"Click click click!!!"
The black line was as thin as a hair, but wherever it passed, space shattered.
It's not a metaphor; it's literal shattering.
Where the black line passed, the space appeared as if it were shattered glass, with countless fine cracks appearing.
The edges of the crack revealed a deep, dark void—the other side of space itself.
There was no light, no matter, only pure emptiness.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle--"
The sound of space being torn apart was sharp and piercing, like someone scraping a blackboard with their fingernail, or like the wailing of metal being forcibly torn apart.
The black line Inazuma Conqueror's Haki, spread towards the defensive wall of the Holy Knights at a seemingly slow but actually extremely fast speed.
The first thing to come into contact with the black lines was the armor of the Rock-Rock Devil Fruit User.
That rock armor, strong enough to withstand the bombardment of warships, was like paper in front of the Black Line, and was cut in half in less than a second.
The rock-elemental user watched in horror as his armor split open, the cut as smooth as if it had been slicing with a laser.
Next comes the defense of those with liquid abilities.
His body transformed into liquid in an attempt to absorb the impact of the black lines, but when the black lines passed through the liquid, a large portion of the liquid was directly swallowed up by the spatial rift.
The liquid ability user screamed as he exited his elemental state, a deep, bone-revealing wound appearing on his chest.
The spatial rift swallowed a part of his body, and that part could not regenerate in his elemental state.
The fire shield was sliced open.
The shield of light was cut open.
Everything that stood in the way of the black line was cut through.
Shamrock's Conqueror's Coating collided with the black lines.
The moment the two Conqueror's Haki collided, the entire Marineford trembled.
Shamrock gritted his teeth and desperately activated his Conqueror's Haki, trying to deflect the black lines.
But the black line only paused slightly, and then—continued moving forward.
Shamrock's Conqueror's Coating was forcibly severed.
"How is this possible?!" Shamrock's eyes were filled with disbelief.
But the black line didn't stop because of his disbelief.
It pierced through all of the Holy Knights's defenses with unstoppable force, slamming into the center of their formation.
The two members of the Holy Knights standing at the very front were struck head-on by the black line.
Their bodies were neatly cut in half at the waist, and they even maintained a defensive posture the moment their upper and lower bodies separated.
Fresh blood gushed from the cut, forming two huge clouds of blood mist in the air.
The black line continues to move forward.
The third member had his left arm severed, and the fourth member had half of his shoulder cut off.
The fifth person barely managed to dodge to the side, but was still grazed on the side by the black line, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone.
Shamrock dodged at the last moment, the black line grazing his cheek.
They left a bloody gash on his face and then shaved off a lock of his hair.
The black line continued its relentless advance towards Saint Saturn, behind the Holy Knights.
Saint Saturn raised his scepter, and with all eight spider legs exerting force simultaneously, his massive body shifted to the side at a speed disproportionate to its size.
The black lines grazed his body, severing the two spider legs on his left side.
The two spider legs were still twitching when they were cut off, and black blood gushed from the cuts, dripping onto the ice and burning smoking holes.
Then—the black line finally disappeared.
It disappeared in the direction of Marineford Harbour, leaving behind a straight crack several kilometers long in the sea.
The crack was no wider than a finger's width, but its depth was unfathomable. Seawater poured in from both sides of the crack, forming two opposing waterfalls.
The whole world fell silent.
Everyone—the Marines, the pirates, and the members of Hachinosu —stared blankly at the spot where the black line had passed.
The bodies and wounded of the Holy Knights lay scattered haphazardly on the ice.
The two men, who had been cut in half at the waist, were already dead, their bodies still twitching slightly in pools of blood.
The three wounded men were clutching their wounds and groaning in pain.
The remaining seven men were still able to stand, but the fighting spirit in their eyes had been largely replaced by fear.
One cut.
With a single strike, the defenses of the twelve members of the Holy Knights were instantly shattered.
Roy stood in mid-air, the black and red Inazuma on Shusui Dao still crackling.
His expression was as calm as if nothing had happened. He simply hoisted Shusui back onto his shoulder and looked down at the horrific scene below.
" Stanks, you're asking me if all I do is hide?"
Roy tilted his head, a slight smile appearing on his lips.
"Now you know—I'm not just good at hiding, I'm just too lazy to make a move."
Shamrock stood on the ice, blood still seeping from the cuts on his face.
His fingers, gripping the knife hilt, trembled—not from fear, but from anger and humiliation.
He cultivated for a full ten years, all for the sake of being able to fight Roy.
As a result, the opponent only needed one strike to completely shatter his and the entire Holy Knights's defenses.
" Roy..."
Shamrock squeezed out two words through clenched teeth.
Roy ignored him, his gaze passing over Shamrock and landing on the two spider legs behind him that were still twitching.
Saint Saturn stood in a pool of blood, black blood still seeping from the severed ends of his spider legs.
He looked down at his wound, then looked up at Roy, and for the first time, a hint of emotion other than arrogance appeared in his deep-set eyes.
That was fear.
Saint Saturn looked down at his two severed spider legs, black blood still seeping from the cuts.
He has lived for eight hundred years. This body has experienced countless battles and suffered countless injuries, but each time he has been able to recover completely thanks to that mysterious power.
But this time is different.
The Conqueror's Haki contained in Roy's strike remained in the wound.
Like countless fine needles, it relentlessly eroded the surrounding tissue, hindering the Power of Black Turn within his body from repairing the wounds.
He could feel that force continuing to wreak havoc; although it wasn't fast, it was definitely preventing him from regenerating.
"This level of Conqueror's Haki..."
Saint Saturn raised his head and looked at the young figure in mid-air.
He had witnessed Rocks ' Conqueror's Conqueror's Haki before; that man's Haki was indeed terrifying, but it was more about wildness and destruction.
Roy's Conqueror's Haki is different—it is more refined and precise, as if it has been precisely controlled by some kind of force.
The Telekinesis Fruit.
Saint Saturn silently recited the name of the fruit in his mind.
Back then, this fruit was only labeled as " Paramecia " in the World Government's Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
No one knew that Awakening would make them so terrifying.
If only I had known...
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs".
In mid-air, Roy put Shusui down from his shoulder and glanced down at the miserable Holy Knights below.
The two men he had cleaved in two were lying in pools of blood, their bodies completely severed.
But strangely, wisps of black mist were emanating from their wounds.
Roy raised an eyebrow slightly.
He knew what it was— Black Turn Domination, the power that the mysterious Imu had granted to the Celestial Dragons ' high command.
Through a special mark, the recipient can automatically repair their body when they suffer fatal damage, essentially giving them an extra life.
However, Black Turn doesn't make you invincible.
Roy had already gained a considerable understanding of the mechanics of the Black Turn when he fought against the Holy Knights.
The most important thing is--
Wherever the mark of Black Turn is etched, that is its weakness.