Roger's speed did not decrease despite his enormous size.
High in the sky, Lloyd had no time to evade.
The gigantic fist came crashing down and struck him directly.
Even with the powerful Lunarian bloodline flowing through his body, Lloyd could not completely endure the blow. The instant Roger's punch landed, Lloyd coughed up a mouthful of blood.
His hands pressed firmly against Roger's massive fist as he attempted to push it away.
But Roger's strength had already surpassed Lloyd's current power.
Lloyd's body was driven downward at terrifying speed, falling rapidly through the sky.
He gritted his teeth.
Suddenly, his right sleeve exploded apart.
Beneath it, his arm glowed with a deep crimson light.
Strange black spiral patterns appeared along his arm, slowly spreading upward until they reached his neck.
A terrifying bloody aura erupted from Lloyd's body.
At that moment he looked like a demonic god born from a sea of blood.
He roared, and the crimson aura around him condensed violently onto his right arm.
The energy shaped itself into a gigantic blood hand that tightly grasped Roger's enormous fist.
Roger's expression shifted slightly.
He immediately recalled the brief moment when Lloyd had displayed a similar power while severely injuring Edward Newgate.
However, the power Lloyd was unleashing now was even greater.
Lloyd's eyes had turned into two blazing crimson lights.
The giant blood hand tightened its grip.
Sharp spikes extended from its fingertips, piercing through Roger's skin.
Fresh blood instantly surged outward and flowed into the blood hand.
After absorbing Roger's blood, the black blade shaped mark on the back of the giant hand trembled slightly.
Yet compared to the enormous blood construct, the mark was far too small to attract attention.
Roger suddenly felt a wave of weakness spread through his arm.
The next moment Lloyd violently flung his fist aside.
As Roger's massive body began descending, Lloyd chased after him.
Dragging the giant blood hand behind him, Lloyd lunged directly toward Roger's heart.
But Roger suddenly began beating his chest while making strange rhythmic sounds.
The movement generated a powerful rebound force.
Lloyd's blood hand was instantly knocked away.
Roger then spread his enormous fingers and interlocked them with the giant blood hand, holding it firmly in place.
After restraining the attack, Roger raised his other hand and slammed it toward Lloyd.
Lloyd endured the strike using the protection of his bloody aura.
Meanwhile the black spiral patterns on his neck continued climbing upward.
They had already reached his chin.
Lloyd's vision began to blur.
His consciousness started slipping away.
Without hesitation he bit down hard on his tongue, forcing himself to regain a brief moment of clarity through pain.
With another furious roar, Lloyd grabbed Roger's hand and violently flung it aside.
Then he swung his right arm.
The giant blood hand launched a relentless barrage of attacks toward Roger.
Thunderous explosions echoed across the sky.
Each collision sent massive shockwaves spreading outward.
Even the distant battlefield below was affected.
The thick ice surface trembled violently as deep cracks spread across it.
Seeing this, Kuzan had no choice but to temporarily withdraw from his battle. He repeatedly released his freezing ability, struggling to stabilize the collapsing ice.
After a long stretch of chaos, the violent sounds in the sky slowly faded.
Then suddenly a figure plummeted downward like a meteor.
Boom.
The falling body smashed straight through the frozen surface, leaving behind a massive crater in the ice.
Seawater burst upward through the hole.
Kuzan did not dare to freeze it shut.
Because the person who had just fallen was Lloyd.
Nearby, Sakazuki and the other Marines witnessed the scene.
Their expressions changed immediately.
Sakazuki anxiously ordered rescue teams to descend into the water.
Several soldiers rushed down into the hole in the ice.
But after searching frantically, none of them could find Lloyd.
In the end they returned empty handed.
Boom.
Another heavy impact echoed across the battlefield.
Roger descended from the sky.
Under his gigantic feet, the ice surface behaved like a soft trampoline. When he landed, ripples spread across the frozen sea like waves.
Both Marines and pirates were thrown into the air.
After the brief confusion settled, the pirates erupted into cheers.
In their eyes the outcome of the battle had already been decided.
Lloyd had been knocked into the sea.
And everyone present understood what that meant for a Devil Fruit user.
The sea was death.
The victor was Roger.
However, among the Roger Pirates, only the core members noticed something unusual.
There was a trace of exhaustion hidden in Roger's eyes.
The glow that had previously covered his skin had already begun fading.
His body was drying out.
Within moments his enormous form shrank noticeably.
His height was now less than one hundred meters.
Even so, Roger did not cancel his Nika transformation.
Only he himself knew the truth.
If the Nika form disappeared, his life would soon end.
Roger exhaled a large cloud of black smoke.
Lowering his head, he gazed down at Sakazuki and the others below.
This would be his final chance.
He intended to weaken the Navy as much as possible and cripple the strongest force of the World Government.
But before Roger could move, Sakazuki suddenly charged forward.
He had abandoned the heavily injured Douglas Bullet behind him.
Thinking about Lloyd, who had just been knocked into the sea with an unknown fate, Sakazuki's rage reached its peak.
Thick black smoke poured from his body.
His lower half transformed into erupting magma, launching him forward at incredible speed.
"Great Eruption!"
The enormous magma fist expanded rapidly as it rushed toward Roger.
Roger's expression remained calm.
He simply raised one massive hand and caught Sakazuki in his palm.
Crunch.
Sakazuki immediately spat out blood.
Magma poured violently from his body, covering Roger's hand while releasing a harsh sizzling sound.
Roger tightened his grip.
Sakazuki's eyes turned bloodshot.
The horrifying sound of bones cracking echoed from his body.
The pain would have broken an ordinary person instantly.
But Sakazuki clenched his teeth and refused to scream.
His body could no longer move.
He could only glare at Roger with burning hatred.
At that moment a brilliant golden light erupted behind Roger.
The light condensed into the figure of Borsalino.
For once the usually relaxed Admiral looked furious.
"Let him go! Yasakani no Magatama!"
Countless light bullets burst from Borsalino's hands, raining down on the back of Roger's neck.
Roger was far from his peak condition.
The attack forced his giant body to tilt forward.
Frowning slightly, he swung his other hand backward.
But Borsalino moved faster.
Using the technique known as the Eight Foot Mirror, he instantly flashed beside Sakazuki.
A sword of light formed in his hand.
Ama no Murakumo.
He slashed fiercely at Roger's fingers.
However, Roger's body in Nika form possessed astonishing durability.
The blade only left a shallow cut.
Sakazuki remained trapped.
Roger became visibly irritated.
This time he locked onto Borsalino using powerful Observation Haki.
Moments later Borsalino was captured as well.
Roger clenched him in his other hand.
There was little either Admiral could do.
Both Sakazuki and Borsalino had not yet reached the peak of their strength, and they had just survived a life and death battle with Bullet.
That was why Roger could restrain them so easily.
Seeing the situation worsen, Kuzan and Aramaki immediately acted.
Extreme ice surged across the battlefield.
At the same time thick vines erupted from the frozen ground.
The ice and vines wrapped tightly around Roger's legs, attempting to hold the giant in place.
Then two furious voices followed.
"Ursus Shock!"
"Fallen Angel Hammer!"
Bartholomew Kuma and Lucia launched their attacks simultaneously.
Roger's massive body staggered.
With a thunderous impact he collapsed into a seated position on the frozen sea.
At that instant both Borsalino and Sakazuki seized the opportunity.
They broke free from Roger's grasp.