"Clang!!!" Both men gritted their teeth and pushed harder, and the two Supreme Grade Blades finally clashed in earnest!
A dazzling burst of sparks erupted between Murakumogiri and Eight Desolations. The explosive crash of their edges was no longer the shriek of metal, but a wail of collision!
Black-and-red and dark-purple lightning from their Conqueror's Haki writhed like frenzied serpents, spraying in every direction!
A ring of shock waves swept outward, stripping an entire layer off the ground!
Gern felt an overwhelming force surge through the hilt. The sleeves around both his sword-wielding arms burst apart, the webs of his hands went numb, and the ground beneath his feet collapsed half a foot!
"Looks like those injuries from last time... really aren't slowing you down!"
"Whitebeard!!!" Gern roared, his gaze sharpening. His right arm tensed instantly, and Ryuo-level Armament Haki surged along it, forcibly holding back a blow that could cleave mountains and split seas.
"Because..." A red gleam flashed in Whitebeard's eyes. He twisted Murakumogiri and drove both arms downward in a mighty slash.
"I'm not so far gone that I'd let a brat like you push me around!!"
Gern immediately yielded and retreated, but the separation lasted only an instant before the two locked blades again!
"Gurararara! You Marine brat, I've known for decades that you've got the same strength as me!" Whitebeard laughed and pressed down hard with both arms!
The cracks beneath Gern's feet spread farther, yet a sharp smile curled his lips.
At the very instant Whitebeard's first burst of strength ran out, before he could muster another-
"Is that so?" Gern's voice suddenly turned cold. "Then I really am... fortunate!"
As he spoke, his left hand shot out like lightning-not toward the hilt, but with all five fingers spread.
Highly compressed Vibration Particles instantly