At the same time — the center of Sakaparche Island.
Scorched earth and frozen wasteland interwove in a grotesque tapestry.Within the massive crater, Gern Reginald Sigmar and Kuzan lay side by side—one barely conscious, breathing raggedly, the other completely unconscious.
"Gern!"
A white figure tore through the lingering smoke at astonishing speed, becoming the first to reach the heart of the battlefield.
Lipo's face was filled with raw panic. She didn't even spare a glance for the terrain that had been utterly reshaped by the battle—her eyes were fixed solely on Gern's left arm, charred black, hanging limply at his side, faint wisps of white steam still rising from it.
"It's okay, Lipo's here!" she blurted out.
Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees beside him, hands hovering in front of her chest.A gentle green glow poured from her palms.
Within that light, two translucent objects slowly took shape—carrots, crystalline and flawless, as though carved from red crystal, radiating an intense aura of vitality.
"Quick, Gern—eat it!"Lipo thrust one of the healing carrots toward his mouth, her voice urgent, leaving no room for refusal.
These were Healing Carrots—extracted before this "Battle for Admiral" under Garp's supervision, using the powers of the Heal-Heal Fruit, at tremendous cost.
They had been refined from the life force of the most resilient criminals imprisoned on Level 6 of Impel Down.
They were nowhere near the supreme-grade specimen once extracted from Oden…but even so, their healing potency was extraordinary.
Hearing her voice, Gern forced his eyes open.Seeing the worry in Lipo's eyes, he didn't ask a single question—he simply opened his mouth and bit down.
Sweet juice melted instantly on his tongue, transforming into a vast, gentle torrent of life energy that surged through his entire body.
The searing pain in his left arm receded at a visible pace.Beneath the charred skin, new flesh regenerated before the naked eye.
His heavily depleted stamina and Haki began recovering at a shocking speed.
Almost the moment Gern started chewing, Lipo had already turned her attention to Kuzan, lying unconscious beside him.
She lifted the second healing carrot into her palms, pressed her hands together—
—and unleashed an even brighter emerald radiance.
"Healing Extraction — Life Infusion!"
The carrot rapidly dissolved within the light, breaking down into the purest, densest life energy imaginable.
Guided by Lipo, the gentle green current flowed into Kuzan's chest—into the area that had been internally devastated by Vibration Flame: Molten Core Burst, riddled with scorched fissures.
As the life energy poured in, Kuzan's injuries—teetering on the brink of collapse—were like cracked earth meeting a long-awaited rain.
Organs torn by shockwaves.Meridians burned by extreme heat.The profound exhaustion caused by total overexertion—
—all of it was soothed and repaired at astonishing speed.
When the energy of the first carrot was exhausted, Kuzan's breathing stabilized significantly—but he still did not awaken.
Lipo clenched her teeth.
Without the slightest hesitation, she formed another healing carrot, converting it once more into life energy and infusing it into Kuzan's body.
Extracting and converting two Level 6-grade healing carrots in succession was an enormous burden even for her.
Before long, fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her face grew visibly pale.
But the results were undeniable.
After the second wave of energy entered his body, Kuzan's eyelashes trembled.A low groan escaped his throat—
—and then his eyes slowly opened.
For a moment, his gaze was unfocused, hazy.Then clarity returned as he sensed the surging vitality within his body and the rapidly healing wounds.
Almost reflexively, Kuzan planted a hand on the ground, tested his body—
—and then simply rolled over and sat up.
"…That really is… an unbelievable ability," he muttered, glancing down at his chest, which was nearly restored.
He felt the remnants of the internal vibration damage—still there, but no longer a threat.
Turning his head, he looked at Lipo, whose face was pale with fatigue, and spoke sincerely:
"Thank you, Vice Admiral Rabbit."
"It's fine as long as you're alive!" Lipo waved a hand weakly, her rabbit ears drooping."If you hadn't woken up, Lipo definitely wouldn't have had the energy to make a third one!"
Nearby, Gern had already recovered most of his strength from the single healing carrot.His left arm moved freely now, though his face still bore the exhaustion of a brutal battle.
He sat up and looked at Kuzan, who was also upright, tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Looks like you're pretty hard to kill."
