The battle between the High Princes and Akainu continues. From time to time, the Three High Princes steal glances at the huge black sphere where the Princesses are, worried what Teach might do to them. Akainu took the liberty of the distraction, sending fists of lavas against them.

"You cannot afford to not pay attention to me!" He shouted, raising his two hands to send more attacks towards Kidd and Marco. Zoro dodged and took this chance to fly forward with his sword raised.

"One-sword style..." He draws his breath, gathering bracing himself to launch the attack against Akainu. "Death Lion's Song!" The released attack forced Akainu to defend, disregarding his chance to continue attacking Marco and Kidd. The split-second interval gave the other two High Princes to follow Zoro's lead as they launched attacks of their own.

Marco's wings turned into sharp blades as he sweeps through the right side followed by Kidd's claws aiming to the left.

Akainu stumbled, losing his balance, and almost found himself on the ocean. He regained his balance when he was several meters' distance from the High Princes, cursing the deities in his wake.

Seeing their attacks damaging Akainu, they all remembered what a lesson from their parents. Sometimes, magic can be a barrier that prevents someone from advancing. They could never understand what that meant. They are Raftelians, bound to improve the magic in them, yet some of the teachings of their parents involve a contradiction that they couldn't understand.

Spirit. The power within. That's how they described it. What the late High Kings and Queens meant was the fighting spirit within them.

The lack of life and death battle never gave them the chance to understand what it was about. Fighting Akainu and protecting their home triggered the understanding of what it meant to fight without the magic holding them back.

"Damn it. You're just like them." Akainu spit out blood while mocking the High Princes. "I never understood why the Deities have blessed your families with such power when you never use it! Power is what rules the world! We are superior beings! The humans can only be a slave and nothing more!"

The madness in him startled the High Princes. Every second that passes, Akainu's obsession is growing stronger.

"Why do you hate the humans so much, Akainu? What have they done to you?!"

"Only if the twins were never born, Xavaria wouldn't have been born either! Nor Rauscher! I would have the power to rule everything in this world! What is the point of having power when you won't use it?! Powers should be used and exercised! Protect the weak?! Nonsense! Utterly nonsense!"

His body turned into lava, burning like the anger residing in his heart.

"All of you are too weak! Too comfortable in maintaining power when this world needs only one ruler! One power to stand above all. The weaklings cannot be anything but servants! They should only serve the strong! I will show you what it means to be strong!"

He waved his hands to show the scenes in Raftel and Cresta where many people are dying. The Raftelians are losing. Big Mom and Kaido proved to be difficult opponents for Rayleigh and Whitebeard. The number of enemy soldiers is increasing every second.

Akainu was laughing with madness, satisfied to see the Raftelians struggling. This is the revenge that he was talking about! The kind of war where he can see the helplessness of the weak. They will look up to him from the ground with emotions surging in their eyes, whether they are hatred, fear, or a call to beg. It doesn't matter. What matters to Akainu is that they all look up to him, acknowledge him as the absolute power.

He was burning in madness unlike what they have seen before. The High Princes knew that Akainu's obsession with power reached beyond redemption. While the High Princes are worried about what is happening in Raftel, their attention is still on Akainu. Did he fall to hell to hold this kind of hatred? Did the hatred seep deeply in his heart that he's lost sight of what their ancestors have built?

Perhaps the High Princes could never understand the kind of pain Akainu had to go through. Perhaps, whatever the ancestors built unintentionally made him what he is now.

They pity him for what he has become. The pity is there, but they have to protect their home.

"We can't drag this fight. We have to finish this." The irritation is swelling in Kidd's words while glancing at the barrier and where the princesses are. They can vaguely feel their struggles. Teach must be powerful enough to overwhelm the princesses.

"Let's go all out. If we don't kill him, everyone will die, yoi."

'He's getting weaker. We must seize this chance to attack him' Achilles is guarding their back against any attacks that Akainu might sneak in. Kidd opted to fight with the two High Princes and let Achilles stand to the side and seize a chance once he sees it.

They were about to attack together when Akainu's body turned into demonic dragon lava. His laughter echoes in their ears, giving them shivers down their spines. Maneuvering his large body, he swept through the three High Princes using the lava tail before following it with another attack using the wings made of lava.

The tip of the wings scratched Zoro's shoulder. Even if he's susceptible to fire, it does not mean that he can ignore the damage of the attack.

