On the other side of the battlefield, the earth-shattering sounds of combat also came to a sudden halt.
Garp's iron fist, a weapon capable of leveling mountains, froze in mid-air. He abruptly turned his head, his gaze sweeping past Golden Lion Shiki to lock onto Kyle. His eyes had become incredibly solemn. Sengoku, in his giant Golden Buddha form, also stopped releasing shockwaves. The massive Buddha's head turned in the same direction, its stoic face showing a level of vigilance he had not shown before.
Of course, they recognized that power. It was the mark of a King, a power on the same level as Roger's, or even their own. Perhaps it was even more overwhelming.
"You scoundrels!"
Golden Lion Shiki's roar exploded like thunder, shattering the momentary stillness. He seized the instant that Garp and Sengoku were distracted, and his assault became even more violent and fierce.
"How dare you look away during a fight with me?! Don't you dare underestimate me, Garp! Sengoku! I am the Golden Lion!"
"Wave Slash!"
Two massive flying slashes tore through the air, crossing each other as they flew. They carried unparalleled power and struck fiercely at the two legendary Marines. Garp and Sengoku snapped back to their senses, realizing the immediate danger, and quickly turned to defend themselves. The battlefield of the three legends once again erupted with deafening roars.
Meanwhile, the after-effects of Sakazuki's "Great Eruption" were just beginning to spread. Torrential rain poured down onto the scorching, melted ground, instantly evaporating into a thick water vapor that blotted out the sky. White mist mixed with black smoke quickly enveloped the entire square, and visibility dropped to less than three meters. The once open battlefield was instantly transformed into a misty hell where you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face.
Amidst this chaos, several golden beams of light shot out from deep within the mist without any warning. They crisscrossed at incredibly difficult angles, sealing off all of Kyle's possible escape routes.
"That is… a terrifying power you have, isn't it?"
Borsalino's lazy voice drifted through the mist, seeming to come from all directions at once. "But in an environment like this, do you think you can still keep up with my speed?"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
More lasers, as dense as falling rain, tore through the air. At the same time, a bone-chilling cold began to spread even more rapidly through the thick water vapor.
"Ice Age!"
Kuzan's voice was low and resolute. He had abandoned single-target attacks and instead unleashed a wide-range move designed to cover the entire area.
Crack! Crackle!
Centered on Kyle, the ground, the rain, and the water vapor—everything in sight was being frozen at a terrifying speed. Pale white layers of ice closed in from all directions, making loud cracking sounds as if they were about to seal the entire chaotic battlefield inside an eternal coffin of ice.
A strange scene unfolded.
The lasers, which should have been able to pierce through anything, strangely refracted as they came within a meter of Kyle's body, as if they had hit an invisible lens. Some beams curved upward into the gloomy sky. Others twisted downward, carving meaningless scorch marks into the ground. Most of the beams simply whistled past Kyle's clothes and shot off into empty space. He appeared to be standing in a perfectly safe zone, immune to all attacks. By slightly distorting the light waves around himself, he had turned a deadly assault into a spectacular but useless fireworks show.
Deep within the mist, Borsalino's characteristic "Oh, my," was delayed by half a second.
At the same time, Kyle gently tapped the ground with the end of his naginata's handle.
Hum—
A very low hum spread out from his position. The surging layers of ice seemed to hit an unseen wall as soon as they came into contact with this invisible wave. Immediately after, the leading edge of the ice began to tremble violently.
"Bang… Bang bang bang!"
In the next second, the steel-hard ice began to disintegrate from the inside out. Instantly, it turned into billions of tiny ice crystals, smaller than dust, which rustled as they fell to the ground.
In just two simple moves, the combined attack of the Marine's future highest combat powers had been effortlessly neutralized.
The mist gradually cleared a little, revealing the figures of Kuzan and Borsalino. They stood on opposite sides of Kyle, one to his left and one to his right. For the first time, both of their faces had lost their usual expressions. Kuzan's determined look was replaced by pure astonishment, and Borsalino's laziness had transformed into an unprecedented seriousness.
Just then, a violent noise came from the ruins at the far end of the square.
"Cough, cough—"
Crash—
A section of the collapsed wall was pushed aside by a great force, and a figure soaked in blood struggled out of the rubble.
It was Sakazuki.
On his chest was a deep gash, so severe that bone was visible. It almost split him in half. Charred flesh was rolled back around the wound, and a mixture of blood and magma continuously oozed from it. His face twisted in pain with every movement, but his eyes burned with a fire hotter than any magma.
He looked around and saw the pale, fear-stricken faces of his fellow Marines. He saw hands gripping swords and guns that were now trembling slightly. He saw eyes that were once sharp now filled with confusion and the urge to retreat.
A rage more painful than any of his injuries exploded in his chest.
"You…" Sakazuki's voice was hoarse, yet it carried a deafening power. "What are you hesitating for!"
He let out a roar with all his might, making the very air around him hum.
"Look behind you! That is Marineford! That is the face of 'Justice'! Look at your comrades! They are lying dead at your feet! That man is a sin that threatens the peace of the sea! When faced with sin, there is only one thing a Marine needs to do—crush it completely!"
"We are the Marines of Justice!"
Sakazuki's right arm once again transformed into scorching magma. He used that arm to support his staggering body, pointed directly at Kyle, and roared, word by word:
"To protect this sea, I will die with no regrets!"
Those words struck the heart of every Marine like a clap of thunder. Yes, what were they afraid of? They were the Marines, the last line of defense for innocent civilians. From the day they put on this uniform and wore the word "Justice" on their backs, they had already accepted the possibility of death.
Their wavering gazes became firm again. Their trembling hands once again gripped their weapons tightly. Their confused wills were reignited.
"Oooohhhh!"
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki is right!"
"We are the Marines!"
The morale that had completely collapsed was miraculously restored by Sakazuki's blood-soaked roar. Dozens of Marine officers once again took their fighting stances, their eyes burning with the fire of a desperate battle as they surrounded Kyle.
Kyle quietly watched this scene unfold. He looked at the heavily wounded Sakazuki, who still possessed an unbreakable fighting spirit, and at the Marines who, despite their terror, still chose to draw their weapons. The playful look on his face slowly faded.
"Heh."
He slowly lowered the black-gold naginata from his shoulder and gripped its handle with both hands. His previously relaxed posture vanished, replaced by a profound and unshakeable composure.
"Heroes are as numerous as the fish in the river."
He whispered softly, as if speaking to the enemies before him, but also to himself.
"Then, in response…"
Kyle raised his head, and a brilliant, unprecedented light erupted from his golden eyes. An aura far more terrifying than before burst forth from his body.
The greatest respect you can show an opponent is to crush them completely with your strongest power.
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