Ryūnosuke Akutagawa vs. Nathaniel Hawthorne

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa vs. Nathaniel Hawthorne is a battle fought between Port Mafia attack dog Ryūnosuke Akutagawa against the Guild operative Nathaniel Hawthorne at the onset of the three-way gifted organizational conflict.

It happened at one of the Guild's emergency routes after a surprise attack by Motojirō Kajii forced Hawthorne, Margaret Mitchell, and various workers on deck of S.S. Zelda to abandon ship.

Prologue
While left in charge with overseeing the replenishment of supplies aboard S.S. Zelda, the Guild's frontline base on sea, Hawthorne and Margaret receive a letter from Mafia boss Ōgai Mori threatening to obliterate their ship and claim both their lives. Though Margaret dismisses it as an empty threat, Hawthorne perceives it as a legitimate concern, hence instructing all hands on deck to finish two hours' worth of cargo-loading work within 30 minutes.

They are soon notified of Motojirō, whom Hawthorne recognizes, having sneaked onboard with some lemon bombs. Margaret offers to dispose of the thug, but Hawthorne takes over and brands him with his blood, afterwards tossing and setting off a lemon bomb at the mafioso. However, they soon find him unscathed from the blast, while a cargo full of lemon bombs fall over the ship as part of Motojirō's trap; Hawthorne immediately orders all hands to abandon ship.

Fleeing through their evacuation escape route, Hawthorne and Margaret encounter the supposedly deceased James L., only for his corpse to open up and reveal several lemon bombs that detonate. Hawthorne shields Margaret and himself using his ability. Survivors from the ship approach them, and Hawthorne instructs them to engage the enemy at their current spot rather than further escape, thinking that their retreat routes must have already been rigged with enemy traps. In that moment, Mori sends in Akutagawa, who effortlessly impales everyone with Rashomon.

Battle
Akutagawa introduces himself as "Diablo" to Hawthorne (whom he refers to as "Irmão"), to which Hawthorne retorts that he must likely be in Mount Hermon being tested. Akutagawa agrees to grant him his test and launches an attack, though Hawthorne quickly blocks it. He also asks Akutagawa not to call him with such nickname and spites him. Using his blood from earlier wounds, Hawthorne launches a counterattack at the mafioso, who also blocks it.

Engaging in a flurry of assaults using their abilities, they both acknowledge how similar their powers are and mutually recognize that the better ability user between them shall emerge as the victor. Rashōmon turns into a beast-like head, slithers through Hawthorne's blood letters, and bites his leg. Akutagawa challenges him further, but Hawthorne proclaims how the victor has already been decided since the beginning.

He wraps and restrains Akutagawa using the blood that spilled to his overcoat, remarking that he is no devil but a mere beast who preys on those weaker than him. Margaret then disintegrates Akutagawa's overcoat, asserting that she must save her family's reputation. She also claims that someone like Akutagawa whom she thinks has never tasted defeat or humiliation cannot possibly beat her.

Provoked by her words, Akutagawa quickly stabs her with various spikes of Rashōmon and breaks free from the Scarlet Letter's restraints, rushing towards him. However, having not yet fully recovered, Akutagawa spurts out blood and chides its irksome timing. Hawthorne wonders whether he went out to battle injured, but Akutagawa asks him to disregard it, lest his arrival would have been for naught. As Hawthorne asks why he is willing to go to such extent, Akutagawa utters that he merely longs to hear a simple word from someone, enough to push him forward to stand back up after various defeats. Hawthorne is taken aback at how a Mafia assassin bent on killing also harbors quite a strong desire comparably akin to faith.

Hence, Hawthorne accepts to grant Akutagawa's plea to fight him. He shoots a blood bullet at Akutagawa, who deflects it, only for the blood to multiply and graze the mafioso's limbs. Akutagawa retaliates by slicing Hawthorne's neck with Rashōmon, but the latter's blood spills out that amplifies his ability. Hawthorne prepares to strike him, but Akutagawa – determined to prove himself to Dazai as always – activates Endless Jaws. As several Rashōmon jaws rush towards Hawthorne, Margaret shields him and receives the attack firsthand, propelling both of them against the rubble.

Aftermath
In the immediate aftermath of the battle and with his mission accomplished, Akutagawa recalls Atsushi Nakajima's words from their previous encounter – that no one can bear to live on unless someone tells them otherwise – and mutters that he does not need the mantiger's lecture for him to understand such kind of thing.

Meanwhile, Hawthorne and Margaret are taken in to Moby Dick to recuperate from their sustained injuries. Hawthorne later awakens to Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald visiting him, informing him of Margaret's comatose condition. Fitzgerald inquires how the battle unfolded, with which Hawthorne explains how Margaret saved him at the last minute. Deeming Fitzgerald responsible for Margaret's downfall, Hawthorne vows to restore her honor himself and apparently defects from the Guild, eventually forging a provisional alliance with Fyodor Dostoevsky and his organization in exchange for curing Margaret.

Trivia

 * Hawthorne likening his encounter with Akutagawa as a test in Mount Hermon may be an allusion to the apocryphal account in the Book of Enoch where fallen angels descended to Earth on Mount Hermon.