Feeling the scorching heat closing in on his back, Shiki instinctively clenched his teeth.
This yellow brat... had really gotten faster!
A shocking thought suddenly flashed through his mind—
Could it be... this cunning little Marine had broken through as well!?
There was no time to think. In that split-second of crisis, Shiki had to make a choice.
If he followed through with his strike, he could seriously wound or even kill the magma brat—but he'd also be run through by that sly yellow bastard right behind him!
Without hesitation, he made his decision.
His reverse slash abruptly changed course, locking blades with Borsalino's Ama no Murakumo.
"So, you hesitated…"
A faint, amused smile tugged at Borsalino's lips.
Shiki froze.
And then—blinding golden light exploded across his vision.
A dazzling radiance burst from Borsalino's body, momentarily blinding him. Tears streamed uncontrollably from Shiki's bloodshot eyes.
"AAARRRGHH! You bastards!!"
Temporarily robbed of his sight, Shiki let out a furious roar as his long golden mane whipped wildly in all directions.
A terrifying burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded from his body, overwhelming everything in its path and engulfing all of Marineford.
The air howled like a storm from hell. Black and red lightning tore through the sky, constantly crackling into existence before vanishing again.
The ground heaved like a tsunami had struck—crumbling in layers, massive fissures ripping open across the earth as if leading into the abyss.
Sakazuki and Borsalino, the closest to him, grunted under the crushing pressure of the Haki. Their bodies trembled violently, flickering with signs of elementalization as they were forced to retreat and put distance between themselves and Shiki.
Daren stood firm on the fractured ground, panting heavily. He raised an arm to shield himself from the surging shockwave, his eyes flashing with rare intensity.
Shiki really was one of the greatest monsters on the seas.
Whether it was swordsmanship, Haki, physical prowess, or adaptability in battle, he was near flawless.
Sight was one of humanity's most relied-upon senses.
Even well-trained fighters proficient in Observation Haki instinctively depended on their vision to guide their attacks.
To be suddenly blinded—especially in the heat of a deadly battle—would be enough to shake even the steeliest of wills, triggering panic and hesitation.
But not Shiki.
Even in that perilous moment, robbed of sight, he relied on his years of battlefield instincts and physical reflexes to unleash a fresh burst of Haki, successfully forcing back both Sakazuki and Borsalino.
"But... the tide has turned."
A faint grin crept onto Daren's lips as his gaze shifted forward.
He saw Kuzan drop from the sky, landing on one knee. Without hesitation, Kuzan raised a hand and slammed it into the ground, eyes cold and unreadable.
"Ice Age."
Whoosh—
In utter silence, the world ahead turned a blinding white.
If seen from above, one would witness a wave of frost radiating out from Kuzan at incredible speed, blanketing the battlefield.
Flames, debris, crumbling fortresses—even bullets and cannon shells fired from afar—were frozen in an instant.
Everything in sight became solid ice.
The swirling ice crystals surged upward, clashing with Shiki's raging Conqueror's Haki, spiraling around him—then surged inward all at once, instantly encasing his body in a frozen grip!
"Freeze him!!"
Bloodshot veins crept across Kuzan's eyes.
Blood spilled from his mouth, nostrils, eyes, even his ears. The veins on his forehead and the backs of his hands bulged violently—he had clearly pushed his Devil Fruit power to its absolute limit!
Ice crystals bloomed around Shiki, layer upon layer wrapping his body, climbing higher and higher until they formed a towering iceberg over a hundred meters tall.
Within the glistening ice, Shiki's furious and defiant figure remained clearly visible—like a lifelike statue carved from frost.
"Did it work?"
"What a monstrous technique!"
"He really is one of HQ's monsters!"
"…"
Marines in the distance could only stare, stunned, murmuring in disbelief.
But before the words even settled, a sharp cracking sound echoed from within the massive iceberg.
Crack!
Hairline fractures spread across the surface, quickly branching outward in a web of lines. In mere seconds, they covered the entire structure.
Black and red arcs of lightning burst from the cracks. Kuzan, his arms turned to pillars of ice, felt his vision blur. He could already sense his limit—Shiki was on the verge of breaking out through sheer force of Haki.
Gritting his teeth, he roared,
"Daren!!!"
But there was no need to call—Daren was already moving!
He straightened his back, eyes wide open, arms thrown out to his sides.
Visible blue arcs of electricity surged across his body, expanding into an invisible magnetic field that spread outward in waves.
Rumble…
In that instant, all of Marineford seemed to tremble under a strange, overwhelming force.
"Rise!!"
Blood streamed from Daren's eyes. Crimson dripped from the corners of his mouth as he cried out.
The magnetic field surged into chaos.
Under the stunned, disbelieving gazes of everyone—
Turrets launched into the air.
Heavy metal cannons tore free from their foundations.
Steel bars ripped from the earth and shattered ruins.
Broken blades and shattered swords from across the battlefield...
Countless metal objects were wrenched from their places, hurtling skyward, drawn by the magnetic force.
From a distance, it looked like a black swarm of locusts blotting out the sky—rushing toward the figure within the iceberg at blinding speed.
One piece. Two. Three. Four...
They slammed together, twisted, compacted, reshaped...
And slowly, they began to rise.
In the dead silence that followed, an enormous sphere formed—assembled from countless pieces of warped metal.
Thirty meters wide, the giant sphere hovered in the air like a small black moon.
The sight was terrifying.
"Magnetic Prison…"
Blood covering his face, Daren whispered hoarsely.
He raised one arm and clenched it into a fist toward the floating orb.
In an instant, the surface of the sphere crackled with blue lightning.
Thousands of metallic components compressed violently again under the force of the magnetic field...
The dents and gaps on its surface sealed tight.
"—Annihilation!"
A sharp crackling echoed from deep within.
And from between the seams of the sphere...
A faint trickle of blinding red leaked out, dripping down.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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