One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 121 The Sun Will Be Reborn from the Ashes of Light
"Hey! Sakazuki, don't you dare do anything reckless."

On the warship's Den Den Mushi, Sengoku's voice kept coming through: "Your ability is too dangerous. Using it carelessly could lead to disaster—the Sabaody Archipelago's geographical location is very important."

His tone was full of reminders and warnings: "Kuzan has already boarded the giant elevator, and Borsalino's warships have also set sail. All you need to do is stop Youji."

But clearly, his warning came too late.

Because at this moment, in the darkness of night.

A raging fire has already broken out in the Sabaody Archipelago.

Especially on Islands 1 through 29, which are known as 'lawless zones', the flames are currently raging fiercely.

"Marshal of the Warring States Period."

Akainu's calm yet cold words rang out: "Those who don't follow the right path have no value in existing."

“What I need to do is not to ‘stop’ evil, but to destroy it.”

It may seem like an irrelevant answer, but its meaning is clear.

He had no intention of holding back.

"Who was talking to you about that? I was referring to that Celestial Dragon. I don't care whether he lives or dies, but if he dies from the aftereffects of a Marine Admiral's power, the situation is completely different."

"Click."

The reminder from the Warring States period was turned off along with the Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scooped-up noodle

"General Sassakaski, now..."

Meanwhile, the marines who witnessed all of this were both trembling with fear and excitedly watching the spectacle.

Arguing with the admiral is a mandatory course for every naval admiral; it's something they have to experience.

"Let's dock and search island by island—the Zodiac guys must still be on the islands. Hmm?"

Akainu's calm words were cut short when he abruptly stopped.

His gaze suddenly turned to a certain direction on the island.

At this moment, in the night sky...

The enormous creature, its body surrounded by light, was passing over Island No. 8.

It scattered a shower of light amidst the firelight and the flowing lava on the ground, forming lines that seemed to paint in the darkness.

Akainu's expression turned stern and cold.

Without a doubt—although its size was much larger than the intelligence reported by Brigadier General Renly.

But that posture is undoubtedly that of a 'rooster'.

It is only natural that evil will flee in the face of justice, and Akainu is not surprised by this.

But obviously
His justice is not the kind that lets evil go away.

"Justice is absolute. Allowing evildoers to escape is tantamount to condoning the next evil."

His body transformed into scorching magma at that moment, and he slammed his fists into the sea in front of him.

"Great Eruption of Fire - Fire in the Sea!"

The scorching magma instantly penetrated the cold sea surface, and violent water vapor rose into fog.

But without a doubt—just like an underwater volcanic eruption—the extreme heat and lava are so intense that even seawater cannot cool them down in an instant.

And then the next moment.
"boom!"

From beneath the base of Island No. 8, crimson magma instantly transformed into a towering pillar of fire, melting through the entire island and bursting forth from the earth.

Immediately afterward, the enormous pillar of magma shattered into countless fists, which scattered and flew towards the Rooster.

This made the Rooster feel as if it were standing on the crater of a volcano—a situation from which there was no escape.

"The strength of this ability and the power of this domineering aura are indeed frighteningly strong."

Feel the scorching heat from the magma, hear the cracking sounds in the air, and sense the powerful aura that subtly lingers above the magma.

Even though he had personally experienced Zephyr's all-out effort and had witnessed Garp's Conqueror's Haki.

But when facing a naval admiral in his prime, Youji couldn't help but utter such a sentiment.

The three great generals of our time are indeed monsters.

In the future, Akainu, who defeated Aokiji, is the strongest even among monsters—he is flawless in mind, body, and technique.

but
"This distance is barely acceptable; it would be best to increase it a bit more."

At this moment, the Rooster merely glanced at the distant Island No. 3 where Alan was located.

next moment.
"boom!"

The scorching lava struck him mercilessly.

The intense heat assaulted his body—as the 'most destructive' Devil Fruit even among Logia-type fruits, the terrifying destructive power of the scorching magma imbued with Haki undoubtedly far surpassed that of Enel.

If the entire body is hit head-on, this attack is enough to instantly burn up all the light energy cells in the rooster's body.

But at this moment, the Rooster still seemed calm and unperturbed.

On the contrary, a soft chuckle seemed to emanate from beneath his mask.

"Then let me cause a huge scene!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure, engulfed in flames, plummeted downwards!

