As the energy storm gradually subsided, all of Marineford fell into a deathly silence.
The Marine soldiers stood frozen amid the ruins, their weapons having fallen from their hands without them even noticing.
Then Gern lowered his blade, and the edge of Black Blade: Eight Desolations touched the ground with a faint clack!
At the center of the battlefield.
A torrent of ice-and-fire slashes had swept through the battlefield, tearing heaven and earth into two starkly different infernos.
On the left, Freezing Hell!
The towering walls of Marine Headquarters froze into ice sculptures the instant the azure shock wave swept over them, then were shredded into clouds of icy mist by ice-crystal dust vibrating at high frequency.
On the right, Molten Core Wasteland!
The Execution Platform on the right side of the plaza vaporized the moment the orange-red shock waves passed over it, while the rock beneath its foundations melted into a crimson lake of magma.
The acrid smell of ionized, scorched air drifted through the battlefield. Even the steel gun emplacements had warped into scrap under the intense heat.
And Saint Figarland Garling lay between those two surreal landscapes!
As the dust gradually cleared, an eerie silence settled over Marineford's central plaza.
A hundred thousand Marine soldiers held their breath, their eyes fixed on the ruins as though even their hearts had stopped beating.
"Gulp..." Someone swallowed, the sound unnaturally clear in the silence.
On the raised platform, the teacup in Kong's hand had long since shattered. Scalding tea soaked his trouser leg, but he did not notice.
Only his pupils trembled slightly, his lips pressed into a thin line.
"This power... surely it's already within the realm of devil fruit awakening!" Kong's voice was hoarse, veins bulging across his bronze muscles as they tensed.
"It's practically a natural