They didn't have time to tend to the damage as Akainu is relentlessly sending attacks to them, crazed, while shouting profanities about power. He was so far into the narrative of ruling the world that he failed to see the changes happening in Raftel.

Many creatures suddenly emerged, shouting for the blood of the soldiers. The sudden commotion stopped the High Princes on their tracks, confused at what is happening in Raftel. They thought Akainu and Teach sent more soldiers to wipe out the Raftelians.

"Enemies?!" Kidd anxiously asked, gritting his teeth. More enemies to defeat means lowering their chances of winning this war.

Zoro frowned as his eyes caught the sight of a familiar light green hair, shouting for the blood and death as his offer to Luffia. With a snort, he shook his head.

"No. It seems they are not. They are the prisoners left in Purgatory. They vowed their loyalty to Luffia."

After hearing what Zoro said, Kidd, and Marco had more questions to ask, but they kept themselves silent. As long these creatures are not an enemy, they can be at ease and focus on defeating Akainu.

"This cannot be!" The shock led Akainu to stop his movements with his eyes focused on what is happening in Raftel. The appearance of the prisoners that Luffia befriended tipped the scale of the battle in favor of Raftelians. They regained their morale and continued battling for the sake of protecting their home.

The scenes in Cresta also changed. The disadvantage in numbers is slowly disappearing because of the allies from Alabasta, Kamabakka kingdom, and many more who rallied in defense against Akainu and Teach's army.

With a distracted Akainu, The High Princes wasted no time to launch their all-out attacks against him. Marco was the first one, using his talons embued with magic to hit Akainu's chest. This is followed by Kidd's claws and kick, launching Akainu in the air. Lastly, Zoro used his three swords to cut Akainu down.

Mouthfuls of blood spurted out of his mouth as he groaned in pain while returning to his original form. With shaking hands, he grazed against the wound inflicted by the High Princes. Unsurprisingly, the blood keeps on flowing, gushing out of the wound. It burns him. Whatever magic they embued in their attacks proved to be more painful than he imagined.

It reminds him of the attacks from the late High Kings and High Queens.

Akainu braced himself to defend and launch another attack, but the High Princes did not give him a chance. They continued attacking him mercilessly, determined to finish him once and for all. As fellow-Raftelian, they might feel pity for him but the hatred in their hearts remains the same.

This is the person who caused so many deaths in Raftel including the previous High Kings and High Queens. So much blood has been shed because of him. It's time to put this war to stop.

Akainu struggled to keep himself alive but the High Princes kept attacking. He's on the verge of losing consciousness when the High Princes decided to launch one final attack to finish him, and that's when an unexpected change happened.

The barrier dropped around them including the black hole that separated the Princesses from them. The High Princes dropped their guards, halting their attacks as their attention is now on the Princesses who were frantically shouting at them.

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

The menacing smile of Teach made them fear what is to come. The Princesses are on high alert from him. He might be injured but it does not mean that they can kill him easily.

'Something is wrong!' Kiyone shouted at Sab. Even the Firebird inside Ann is burning with a warning.

'The evil is about to be born! You must be careful, Your Majesty!'

"The sea kings are warning me. The evil is about to be born," The three Princesses looked at Teach whose smile never faded. His eyes glowed red amidst the darkness surrounding them.

"Do you know what advantage I have?" He suddenly asked.

"Cut the nonsense, Teach!" Ann angrily shouted, launching herself to kill him.

"Zehaha! Do not rush to your death, Princess. Everything will come in order. Let me tell you what I have that you do not. It's the power to swallow and suck everything. EVERYTHING! Do you know what comes after?" Teach was quick to dodge Ann while teasing them.

"You do not know the answer to my question? Such a pity! Then, let me tell you!" He demonstrated his prowess by generating more dark energies. "Everything I swallowed will become mine! Zehahaha! I would have swallowed you three but it's too much of an effort even for me. So, I guess I have to settle for someone who is dying. Zehahaha!"

That was their only warning before the surrounding dark wall starts disappearing. They rejoiced at regaining their freedom but they noticed Teach rushing to where Akainu is.

"Dying... Swallow..." Luffia muttered under her breath, still confused.

'Stop him, Your Majesty. We cannot let him be more powerful than he is!'

Even without understanding the situation, they all know what to do and that is to stop Teach from whatever he's about to do.

The princesses finally got to see their mates. the joyous reunion can wait for now.

"Stop him!" They all shouted. Zoro did not understand what they meant, neither does Kidd. Marco frowned when Ann was looking in Akainu's direction.

