This card had already foretold the fate of the Supernovas who dared to strike together.
Among the Straw Cards, there existed only one card that symbolized absolute ruin.
The Tower.
It represented the collapse of belief, reckless defiance, shattered hopes, overwhelming upheaval, and an end that could not be escaped.
"What… what just happened?!"
The ground suddenly surged upward as if something colossal beneath it had turned over. A violent tremor rippled through the area, forcing everyone to stagger.
"Look at the remains!" someone shouted in terror. "The blood and body parts, why are they burning?!"
At first glance, the scattered flesh and shattered limbs left behind were visibly engulfed in flames, bubbling with heat.
"No… that is not fire!"
Drake was the first to realize the truth. His face drained of color as he staggered back several steps, instinctively distancing himself from the blazing ground.
He had seen an Admiral fight before.
He had seen this phenomenon.
"This is magma!"
Drake's voice trembled as he shouted a warning.
"Be careful! Shirogai is not dead! He is using another Admiral's Devil Fruit ability!"
Before he could finish his sentence, the earth beneath their feet erupted.
Boom!!
A vast torrent of molten magma burst upward, scorching the air and devouring everything in its path.
"Scatter!"
The pirates fled in panic as the boiling magma surged forward like a living beast.
"Run! Run! It is catching up!"
Screams echoed as Pirate Crew members scrambled desperately to escape the advancing inferno.
Sliiiide!
Without warning, their feet slipped out from under them.
"Ahhhh!"
Dozens of pirates fell hard, sliding helplessly across the ground.
Only then did they realize something was wrong.
"This ground… when did it turn into ice?"
"So cold… it is freezing!"
"I cannot feel my legs, Boss, I am going to freeze!"
A bone chilling cold seeped into their bodies as realization struck too late.
The street beneath them had transformed into a smooth, pale blue sheet of ice.
Snowflakes fell from the sky, thick and heavy, burying the ground layer by layer.
In the span of mere seconds, the battlefield had split into two worlds of absolute extremes.
One side was a raging sea of magma, boiling and expanding without restraint.
The other was a frozen hell, engulfed in blizzards and ice.
"This is Sabaody Archipelago!" Kid roared, his feet morphing into sharp metal blades to anchor himself. "This place is supposed to be summer all year round!"
He stared at the frozen mangrove trunks and ice encased streets in disbelief.
"Is this also his doing?"
Drake leapt onto a nearby building, narrowly avoiding the creeping magma below.
"Yes," he said hoarsely. "That frozen street belongs to Admiral Aokiji's Ice Ice Fruit."
He turned his gaze toward the molten chaos.
"And that magma is Admiral Akainu's Magma Magma Fruit."
His voice grew bitter.
"Three top tier Logia abilities. Light, magma, and ice."
Drake clenched his teeth.
"These are the powers that allow the Marines to stand against the Four Emperors."
Only now did he fully understand the weight behind Shirogai Yamikuro's bounty.
Five billion Berries was not an exaggeration.
It was a warning.
"He has faced Admirals… and survived," Drake muttered.
"That alone is terrifying."
"So this is what five illion Berries represents," Urouge said with a deep laugh as he stood atop a building, gripping his heavy stone weapon.
He looked down at the divided street, one side blazing, the other frozen solid.
"Turning a battlefield into two extremes with ease. That power is beyond imagination."
"ROOM, Shambles."
Law activated his Devil Fruit ability instantly, swapping himself and his companions with stones on a nearby rooftop.
They reappeared on an adjacent building just as magma swallowed the space they had occupied moments earlier.
"So hot!" Bepo cried, sticking out his tongue in horror. "I hate heat!"
Law stared at the transformed battlefield, letting out a bitter chuckle.
"This keeps getting worse."
Far away, Hawkins stood at a safe distance, his crew already withdrawn. He gazed coldly at the street that had become a living purgatory.
"The result does not change," he muttered. "The Tower still stands."
…
Screams echoed from the streets.
"Captain, save me! It burns!"
"My body is on fire, it hurts, it hurts!"
Some pirates rolled helplessly in magma, their cries cut short as they were reduced to charred remains.
Blackened skeletons floated atop the molten surface, crumbling into slag.
Others fared no better.
They escaped the magma only to stumble into the frozen streets.
"I made it out… quick…"
"I am freezing, help…"
The ice spread rapidly across their bodies.
Within seconds, they froze solid, transformed into ice sculptures locked in running poses, standing silently against the howling wind.
"Incredible," Apoo muttered, staring at his frozen companions.
For the first time, there was no hatred in his eyes.
Only fear.
"Ah bah bah bah bah," he laughed nervously, baring his piano like teeth. "This was truly enlightening. A five billion Berries pirate is not someone I should provoke."
He turned sharply.
"Time to run!"
"You are only thinking about running now?"
A calm, mocking voice sounded behind him.
Apoo froze.
Crack.
Ice surged up from beneath his feet, instantly locking him in place.
"Oh no!"
Apoo looked down in despair.
"Why me again? Is it because I attacked first? How petty!"
Shirogai stepped forward through the falling snow.
His white hair shimmered faintly as cold air radiated from his body. His expression was calm, almost bored.
He raised his hand toward Apoo.
"Ice Burial."
Crack crack crack!
Ice crystals spread rapidly from Apoo's body. His hastily summoned Armament Haki shattered almost instantly under the overwhelming cold.
In less than two seconds, Apoo was completely encased.
The Supernova known as Sea Rumble became nothing more than an ice statue, frozen mid escape.
The remaining Supernovas felt a chill crawl down their spines.
Boom!
The magma street suddenly erupted again.
A massive magma fist surged upward, smashing toward Capone Bege's position.
Bege sensed the danger and dodged instantly.
"Magma arm?" he muttered grimly.
"Minions, destroy it."
Openings appeared across his chest as cannonballs launched outward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions blasted the magma fist apart, scattering molten fragments across the street.
Gurgle… gurgle…
The magma reformed in midair, twisting into a humanoid shape.
Shirogai emerged once more with short red hair, eyes burning with cold fanaticism.
"Blind fools," he said calmly, drawing his thumb across his throat. "Let magma cleanse your vision."
Bege's eyes widened in disbelief.
"There is… another one?"
His cigar nearly slipped from his mouth.