Meanwhile, out at sea beyond Marineford, Gern's back slammed into the water and bounced.
The tremendous momentum sent him skipping like a stone hurled with all someone's strength, plowing a trench across the sea!
And that powerful momentum had yet to dissipate, driving him farther backward.
At that seemingly uncontrollable moment, Gern abruptly steadied himself and thrust his left palm downward!
A hum rang out!
Centered on his left palm, the seawater across the entire area below seemed to be instantly "erased" by an immense, invisible force.
It was not pushed aside, but shattered completely into billions of water molecules too tiny to see, raising a hazy cloud of white mist!
Using the recoil from that strike, Gern snapped his head up and grinned in excitement.
The muscles in his left arm bulged, veins standing out as he curled his fingers into claws and violently heaved upward!
"Rise!!!"
"RUMBLE!!!" A tremendous tearing sound came from the seabed!
The seafloor shook violently, and an immense slab of land covered in coral reefs and sedimentary rock-
Was forcibly ripped out of the depths by Gern's upward gesture, bursting through the surface amid torrents of murky water and sediment to tower between the two men!
But before the island he had created out of nowhere could settle, an even more imposing figure blocked the sunlight overhead.
Whitebeard descended from the sky, his eyes blazing as they locked onto Gern below, without the slightest hesitation.
Both hands gripped Murakumogiri's shaft, while black-and-red Conqueror's Haki lightning danced wildly along its blade, perfectly fused with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power.
With a roar, he poured every ounce of his strength into that simplest of downward slashes.
"HAAAH!!!"
The ultimate expression of pure strength and power!
A mountain-cleaving blow!
Murakumogiri tore through the air and plunged down with