Douglas Bullet's face steamed violently. The magma strike from Sakazuki had landed squarely on his face, and the burning pain pushed him into pure rage.
With a thunderous roar, Bullet charged toward Sakazuki like a heavily armored battle tank.
Sakazuki snorted coldly. His hands turned crimson as magma gathered across his arms. He raised both palms and pressed them directly against the massive ice knuckle dusters on Bullet's fists.
Crack!
Since Sakazuki remained firmly planted and accepted the impact head on, the ice beneath his feet shattered instantly.
The two men collided with terrifying force.
Their fists met in a brief stalemate before both fighters withdrew their arms simultaneously. Without hesitation, they launched into a savage close quarters melee.
In this type of combat, Sakazuki was clearly stronger than Kizaru had been earlier.
His fighting style had always been direct and brutal. Combined with the devastating offensive power of the Magu Magu no Mi, he had no fear of confronting Bullet head on.
The ice crystal knuckle dusters around Bullet's fists had already begun to melt under the intense heat.
Nearby, Borsalino quietly clicked his tongue, but he was far from idle.
Now that Sakazuki was holding the frontline, Kizaru could fully exploit the long range advantage of the Glint Glint Fruit, the Pika Pika no Mi.
Piercing laser beams streaked across the battlefield.
They struck Bullet repeatedly, leaving dazzling points of light burning across his massive body.
Kizaru's relentless attacks rapidly drained Bullet's Haki reserves. At the same time, Sakazuki continued to pressure him from the front.
Under this dual assault, Bullet's Devil form became increasingly unstable.
Bullet's so called Devil form was actually created through the power of the Merge Devil Fruit, the Gasha Gasha no Mi. Its essence was a fusion and amplification of his Haki.
The transformation greatly increased both his attack power and defensive strength.
However, the cost was extremely high.
His Haki consumption increased dramatically while using it.
Under the relentless bombardment from two top tier Logia users, Bullet was steadily forced backward across the battlefield.
Finally, Kizaru seized an opening.
In a flash of blinding light, he appeared beside Bullet and delivered a devastating light speed kick that slammed Bullet directly into the ice.
Meanwhile, only a few figures remained aboard the Oro Jackson.
Silvers Rayleigh, Shanks, Buggy, and Gol D. Roger.
The other core members of the Roger Pirates had already joined the battlefield after Bullet charged out. Their opponents included Kuzan and several other powerful Marines.
Watching Bullet being overwhelmed, Rayleigh could no longer remain still.
Black lightning crackled around him as his Haoshoku Haki surged outward.
Roger glanced toward him and sighed softly.
"Go, Rayleigh. But do not go too deep into the battle. You still have more important things to do."
Rayleigh nodded silently.
In the next moment, his figure flashed and vanished.
Shanks clenched his teeth, drew his sword, and rushed after Rayleigh without hesitation.
Buggy shouted angrily.
"That idiot!"
Although he complained loudly, his body moved instinctively. With obvious reluctance, he jumped off the ship as well.
Throughout the entire moment, Roger made no attempt to stop them.
His attention remained completely fixed on the figure standing opposite him.
Saint Lloyd.
And Saint Lloyd was staring directly back at him.
Occasional streaks of lightning flickered between the two, as if the air itself had turned into a sealed battlefield.
The departure of Rayleigh and the others was like lighting a fuse.
When Buggy became the last one to leave the Oro Jackson, the aura surrounding Roger and Saint Lloyd suddenly surged upward.
The frozen ocean trembled slightly under the overwhelming pressure.
Across the battlefield, fighters from both sides instinctively stopped.
Their eyes turned toward the same location.
Roger and Saint Lloyd.
Under the gaze of everyone present, both figures vanished from the ship.
In the next instant, they appeared at the center of the battlefield.
Roger's blade, Ace, clashed violently against the Demon Blade Muramasa.
The eruption of Haoshoku Haki lightning tore through the thick ice layer beneath them.
The frozen sea cracked open as seawater surged upward from below. Forced to intervene, Kuzan immediately released his freezing ability again to stabilize the collapsing battlefield.
However, for Roger and Saint Lloyd, this level of attack was nothing more than a warm up.
Black and red sword energy tore across the battlefield.
Even the surveillance Den Den Mushi struggled to capture their movements.
All it recorded was thunderous explosions.
The two fighters moved from the ground to the sky, then from the sky back to the ground again. Wherever they passed, devastating shockwaves followed.
At the same time, the forces across the battlefield clashed once again as the war resumed with renewed intensity.
Boom!
After a tremendous explosion, Roger and Saint Lloyd appeared once more.
Both stood locked in a stalemate atop a floating piece of ice.
Everything around them had already been reduced to shattered fragments, drifting into the surrounding sea.
During the stalemate, Roger suddenly spoke.
"Black Dragon, you should have disappeared from this world long ago. This world does not belong to you."
Saint Lloyd narrowed his eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
"Let me guess. Did someone named Joy Boy tell you that?"
Roger frowned.
His voice turned heavy.
"Who exactly are you?"
Saint Lloyd chuckled softly.
"I thought Joy Boy was supposed to be omniscient and omnipotent. It seems he is not as impressive as the legends claim."
As he finished speaking, a crimson light suddenly flared across Saint Lloyd's right arm.
With a single slash, he blasted Roger backward.
Roger flipped gracefully in mid air before landing on a relatively intact ice floe.
Saint Lloyd calmly raised his hand.
"Almighty Pull."
An invisible force dragged Roger and the ice beneath him directly toward Saint Lloyd.
The Demon Blade Muramasa transformed into a streak of black light and shot straight toward Roger's head.
Just as Muramasa was about to pierce his forehead, Roger's pupils suddenly turned pink.
He roared loudly.
His Haoshoku Haki erupted violently once again, forcefully deflecting the blade.
In the next moment, Roger stepped into the air itself, bouncing upward as if he had stepped onto an invisible trampoline.
Saint Lloyd raised his hand and summoned Muramasa back into his grip.
Before he could fully analyze what had happened, a sudden burst of laughter echoed from above.
"Hahahahaha!"
The laughter sounded harsh and strangely out of place on this battlefield, instantly irritating everyone who heard it.
Rayleigh cut down a group of charging Marines with a single slash before glancing toward the sky.
There he saw Roger floating above the battlefield.
Roger held his forehead while laughing wildly.
Black flames now surrounded his body.
His hair and clothing had transformed into living fire, and a ribbon shaped cloud of black flames floated behind him like a trailing scarf.
Seeing Roger laughing like a madman in the sky, everyone present froze in shock.
Far away, inside the council chamber of Mary Geoise, the Five Elders suddenly rose from their seats.
They stared at the screen in disbelief.
Saint Warcury spoke first, his voice filled with shock.
"That form... it is Nika. He is a Nika Fruit user."
Saint Nusjuro tightened his grip on the Shodai Kitetsu and spoke in a heavy tone.
"The appearance is slightly different, but it must be the Nika Fruit. Eight hundred years have passed, and it has awakened again. Roger hid it very well."
Saint Mars thought for a moment before speaking.
"Perhaps Roger obtained the Nika Fruit there. It is difficult to say. Even if the fruit has not awakened, its characteristics are extremely obvious."
Saint Ju Peter frowned while watching Saint Lloyd on another screen.
"The situation is not favorable for Saint Lloyd. We cannot arrive there in time."
After speaking, the four elders slowly turned their gazes toward the final person in the chamber.
Saint Saturn had remained silent the entire time.
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