Under the crushing pressure of Gern's Conqueror's Haki, Sabo's expression tightened.
With a low growl, he forced himself to break free from that invisible mental shackle. The ground beneath his feet exploded apart as he launched forward like a cannonball.
His burning right arm drove the Dragon Claw Fist straight toward Gern's face!
"Dragon Claw Fist—Flame Claw!"
Flames condensed around the tips of his clawed fingers, the temperature and destructive force surging instantly.
Facing the ferocious assault, Gern did not even bother to move his feet.
Only when the blazing dragon claw was about to touch the tip of his nose did he casually lift his right hand.
Just a single finger extended.
His index finger.
There were no vibration particles surrounding it—only a layer of dark, metallic Armament Haki coating the finger.
"Clang!!!"
The flaming claw collided with that blackened finger with a sharp metallic ring!
The blazing flames shattered instantly, most of them extinguished on the spot. Sabo felt his entire arm go numb, the momentum of his charge forcibly halted.
But he did not stop.
His left fist followed immediately behind, coated in Armament Haki as it struck from a far trickier angle—aimed directly beneath Gern's ribs!
At the same time, his footwork shifted rapidly, seeking the smallest opening.
Unfortunately—
Gern still used that same finger.
As if he had already predicted every move Sabo would make.
"Clang!""Bang!""Thud!"
Each precise contact intercepted Sabo's attacks at the exact instant his power peaked.
The barrage of attacks poured out like a raging storm—
Flaming claw strikes.
Heavy punches.
Every single blow was effortlessly blocked by that seemingly fragile finger.
Gern didn't even use a second finger.
With nothing more than a single index finger coated in top-tier Armament Haki, he treated the combined force of Sabo's martial arts and flames as if it were nothing.
It was completely one-sided.
A blatant humiliation.
Every block was so precise it bordered on despair.
Every counterforce sent back through Sabo's limbs made his blood surge violently, his arm bones aching from the impact.
Absolute technique.
Absolute strength.
Absolute control.
The longer the fight continued, the more alarmed Sabo became. Cold sweat began to bead across his forehead.
The martial arts he had always been proud of—the flames he had inherited—
In front of that single finger…
They seemed clumsy.
Powerless.
This was no longer just a difference in strength.
It was a dimensional gap.
But Sabo did not stop.
The ground beneath his feet shattered once more as his body erupted forward, transforming into a streak of blazing red fire!
His right hand formed the shape of a dragon's claw again, wrapped in both Armament Haki and roaring flames, striking toward Gern's face.
Before the claw even reached him, the scorching wind pressure created by the compressed flames and Haki whipped Gern's hair violently backward. The skin of his cheeks felt faintly stung by the heat.
"Heh."
A faint chuckle slipped from Gern's nose.
He still didn't bother drawing his blade.
His left hand—coated in deep, dark Armament Haki—moved faster than Sabo's attack.
It intercepted the strike precisely at Sabo's wrist.
"BOOM!"
A visible ring of shockwave exploded outward from the point of contact, blasting dust and shattered stone across the corridor.
The walls on both sides groaned under the strain.
"Crack—!"
Spiderweb-like fractures spread rapidly across the stone.
Sabo's pupils shrank sharply.
"Too green!" Gern barked coldly.
His left hand tightened around Sabo's wrist—
Then he swung the young revolutionary like a sack of sand and hurled him violently into the wall beside them.
"BOOOOM!"
Sabo's body slammed deep into the stone wall.
The impact shook the entire corridor, sending clouds of dust raining down.
But Sabo's combat instincts were exceptional.
The moment he struck the wall, he curled his body to disperse the force as much as possible—then kicked violently against the surface!
"Flame Rising Net!"
"BOOM!"
Blazing fire erupted outward from the point of impact, spreading instantly into a web-like explosion.
The flames not only blocked Gern's line of sight—
The searing heat ignited the air itself, surging forward to swallow him whole.
Yet as the flames closed in—
Gern simply raised his right hand casually, palm facing forward.
"BZZZ—"
The air before him twisted violently.
An invisible yet dense vibration barrier materialized instantly.
The raging flames slammed against the barrier like waves crashing against a reef.
