Year 1499 of the Sea Circle Calendar · Deep Autumn, October
After the mission to eradicate Roger's bloodline ended in humiliating failure, Spandine was now a pitiful sight—curled up in a remote, forgotten harbor on some backwater island in the first half of the Grand Line.
Every single day, he lived on edge, nerves stretched taut, daring not to return to Mary Geoise to report. He frantically fabricated excuse after excuse, doing everything he could to buy time.
But fate, as always, was steeped in bitter irony.
Just as Spandine was racking his brain over how to explain himself to the World Government, a battered old adventure ship sailed into his field of view.
And the irony deepened.
Fluttering atop that ship—clear as day—was the flag of Ohara.
Through underhanded means, Spandine pried information from one of the scholars aboard and learned a secret so earth-shattering that it could allow him to redeem his failure in one stroke.
These scholars of Ohara were still, even now, secretly researching the history explicitly forbidden by the World Government—
the "Void Century."
...
At the same time, far away in the waters of the New World—
An isolated island not even labeled with a name on the world map, Sakapatji, had today drawn the highest authorities of the Marines.
Steel Bone Kong stood at the prow of a warship, his cloak snapping violently in the sea wind heavy with salt and iron.
Behind him stood Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr—three living symbols of the Marine's supreme combat power of the old era—each staring silently at the desolate island ahead.
"Today's weather…"Lepu's snow-white rabbit ears twitched slightly as she tilted her head up toward the spotless blue sky."…is almost unsettlingly nice."
"Yeah. Calm seas, clear skies."Tesoro wore a faint, unreadable smile, yet his gaze flicked toward the surveillance Den Den Mushi circling high above.Inside, he sneered quietly.Heh… the Five Elders are really looking forward to this 'performance,' huh.
"Hey—so that guy Kuzan," Enel asked, turning his head toward Snake Princess. "Is he strong?"
"Strong."Snake Princess parted her crimson lips, her tone even, absolute, leaving no room for doubt."In this era, anyone at the admiral level is almost impossible to shake."
She paused, lowering her gaze to the black blade Eight Desolations, which Gern Reginald Sigmar had entrusted to her before stepping onto the island.
"Unless it's an existence of that level…"(…Rocks.)"…anyone who fights an admiral is destined for a brutal battle."
"A brutal battle?"
"In any case, just watch carefully."Snake Princess tilted her head slightly toward Enel, the corner of her lips lifting into a meaningful curve."Because this fight…"
"…will completely shatter that ridiculous 'godly arrogance' of yours."
"Tch!"Enel snorted coldly, yet his eyes drifted involuntarily toward the black blade in her hand as he muttered under his breath,"No one… can be stronger than a god."
But no one knew whether the "god" he spoke of meant himself—
—or Gern Reginald Sigmar.
...
"So it's finally come."Steel Bone Kong sighed from the upper deck.
"Hmph."Sengoku crossed his arms and snorted."The 'show' the World Government wants to see may not go the way they expect."
"I'm more worried…"Kong frowned slightly."…that those two brats won't act at all."
"You mean—"Sengoku froze for a beat and turned to him."They're going to fight for real?"
Just as Kong was about to respond, the Den Den Mushi between them suddenly spoke. Tsuru's voice came through, heavy with a quiet sigh.
"Does it really matter whether it's real or fake?"
Her voice was low, but every word pierced like a needle."The ones who'll suffer most from this battle are Garp and Zephyr."
"After all, both Gern and Kuzan are direct disciples of the two of them—and at the same time… each is the other's junior."
As Tsuru's voice faded, Kong and Sengoku fell silent. Almost in unison, they turned their heads toward the railing.
Under the sunlight, Garp and Zephyr stood side by side.
The shadows of the two old soldiers stretched long across the deck—
yet those shadows seemed bent, as though weighed down by some heavy, inescapable past.
...
Meanwhile, on Sakapatji Island—
At the island's center, two figures stood facing each other.
"Didn't think the day would really come, Kuzan."Gern Reginald Sigmar lifted his gaze and smiled lightly as the sea breeze tugged at the hem of his black shirt.
Kuzan stood with his hands in his pockets, eyes drifting to Gern's waist—
where there was nothing.
His brow rose slightly, a hint of amusement in his voice."Hey, hey… what's this supposed to mean?""Are you looking down on me?"
Cold air condensed with his words, forming drifting white mist.
"This big a fight, and you didn't even bring a weapon."
Gern's lips curved upward into a familiar smile.
"Kuzan…"He raised his left hand, flexing his fingers slightly as pitch-black Armament Haki coiled around them like a living thing, gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen under the sun.
