One Piece: New Order-Chapter 60: Battle of Sgri (3)

At the site of the Precipice Blade.

Sakazuki and Whitebeard both sensed the shift in Roger's presence.

Hovering in mid-air, Whitebeard immediately understood what had occurred. A flicker of guilt passed through his eyes, quickly replaced by a fierce, unrelenting stare directed at Sakazuki.

The vice admiral, having reformed and stabilized his molten body, gave a mocking smile in return.

Neither man moved, however. They knew better than to act rashly. Both were biding their time, regaining strength, and waiting for the perfect moment. Ruthless combat or a killing blow only worked when you were certain of victory. In their current states, a single mistake could mean mutual destruction.

No one truly wanted to die here.

Sakazuki stood on the shattered remains of the Precipice Blade, now barely above sea level. One slip into the ocean, and he'd be lost for good.

Whitebeard wasn't faring any better. His injuries were worse than Sakazuki's. He needed time to recover. If he was pulled into the sea now, it wouldn't be worth it.

Time slowly passed.

As the final crack beneath Whitebeard's feet vanished into the air, both fighters moved at the same time.

Sakazuki drove his hands into the solidified magma beneath him, activating his Devil Fruit. From deep underground, he drew forth molten lava.

"Lava Landform!"

Just as Whitebeard stomped down with his quake-ringed foot, Sakazuki pulled his hands free and blinked away. The pirate's foot crashed down right where he had just used his ability.

Crack!

A quake exploded downward, sending shockwaves racing through the land. Cracks spiderwebbed across the ground, and with a deep groan, the terrain began to rise, as if something was pushing up from beneath.

But no lava erupted from below. Instead, magma surged outward from the edges of the hardened Precipice Blade, spreading rapidly in every direction. In mere moments, the land had expanded to more than triple its original size.

Across the newly formed expanse, Sakazuki reappeared. He clenched both fists together and pulled them apart, condensing a massive magma blade, its surface quickly coated in Armament Haki.

Gripping the blade with one hand, he spun it once in a flourish, then stabbed it into the ground beside him. His gaze was cold as he looked at Whitebeard.

"Great Death Burial Formation."

With those words, both he and his sword sank into the earth. Seconds later, countless magma giants burst from the scorched terrain. Each one stood over four meters tall. All of them wielded the same huge magma blade as Sakazuki. They charged at Whitebeard from every direction.

Seeing the magma horde closing in, Whitebeard activated his ability and swung forward.

Crack!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The front line of magma figures shattered under the shockwave, their bodies exploding in bursts of lava. But more took their place, forming again from the molten ground. They had no will of their own. Controlled entirely by Sakazuki, they charged forward relentlessly.

Whitebeard threw punch after punch, sending out wave after wave of destruction. Each blow tore through scores of giants like cutting through grass. But they were getting closer. The constant use of his power was beginning to take a toll. Already wounded, Whitebeard's breathing grew heavier.

His eyes narrowed. 'Trying to wear me down, huh...'

He spun his naginata, then stabbed it into the ground beside him. Drawing his fists in toward his abdomen, he prepared to unleash a massive shockwave and wipe them all out at once.

Whoosh!

A piercing sound tore through the air.

Whitebeard's pupils shrank. There was no time to activate his ability. Instantly, he coated his body in Armament Haki.

Boom!!!

A deafening explosion rang out as one of the magma giants, blade raised high, had somehow gotten close without him noticing. The pitch-black blade was wrapped in Conqueror's Haki as it slashed viciously across Whitebeard's neck.

A force like a volcanic eruption followed, slamming into him and sending him flying. He crashed into a pile of shattered rocks like a falling meteor before finally coming to a stop.

Boom!

Rubble exploded around him as Whitebeard stepped out. A long gash on his neck bled steadily. He glared at the magma figure.

"Cowardly brat."

The magma giant slowly reshaped into Sakazuki's form. The shattered blade in his hand reformed, glowing with heat as he took a deep breath.

Whoosh!

A compressed blast of black smoke and volcanic ash formed into an air bullet. Carried by howling wind, it shot from Sakazuki's mouth straight at his opponent.

Whitebeard scoffed when he saw the dark projectile. He drew his fists back once more and slammed them outward.

Crack—!

Air on both sides of his body shattered. The ground shook violently. On either side of the island, two massive mounds of seawater rose hundreds of meters high.

Boom!

Just as the air bullet exploded and thick smoke engulfed the land, the two uneven walls of seawater suddenly burst open, transforming into towering waves crashing down toward the center of the island.

Whitebeard leapt into the air, using his fruit ability to propel himself upward. From above, he looked down over the battlefield.

He, too, had noticed a key weakness in Sakazuki's ability. The vice admiral's power to manipulate such vast amounts of magma relied heavily on the magma deep beneath the earth.

If the island's surface were to sink, it would become much harder for Sakazuki to draw magma through the sea. And if he were forced to rely solely on his own reserves, Whitebeard was confident he could wear him down.

On the ground, Sakazuki frowned as he saw Whitebeard repeating the same old trick. Clapping his hands together, he summoned a new Precipice Blade, launching the structure skyward.

But Whitebeard was faster. He stepped through the air and appeared at the peak in an instant. Channeling his quake power, he stomped down with full force, tearing the very atmosphere apart.

The Precipice Blade shuddered, then plunged at the ocean under his crushing strength.

Sakazuki instantly realized Whitebeard's intent. He deactivated his ability and merged into the ground. His body turned into a streak of molten red light, diving deep toward the depths of the earth.

Above the ocean, Whitebeard soared into the sky as massive waves swallowed the land below. Under his power, the entire landmass fractured and collapsed into the sea.

Floating midair and gazing down, Whitebeard frowned slightly. He didn't believe that magma brat could have died so easily.

Suddenly, a red glow lit up beneath the surface, growing rapidly until it consumed his entire field of vision. As alarms blared in his mind, Whitebeard quickly dodged away through the air.

The sunken part of the island suddenly bulged upward into a massive dome of water. Unlike the irregular, distorted water bubbles created by his own ability, this one looked as if something had violently erupted from within the sea, pushing the water up from below. The ocean churned restlessly around it. freёnovelkiss.com

BOOM!!!

The water dome exploded, unleashing waves over a hundred meters tall that spread outward in all directions, crashing toward the others still engaged in battle.

From the sea burst forth a column of magma, several times wider than the island before. The dark red lava surged upward, wrapped in thick black smoke, soaring at the sky.

At the very center of the eruption, Sakazuki emerged—his body reforming as the magma burst above the surface. Then, activating his ability, he summoned countless lava fists, each dozens of meters wide. Like a meteor shower, they rained down upon Whitebeard relentlessly.

Thousands of fiery trails tore through the sky like the wrath of the apocalypse.

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