The high-frequency vibrations shattered the fire effortlessly.
The inferno scattered into countless sparks, unable to touch Gern at all.
And in the instant the flames dispersed—
Sabo appeared from above and to the side.
Both of his hands gripped the metal pipe, now wrapped in Armament Haki and blazing fire. Using the force of his descent, he poured his entire strength—and fury—into the strike.
The weapon came crashing down toward Gern's skull.
"Flame—Azure Dragon's Crushing Fang!"
The attack was devastating.
Heavy.
Overwhelming.
Gern's eyes shifted slightly.
For the first time—
He stopped fighting bare-handed.
"SHING!"
A clear, ringing sound echoed as the black blade Eight Desolations was suddenly drawn!
The gray-white bandages wrapped around the weapon burst apart piece by piece, revealing the blade beneath—
Black as the deepest night.
Pale vibration particles leapt and flickered around the blade, humming with a chilling "bzzz" that made the air tremble.
Gern did not use any fancy technique.
He simply swung upward with a clean reverse slash.
"CLANG!!!!!!"
The metal pipe and the black blade collided violently.
The deafening explosion nearly tore apart eardrums.
Brilliant sparks and pale vibration rings erupted from the point of impact.
In that instant, Sabo felt an indescribable force surge through the pipe.
It wasn't merely brute strength—
It carried a terrifying vibration capable of shattering everything.
His palm split open instantly.
Blood burst from the torn flesh as the pipe trembled violently, nearly flying from his grasp.
The flames coating it shattered apart.
Even his Armament Haki collapsed.
"Ghh—!"
Sabo let out a muffled groan as the tremendous force hurled him backward.
He twisted midair, barely managing to land properly—
But even then he staggered back more than a dozen steps.
Each step left a deep footprint carved into the stone floor.
A thin line of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
The arm holding the pipe trembled slightly, the muscles screaming with tearing pain.
Gern stood calmly where he was.
Sword in hand.
His posture remained relaxed.
The black blade Eight Desolations hung diagonally toward the ground, the air around it faintly distorted by the high-frequency vibrations.
He looked at Sabo, whose breathing had become uneven after clearly suffering the worse end of that clash.
Then Gern shook his head slowly.
"That's it?"
He tilted his head slightly.
His tone was calm.
But every word cut like a blade.
"Back then…"
"When Ace stood before me…"
"He was far stronger than you."
He paused briefly, as if recalling a distant memory.
Or perhaps making a deliberate comparison.
"At the very least, his flames burned fiercer."
"He moved faster."
"And that reckless refusal to back down… was far purer than yours."
Finally, his gaze settled on Sabo's unsteady figure.
His verdict was merciless.
"You…"
"…are still too weak."
"!!!"
The word weak struck Sabo's heart like a red-hot branding iron.
And hearing it from Gern—the man who had indirectly caused Ace's death—
The man who now compared him to his fallen brother—
Made the pain cut even deeper.
Sabo's pupils shrank violently.
The flames surrounding his body began to surge wildly.
Not from exhaustion—
But from rage.
And humiliation.
Ace was his brother.
The deepest wound in his heart—
And his greatest pride.
He had inherited Ace's flames not merely for power—
But to carry on that will.
And now—
This man dared compare him to Ace with such casual disdain…
And declare him weak?
"You're not allowed…"
"…to speak about Ace like that!!!"
Sabo let out a low, furious roar.
Blood vessels spread through his eyes.
The flames he had previously kept under rational control now exploded completely out of control.
"Dragon's Breath!!!"
Terrifying heat pressure swept through the entire corridor.
The walls began melting and cracking under the unbearable temperature.
Sabo poured everything into the next attack—
His fury.
His grief.
His unwillingness to yield.
And the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit, which he had only recently awakened and had yet to fully master.
This was no longer a refined combination of martial arts and flame.
It was raw.
Violent.
A raging torrent of fire.
He would prove it—
That he had inherited everything from Portgas D. Ace.
Including the pride and power that would never admit defeat.
A blazing white pillar of fire condensed—
Then roared forward toward Gern, who still stood unmoving, his expression calm.
"Fire Fist!!!"