"Back then, we smashed ships together under Vice Admiral Garp at the scrapyard, didn't we?"
Kuzan's eyes flickered as memories surged forth—
Decades ago.Two young Marine recruits, roaring under Garp's furious shouts, slamming their fists into steel hulls.Their knuckles split and bled, yet neither was willing to stop.
"So—"Gern clenched his fist. Black lightning flashed as the air itself compressed, releasing a faint explosive crack.
"Compared to using a blade…"
"I'd rather fight you—"
"With my fists!"
Kuzan froze for an instant—then burst out laughing.The ground beneath his feet instantly froze solid, frost spreading outward like a tide. Ice crystals crawled over the ruins, painting everything white.
"If that's how it is…"His smile slowly faded, replaced by a razor-sharp gaze.
"Then just like back in training—"
The ice layer suddenly exploded. Frigid air surged, his presence condensing into sheer pressure.
"I'll freeze you into an ice sculpture, Gern!"
In an instant, a torrent of extreme cold erupted from Kuzan!
Moisture in the air crystallized instantly into countless ice particles, forming a pale, raging wave that surged toward Gern.
Even drifting dust froze midair, turning into tiny grains of ice that rained down with a soft clatter.
Gern's pupils contracted sharply as his grin widened."Then let's see you try, Kuzan!"
"BOOM!!"
A visible white shockwave detonated from beneath his feet. The ground shattered like fragile glass.
Invisible vibrations collided head-on with the onrushing cold, unleashing a deafening roar!
Ear-grinding cracking sounds echoed nonstop.
Kuzan's frost spread wildly, freezing everything it touched—
while Gern's震动力量 (vibrational force) pulsed relentlessly, pulverizing the frozen layers inch by inch.
Between them, an eerie balance formed.
To the left—an ever-expanding world of ice crystals.To the right—a domain of ceaselessly shattering vibrations.
"Haha…"Excitement curled at the corner of Kuzan's mouth."Now this is more like it!"
"Burst Thorns!!"
At his command, dozens of jagged ice spikes erupted violently from the frozen ground, lunging at Gern like living creatures.
Gern's right fist, wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki, slammed into the earth.
"Heavenquake · Earth Roar!"
"BAM—CRACK!!"
The ground within a hundred meters surged like ocean waves.The incoming ice spikes shattered instantly upon contact with the shockwaves, exploding into a skyful of icy mist that refracted sunlight into dazzling colors.
But the next second—
The mist re-condensed.
Countless tiny ice needles formed and shot toward Gern from all directions!
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
Gern crossed his arms, Armament Haki hardened to its limit. The needles struck him with sharp, metallic chimes.
With a sudden surge of pressure, he shattered every last needle, then snapped his head up—
only to find Kuzan's figure gone.
"Above!"
The moment his Observation Haki reacted, Gern looked up to see Kuzan descending from the sky, a massive ice blade cleaving down toward him!
Gern didn't dodge.
His left fist, packed with high-frequency vibrations, slammed upward to meet it head-on.
"BOOOOM!!!"
The collision of two Devil Fruit powers unleashed a devastating shockwave. Amid exploding ice storms and裂开的空间裂痕, the two figures were hurled backward—
only to tear through the air again an instant later, rebounding like mirrored images.
A frost-wrapped azure trail and blinding white vibration light crossed the distance between them in less than a thousandth of a second!
Kuzan's left hand turned pitch black. Extreme cold condensed around his fist, forming a crystalline ice gauntlet.Armament Haki wrapped around it like thorns, his pupils reflecting Gern's figure.
Gern's lips curled upward as well.High-frequency vibration particles were already packed into his right fist.Pale cracks like spiderwebs spread across the surface of his blackened Armament Haki.
In the same instant, both men threw their punches, roaring—
"Ice Bind · Bone Fist!"
"Black Quake · Shatterstar!"
"BOOOOM!!!"
The moment their fists collided, time itself seemed to stop.
Kuzan's frozen gauntlet shattered inch by inch under the crushing vibrations, flying ice crystals refracting tens of thousands of rainbow streaks through the air.
At the same time, the vibrational cracks on Gern's fist were eroded by extreme cold—pale energy streams froze in place like lightning trapped in ice.
Kuzan's fist slammed into Gern's right cheek.Gern's fist smashed into Kuzan's left cheek!
Both faces twisted from the impact—
yet neither retreated even half a step.
"BANG!"
With the final explosion, both were blasted backward, twisting midair before landing, carving hundreds of meters of deep trenches into the ground.
When the smoke and dust finally cleared, the two stood facing each other from afar—
and spoke in perfect unison:
"Hey, you bastard—get serious already!!!"