After just a few exchanges, Gumir's entire body trembled, his twin blades nearly slipping from his grasp.
He realized the gap between himself and Tanuki was far too vast; even with the other vice admirals assisting, they stood no chance against him.
Shame and helplessness instantly flooded his heart, a crushing pressure surging within Gumir.
Could it be that Tanuki would truly break through their blockade and rescue Fox?
Would all the painstaking efforts and elaborate plans laid by Marine Headquarters to capture Fox end in failure?
If that happened, as a key force tasked with intercepting Tanuki, failing to hold the line would make him a disgrace to the Marines!
No, for the sake of justice, even if it cost him his life, he had to stop Tanuki!
Gumir drew his blades and attacked Tanuki recklessly, but the disparity in their strength was too great. In moments, even with Tanuki deliberately holding back, Gumir was covered in wounds, teetering on the brink of collapse.
Seeing this, Tanuki knew that if he didn't act now, he would end up killing his former superior with his own hands.
Thus, he decisively used the close-range connection between Wood Clones to send a message to White Dove.
White Dove, who was currently entangled with Mihawk, received the message, his pupils abruptly contracting. He couldn't afford to be held up by Mihawk any longer—he had to break free immediately!
A resolute glint flashed in Ivan's eyes. Even though he knew using this move prematurely would expose part of his strength, elevating his public identity to the level of a top-tier emperor's right-hand man, he absolutely refused to personally harm a Marine like Gumir, who truly upheld justice.
Without further hesitation, he gripped Snowfall tightly and unleashed his full power to the utmost, even without the aid of Hyper-Speed Computation.
Mihawk sensed Ivan gathering his strength but made no move to stop him. Instead, he eagerly awaited the completion of this technique.
He yearned to witness a powerful sword technique—it was his lifelong passion and the very reason he had become the World's Greatest Swordsman!
As Ivan gathered his energy, the black Armament Color on Snowfall turned crimson, resembling flowing magma.
But that wasn't the end. Next, a deep, dark blue-black hue enveloped Snowfall entirely.
In an instant, Snowfall's blade tore through space, ripping open pitch-black fissures!
After completing this, Ivan finally swung his blade with ferocity: "One-Sword Style: Iaido: Violet: Spatial Slash!"
The moment this slash was unleashed, Mihawk's expression changed drastically.
An unprecedented sense of crisis enveloped his entire being. His Observation Haki screamed warnings frantically, a bone-chilling sense of danger flooding over him like a tidal wave.
At that moment, every cell in his body shrieked in unison, desperately conveying two words: "Dodge now!"
Mihawk decisively followed his instincts. Without a second thought, he shot sideways at extreme speed.
Almost the instant he evaded, a pitch-black slash erupted from Ivan's blade, instantly piercing through space and leaving behind a distorted black fissure.
Everything in the slash's path was utterly obliterated!
Immediately after, this world-destroying spatial slash crashed into the island, splitting the ground open into a bottomless chasm.
The chasm rapidly expanded, nearly cleaving the entire island housing the G-2 Branch in half!
Yet, even then, the slash's power was far from exhausted.
The remaining force sliced straight into the sea, forcibly carving out a blank trench hundreds of meters deep, reaching all the way to the ocean floor.
Even the sky was torn open by a narrow, elongated fissure, the clouds instantly shredded apart!
Thus, heaven and earth were split in two!
This was the power of a spatial slash enhanced by the Hollow Technique: Violet!
Even a Four Emperor would be unable to withstand this move!
The devastating aftershocks of the slash swept in all directions. Everyone's gaze was drawn to the slash that had split the sea, and the battlefield fell into a brief, deathly silence.
Garp, who had been confronting Ivan, abruptly halted his assault and turned toward White Dove not far away, grinning widely:
"Hahaha, this kid really can't be underestimated!"
Seizing the moment Mihawk was stunned, White Dove swung his blade to force his opponent back. Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and dashed toward the direction where Tanuki and Gumir were fighting:
"Vice Admiral Gumir, I'm here to help you!"
After White Dove left, Mihawk remained rooted in place, his golden pupils fixed intently on the bisected sea.
The power of this strike had far exceeded the upper limits of his own slashes.
In terms of pure swordsmanship and slashing techniques, he was confident he far surpassed White Dove. Yet, the Devil Fruit ability Ivan had infused into his slash had multiplied its destructive power severalfold, allowing him to surpass Mihawk.
At that moment, a sudden thought struck Mihawk:
If he were to consume a Devil Fruit suitable for a swordsman, with his foundational swordsmanship, his strength would undoubtedly reach the level of a Sea Emperor!
But this thought was fleeting, and he decisively dismissed it.
After all, his lifelong dream had always been simply to become the greatest swordsman—nothing more.
It had nothing to do with Devil Fruits or raw power—only the blade in his hand and the sword in his heart!
Meanwhile, Tanuki's Wind Blade arrived before Gumir in an instant. Gumir had barely managed to steady himself and lacked the strength to evade, forced to endure the sharp Wind Blade slash head-on.
At this critical moment, a white figure suddenly appeared in front of Gumir. White Dove, gripping Snowfall with its blade coated in thick Armament Color, swiftly blocked the attack.
Clang!
A clear metallic clash rang out as Snowfall firmly intercepted the Wind Blade, dispersing its violent gusts entirely.
White Dove turned sideways, looking worriedly at Gumir behind him: "Vice Admiral Gumir, are you alright?"
Gumir shook his head, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, and replied solemnly, "I'm fine."
White Dove gave a slight nod, his gaze locking onto Tanuki once more:
"Vice Admiral Gumir, leave the rest to me. With me here, none of you will suffer the slightest harm!"
Gumir stared at White Dove's upright back, then lifted his eyes to the distant remnants of the slash that had split heaven and earth. His heart was filled with both gratitude and profound emotion.
He suddenly recalled that when White Dove first joined the G-2 Branch, he was merely a green captain. Now, after just a few months, he had risen to the rank of vice admiral, equal to Gumir himself, with strength that was unfathomably deep.
Indeed, the seas were never lacking in geniuses—what was rare were monsters capable of breaking through all constraints.
And Vice Admiral White Dove before him was undoubtedly one such monster—perhaps even the most formidable among them!
At that moment, Tanuki and White Dove began their clash. Both capable of flight, they shot forward simultaneously, immediately engaging in combat.
The battle between the two was far more intense than Tanuki's fight with Vice Admiral Gumir, second only to the central battle between Garp and Fox.
Or so it seemed to outsiders. In reality, both were using all their power to create 'special effects,' with minimal actual consumption.
The two Wood Clones exchanged glances, then looked at Gumir and the others not far away, who were cheering White Dove on, feeling a pang of guilt.
He was the one who had injured Vice Admiral Gumir, and he was also the one saving him. Worse still, Vice Admiral Gumir would even thank him for it.
He'd probably thank us, too.
He could only hope that when his identity was eventually exposed, Vice Admiral Gumir wouldn't hold it against him.
As the battle continued, White Dove appeared to be at a disadvantage—on the surface, he was no match for Tanuki.
Meanwhile, at the center of the battlefield, the fight between Ivan's true body and Garp was nearing its conclusion!
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