On the other side of the battlefield the world-shattering clash also paused for a heartbeat.
Garp's iron fist, strong enough to flatten mountains, stopped midair. He snapped his head around, gaze cutting past the Golden Lion and locking straight onto Kael. His eyes were heavier than ever.
The golden Buddha that Sengoku had transformed into also stopped releasing shockwaves. That massive Buddha head turned in the same direction. On his solemn face there was a wariness no one had ever seen before.
Of course they recognized that power.
It was the same tier as Roger's. The same tier as their own. Maybe even more tyrannical. The proof of a king.
"You damned brat!"
Golden Lion Shiki's roar exploded like thunder and tore that instant of stillness apart.
He seized on Garp and Sengoku's momentary distraction and his attacks became even wilder.
"You still dare to get distracted midfight? Don't underestimate me. Garp. Sengoku. I am the Golden Lion!"
"Slashing Wave!"
Two massive flying slashes crossed and ripped through the sky, carrying unstoppable force as they hacked toward the two Marines.
Garp and Sengoku jolted back to their senses. Both cursed inwardly and turned back to meet him. The battlefield of the three legends once again erupted with deafening roars.
Meanwhile the aftermath of Sakazuki's Great Eruption was only beginning to show.
The downpour crashed onto the molten ground and instantly boiled into thick rolling steam.
White mist, mixed with black smoke, flooded across the square and swallowed everything. Visibility dropped to less than three meters.
The open battlefield turned into a fog-choked hell.
In that chaos several golden lasers suddenly lanced out from deep in the mist. They crossed at bizarre angles and sealed off every path of evasion around Kael.
"What a scary power."
Borsalino's lazy voice floated in the mist, seeming to come from everywhere.
"But in this environment can you still keep up with my speed?"
Swish. Swish. Swish.
More lasers cut through the air, dense as rain.
At the same time a stabbing cold spread through the water vapor even faster.
"Ice Age."
Kuzan's voice was low and resolute. He gave up on single-point attacks and went straight for a full-field lockdown.
Crack. Crack.
Centering on Kael, the ground, the rain, the mist, everything within sight began to freeze at terrifying speed.
White ice swept in from all directions, cracking and creaking, trying to lock the entire battlefield into an eternal coffin of frost.
Then something odd happened.
Those lasers that could pierce just about anything bent the moment they reached within one meter of Kael.
Some curved upward into the dark sky, some twisted down and just burned meaningless scorches into the ground, more brushed past Kael's coat and blasted away into nowhere.
He was standing inside an absolutely safe zone. Nothing could touch him.
By slightly warping the light around himself he turned a lethal barrage into a gorgeous but useless fireworks show.
Even Borsalino's signature "oh my" was a half-second late.
At the same time Kael lifted the butt of his naginata and tapped it lightly on the ground.
Hum.
A deep, low vibration spread out from him.
The rushing ice sheet hit that invisible wave and froze in place.
Then the front of the ice began to shudder violently.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
The next moment the ice, hard as iron, began to crumble from the inside.
It turned into countless specks of ice dust finer than sand and drifted down.
In just two moves the joint strike of the Marines' future top battle power was brushed aside.
The fog thinned a little. Kuzan and Borsalino appeared on the left and right. For the first time both had lost their usual looks.
Kuzan's tough steadiness was replaced by shock. Borsalino's laziness was replaced by rare gravity.
Just then, from the pile of rubble at the far end of the square, came a loud crash.
"Cough."
Crash.
Fallen walls were shoved aside by brute force and a blood-soaked figure dragged himself out of the ruins.
Sakazuki.
Across his chest a bone-deep slash nearly split him in two. Charred flesh curled outward. Blood and magma oozed from the wound.
Every movement twisted his face with pain. But his eyes burned hotter than lava.
He looked around.
What he saw were faces gone pale from fear. Hands gripping weapons but trembling. Eyes that had once been sharp but now were filled with doubt.
That angered him more than his wounds.
"You."
Sakazuki's voice was hoarse but it carried a force that rang in every ear.
"What are you hesitating for."
He roared with everything he had. The air shook.
"Look behind you. That is Marineford. That is the face of Justice. Look at your comrades. They are lying at your feet."
"That man is evil that threatens the peace of the seas. In front of evil there is only one thing Marines should do. Smash it completely."
"We are the Marines."
His right arm turned to magma again. He used it to brace his unsteady body and pointed straight at Kael, roaring word by word.
"To protect this sea. We die without regret."
The shout slammed into every Marine's chest like a thunderbolt.
Yeah. What were they afraid of.
They were Marines. The last shield for the people.
From the day they put on the uniform and wore Justice on their backs they had already thrown their lives away.
Wavering eyes became firm again. Shaking hands tightened on blades and rifles. Flickering will was lit anew.
"Uoooo."
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki is right."
"We are the Marines."
The morale that had already collapsed somehow knit itself back together under Sakazuki's blood-drenched roar.
Dozens of Marine officers once again took their stances, eyes blazing with resolve. They closed in on Kael.
Kael watched in silence.
He looked at the heavily wounded Sakazuki who still wanted to fight. He looked at those Marines who were terrified to their bones but still chose to raise their weapons.
The hint of amusement on his face faded.
"Heh."
He lowered the black-gold naginata from his shoulder and took it in both hands.
His laid-back posture vanished. In its place was a calm like a mountain.
"Heroes of the world really are as many as fish crossing the river."
Not a coward among them. Well, besides that run-away king…
He murmured softly. It sounded like he was telling them. It also sounded like he was telling himself.
"In that case, as a reply."
Kael raised his head. In his golden eyes light burst like never before.
A pressure far more terrifying than before erupted out of him.
The greatest respect you can give an opponent is to crush them with everything you have.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't forget to add this story to your Library, drop a review, and leave a Power Stone if you enjoyed it!
If you're itching to see what happens next, check out the advanced chapters on my Patron!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"