The "Justice" coat billowed in the wind as Rosinante stood aboard the battleship, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his gaze fixed on the astonishing spectacle above Punk Hazard.
The battle between Wright and Sakazuki had raged for three days. Throughout this time, the island had been battered by relentless scorching winds, and the sky above had been split into two distinct halves.
One half of the island shimmered with radiant golden light, golden lightning crackling through the air, and a luminous golden mist shrouding the land as if it were a realm of legend. The other half, however, was bathed in an ominous crimson glow, the molten magma reflecting off the sky. The terrifying heat and the inferno sparked by volcanic eruptions exuded an overwhelming might—
In terms of sheer visual impact, Sakazuki's side appeared even more destructive and awe-inspiring.
On Rosinante's battleship stood two young men, also clad in "Justice" coats—Cavendish and Ace.
According to Wright, since these two had not directly benefited from their previous "reward," allowing them to witness this life-or-death battle between Admirals up close would serve as their compensation.
In truth, this was an incredibly valuable experience. Cavendish, a swordsman, and Ace, a Flame-Flame Fruit user—whose abilities were considered a lesser version of Sakazuki's Magma-Magma Fruit and who had also honed his combat skills in a similar manner—both saw this battle as an unparalleled opportunity.
The central battlefield of Punk Hazard was even being broadcasted live—Vice Admiral Smoker, acting once again as a "top battlefield reporter," tirelessly captured every moment using a visual Den Den Mushi.
To prevent the ever-buzzing Smoker from becoming an unintended casualty of the battle, Rosinante thoughtfully applied a "silence" effect on him.
With Rosinante's current mastery of his abilities, this "silence" even dampened Smoker's presence to an extent, making him less perceptible to Observation Haki.
The live broadcast was being displayed in detail aboard Rosinante's battleship, and in a secret conference room at Marine Headquarters, a group of high-ranking officers closely monitored the unfolding battle.
"I'm so envious…"
Cavendish had been drooling non-stop. Whether it was Wright's dazzling Holy Light effects or Sakazuki's world-destroying volcanic spectacle, both left him trembling with admiration:
"See? I told you! Looking cool is a lifelong pursuit!"
Rosinante, who had been stabbed in the heart by this statement for three consecutive days, clutched his chest helplessly. Every time this guy reiterated his philosophy, a whole group of people around him would suffer collateral damage...
What could he do? He was in despair—Calm-Calm Fruit had no flashy effects at all!
"Admiral Sakazuki's combat style is absolutely wild… As expected of an Admiral-level powerhouse, his peak-level attack output has lasted for three days straight without showing any signs of weakening."
Ace had already become numb to Cavendish's theories. The fact that his focus had shifted from himself to Admiral Sakazuki was a blessing in disguise.
In terms of physical combat, Ace had trained under Garp for a long time, but since Garp was not a Devil Fruit user, he had never truly learned how to integrate a Devil Fruit's power with close-quarters combat. Sakazuki, on the other hand, had perfected this fusion to the highest level.
Previously, the greatest powerhouse in this regard had been Whitebeard—but the Tremor-Tremor Fruit combined with physical combat did not offer the same insights for Ace as the Magma-Magma Fruit did, given that both his and Sakazuki's abilities relied heavily on extreme heat.
"My flames have nearly reached a white-hot state… but it's still not enough. The temperature needs to rise even further. Otherwise, without high-quality Armament Haki, I won't stand a chance against magma, which has a tangible form." Ace muttered.
Sakazuki, using the explosive force of simulated volcanic eruptions, was able to breach Wright's defenses. Meanwhile, Wright's slashes, even when imbued with Armament Haki, could theoretically be evaded by Sakazuki's preemptive elementization.
However, Wright's Observation Haki was overwhelmingly powerful—his "future sight" ability countered Sakazuki's elementization almost entirely.
As a result, Sakazuki was forced to rely on Haki for defense or to continuously use explosive bursts to counter the slashes.
Though he hadn't fallen behind yet, such a strategy inevitably consumed vast amounts of stamina and Haki. Against Wright, who had seemingly limitless stamina, if Sakazuki couldn't overwhelm him in one decisive strike, dragging out the fight would only lead to certain defeat.
According to both Sakazuki and the world's understanding, Wright's ability was classified as Paramecia. Wright himself had stated that his "unlimited stamina" came at the cost of mental energy—essentially, he had an additional "energy bar" that other ability users lacked.
Theoretically, this meant that Wright's ability wasn't entirely invincible, but the conversion efficiency of his mental energy into stamina… was absurdly high.
Expecting Wright to burn out from mental exhaustion was even more unrealistic than expecting him to collapse from physical fatigue—after all, as a top-tier swordsman, his mental fortitude was extraordinary.
As a Logia-type ability user, Sakazuki had his own unique advantages as well.
By using himself as the core, he could manipulate the corresponding natural forces of his ability—allowing him to unleash devastation on a near-apocalyptic scale!
Unlike fighting in a naturally active volcanic environment, triggering a volcanic eruption with his own power meant no one could claim he had an environmental advantage.
Faced with Wright's new technique that seemed to turn the very land into a sea of golden holy flames, Sakazuki was not just countering it with his own magma—he was actively constructing his own "home field."
Punk Hazard, long corroded by toxic gas, was now melting in the scorching sulfuric magma. Whether it was solid rock or loose soil, under the relentless high temperatures, everything was being assimilated into a single molten mass.
As the ground collapsed and crumbled, the layers of rock gave way, revealing dark, slow-moving "underground rivers"—seething lava hidden beneath the surface.
Even deeper, whether due to the clash between the two Admirals or Sakazuki's deliberate actions, countless magma channels were forming, sending his power deeper underground.
In the New World—or anywhere on the planet, really—so long as the land connected to the earth's mantle, it was theoretically possible to reach it. The only difference was the difficulty.
Now, the very foundation of Punk Hazard on Sakazuki's side was being subtly eroded, forging a path straight to the mantle!
On Wright's side, resplendent golden light engulfed half the island. At his current level, he could almost simulate the "awakening" effect of a Paramecia Devil Fruit.
"Affecting objects beyond the ability user"—without awakening, a Paramecia fruit would struggle to match a Logia fruit in terms of range and intensity.
And against a Logia user—especially one as powerful as Sakazuki—without an awakened ability, the battlefield would inevitably favor the opponent.
Thus, Wright adapted. His Holy Light's absolute purity allowed him to create a domain akin to "sacred ground," where any enemy stepping within its boundaries would suffer continuous burning from divine flames.
Wright named this technique—Consecration!
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