"Gern—only you can make me realize just how far I've come now. So…"
Before the final word had even fully faded, ice crystals spread in an instant.
A chilling white mist still clung to Kuzan's fingertips—
yet his body had already appeared behind Gern.
And Gern was already frozen solid, transformed into a flawless, translucent ice sculpture.
On the deck of the warship, Enel's pupils shrank violently.The golden staff slipped from his grip and slammed against the deck with a sharp clack.
"When?!"His voice carried a rare note of genuine shock.
That was Gern—the man who had shaken Birka with a single punch, the man who could catch even Divine Punishment with his bare hands—
and he had been frozen in an instant?!
"It seems…"Even Snake Princess couldn't help but tense, her voice low and restrained."…this battle is going to be extraordinary."
Veins bulged at Enel's temple. Lightning crackled violently around his body—yet, for once, he didn't argue.
Instead, he pushed his Observation Haki to its limit, desperately trying to sense any movement within the ice sculpture.
But aside from deathly cold silence—
there was nothing.
Could it be…was it really over?
Then, the very next second—
"Heh."Kuzan chuckled softly, half his face already coated in frost as he lazily tilted his head."Yeah… this really isn't enough to freeze you solid, is it?"
BOOOOM!!!
The ice sculpture exploded outward without warning. Countless shards shot through the air like bullets as Gern stepped forward from the wreckage, black lightning from his Armament Haki crawling across his entire body.
"Kuzan…"Gern's lips curled upward as he rolled his neck, sharp cracks popping from his joints."That kind of greeting isn't nearly enough."
Before the words had fully landed—
his figure vanished.
BANG!!!
The ground shattered under violent vibration. Gern launched forward like a cannonball, his right fist wrapped in pale, high-frequency震动能量, the air around his knuckles twisting and fracturing.
"Ara ara…"Kuzan's gaze sharpened as he raised a finger. An ice wall erupted straight from the ground.
"That thing won't stop me!"
RUMBLE!!
Before Gern's fist even touched it, cracks exploded across the ice wall, which collapsed in midair. Ice fragments scattered like a torrential storm.
Kuzan retreated through the ice fog—but in the same motion, he swung his arm back.
"Ice Thorns · Pheasant Beak Barrage!"
Extreme cold condensed instantly, forming a massive ice bird. With a piercing screech, it tore through the air and lunged straight at Gern!
Gern laughed loudly, neither dodging nor retreating, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
CLANG!!
The instant the ice bird collided, a shrill metallic crash echoed across the entire island. The shockwave whipped up a violent gale, sending ice dust spiraling into the sky.
Gern's feet sank deep into the ground—but he didn't retreat even half a step.
The bird's razor-sharp beak shattered inch by inch against his Armament-coated arms.
"Now this is more like it!"Gern growled, surging forward as he shattered the final ice fragments and charged again.
"This fighting style…"Kuzan smiled faintly as frost gathered in his palm."You look even more like Vice Admiral Garp's true disciple than I do, Gern."
As the words fell, Kuzan slammed both hands onto the ice beneath his feet.
"Ice Age!"
Terrifying cold spread instantly.
In the blink of an eye, the entire island was frozen solid.
The next moment, the floating ice beneath Gern erupted violently, transforming into dozens of razor-sharp ice spears that thrust toward him.
"This level of ice…"Gern grinned, black Armament Haki wrapping tightly around his right fist as he slammed it into the ground."…can't freeze me!"
BOOOOM!!!
The entire frozen island trembled violently under the震动 force. Massive cracks spread like spiderwebs in every direction.
The incoming ice spears shattered midair, pulverized into fine shards that drifted down like snow.
Suddenly, Kuzan burst from the icy fog. His right arm fully elementalized, forming a gigantic ice sabre.
"Two-Thorn Spear!"
"Then—"Gern didn't dodge. His left hand, wrapped in震动 force, grabbed the blade head-on."—break!"
CRACK!
The ice blade—boasting near absolute zero—fractured instantly under the震动 force.
Kuzan's pupils shrank. He immediately elementalized and retreated, but the residual shock still shattered over half his body.
"Tch… still as troublesome as ever."Kuzan reassembled himself and casually patted Gern's shoulder."But don't think I'm weaker than you."
"Frozen Capsule!"
...
Gern's breath crystallized into white mist amid the freezing surge. Frost clinging to the right side of his face was being shattered bit by bit by Haki.
Kuzan's bottomless cold had actually penetrated his Armament—his blood had nearly frozen solid.
Crack… crack…
The ice beneath his feet suddenly let out fine, brittle sounds.
Dozens of meters away, Kuzan's pupils contracted violently as the future his Observation Haki foresaw detonated in his mind.
At the same time, barely ten meters away, Gern simply lifted his heel—
and the entire ice field collapsed as if torn apart by a colossal beast!
"Heavenquake · Star Tread!"
BOOOOM!!!
The earth's crust within a kilometer erupted into a raging sea of震动. Countless ice shards and chunks of rock were hurled high into the sky.
As Kuzan leapt upward, ice pillars shot up beneath his feet—but the instant they touched the震动 wave, they disintegrated into icy spray.
Unflustered, Kuzan twisted midair using the recoil, his right arm flinging out a deep-blue arc.
"Glacial River · Prism!"
Ice crystals formed out of thin air, refracting sunlight. In an instant, thousands upon thousands of blinding beams and ice shards transformed into razor-sharp blades that stabbed toward Gern.
Instinctively, Gern shut his eyes and raised both arms to defend—
but Kuzan's left leg, wrapped in an icy storm, slammed into his chest!
BANG!
Sparks erupted as Armament Haki collided.
Gern crossed his arms to block, yet the sheer force still drove him backward, plowing a trench through the ground.
Frozen soil exploded behind him in a ten-meter-high cloud of debris.
But when he snapped his eyes open—
Kuzan's left hand was already pressed against the ice.
"Too late."Kuzan's breath steamed with frost.
The island's entire coastline froze in an instant. Hundreds of ice spears erupted violently from the ice behind Gern!
The piercing shriek of ice cutting through the air rang in Gern's ears.
Without turning back, he dropped low and smashed his right fist into the ground.
"Heavenquake · Earth Roar!"
KRAAANG!!!
Shockwaves erupted in a perfect ring from the point of impact.
The incoming ice spears disintegrated into mist the moment they touched the震动 wave.
Using the recoil, Gern launched himself upward.
His figure tore through the ice fog, leaving behind pale afterimages. His left fist—vibrating at extreme frequency—shot straight for Kuzan's jaw.
Kuzan leaned back to evade—
only for Gern's punch to suddenly change trajectory, slamming downward as the震动 wave detonated against the ice beneath Kuzan's feet!
CRASH!
The instant his footing shattered, Kuzan's Observation Haki screamed in warning. He twisted sharply, his right leg transforming into an ice blade that swept toward Gern's waist—
only to be blocked by a knee strike.
A dull, bone-on-bone impact rang out as both men used the collision to push off and retreat simultaneously.
Kuzan's coat hem was shredded into rags by震动 force.
A thick shell of ice formed over Gern's lower leg.
"Hah…"Gern exhaled slowly, shattering the ice coating his leg.
The moment sweat seeped from his forehead, it froze into ice beads, clattering onto the cracked ground.
Staring at the frost trails spreading beneath Kuzan's feet, Gern suddenly laughed.
"Man… this really brings back the heat."
"Haha!"Kuzan shook his numb right leg."Can't be helped. Neither of us is weak."
Before their voices fully faded—
both figures vanished once more.