Along the island's coastline, a blast of air erupted, and two figures abruptly sprang apart amid the dust and smoke.
"Hahaha! What a rush! What a rush!" Kozuki Oden's wooden clogs clattered beneath his feet.
He waved his arms and stamped about like a madman, even letting out strange cries of "Oh, oh, oh!" in his excitement.
Gern stood on a shattered rock formation nearby, slowly turning Black Blade: Eight Desolations in his hand. The blade hummed with high-frequency vibrations.
Oden's wild figure was reflected in his eyes as he calmly assessed him.
Three Types of Haki, the Voice of All Things, a monstrous physique...
If this were the future Oden who reached the final island with Roger and earned the name "invincible," I wouldn't stand a chance.
The sea breeze swept past, carrying the smoke of battle. Gern slowly raised his hand, unfastened his justice cloak, and let it fly away on the wind.
Then he tightened his grip on his sword, pale particles gathering along its edge once more. But the current Kozuki Oden has only been at sea for a year. At most, his strength is approaching General-Class...
In that case... At that thought, Gern suddenly raised his head, a red gleam flashing through his eyes.
"I'll use you as my whetstone... and see just where my limits lie!"
Before his words had faded, Gern's Conqueror's Haki erupted again. Dark purple arcs coiled around his body like frenzied snakes, and the ground beneath his feet cracked apart inch by inch.
His dark purple Conqueror's Haki exploded outward in a ring like a volcanic eruption.
Oden, who had been about to charge, slammed to a halt, his eyes beneath his triangular sideburns widening.
"Conqueror's Haki?!" Oden's wild grin froze on his face. "Even a Marine has it?"
Then,