Sage glanced at Teach, who had stood up again, his body covered in frost that the darkness had absorbed, and said grimly, "What a pity, otherwise, you would have known pain by now."
"Zehahahaha, Kuzan, aim better next time, that really hurt!"
Teach took two deep breaths, his face clearly revealing an expression of pain, but it didn't stop him from showing darkness in one hand and unleashing vibrations with the other fist.
Pain is something he can't endure. Although he can absorb damage, the two ice cones Kuzan stabbed him with were not ordinary pain.
"Alas, if Sage had gotten close to you just now, and that layer of darkness hadn't managed to touch you, and his fist hit you... it wouldn't be the kind of pain you're feeling now."
Kuzan's whole body started to be covered in frost, and after a crack, it shattered and moved at high speed to the ice crystals forming in the air. From there, he condensed his form, his right hand rapidly undergoing elementalization, and the arm covered in ice also became imbued with Haki.
"Ice..."
Atop the Haki, there flickered blue-white lightning, not Haki, but extreme Armament.
This feeling...
Sage half turned, throwing a powerful punch to the side and behind, clashing heavily with the approaching fist.
"...Gloves!"
Boom!!!
Black and red lightning mixed with blue-white icy breaths spread outward from where the fists collided. The bitter cold air was absorbed into the darkness on the ground, while in the air, substantial ice crystals began to form.
"Very good... this punch."
From the center of the impact, Sage's eyes were still splattered with tiny ice crystals. Through these crystal and lightning, he looked at Kuzan, who was exchanging fists with him, and gave a sinister smile:
"Stronger than Garp."
Bam!
After saying this, Sage moved his arm, his fist shattering Kuzan's hand, punching through his arm without any obstruction, and hitting his chest, smashing it to pieces with a single punch.
"Aeroquake!!"
At this moment, Teach raised his fist and swung straight at Sage. Sage didn't dodge, and his other fist struck directly at the vibrating fist. At the moment of contact, the intense vibration cracked open the air and fractured Sage's form, like cracked glass.
Sage instinctively tried to use his other hand, but the shattered ice crystals that Kuzan had turned into transformed into solid ice rings, weighing down the light flames, binding his wrist, causing his actions to delay for a moment.
Even amidst this disarray and delay, Sage's posture remained straight, and the sinister smile on his face didn't weaken in the slightest; instead, it became even more menacing.
The power of the vibration is indeed destructive.
To withstand his fist is quite commendable, but as a master of Body Techniques...
"I'm not all about punching, Teach!"
Sage delivered a foot thrust like a sword, piercing fiercely into Teach's abdomen, his foot clearly embedded, making Teach's face twist in near agony, and at the same time, a layer of darkness poured down from his head like a waterfall, enveloping his body.
Bang!
Only then did Teach fly backward, sliding along the ground for some distance, plowing a deep trench.
Sage shook his right hand, shattering the ice ring, flexing his hand and looking at the light flames burning from it, clicking his tongue, then the light flames popped like bubbles and vanished.
"Not much use... This customized form failed. After painstakingly coming up with a new move, it seems not very effective against seasoned ones like you?"
"Of course, ultimately, it's just an expression of will. Whoever's will and ability are stronger will win."
Not far away, the frost formed ice crystals that quickly condensed into Kuzan's form. Scratching his head, he said, "But I originally thought you were a perfect genius, turns out you also need practice."
"Only through practice can you gain true knowledge, Kuzan. No one starts off at the height of the heavens."
Sage turned and smiled, "Only by climbing step by step, through ample practice, can one sit firmly on that literal throne of the sky!"
The North Star Divine Fist didn't start off at its pinnacle; he acquired this power through step-by-step practice combined with localization, and only after a long period of accumulation did it develop into what it is now.
Form or transformation, they are merely ways of utilizing power.
If one path is blocked, then find another.
"Still have to start with the physique."
Sage clenched his fist, making a crisp cracking sound. After contemplating for a moment, he slowly exhaled, his breath shooting out like an arrow, and at this moment, it solidified his physique somewhat.
"I'm here!"
Vasco Shot, sitting on a bubble of wine, took a hard swig of alcohol, then held his mouth with one hand while rubbing frantically against the air, the high concentration alcohol he sprayed formed a huge spiral flame, descending from the sky towards Sage.
Boom!
The flames filled the entire space, with the flames touching the ground being absorbed by darkness, but the impact contained in the flames erupting in the air momentarily froze together with the flames.
Sage extended one hand forward, palm facing the inbound flames. Clearly an element, yet at this moment, it didn't explode but seemed to have been materialized somewhat, caught by his hand.
How can a person catch an element!
"That should do it..."
Sage nodded, "Still need 'dissipating power'. As long as my force is strong enough, and my physique sturdy enough, the day when I can stand in magma regularly won't be far off!"
Currently, he can't withstand magma; frost can still be coated with iciness, but as for mere flames...
Bam!
He clenched his five fingers, directly crushing the spiral flame impact in the air, revealing a firework of flames.
This temperature and form didn't cause any damage to his current body, and even with the meticulous control of force, he could briefly induce the air, thereby solidifying the form of the element, so it could make contact thanks to his physique.
"You..."
Vasco Shot's eyes widened, just as he was about to lift the wine gourd, a shadow flashed in his eyes.
Sage appeared above him to the side, glancing down, his hand formed into a knife, lightly swiping downward.
"At your level, who allows you to look down on me?"
Swish!
The hand knife slid down, like a sharp blade, neatly slicing through Vasco Shot's head, leaving a slanted, smooth surface on his neck.
In the next instant, that headless body vanished, leaving only the head falling from the air, sinking into the dark ground.
"A moment too late."
Van Augur instantly teleported back to Vasco Shot's headless corpse, shaking his head, "Even fate hasn't favored him."
Though he had reacted and teleported over to save him, he was still a step too late.
Sage's attack was too fast.
They couldn't block it, and currently, only Kuzan could, and he wasn't in time, not to mention Teach...
"It hurts! It hurts like hell! It hurts!!"
Teach lay in the trench he plowed himself, one hand deeply embedded in the ground, the other holding his abdomen, convulsing all over in pain, his face deathly pale.
There were still no injuries on his body, but that pain had geometrically increased compared to Kuzan's earlier mishap.
"I already told you, I'll make you experience real pain. How did I never notice before, you're a perfect punching bag."
Sage bounced in the air, looking down at Teach, grinning, "You won't get injured, can absorb damage, and be a great outlet, just don't know where the breaking point is. Teach... people can die from pain."
The North Star Divine Fist hit more than just the abdomen, Armament instantly pierced all his Secret Holes. An ordinary person would have exploded long ago, even Logia-types like Akainu and Kuzan would be damaged taking his attacks head-on.
Logia-types that can't elementalize, all the more so.
With a sudden clap of his hands, he gathered at the palms like a singularity of unstable black-red light, then leapt again, his feet bursting with a ring of smoke, streaking straight down.
"So, will you die from the pain now, Teach!"
Sage spread his hands wide, the singularity burst in his palms, firing a mass of light that covered the onlookers' vision.
"Great Red!!"
Boom!!!
A mushroom cloud blossomed from Hive Island, completely shattering the island into rubble now that they had lost Pizarro as the meat shield.