Three days and three nights.
The deafening booms, the slashes that tore through the sky, the roaring thunder and Blue Flames... everything finally fell silent.
The outpost island housing Base G-10 had been changed beyond recognition.
The land lay ravaged, riddled with bottomless rifts, enormous craters, and ruins.
Thick dust, gunsmoke, and the faint scent of blood filled the air, bearing witness to the battle's brutality.
At the center of the battlefield, two figures faced each other from a distance.
Whitebeard's white captain's coat was already in tatters, covered in dust and dark red bloodstains.
Several fresh wounds marked his towering body. The deepest stretched from his left shoulder to his chest, its flesh torn open. Though it had stopped bleeding, it still looked gruesome.
"Hah... hah..." He panted softly, sweat mingling with blood as it trickled down his resolute face.
The Supreme Grade Blade Murakumogiri stood planted in the ground beside him, its blade still radiating a lingering, heart-stopping menace.
Across from him, Gern was in no better shape. His breathing was somewhat heavy, the dried blood on his body had turned dark brown, and his bare torso was likewise covered in wounds.
Three straight days of enduring the terrifying pressure of the "World's Strongest" had taken an immense toll on both his body and his mind.
His sword arm was in especially bad shape. The webbing between his right thumb and forefinger had split, staining the guard of Black Blade: Eight Desolations red, and his hand would not stop trembling faintly.
He had no choice but to plant Black Blade: Eight Desolations in the ground to support some of his weight.
For a moment, their gazes remained sharp, clashing in midair, yet both now carried a trace of exhaustion they could not conceal.
For three days, they had