The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"I said go to the island." Gern coldly glanced at the dust-shrouded deserted island, his Armament Haki dissipating from his left hand, his voice as icy as ever.

"Since you won't go, then I'll personally beat you up there."

"Just what I wanted!!" The dust on the deserted island was suddenly dispersed by a violent and domineering aura, and rubble and clods of earth flew everywhere like a rainstorm.

Kozuki Oden slowly rose from the deep pit, his chest heaving violently, but a near-maniacal smile spread across his lips.

His kimono was already tattered, revealing his strong, steel-like muscles, and fine cracks appeared on his skin.

Those were the marks left by the impact of the "high-frequency shock core," but they disappeared in an instant, visible to the naked eye.

After all, he was the man who would one day be able to take Roger's miraculous evasions without any protection, so Gern didn't expect to make any impact with his punch.

"Hahaha!" Oden's laughter boomed like thunder, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.

"Baiji said you left a deep impression on him back then..." He raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, his twin swords "Enma" and "Ame no Habakiri" twirling in his palm.

The Flowing Infant Armament Haki coiled around the blade as if it were alive, causing the blade to hum.

"I've come all this way..." Before he could finish speaking, the ground beneath Oden's feet collapsed with a deafening roar!

"So..." Oden's figure vanished instantly, and when he reappeared, he had leaped into the air like a demon and landed on top of Gern's head, slashing down with his twin swords crossed!

"There has to be something memorable that I gain!!"

"Oden Two-Sword Style: Totsuka Slash!!" The slash was like the roar of an angry dragon. Wherever the blade passed, the coastline of the deserted island was cleaved open by this strike, and seawater rushed in!

"Heh, you bastard..." Gern raised his eyes coldly, his pupils reflecting the approaching storm of slashes.

He then gripped the sword with one hand, and high-frequency vibrating pale particles once again condensed on the Eight Desolate Sword Peak, while dark red arcs of Armament Haki surged wildly!

Even if you underestimate justice... there's a limit!!!

Blade against blade, and the world fell silent for a moment.

"boom!!"

The sky was divided in two.

Chapter 99 Evenly matched

Along the island's coastline, a blast of air erupted, and two figures suddenly separated in the smoke and dust.

"Hahaha! That was exhilarating! So exhilarating!" Kozuki Oden's wooden clogs clattered as he walked.

He danced around like a madman, even making strange "ooh ooh ooh" noises of excitement.

Gern stood on the broken rock formation not far away, slowly rotating the Black Blade Eight Desolations in his hand, the blade emitting a high-frequency vibrating hum.

At the same time, his pupils reflected Oden's wild figure, and he calmly analyzed the situation in his mind.

"Three-colored domineering aura, listening to all things, monster physique..."

If it were Oden who went to the final island with Roger in the future and became 'invincible,' I wouldn't stand a chance against him now.

The sea breeze, carrying wisps of smoke, swept by. Gern slowly raised his hand, unbuttoning his cloak of justice, letting it billow in the wind.

He then gripped the hilt of the sword tightly, and pale particles re-condensed on the blade: "But the current Kozuki Oden, having only been at sea for a year, is at most close to the Admiral level..."

"Since that's the case..." Thinking this, Gern suddenly looked up, a flash of red light passing through his eyes.

"I'll use you as a whetstone... to see where my limits are!!"

Before he finished speaking, Gern's Conqueror's Haki erupted once more, dark purple arcs of electricity coiling around his body like mad snakes, and the ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch.

The dark purple Conqueror's Haki erupted like a volcano, exploding in a ring around Gern.

Oden, who was about to rush over, suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening beneath his triangular sideburns.

"Conqueror's Haki?!" Oden's maniacal laughter froze on his face. "They even have it in the Navy?"

Then, a second later, he let out an even more excited scream: "Interesting!!"

At the same time, Conqueror's Haki was suddenly released, and the crimson shockwave collided fiercely with Gern's purple lightning in the air.

"Crack...crack!" Amidst the teeth-grinding sound of shattering, Oden's Conqueror's Haki was actually suppressed.

