On the Golden Jackson.
Zephyr once again punched Rayleigh away and took down another opponent. At this moment, a roar came from the side.
"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Budō Gusoku!"
Fish-man Sanbel leaped from the sea, a mass of water coalescing in his hand, his face contorted with ferocity as he looked at Zephyr.
He then closed in, unleashing a palm strike, intending to smash into Zephyr.
Zephyr remained in place, not dodging.
Just as he was about to be hit, he extended his left hand, and a blur flashed.
Zephyr's left hand, at some unknown point, had gripped Sanbel's right wrist, forcefully halting Sanbel's forward momentum.
Then, with his right hand, he tapped Sanbel's right elbow while applying force with his left hand.
This Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique, unleashed by Sanbel with its irreversible power, was now aimed at himself.
In Sanbel's terrified gaze, his palm grew closer and closer to his own chest...
*Boom!!!*
With a deafening sound, Sanbel collapsed, motionless.
A gaping hole in his chest bled blood and shattered flesh, and he had lost his life...
At this moment, a flash of sword light illuminated the sky.
An infinite sense of crisis surged through Zephyr's nerves.
He spun around violently, crossing his armament-haki-infused arms in front of him.
*Clang!*
A furious slash tore through the sky, directly striking Zephyr's arms.
He was sent flying outward, crashing through the railing.
The propelled Zephyr stabilized himself, blocking the slash with one hand while striking with his other, imbued with armament haki.
*Crack!*
The sword energy shattered and exploded, a strong gust of wind forcing Zephyr back several steps.
Adjusting his stance, Zephyr’s feet created sonic booms as he charged back, pushing against the raging air current.
Meanwhile, Roger, after unleashing a slash, had returned to the ship.
Seeing his companions, nearly half of whom were dead or injured, a fiercer intensity blazed in Roger's eyes.
Sengoku, rushing from behind, and Zephyr, from the front, attacked in tandem, charging towards the Golden Jackson.
-----------------
On the sea battlefield.
Shiki hovered hundreds of meters in the air, charging towards Whitebeard while ceaselessly swinging his twin swords.
Sword energy rained down upon Garp and Ace, who were charging from below.
It could only disrupt them, not inflict any substantial damage.
In the blink of an eye, the two top-tier physical combatants had closed in on Shiki.
Shiki’s arrogance subsided, his gaze sharpening:
"Lion's Roar: Ground Slice."
His swords, "Karakusa" and "Sakura Juz," instantly became infused with Conqueror's Haki.
The two famous blades, imbued with Haki, slashed towards the two approaching figures.
*Clang!*
The three remained locked in a triangular standoff for several breaths.
*Boom!!!*
Shiki was sent flying backward, the air churning in his wake. He stabilized himself in mid-air after flying several hundred meters.
Looking at the charging duo, he said:
"Tch, such a bother."
With that, he shot straight up into the sky, ascending into the clouds.
Only after reaching the cloud layer did he head towards the area where Whitebeard and Sakazuki were fighting.
Below, Garp and Ace snorted at such a devious ability, then charged towards Whitebeard.
---------------
At the battleground of Sakazuki and Whitebeard.
Endless magma erupted from the seabed, directed by Sakazuki.
The unending lava poured out and fell, forming vast rocky expanses outside.
The two most heavily injured were now fighting on this black rocky terrain.
Sakazuki swung his long sword at Whitebeard.
The rocky ground behind him melted, and several magma dragons surged forth, following the sword's path.
*Clang!*
Blade met blade, sparks flying.
After a brief stalemate, the magma dragons behind Sakazuki followed, crashing into Whitebeard.
*Boom boom boom boom boom!*...
Magma engulfed the two. Whitebeard, enclosed in lava, grunted and then unleashed his ability.
He blasted a large hole, revealing his disheveled form, panting heavily.
Looking at Sakazuki in the distance, the corner of his mouth curled:
"Klahahahahaha, out of energy already, magma brat."
Sakazuki appeared somewhat tired, but less battered than Whitebeard, and retorted mockingly:
"Your mouth is tougher than your armament haki."
After saying this, he took a deep breath, gathered his strength, plunged his hands into the ground, and roared:
"Magma Burial!!!"
As Sakazuki shouted, the ground turned into churning magma, forming a magma giant wave hundreds of meters high.
Layer by layer, it crashed down upon Whitebeard.
Whitebeard watched the magma, like a collapsing sky, falling upon him, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
He plunged his naginata into the ground, clenched his fists, and drew them to his abdomen.
He swung them outward forcefully.
*Crack!*
As the air exploded, the muscles in his arm once again burst, spraying blood.
The tremors distorted the surrounding space, and the oncoming magma waves were continuously shattered.
But layer after layer of magma waves continued to crash down, impacting the space.
At this moment, an arrogant and domineering voice rang out:
"Lion's Roar: Ground Vortex!"
Shiki arrived at the battlefield a step ahead of the other two. The moment he touched the ground, he activated his ability.
The black ground churned and combined.
"Roar!!!"
Six hundred-meter-tall black lion heads formed, charging directly at Sakazuki and Whitebeard.
*Whoosh!*
The sound of air being pierced echoed.
*Bang bang bang bang....*
Garp's figure appeared, his entire body infused with armament haki, and he consecutively smashed four lion heads.
Just as he was about to strike the fifth, Shiki manipulated his ability.
The fifth lion head exploded, and the intense airflow disrupted Garp's footing for a moment.
The last lion head did not charge towards Sakazuki but instead slammed directly into Whitebeard, who was at the center of the magma wave.
*Boom!*