At some point, the sun had sunk lower, hanging over the horizon and casting slanting rays across the sea. The sea breeze stirred the waves, making their gemlike phosphorescence flicker and shimmer.
Even though the battle was over, there was still no sign of the ice on the island melting. The wind climbed ashore and swept through the streets of ice and snow, brushing against their bodies with a faint chill.
"It's already four in the afternoon. Factoring in travel and rest, we'd better settle things here before sunset."
Reiner glanced at the time and made a rough estimate.
According to Vegapunk's information, CP0 would likely arrive at Egghead tomorrow morning. The person who had given him the intelligence was probably Stussy, so there should not have been much room for error.
However, Reiner knew that Vegapunk's clones also had a mole among them. The World Government had likely learned that they were going to help Vegapunk as well.
When they went back, there would probably be another big battle. Constantly traveling and fighting, then traveling and fighting again—the physical strain was manageable, but mental exhaustion always had to be recovered through rest.
"Come to think of it, you kept Gear Fourth active until the end of this battle. Are you okay?"
Reiner could not help glancing at Luffy.
When he had first seen Luffy use Gear Fourth, it had only lasted around ten minutes. Once it was released, Luffy would practically look like he had lost half his life.
Later, as battles continued, the amount of time Gear Fourth could be maintained had gradually increased. This was the first time Reiner had seen Luffy voluntarily release Gear Fourth after finishing an entire battle.
"Yeah, I basically don't need to worry too much about Gear Fourth's time limit anymore."
Luffy