"What a joke..." Oden staggered back two steps, his face showing shock for the first time.

"This guy's domineering aura... is actually stronger than mine?!"

Taking advantage of the moment Oden was stunned, Gern seized the opportunity, his figure instantly advancing, his black blade, Eight Desolations, drawing a pale white arc: "Heavenly Tremor - Instant Slash!"

Wherever the blade passed, space shattered like glass, and the high-frequency vibrating slashes aimed straight at Oden's throat.

Oden reacted extremely quickly, parrying with his twin swords crossed.

"Clang!" The deafening sound of metal colliding was deafening, and the shockwave spread out in a spherical shape visible to the naked eye.

The ground beneath his feet collapsed with a deafening roar, and the muscles in his arms bulged, yet he was still being pressed down by the knife.

"You bastard, you have incredible strength!!" Oden laughed even more maniacally under the immense pressure: "But, well done!"

Using the recoil, Oden spun around abruptly, raised his twin swords to deflect Gern's slash, and then countered with a backhand strike.

"Oden Two-Sword Style: Reverse Scale!" The twin swords drew perfect crimson-black arcs, and Gern's Observation Haki alerted him, causing him to quickly lean back.

A thin line of blood spurted from his left cheek—he was just a hair's breadth away from having half his head chopped off.

"It's not over yet!" Oden's attacks came like a storm, his twin swords turning into a blur of afterimages: "Oden Two-Sword Style: Sakura Chaos!"

He brandished his twin swords, and the attack swept swiftly toward Gern.

Upon seeing this, Gern's pupils contracted sharply, and the Eight Desolations danced in front of him to form an impenetrable barrier.

Each time the swords clashed, the pale particles would deflect some of the impact, but Oden's slashes were simply too dense.

A flash of light broke through his defenses, tearing a wound in his left shoulder.

"Don't engage a swordsman in close combat!" Knowing he wasn't skilled in swordsmanship, Gern seized an opportunity to leap into the air, his blade plunging downwards into the ground.

It unleashed a torrent of shockwaves in eight directions, causing the ground to crack open like flower petals, engulfing all enemies within its range.

Seeing this, Oden decisively retreated, but by the time he jumped into the air, Gern's figure had already disappeared from the spot.

"When?!" Oden's Observation Haki detected Gern's presence, and he glanced sideways.

Gern materialized into a semi-elemental form around his body, his Armament Haki hardening his left fist, and vibrating particles compressed to the tip of his fist.

"Black Shock - Meteor!" Gern unleashed a punch, and Oden, caught off guard, took the blow to the back.

As the sound of shattering rang out, Oden's entire body twisted and contorted, then his body tumbled and rose into the sky like a kite with a broken string, blood spurting from the corner of his mouth.

However, just as he was about to break through the clouds, a black and red lightning bolt suddenly flashed in his vision.

It was Gern, who should have been on the ground, who reappeared above him at an even faster speed!

"you......"

“You have even less chance in the air!” Gern’s right arm completely transformed into flowing, vibrating particles.

Dark red Armament Haki formed spiral patterns at the elbow joint, spreading across the entire arm.

Oden's pupils contracted sharply. He saw the other's outstretched fingers, like the claws of a predatory bird, gripping his face with high-frequency vibrations that distorted space.

"not good!!"

The moment his Armament Haki-hardened fingers gripped Oden's chin, the muscles in Gern's entire right arm suddenly tripled in size: "Black Shock - Heaven's Fall!!!"

A shockwave comparable to a meteorite impact exploded between the two, instantly scattering Oden's samurai hairstyle.

Hair danced wildly in the raging air currents, and the body plummeted from the sky like a meteor.

The air was compressed, producing a piercing popping sound, and the kimono burst into a crimson flame from the high-speed friction, leaving a long trail of fire.

"Boom-boom!!!"

Oden crashed heavily into the center of the deserted island, the ground shattering like fragile thin ice, and a terrifying shockwave spread out in a ring.

The mountain within a radius of several hundred meters collapsed in an instant!

