The third day of the Battle of the Sea of Skragg...
Exhaustion showed on everyone's faces from the continuous, life-or-death struggle, and a stalemate ensued.
The erupting magma in the distance had ceased, and the relentless pumping was no longer sufficient.
The eight-hundred-meter-tall magma giant's upper body was shattered, standing frozen in place, magma slowly oozing and solidifying from its broken torso.
The blizzard in the sky had also long since stopped.
The frozen half of the sea had melted back into water after losing its continuous chilling.
Blizzard Frank, whose stamina was already inferior to the other five, had stopped using his abilities on the second day of the fierce battle.
The three figures floating in the air.
The Golden Lion bore numerous wounds, appearing disheveled. Blizzard Frank had multiple blackened burn marks. Whitebeard's aura had weakened further, his combat power plummeting.
The three on the ground fared slightly better.
Kong and Garp were both top-tier martial artists, their auras still powerful with few injuries.
However, they had no effective way to deal with the three who held control of the air.
Sakazuki sat cross-legged on the ground.
He held a Sea King in his magma giant's hand behind him, seemingly unconcerned with anything else.
With a swipe of his hand, a large piece of flesh fell, which he devoured ravenously.
While eating, he pondered how to break the deadlock. After a short while, he had eaten himself into a rounder shape.
"Life Absorption."
Sakazuki's body visibly returned to normal.
His stamina and injuries recovered somewhat.
Looking at the three in the air, who were also consuming some fish...
Sakazuki picked up two large pieces of meat and walked towards Kong and Garp:
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Vice Admiral Garp."
He offered the meat in his hands to them and shared his thoughts.
Fleet Admiral Kong's eyes lit up:
"Let's not delay, Sakazuki."
Garp, stuffing meat into his mouth beside him, grunted in agreement.
Sakazuki nodded and took a few steps forward, his feet merging with the ground.
He looked up at the three in the air:
"Ryusei Kazan."
His arms transformed into smoking magma, and he raised them upwards.
Countless magma spheres were launched from his hands, shooting towards the depths of the clouds in the sky.
The three in the sky watched Sakazuki's magma spheres surge into the deep clouds, unconcerned.
It wasn't until Sakazuki himself transformed into a pool of magma and soared upwards that a flicker of unease crossed their eyes.
The Golden Lion casually tore into the fish in his hand:
"Damn magma brat, what scheme is he cooking up now."
He tossed the fish aside and looked up at the sky. 138 Reading Net.
Whitebeard also looked towards the sky with a grim expression.
Blizzard Frank, standing nearby, had lost his former frenzied demeanor.
He diligently channeled his abilities, gathering snow and wind around him, on guard against the two on the ground.
It was simply because he had been beaten into submission.
After nearly being decapitated by an infinitely extending "Meigo" from below, courtesy of Sakazuki, he had learned his lesson.
In such high-level battles, he could only play a supporting role.
The sky, at some point, had turned a fiery red.
Countless red dots began to pierce through the clouds, appearing densely.
Like countless stars in the sky.
Each red dot was a colossal magma fist.
The Golden Lion and Whitebeard in the sky, watching the descending magma fists, frowned.
As the lava giant fists fell, they prepared their defenses.
However, hundreds of meters away from everyone, the lava giant fists in mid-air all exploded, scattering outwards.
Countless fine crimson trails formed a giant net, instantly enveloped by Armament Haki.
Seen from afar, it resembled a large bowl inverted over the three.
The Golden Lion and Whitebeard instantly understood Sakazuki's intention and snorted coldly.
Whitebeard channeled his abilities with his left hand and punched towards the sky.
Crack!
The atmosphere ruptured, and a powerful shockwave shot straight towards the "bottom of the bowl."
Boom!
The bottom of the inverted bowl in the sky shattered, but immediately, countless exploded magma fists repaired it.
As Whitebeard prepared to punch again, a sense of crisis surged within him.
The hairs on his back stood on end, and he heard Frank's voice in his ear:
"Careful!!!"
He saw Kong and Garp on the ground, standing at the spot where Sakazuki's feet had merged with the ground.
Two magma pillars erupted, extending infinitely.
They propelled the two towards the sky. By the time Frank's warning came, they were already behind him.
Whitebeard channeled his abilities with his left hand, spinning fiercely and swinging backward.
Crack!
The exploding atmosphere collided with Garp's obsidian iron fist, creating a stalemate.
There was a subtle sign of Garp gaining the upper hand, pressing down on Whitebeard.
He spun the naginata in his right hand, flicking it outwards, his palm sliding to the hilt.
Haki and his Devil Fruit abilities flowed together.
He swung in a wide arc, cleaving towards Garp with the blade.
Clang!
Crack!
The blade met Garp's iron fist, followed by the explosion of their abilities.
Garp grunted, his arm muscles bulging, veins throbbing, and he pressed down on Whitebeard.
Fleet Admiral Kong, his arms flowing with Haki, repelled the Golden Lion and Frank at close range.
In the sky.
Sakazuki's form solidified, Redline Mode activated, a magma spear in his hand, covered and entwined with Conqueror's Haki.
His lower body transformed into erupting magma, charging towards Whitebeard with surging heatwaves.
The Golden Lion's few sword strikes were intercepted by Fleet Admiral Kong, who engaged and suppressed him, pushing him away.
The sword strikes that hit Sakazuki produced crisp sounds and were directly shattered.
Garp, locked in a struggle with Whitebeard, grinned, firmly holding Whitebeard, preventing him from moving.
A grim look flashed in Whitebeard's eyes. Haki covered his back, and his abilities flowed.
Clang!
A tremendous force struck, pushing Whitebeard and Garp downwards.
Ssssssh—!
A sound like a branding iron searing flesh echoed.
Sakazuki's magma spear pierced Whitebeard's back.
The spear glowed red, and endless magma surged towards the tip.
Magma erupted from his back, carrying Sakazuki deeper into Whitebeard's back.
Crack!
Whitebeard channeled his abilities on his back.
Sakazuki's spear snapped.
However, the tip, compressed with endless magma, remained lodged within Whitebeard.
Magma surged, and a new spear grew from Sakazuki's hand. Just as he was about to strike again.
Sakazuki suddenly turned his head to the right, his golden eyes fixed on the origin of the incoming laser beam.
A laser beam several meters thick sliced through the sky, crossing the battlefield and instantly engulfing Sakazuki's figure.
"Meika Hou."
The tall, alluring woman on the ship's deck lowered her long sword, her hearty, commanding voice ringing out.
Two Hozumi floated from the sword, circling around her.
The Big Mom Pirates have entered the fray!