"But this... is the true power of... Fear Scale!"
Whoosh!
A cold, sinister wind gusted outward, radiating from Vladimir as its center.
Sengoku and the other two, caught directly in the blast, felt their bodies turn icy cold.
A chill ran down their spines, and a primal dread began to rise from the depths of their hearts.
This fear, generated from within them, was immediately absorbed by Vladimir.
In the next moment, it was as if the world itself had transformed, filled with countless terrifying monsters and demons.
To Sengoku, the presence of the Great Demon Lord of Fear seemed to expand exponentially.
It felt exactly like a creature lower down the food chain coming face-to-face with a supreme predator.
"What kind of ability is this?" Sengoku asked, his expression grim and wary.
"Truly worthy of being the Marines' top combatants. The energy generated by your fear is a hundred times purer and richer than that of ordinary soldiers!"
Vladimir laughed heartily. He shifted his weight and instantly closed the distance, pressing the attack.
"He just got faster!"
Garp's eyes narrowed. Unwilling to back down, he charged forward to meet him head-on, throwing a powerful punch.
"Galaxy Impact!"
His right fist was coated in pitch-black Armament Haki. In his prime, a single punch from him could shatter an entire iceberg.
Yet for some reason, the moment he launched the attack, his body stiffened as if paralyzed by terror. The force and momentum behind his strike rapidly crumbled away.
"Heh heh heh... The scale is tipping in my favor, Garp. Your fists are no longer enough to stop me!"
Vladimir extended his right hand and effortlessly caught the incoming fist, gripping it tight.
Garp's expression changed drastically. He felt his entire state of being turn bizarre and wrong; his punch felt weak and feeble, yet the opponent's grip was like iron, impossible to break free from.
"What is happening?!"
As the fear within Garp grew denser and thicker, he ran out of time to dodge. Vladimir yanked him violently forward.
Garp's body was pulled uncontrollably toward his enemy. At the same time, Vladimir released his fist, swiftly placed his palm over Garp's face, and slammed him downward.
With a sharp cry of exertion, Vladimir grabbed Garp by the head and smashed him bodily into the ground.
BOOM!!
Garp's head slammed hard against the earth. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, feeling pain course through every nerve in his body.
Under the effects of the Fear Scale, every bit of damage he suffered seemed amplified tenfold—even dozens of times over.
"GARP!!"
Sengoku's eyes blazed with fury. "You bastard!!"
Roaring in rage, Sengoku unleashed his full power. A punch from the Golden Buddha shot forward like lightning, aiming straight for Vladimir.
Bang!
Vladimir raised his arm to block, yet was still pushed back dozens of meters by the sheer force of the shockwave.
Seizing the advantage, Sengoku leaped high, soaring above Vladimir. He raised his right palm high and smashed it down with terrifying force.
"Impact Wave!"
BOOM!!
A white dome of light materialized, enveloping the space around Vladimir like an impenetrable barrier.
In the next instant, a violent shockwave erupted within the dome, possessing the power to pierce straight through a human body.
"Hmm?"
Vladimir raised an eyebrow and grinned. "So you actually have some resistance to the Fear Scale. The power of the Buddha form... it really does seem to naturally suppress evil forces."
Back in the day, the Nine-Tailed Fox had been countered in exactly the same way. He hadn't expected that his Fear Scale would also be partially suppressed here.
However, Vladimir was completely unfazed. He crossed his arms above his head and chose to take the full brunt of the impact head-on.
"Demon Lord's Body!"
In an instant, Vladimir's physical form hardened and strengthened drastically, becoming as durable as meteorite metal—indestructible and impenetrable.
The shockwave crashed down, shattering the surrounding earth and rock, yet failing to inflict even the slightest scratch upon him.
"What?!"
Sengoku's eyes widened to their limits, filled with utter disbelief.
This was Buddha Impact—a shockwave powerful enough to flatten the very vibrations generated by Whitebeard himself in an instant.
Yet, having struck the Great Demon Lord directly, it hadn't just failed to defeat him... it hadn't even managed to pierce his skin.
"What kind of monster are you?!" Sengoku gritted his teeth.
"Defense greater even than Kaido, plus the ability to regenerate from a single drop of blood... He simply cannot be killed!"
If killing him was impossible, then the only option left was sealing him.
With that thought, Sengoku bellowed at the top of his lungs: "KUZAN!!"
His roar echoed across the land. Immediately, freezing cold air filled the surroundings, accompanied by the cracking sound of ice forming everywhere.
Far off in the distance, the ground was instantly covered in thick ice. The power of frost spread rapidly, seemingly intent on freezing the entire Marine base solid.
"Ice Age!"
Vladimir glanced sideways, unimpressed. "Did you think I didn't know you Admirals were hiding nearby, waiting for a chance?"
He flapped his wings and shot straight up into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared above Sengoku's head, flipped upside down, and delivered a fierce drop-kick.
"Go down."
Bang!
The Golden Buddha was sent plummeting like a meteor, crashing down hard into the massive crater that had formed in the training ground below.
"I am the Great Demon Lord of Fear... Marines, come at me all together!"
...
Leaving Vladimir to dominate and suppress the Marines in District 69, the scene shifts elsewhere—specifically, to the junction between District 1 and District 2.
Beside the river that ran through the islands, three separate factions stood facing one another, bristling with hostility.
____________________
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