Gravel, wood chips, and clods of earth were shaken high into the air, and dust surged up like a tsunami, obscuring the sky and the sun.

"Ugh!" Oden coughed up a mouthful of blood, his back sinking deep into the ground.

The rock beneath them was smashed into a crater tens of meters in diameter, with spiderweb-like cracks spreading wildly.

Oden's fingers dug deep into the ground as he tried to prop himself up, but his bones felt like they were falling apart and his internal organs were churning from the impact.

His vision blurred for a moment, but quickly, he gritted his teeth, and the blade of Enma plunged deep into the ground, supporting him as he slowly stood up.

"It really hurts, just like the vibration from Baiji..."

However, it's my turn now!!

........

Just as Gern was catching his breath, a sudden, startling sound rang out.

"Oden's Two-Sword Style..." Oden laughed loudly from the deep pit, and a violent slash erupted from the ground.

Immediately after, he stomped his foot, the ground exploded, and his figure rushed towards Gern like a cannonball.

As he wielded his twin swords, crimson-black slashes rained down like a storm: "Chaotic Blades!!!"

This time, Gern was knocked back to the ground. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and said coldly, "Your physique is truly monstrous."

After saying that, he gripped the Eight Directions tightly, and the blade once again shone with a pale light, shooting straight upwards!

Facing Oden's attack, Gern neither dodged nor evaded. The black sword, Hachiro, spun in his hand, and the vibrating particles formed an invisible barrier that shattered Oden's slash.

At the same time, he clenched his left fist, and high-frequency vibrating pale particles condensed at the knuckles.

With a single punch, space shattered like a mirror; Oden's Observation Haki, though it predicted the attack...

But the vibration still caused his movements to pause slightly.

Chapter 100 Each Utilizes Its Own Advantages

On the warship, Libo's droopy ears stood up high, her eyes fixed on the shockwaves that kept erupting on the deserted island in the distance. Each collision made her heart pound violently.

“Gern…”

She could clearly sense that the warrior's aura was terrifyingly strong, almost on par with Gern's.

"Sergeant!" Libo turned around abruptly, her droopy ears slightly popping from static electricity. "Contact Uncle Sakazuki immediately!"

"Lieutenant General Sakazuki." Sergeant Sakazuki snapped out of his daze, rushing to the communications room, his trembling fingers dialing the strictly confidential channel.

This is the only remaining communication line between Gern and Sakaski.

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki!" Sergeant's voice was hoarse with anxiety. "We've encountered the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Commodore Gern is currently battling Kozuki Oden, the 18nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, with a bounty of 7000 billion Berries!

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication line, followed by the gurgling sound of boiling lava.

“Location.” Sakazuki’s voice was as cold as ice.

The sergeant quickly reported the coordinates, but the communication was abruptly cut off as soon as he finished speaking.

He gripped the microphone blankly, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "Warrant Lieutenant Lipo, Lieutenant General Sakazuki... "

“He will come. And Gern will not lose!” Libo’s gaze returned to the sea, a resolute glint in her eyes.

........

On the deserted island, the fierce battle between the two had left it unrecognizable. The coastline had been cleaved and torn apart, and the central area was filled with giant craters resembling those from meteorites.

Before the smoke and dust had cleared, Oden's twin swords, trailing crimson and black tassels, traced scorching paths through the air.

"Hahaha! Again!!" He laughed wildly, the blood at the corner of his mouth still wet, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even brighter.

Meanwhile, the kimono was already torn, and the exposed upper body was covered with fine scars.

Gern watched coldly, the black blade Eight Desolations in his hand trembling slightly, pale particles coiling around the blade as if they were alive.

There was also a deep wound on his left shoulder, exposing the bone, with blood dripping down his arm.

Suddenly, Oden roared and slashed out with his twin swords crossed. His crimson and black aura condensed into two roaring dragons, tearing through the ground and rushing straight at Guern.

Wherever it passed, the rock strata were cut open like tofu, and seawater poured into the cracks, creating towering waves.

Gern's pupils contracted, and the blade plunged into the ground: "Rumble!"