The High Princes were confused about what they meant because Akainu was no longer moving. Just a final attack is what they need to finish him off, but why are the Princesses telling them to stop?

They directed their attention back to Akainu coughing up mouthfuls of blood. The man opened his eyes while falling into the ocean. Just as he was about to hit the waves, a dark hole appeared underneath him, slowly lifting him.

"T-Teach..." He groaned.

"Zehahaha! You look awful, Akainu." His menacing grin made the High Princes shiver.

"L-let's retreat for now!" Akainu saw hope now that Teach is here. They might have failed now, but they can try again. They just need to be more prepared next time.

"Zehahaha!" Teach only laughed while increasing the amount of dark energy surrounding Akainu.

"What are you doing?!" Akainu felt the restriction in his body as well as his energy forcefully drained. The dark energies surrounding him seemed to be getting stronger and little by little, he can feel the dread creeping into him. The nervousness grows along with the suspicions about Teach's intentions.

"Zehahaha! There is no next time for you, Akainu. You have been trying for so long yet fail time and time again. There will be no more chance for failures like you! Zehahaha!"

Realizing what is happening, he stared at Teach wide-eyed.

"Teach!" He growled, forcing his power to extinguish the dark energies that Teach is using. "Treason! I am your King! I demand you to stop it this instant!"

"My king? Zehahaha! That is just your imagination, Akainu!" The dark energy now surrounds half of his body, creeping towards his neck, suffocating him every second. Akainu can feel his power being drained while Teach's pale complexion starts returning to normal. "You didn't think I would be loyal, did you? Zehahaha!" Teach was ridiculing Akainu as he continuously absorb whatever life was left in him.

"TEACH!" No matter how loud his shout is, it falls into deaf ears. Teach was laughing at the predicament of once the leader of the forces, now turned into a helpless creature. Akainu led this army, but Teach will finish it.

"Stop Teach!" Ann and the others are flying towards the High Princes. The princesses feared the worst scenario and that is Teach absorbing Akainu's powers. When their battle earlier is reaching its conclusion, the princesses thought that Teach would retreat. His smile was menacing that it gave them chills. As soon as the dark hole got removed, the three immediately went after Teach to prevent him whatever he was planning to do.

Despite their efforts to fly as fast they can, it was too late. Teach now holds Akainu.

"What's going on, yoi?" Marco asked as soon as they arrived. They are all happy to see that the Princesses are not as injured as they thought they are.

"His powers are ominous. If I am right, he was the one who gave Akainu that power. We still do not know where he got all the power or if he discovered an ancient spell." Sab answered.

While they were fighting with Teach, Sab thought that it is odd for someone to immediately have this kind of power without a source. It is also odd for Akainu to suddenly gain more power. Yes, they suspected that it came from a forbidden spell, but what kind of forbidden spell could it be?

"The sea kings have whispered to me. He's the embodiment of sins born from this world." Luffia shuddered. She cannot understand how the sins of this world can be embodied into someone like Teach.

"We do not have time to dwell on why he has this power and how. We must stop him!"

The evil in him is far more than what they've seen on Akainu. Akainu was consumed by hatred and obsession yet Teach is nothing but an evil incarnate.

The six readied themselves to attack. The wind became harsher, mixed with fire and the darkness that Teach brought, fighting against each other. Light and Dark.

Akainu struggled against Teach's hold, screaming at the top of his lungs while the dark energies covered his body. Little by little, the screams died down till there's nothing left but the ominous laughter of Teach.

"He's gone..." Luffia shook her head while staring at Teach with fear written in her eyes.

"Zehahaha!" He spread his hands as if ministering the rise of darkness that seems to grow hotter each second. "He would have been more useful if he killed the High Princes. I should have expected him to fail. A failure will always be a failure. Zehahaha!" With disdain, Teach retracted the dark energies surrounding Akainu's body and what was left is emptiness - death as if Teach sucked all the power including Akainu's life force.

The High Princes and Princesses watched with gaping mouths as Teach let go of Akainu, letting him fall into the harsh waves of the ocean with a loud splash. Several seconds passed before they see his dead body floating. All of them cannot fathom what to feel at this moment. Should they feel relieved that one of their enemies fell? Akainu killed many of their people, inciting wars that killed their parents. The hatred in their hearts cannot be erased no matter what happens yet seeing the death of the enemy they loathed for so many years fall just like that at the hands of another enemy left a bad taste in their mouth. There's a semblance of pity lingering in their heart and desire to kill him themselves.

