The cold sea breeze dispersed some of the platform's scorching heat and bloody stench, but it could not dispel the ever-growing weight in their hearts.
Lin Yan knelt beside Ace, continuously feeding him a faint stream of Life Force from the "Genesis Flame," sustaining a breath as fragile as a candle in the wind. Chopper's special medicine and the lingering effects of the "Purifying Flame Lotus" were working, but Ace's essence was too badly damaged. Like a leaking barrel, it needed constant repairs. For the time being, fighting was out of the question; even moving freely would be a problem.
"Ace, hold on. We'll get you out of here soon," Lin Yan whispered, his voice hoarse but firm.
Ace struggled to muster a smile. His fingers twitched, as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he merely shook his head. He turned toward the battlefield at the front of Onigashima, where flames blazed into the sky and deafening crashes rang out without pause, his eyes filled with deep concern.
Zoro tore strips from his tattered clothes and hastily bound his deepest wounds, using his three swords planted in the ground to support himself. His lone eye looked in the same direction, fighting spirit mingling with exhaustion. "That racket up there... Luffy and the others are still fighting. That bastard Kaido..."
Robin used the Flower-Flower Fruit's power to "bloom" several eyes high above the platform, vigilantly watching the approaching government warships at sea and any enemies that might appear in the air. "The warships are lingering without attacking immediately. It looks like they're waiting for something. The fluctuations from the battle at the front of Onigashima... are unusually intense. There's a kind of... energy clashing there that surpasses anything before."
Tenguyama Hitetsu had caught his breath somewhat, but