"Successfully shot down!?"

"He's too big, there's no way to dodge him!"

"We won! Being hit head-on by Admiral Sakazuki's attack like that, no matter if it's a pterosaur or a Tyrannosaurus Rex, it's doomed!"

"Let's dock! Today we're going to arrest one of the Twelve Constellations! And the guy who robbed the Celestial Gold and kidnapped a Celestial Dragon—that's a huge achievement!"

Meanwhile, on the rapidly approaching warships, the navy personnel were also cheering with joy.

But it is precisely at this moment
"."

Akainu's gaze, however, was fixed on the distant island.

That's where the Rooster 'fell'.

At that moment, besides the firelight, there was a distinct, dazzling, faint glow that appeared subtly within the flames.

Akainu could even clearly sense the opponent's current state.

"He's still alive."

"Therefore, I will personally go to the island."

So he turned to look at his subordinates behind him.

then
"boom!"

He jumped.

The scorching magma paved a path beneath his feet, and he flew straight towards the spot where the Rooster had fallen.

"."

And so, all was quiet on the warship.

"How could someone survive such an attack?"

"That's impossible, isn't it?"

"Idiot, are you questioning Admiral Sakazuki's judgment?"

"No, I wouldn't dare!"

As members of Akainu's warship, they naturally knew how powerful Akainu's abilities were—could someone really survive being hit head-on by such an attack?

"It's not just about being alive."

But at that moment, someone on the warship spoke up again.

He was a tall, imposing marine who wielded a greatsword, looked like a terrifying zombie, and wore knight-like armor.

"Colonel T-Bone!"

The marines present naturally recognized him—he was Akainu's direct subordinate, the adjutant who accompanied him on this mission, named 'T-Bone'.

It is said that this colonel was once a knight of a certain kingdom, but joined the navy because of his integrity and unwillingness to obey the kingdom's dark orders.

It is renowned for its 'Giant Slash,' honed through countless battles with giant beasts in the kingdom's mountains and wilderness, capable of slicing a pirate ship in two like a steak. Therefore, at this moment...
"."

T-Bone, who had honed his swordsmanship by constantly battling giant beasts, could also sense the disharmony on that island.

"It's like the heartbeat of some terrifying beast in the womb."

T-Bone said softly.

So, as he said, the existence of the 'Rooster' is not simply about being alive.

"This battle is not something we can participate in; leave it to General Sakazuki."

Therefore, with an extremely clear self-awareness, he decisively issued the order: "Everyone, immediately land on the island elsewhere!"

"Get on the island. What...what are we going to do?"

"Go and defend security—most of the people in the lawless zone have fled to other islands, including many criminals. We must go and capture them to ensure they do not threaten civilians and innocent people!"

T-Bone said in a deep voice.

That's right.

Due to the previous battle between Enel and the Rooster, almost all the people from Island 1 to Island 20 have already been evacuated—the islands of the Sabaody Archipelago are already connected.

However, a large number of criminals also took this opportunity to enter what was originally a stable area.

It is clear that in the current chaotic situation, some criminals will inevitably be unable to resist taking action.

"But our mission is not to capture the Rooster."

But one of the naval officers was still somewhat reluctant.

"idiot!"

But before he could finish speaking, T-Bone interrupted him.

The naval captain, known for his integrity, shouted, "We are the navy—our most important mission is to safeguard the peace of the seas and the livelihoods of the people. Entrusting the capture of the rooster to Admiral Sakazuki is sufficient."

As he spoke, his gaze also fell upon the first few islands that were burning fiercely.

He didn't blame Akainu—the admiral's style was always so intense, and fighting against evil was by no means wrong.

He was simply stating his responsibilities.

"If you ignore the evil you know will happen, the justice behind you will be disgraced!"

Meanwhile...
Akainu, who had already reached the spot where the Rooster had fallen, could see the light flickering within the flames growing ever brighter—

And, that thing in the light.

"Buzz!"

It was a huge egg.

"Buzz!"

On that egg, light shone continuously, and golden patterns flowed beneath the shell.

"Buzz!"

Each time it shines, it bursts forth with a strong sense of life and dazzling light.

That was the last fruit carried on the 'Rooster'.