The six cannot linger into thinking about what they want to happen. The situation has escalated to a different level. With Akainu gone, one enemy might have fallen but they still do not know if the enemy they are facing now is far more formidable than the latter. If their instincts are right, then Teach might be more formidable now that his power increased after his betrayal.

"Be careful, yoi!" Marco warned them.

"Kill him now!" Kidd shouted and everyone agreed.

Zoro and Luffia are in the middle while Marco and Ann are to the right while Kidd and Sab take the left with Kiyone and Achilles as their mounts. With coordination, the pairs from the left and right initiated combined attacks only to meet a wall of lava preventing them from getting closer.

With the combined powers of darkness and the scorching lava, how will they overcome this?

===XXX===XXX===XXX===

Whitebeard flew back a few meters to observe the overall situation. Kaido's dragon form is a menace, but it does not mean he will back down and let them take over.

"Whitebeard! You lived far too long! You lived comfortably while we suffer in eternal damnation!" Kaido changed from his dragon form to a hybrid form that made him look more ruthless. He carries a spiked kanabo bathed with the blood of the Raftelians.

Every time someone approaches him within his reach, he's quick to swift his kanabo, killing anyone in his way. The path he walks is a path full of carnage that made Whitebeard fume in anger.

"You lived in suffering for decades because you betrayed Raftel."

"Raftel sits on a fleeting dream, sinking into the depths of hell. Sooner or later, you will feel that you are being swallowed by the hunger of humans. Why not stand on top and rule over them? Besides, fighting is in our blood! Or have your beastly blood died down when you sided with the Magical Kingdoms?!"

"Raftel is my home. This is where my family lived. If you think of destroying my home for the sake of fulfilling your instincts to fight, then so be it. Let me send you to your death!"

The two clashes, a wave of magical power flooded the area, sending some of the creatures within meters to a faraway distance while the air trembles as if heaven is splitting. It's nauseating for weaker creatures to be in direct contact with the clashes of two of the oldest creatures from Raftel.

It's not just Whitebeard and Kaido. Rayleigh and Big Mom's fight also sends shivers down the spine of people around. Most Raftelians have seen Rayleigh when the Princesses' identity was revealed, but as a stranger, they have never seen him fight.

Watching in close distance, the Raftelians were amazed how he is battling toe to toe against one of the notorious prisoners from the Blazing Inferno.

"You are nothing but a human! To think you have Al Draig! Ridiculous!" Big Mom swings her sword but Rayleigh easily dodged it before swinging his sword.

"I may be human, but it does not mean I cannot fight back!"

Had it not been for the enemy soldiers, most of the Raftelians would have been standing there to watch and be amazed by Rayleigh's prowess. They heard of tales about Whitebeard fighting against the father of the Princesses, but such prowess can easily be connected to his bloodline. But Rayleigh? He never came from the direct bloodline of Royalties. He is a descendant, but not a royalty like Roger, yet he can fight without losing against Big Mom.

The tension in the air grows thicker. Everyone is fighting for their lives, even Robin transformed to her beastly form, a Jorogomu, looking like a demoness from hell. Chopper was in his fighting form, struggling to treat the Raftelians while defending himself.

The arrival of the prisoners from the Purgatory helped them recover a bit. Despite the disdain against the Raftelian, the prisoners are still fighting for their side.

"Hiyaah!" Koala, one of Sab's friends is fighting using magic gloves that Sab got for her. And for some reason, she's surrounded by wolves that seemed to protect her.

Nami is fighting against the witches, showing them the power of science that Usopp and Franky invented using human technology while shouting that she's scared but it doesn't mean she cannot fight.

The shouts and battle cries never stopped. Raftelians are still fighting to protect their home. Every minute that passed, Chopper and the others can see that they are gaining the advantage not just in numbers but also in morale. Their faith is immeasurable that their Rulers will triumph against Akainu and Teach.

Raftelians thought that they are winning but suddenly there are rumbles underground, warning to erupt at any second. Then, it happens. The ground started emitting dark energies that are slowly floating in the air.

Everyone stopped fighting and looked around them. The dark energies are slowly forming like a thick vapor above them, materializing into what can be described as walls. And if one of them can describe it, it's like a cage.

One thing they heard was a burst of loud laughter before everything became black.

"Zehahaha!"