"Hold on, Sabo!" Luffy gripped his brother's hand tightly, his eyes full of anguish. "We'll get through this together!"
"Don't give up," Ace encouraged him. "You've held on in the Void for so long. Victory is right in front of us now!"
Kordo—or rather, Kordo controlled by the Lord of Nothingness—watched this unfold, fury appearing on his face. He could not tolerate anyone escaping the Void's control; that would weaken the Lord of Nothingness's power.
"Stop!" Kordo roared. "No one can escape the Void's embrace!"
He raised his scepter, and his body began to undergo a horrifying transformation. His once-humanoid body completely underwent Voidification, becoming a massive mass of purple energy. It constantly shifted shape, sometimes resembling octopus tentacles and sometimes tongues of blazing fire, radiating a suffocating pressure.
Kordo's transformed energy mass charged at the three brothers, attempting to interrupt the purification process. At that critical moment, a golden flash appeared over the sea and instantly reached the battlefield.
"Oh my, am I late..." a familiar languid voice sounded.
Kizaru appeared before everyone, but he looked noticeably different from before. The Void Core that had once flickered on his forehead had completely vanished, replaced by a thin scar. His eyes had become clear again, no longer tainted by Void Energy.
"Borsalino!" Lin Ye looked at him in delighted surprise. "You broke free from the Void Core's control?"
Kizaru reached up and touched the scar on his forehead, a rare trace of seriousness appearing on his face. "It took a little effort, but I finally smashed that annoying thing. Though the process hurt a bit..."
He turned toward Kordo's incoming energy mass, battle intent flashing through his eyes. "But now I can fight at full strength. It feels pretty good."
Kizaru instantly entered combat mode, his body turning into pure