[Special Zoan Type - Egg-Egg Fruit LV5]

[Fruit Effect - After suffering severe injuries, it can transform into an 'egg' and hatch to be reborn, gaining even greater power]

[LV3: Has acquired all fruit effects; can transform into an egg and hatch to be reborn after being injured.]

[LV4: Fruit deep development. After hatching and rebirth, one can gain stronger power and different beast forms. There are three forms in total: the initial form 'egg', the second-stage form 'chick', and the third-stage form 'rooster'. Starting from the fourth time, one will revert to the initial form and the body will become weak.]

[LV5: Fruit Awakening - Fourth Form, can freely choose when to transform into an egg, freely choose the form, and gain an additional fourth form 'Awakening - Sun-Crowing Rooster'. After hatching and rebirth, the body can be restored to its best condition, surrounded by flame clouds unique to Zoan-type awakening and gain all attribute enhancements. In this state, stamina will be continuously and greatly consumed.]

[Note: Regardless of the fruit's level, if you take severe damage while transforming into an egg, the rebirth will be interrupted. Furthermore, after performing the 'Sun-Crowing Rooster' transformation, you cannot perform this transformation again for ten minutes.]

Yes, this Devil Fruit obtained from 'Baron Tamago' is an extremely special and powerful type, even among Zoan-type Devil Fruits.

Its 'regeneration ability' is, in some ways, even more powerful than the 'Phoenix Fruit', which is a Mythical Zoan type—after all, the Phoenix Fruit doesn't have the effect of transforming and strengthening itself after recovery.

Of course, this fruit also has significant flaws.

That means you can't suffer severe damage during the rebirth process, otherwise enough damage will interrupt the rebirth—in which case, you're basically doomed.

It was clear that Akainu couldn't immediately determine the effect of the 'giant egg' in front of him.

But years of fighting have naturally taught him what he should do.

No matter what the enemy wants to do, stopping him is always the right thing to do!

"Pluto!"

The scorching magma erupted instantly, and the high-speed magma fist struck the giant egg like the fangs of a hunting dog.

But the next moment...
"Ok?"

Even Akainu frowned and uttered a low, questioning sound.

Because at that moment, his 'Hound of the Underworld' struck the giant egg, and indeed successfully pierced through it.

But
"Buzz!"

In just a moment, endless light burst forth.

The giant egg that had been pierced was restored in less than a breath.

"."

Akainu frowned, but his movements were without the slightest hesitation.

"Hundred-Crack - Netherhound!"

He raised his fist again, and this time he unleashed countless punches instead of just one!
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"

Each strike of that scorching fist, imbued with exaggerated destructive power, instantly blasted the entire giant egg into a honeycomb.

But this is still not the end.
"Dog bites Guren!"

Akainu's arms transformed into elemental form once more, and the giant dog head, constructed from lava, swallowed the entire giant egg in front of him almost instantly.

"laugh!"

The magma began to burn everything in it.

But
"!!!"

To Akainu's horror, the egg continued to emit light even under these conditions, and the light was even becoming brighter.

Instead, the firelight from the surrounding flames seemed to gradually dim.

"Buzz!"

Even now, its brilliance has almost illuminated the night sky in the vicinity.

It's as if this egg contains a dazzling 'sun'.

[LV5: Fruit Awakening - Incarnation of Light, can absorb and unleash all the light energy stored within oneself along with the surrounding light energy, entering 'Sun State', gaining near-immortality for a short period of time, but will enter a weakened state after use]

Yes—that was the perfect pairing that Roy had carefully chosen for the Rooster.

The Egg-Egg Fruit's egg-transformation and rebirth effect does not allow it to be subjected to severe damage.

Then, why not just make the egg immortal?
Not to mention—after the awakened ability of the Sunflower Fruit, 'Sun Avatar,' ends, the user will enter a weakened state.

However, the awakening transformation of the Egg-Egg Fruit can restore the body to its peak condition.

A perfect match.

And it was at this very moment.
"Click."

Akainu heard the sound.

That was the crisp sound of a shell breaking.

And then the next moment.
"boom!"

Under a light so dazzling it was almost blinding.

A figure shining like the sun is reborn from the light.

　This chapter gives T-Bone a relatively large amount of screen time, not because of the water, but because I really like this character—his ugly appearance and noble heart (although he is only a minor supporting character in the original work, and is best known for being used to highlight the chaotic order of the Cross Guild, his character is indeed hard to dislike).

　　
　
(End of this chapter)