"Give it a rest…" Kuzan replied with a helpless chuckle, rubbing his still-sore chest."That last hit—you held back, didn't you?"
"You noticed?"
"What do you think?"
Kuzan knew his own body well.
Especially that destructive energy that had invaded his body—there had been an extremely brief moment of attenuation right before the final explosion.
Otherwise, even with Lipo's near-miraculous healing, he would've been bedridden for a year or more.
Maybe even left with permanent damage—not sitting here talking like this.
Gern neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Winning was enough," he said calmly."Besides…"
He glanced at Kuzan.
"If I really left you with some permanent 'souvenirs,'I wouldn't know how to explain it to Instructor Zephyr.Vice Admiral Garp would probably nag me for years."
Kuzan froze for a second—then laughed and shook his head.
He knew exactly what Gern meant.
Large-scale, irreversible burn scars.
Yeah… that would've been a real pain.
Just then, Tesoro, Snake Princess, and the others arrived.
Tesoro glanced at the two men who had recovered so quickly—especially Kuzan sitting upright—and a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes before he masked it.
Snake Princess, on the other hand, acted immediately.
She rammed Kuzan away from Gern without warning.
Then she wrapped Gern in a tight embrace, inspecting him from head to toe.Only after confirming he was unharmed did she turn her gaze to Kuzan—eyes filled with open disdain.
Kuzan: "..."
As for Enel, who arrived last—he merely snorted coldly and stood off to the side, leaning on his golden staff.
For once, he didn't launch into any "godly proclamations."
He had tried to imitate Gern's method of breaking through freezing with Haki—
—and ended up humiliating himself even harder aboard the warship.
Soon after, Marine medical teams rushed in with stretchers—
only to freeze in confusion when they saw both officers already sitting up and talking.
Gern stood, flexed his fully restored left arm, and said to the medics:
"Patch us up a bit.The big injuries are healed, but there are still plenty of small ones."
"Yes, Vice Admiral Gern!"
Kuzan also stood slowly.
Though his internal injuries were mostly healed, the massive drain on his stamina and Haki couldn't be restored so easily.
Weakness still lingered.
"This 'performance' should be enough to satisfy those people in Mary Geoise," Kuzan remarked.
Gern snorted.
"Whether they're satisfied has nothing to do with me."
He paused, then looked at Kuzan.
"So—what are you planning to do next?"
"Go back," Kuzan replied, his voice regaining its usual laziness—though now tinged with something deeper.
"The fight's over, but the storm from this 'Battle for Admiral' is only just beginning.The Fleet Admiral… and those people are probably waiting for the results."
—
Meanwhile, a Marine warship slowly docked.
On the deck—
Fleet Admiral Kong, clad in his marshal's coat, stood at the forefront, his expression as stern as ever.
Beside him stood Sengoku, his face carrying a faint trace of worry.
Both men's gazes were fixed on Gern—
but where Kong's eyes held scrutiny, Sengoku's were far more complex.
Evaluation.Gravity.And an extremely subtle… wariness.
Especially when Gern appeared at the top of the gangplank, Sengoku's pupils contracted ever so slightly.
Kong's earth-shattering decision echoed uncontrollably in his mind—
"Independent autonomy for subordinates."
In an instant, Sengoku weighed future structures, balances, and counterbalances at lightning speed.
Yet his expression remained unchanged.
He raised his hand in welcome like the others—though the motion was unmistakably stiff.
"Hahahaha!"
Laughter suddenly shattered the tension.
Garp strode forward, shamelessly picking his nose, swinging his arms wildly as he laughed.
"You two brats! That was one hell of a fight!Didn't embarrass me at all!Tonight, we're throwing a feast at the Marine cafeteria—eat as much as you want!"
Zephyr stood a little further back.
Watching his two most outstanding students, the tension in his expression eased noticeably.
When he noticed Lipo's pale face, a flicker of concern crossed his eyes.
His gaze shifted between Gern and Kuzan—
and finally settled into an ambiguous snort.
Pride in their strength.And helplessness toward internal conflict.
Kong's final term as Fleet Admiral.Sengoku's imminent succession.The World Government's gaze—
—and Gern's ever-expanding "Natural Disaster" faction…
The storm was far from over.
..
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