What was shocking, however, was that the ice, under the gravitational pull of the singularity, had now become incredibly dense and hard.
When those Flying Slashes struck the ice, they could only leave shallow marks on its surface, unable to break through to reach the black singularity inside.
"It's useless!" Flower Sword watched the scene helplessly:
"The ice is too dense—our slashes can't break it!
This won't work. The singularity's devouring power is growing stronger by the moment. Soon, even Old Man will be pulled in!"
Seeing this, a flash of resolve crossed Whitebeard's eyes.
Without hesitation, he mustered all his strength, channeling both the awakened power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and his Conqueror's Haki into Murakumogiri.
Once again, spatial cracks spread across the blade, radiating an aura of utter destruction.
He raised Murakumogiri high and brought it down with a fierce slash, roaring:
"Tyrant Slash: Falling Quake!"
A terrifying wave of Vibration Power surged toward the black singularity like a tsunami.
This was the strongest attack Whitebeard could muster at that moment.
He poured every ounce of his strength into it, hoping to shatter the ice encasing the singularity and destroy that terrifying black void.
The Vibration Power struck the ice with a deafening crash.
The ice surrounding the singularity shattered instantly, sending countless fragments flying in all directions like meteors.
But despairingly, even after the ice was broken, the black singularity inside remained completely unscathed, still emitting its violent gravitational pull.
Not only did the devouring force not weaken, but with the ice shattered, it grew even more ferocious, and the range of the gravitational field expanded once more.
Whitebeard stared at the unharmed black singularity, his expression darkening completely. For the first time, a sense of powerlessness welled up in his heart.
Throughout his life of battles, he had never felt so helpless. No matter how powerful an attack he unleashed, he couldn't even budge this tiny singularity.
Without a doubt, Ivan had truly perfected the mechanics and parameters of the Devil Fruit, flawlessly integrating them into this technique called "Planetary Devastation"!
This black singularity, which seemed to operate on the level of natural law, likely couldn't be destroyed except by a corresponding Devil Fruit ability or Haki that surpassed its limits.
And at this moment, even his own Haki couldn't destroy this black singularity!
Just then, the shattered ice and debris were pulled back toward the black singularity, encasing it once more.
Simultaneously, the black singularity began moving rapidly toward Whitebeard.
Under Ivan's control, it had locked onto him.
Whitebeard's expression changed drastically. He tried to escape, to avoid the singularity's pull.
But his body was already firmly trapped by the terrifying gravitational force. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free from its control, and his body was dragged uncontrollably toward the singularity.
"Old Man!"
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates cried out in worry at the sight.
They wanted to rush forward, to save Whitebeard.
But as soon as they approached, Whitebeard stopped them:
"Stay back, all of you! Leave this to me!"
After Whitebeard spoke, everyone immediately halted their advance.
As Whitebeard's sons, they trusted their Old Man completely.
Even now, when they were deeply worried, they were willing to obey his command.
After all, if they acted recklessly, they might not be able to help him and could instead become a burden.
Garp and Sengoku also watched the scene before them, their faces filled with shock.
They had only witnessed an attack of this magnitude decades ago, when Golden Lion Shiki invaded Marineford.
Back then, Shiki had hurled an entire island at Marineford.
But now, Ivan was creating a black hole with his bare hands.
Compared to the Planetary Devastation, which used gravity to pull in and capture everything, this move was even more astonishing!
As the gravitational force continued to rise, the Sealing Formula within it was activated.
Without Whitebeard noticing, part of the Sealing Formula wrapped around his body.
In an instant, Whitebeard stiffened completely and, under the horrified gazes of the Whitebeard Pirates, was dragged into the sphere formed by the singularity.
Ice and rocks instantly enveloped Whitebeard's body, converging madly toward the singularity, encasing him firmly and forming a thick barrier that sealed him inside.
A moment later, the black singularity stopped devouring, and the gravitational field gradually dissipated.
The singularity had vanished, replaced by a massive sphere floating above the inner bay.
This sphere was composed of ice, seawater, rocks, and other debris that had been swallowed.
Its diameter stretched hundreds of meters, resembling a mountain floating in the air.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates stared at the enormous sphere floating in the sky, their eyes filled with worry.
Among them, Flower Sword gripped his long blade tightly and said to Marco in a low voice:
"Marco, we must act now. If we don't rescue Old Man immediately, he might suffocate to death!"
Although Flower Sword had full confidence in Old Man, he loved him too much to gamble on even the slightest chance of his failure.
Marco's expression was fierce, his heart torn with hesitation.
However, as one of the first to follow Whitebeard as family, his trust in Whitebeard ultimately overcame his worry:
"No, we must believe in Old Man. From decades ago until now, he has never let us down!"
After Whitebeard was sealed, Marco's words became the will of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Although some among them were dissatisfied, none voiced opposition.
Because they were family, and they were willing to bear all consequences together with their family!
Now, the main focus of the entire battlefield was Ivan, who was breathing heavily, and the spherical mountain floating in the air.
As for Luffy and Buggy, who had shone brightly moments ago, they no longer drew attention.
And Buggy was no longer as arrogant and boastful as before.
He slumped on the ground, trembling all over, his face filled with terror as he stared fixedly at the enormous sphere in the sky and then at Ivan floating mid-air. He muttered hoarsely:
"This... this guy is actually this strong? What kind of power is this? It's too terrifying..."
Buggy's heart was filled with fear, but also with relief.
Relief that he hadn't acted impulsively and provoked Ivan.
He suddenly realized that even with his potential awakened by Uchiha Madara, he was still insignificant compared to monsters like Ivan, Whitebeard, and Garp.
The battlefield fell into dead silence.
All the fighting came to a complete halt. Everyone's gaze was tightly fixed on the massive sphere in the sky and on Ivan, who floated in mid-air.
The aura around Ivan had already weakened considerably. Clearly, unleashing such a formidable technique had consumed a great deal of his energy.
They awaited what would happen next—whether Ivan would succeed in sealing Whitebeard, or if Whitebeard could break free from the gravitational pull and escape from the mountainous sphere!