One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

"This punch…"

Akainu stared in shock at his shattered right arm. The impact had nearly blown him away—it was terrifying. Was this truly the power of a human body?

"In that case, you definitely can't be allowed to live!"

With fury in his eyes, Akainu glared at Vane. That kind of strength filled him with unease. His severed arm reformed in a rush of magma—thanks to the elemental nature of his Logia fruit. Most attacks meant nothing to him unless coated in Armament Haki. And while Vane had used Haki earlier, he hadn't hit Akainu's real body—only the magma-made dog-headed fist.

With a clenched fist, Akainu surged forward, using Soru—one of the Six Powers—at full speed. He vanished in an instant.

In a blink, he appeared right in front of Vane, throwing a powerful punch straight at the much shorter man. His steam-emitting magma fist was aimed directly at Vane's skull.

But what happened next stunned Akainu.

Vane's body suddenly froze over completely—from head to toe. And yet… there was no one inside. When Akainu's fist collided with the ice, the entire frozen statue shattered into shimmering shards.

"Ice? What the hell?!"

Akainu stood still, staring at the icy debris on the ground in disbelief.

Ice… wasn't that Aokiji's power? The Ice-Ice Fruit, a Logia-type! He should be the only one who could use that!

"Where is he?! What's going on?!"

"Surprised, Admiral Akainu?"

Vane's voice echoed behind him.

Akainu turned to find Vane standing there, smiling faintly.

"What's your ability?! That was Aokiji's power!"

Never before had Akainu seen anyone use two Devil Fruit abilities. Such a thing was supposed to be impossible. The body would explode from the power of two fruits!

Yet here it was—undeniable.

"Can't you tell just by looking?" Vane said calmly.

He bent down and pressed a palm to the ground.

A surge of massive ice spikes burst upward from the earth. One of them impaled Akainu right through the torso, splitting his body in two!

"Is that… really the Ice-Ice Fruit?"

From a distance, Silvers Rayleigh watched in awe, wine bottle paused halfway to his lips. He saw a frozen forest of jagged white ice piercing skyward, with half of Akainu's body impaled on one of the tallest spikes—easily over two meters high.

"I got careless…" Akainu muttered, realizing he'd underestimated Vane.

"Damn it!"

His body turned into molten magma, roaring like an awakened volcano. The lower half of his form reconnected with the upper as lava spilled out and covered the ground.

"Great Eruption: Red Dog!"

From the sea of magma, Akainu's molten form launched a massive lava hound—larger than a Sea King, its glowing eyes full of murderous intent.

"ROOOOAR!!"

The hellhound bellowed and charged toward Vane.

"Your bond with dogs is truly something, Admiral Akainu," Vane muttered sarcastically.

Raising both hands, Vane summoned two towering icicles on either side of him. Like battering rams, they slammed into the magma beast, sending it flying. Akainu, who had just reformed, was struck by the impact and sent tumbling thirty meters before crashing to a stop.

The magma hound that he had unleashed… now pinned him to the ground.

"RAAAAHHH!!"

Enraged, Akainu erupted once more. A column of magma blasted into the air like a volcanic explosion. The intense heat evaporated nearby moisture, igniting dry leaves in mid-air. His lava-covered fist swelled larger and larger before he slammed it down.

"Great Flame Commandment!"

Vane didn't move. Five massive icicles—hovering in mid-air around him—shot forward to intercept the incoming magma fist.

The two forces collided in mid-air. Magma sprayed in all directions, igniting everything it touched. The once-peaceful dusk sky turned blood red—not from the sunset, but from the searing heat of the lava storm.

Akainu rushed in again, reinforcing the lava punch with his own body. The raw force pushed the ice back slightly.

Vane planted his foot into the earth. Powered by the Quake-Quake Fruit, the stomp sent a destructive tremor rippling forward. The already shattered ground erupted anew—boulders crumbled into gravel, and gravel into dust.

The quake knocked Akainu off balance. His footing gave way, and his fist lost its power. Vane saw his chance.

The five massive icicles surged forward again, overwhelming the weakened lava punch. Akainu, caught off guard, was crushed under his own molten energy—once again forced to retreat.

Vane watched, wondering just how traumatized Akainu must be feeling by now.

Then he leapt into the air, hands clasped above his head.

"Twin Bone Strike!"

This time, the impact was even more devastating than before. The way he came down from the sky resembled Rob Lucci's Rokuogan finishing move—only far more destructive.

BOOOOM!!!

The land split open like a cracked egg. Debris flew dozens of meters high, the explosion radiating over 200 meters around and over 20 meters deep. Forests collapsed. Dust and smoke rose like a mushroom cloud.

No one could tell what had happened to Akainu beneath the wreckage.

But one thing was clear—Rhett Vane had turned the battlefield into a crater of devastation.

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Send those stones (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)