Two somewhat battered figures abruptly sprang apart after a fierce clash, coming clearly into view on the live broadcast.
Lina's white, cloud-patterned combat outfit was covered in blackened marks left by scorching magma, while several shallow cuts on her exposed arms oozed tiny beads of blood;
Sakazuki's military coat was in even worse shape. Lightning had torn several gashes through its once-crisp fabric, and red lightning burns marked his exposed neck and cheeks. His disheveled hair clung to his forehead, leaving him looking bedraggled.
Both stood slightly hunched, gasping for breath, their chests heaving violently. They had clearly expended a great deal of stamina.
Although both were Logia Devil Fruit users capable of transforming into their elements, that did not mean they could not be injured.
In combat against an opponent who also possessed Armament Haki, they could avoid damage entirely if they predicted an attack through Observation Haki and transformed before the opponent's move struck.
But neither had clearly reached that level of mastery yet-although Sakazuki had reached the threshold of an Admiral's strength, he had yet to develop the keen senses he would possess at his peak;
Lina's Observation Haki was precise, but it struggled against the sudden changes in Sakazuki's ferocious attacks, so neither could avoid taking hits.
As for their enormous stamina expenditure, that differed from the common understanding that "Logia Devil Fruit abilities consume very little stamina."
Although there were rumors that Logia Devil Fruit abilities consumed negligible amounts of stamina,
with Sakazuki and Kuzan's nine-day, nine-night battle twenty years later serving as an example, Kakarot felt that battle's circumstances were entirely different from the present situation.
By then, both men had long since awakened their Devil Fruits, and their battle had largely revolved around exchanges of elemental attacks. Their awakened powers could subtly influence