling even the Four Emperors. Yet, after enduring a single attack from Alex, Akainu was left gravely injured, teetering on the edge of death.

What made it even more despair-inducing was that Alex had used Akainu's own specialty—fire—to defeat him effortlessly. The difficulty of accomplishing this was exponentially greater than using another method to take Akainu down.

Suddenly, Akainu coughed violently, spitting out traces of blood. The intense heat had evaporated most of the liquid in his body, including his blood. Even so, he clung to life, his monstrous physical constitution allowing him to survive. Drawing on every ounce of energy, he activated Life Return, forcing his bone marrow to produce blood and his flesh to regenerate rapidly.

Alex observed this process with interest, clicking his tongue in surprise. He hadn't expected Akainu to survive. Was this the Life Return technique of the One Piece world? Truly fascinating!

Through his six-eyed perception, Alex clearly saw the flow of energy within Akainu's body and instantly grasped the principles behind Life Return. Mastering this ability meant complete control over one's body, hair, and internal organs—by channeling willpower, one could manipulate any part at will.

However, Alex had already surpassed this level long ago. While Life Return offered some inspiration for further developing his abilities, it wouldn't significantly enhance his power.

Having seen Akainu survive his attack, Alex lost interest in him. His strike had been calibrated precisely at the edge of Akainu's endurance, giving him an even 50-50 chance of survival. Alex had attacked Akainu simply because he found him mildly irritating. In truth, he respected Akainu more than the other Admirals. Compared to Kizaru and Aokiji, Akainu was the most capable among them.

However, suddenly, their attacks froze in mid-air, unable to move forward.

Alex had vanished from his original position and reappeared between Whitebeard and the Blackbeard Pirates. Activating his Limitless Technique, he effortlessly stopped both sides' assaults.

Blackbeard, visibly wary of Alex but not entirely fearful due to his ignorance, sneered:

"What's this? The infamous Alex is interfering in my feud with Whitebeard?"

Alex cast him a brief, indifferent glance, causing Blackbeard to instinctively take a step back, but he said nothing in return.

Turning toward Whitebeard, Alex smiled at the puzzled man and flicked the air lightly.

"Don't be in such a hurry to die. Beyond this Grand Line, there are even more wondrous worlds and thrilling adventures waiting for you."

With that, Alex's finger collided with the air. Through his mastery of vector manipulation, the tiny burst of kinetic energy expanded exponentially, forming an immense force that enveloped Whitebeard's body.

The force was so overwhelming that even Whitebeard couldn't resist it. He was blasted away and landed in front of Ace and the others.

Whitebeard couldn't die yet; Alex had plans to make him his top general.

Turning back, Alex faced a furious Blackbeard and grinned.

"You seem upset," he said casually.

Blackbeard, enraged at losing his prize, twisted his face in fury.

"Damn you, Alex! I'll make you—"

Before he could finish, Alex slapped him across the face.

Having long since understood the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's principles through his Six Eyes, Alex infused the slap with its power.

Boom!

In an instant, white cracks spread across thousands of meters. The devastating tremor surged toward Blackbeard, leaving him no time to react.

The quake obliterated one of Blackbeard's arms and annihilated Van Augur, Catarina Devon, and Sanjuan Wolf, reducing large portions of their bodies to pulp, which was further shattered into tiny particles by the vibrations.

Under Alex's precise control, the residual shockwaves did not destroy Marineford but instead condensed into a straight line that extended far beyond Blackbeard's position.

The remnants of the fortress-like structure were obliterated, as was the mountain behind it. The tremor then split the endless sea, severing paths through several unfortunate uninhabited islands before finally dissipating far off in the distance.

Everyone froze.

The fleeing Whitebeard Pirates stopped dead in their tracks. The discontent on Whitebeard's face vanished, replaced by shock. Even the Straw Hat crew, who somewhat understood Alex's power, stood wide-eyed.

The remaining tens of thousands of Marines trembled uncontrollably, collapsing to the ground, unable to move.

Sengoku, Garp, and the Admirals stared in disbelief. Even if they joined forces, they couldn't achieve a fraction of that destructive power.

This was no feat of humans or even monsters.

It was divine.

Clack, clack...

The only sound across the battlefield was Alex's leisurely footsteps as he approached Blackbeard, who was frozen in place with a vacant expression.

Standing before the stunned man, Alex gently patted Blackbeard's large, dazed face, flashed a radiant smile, and repeated his earlier question:

"You seem upset?"

°°°

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