Above the Deserted Island, Gern coldly watched Oden being engulfed by the pale Tremor-Tremor Fruit explosion.
High-frequency shockwaves tore countless fine cracks in the air, twisting even light into an eerie rainbow hue.
Oden possessed talent almost on par with Roger—Three-color Haki, the ability to hear the voice of all things, and a physique akin to a monster.
But one had a terminal illness in the future, and the other, despite his strength, lacked a brain, relying solely on his instincts for everything.
"As expected of the future 'Boiled King'..." Gern scoffed softly, his fingertips trembling slightly as he sensed the information fed back by the shockwaves.
Zephyr, when facing Gern's high-frequency vibration field in the training ground back then, would use Armament Haki and immediately pull out of the area, yet Oden could still stand his ground, not dodging, taking every hit head-on.
Although he appeared to have hardened his entire body with Armament Haki, his muscles bulging like steel, Gern knew that his vibrations were not like those of other Nature Types.
Short-term defense was fine, but prolonged, pure impact could penetrate defenses, directly causing vibrations in bones, flesh, and internal organs!
Armament Haki couldn't hold out for long!!
"So, you can't hold out much longer either, can you?"
In the smoke and dust, Oden's figure swayed slightly, covered in wounds and bleeding profusely.
But his eyes still burned with fighting spirit, even... more wildly.
At this moment, Kozuki Oden even considered it an honor to be able to withstand Gern's attacks head-on!!
Therefore, to deal with such a powerful individual who "doesn't use his brain much," Gern didn't even need to engage in a direct confrontation.
His Observation Haki had already covered the area; every faint tremor in the air was his "eye."
Oden's breathing rhythm, muscle contractions, and even the subtle tremors of his blood flow were all under Gern's control.
"Right shoulder sinking for 0.3 seconds, left leg muscles tensing... Looks like he wants to charge forward." Gern's pupils contracted sharply, then he threw out black blade eight desolations, immediately following it up by powerfully kicking it out like a javelin!
The high-frequency shockwaves wrapped around the blade tore through the air, emitting a piercing shriek.
Almost at the same instant,
"Boom!!!" Oden split open the smoke and dust at the bottom of the pit, exploding outwards, his figure bursting forth like a beast.
His twin blades, infused with crimson-black Haki Infusion, shattered the remaining shock bullets, and he charged out with a wild laugh: "Gern, it's not over yet!!"
But his smile instantly froze.
black blade eight desolations, like a meteor, filled his entire vision; before the blade even reached him, the shockwaves had already cracked his skin!
"Wh-...?!!" Oden's wild laughter abruptly stopped.
In the nick of time, he could only rely on his beast-like instincts to dodge sideways; the blade grazed his neck, drawing a string of blood beads.
But this momentary delay was enough for Gern!
"Just as I thought, you really do rely on your instincts in combat." A cold voice exploded in Oden's ear.
Gern's figure flickered like a ghost, his fists joined like a hammer, wrapped in destructive pale shockwaves, and he smashed them towards Oden with a roar!
In an instant, the air shattered and disintegrated like fragile glass under the tearing force of the vibrations!
Visible ripples of shockwaves spread outwards in circles.
Wherever they passed, shattered rocks floated, dust swirled backward, and even the air was compressed into distorted vortices.
Oden's body was sent plummeting by this violent impact; the Armament Haki on his body flickered, yet it was still penetrated by the shockwaves.
His bones groaned under the immense pressure, his internal organs churned violently from the resonance, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.
But Gern's attack was not over.
Just as Oden was about to hit the ground—
"Quake Flash." Gern's figure suddenly blurred, turning into a pale afterimage; high-frequency vibrating particles boiled around him, and space seemed to tear open a fissure.
The next instant, he had already flashed behind Oden, his knuckles wrapped in Haki Infusion, while compressed "micro-tremor cores" emitted high-frequency hums.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!!" Dozens of rapid punches erupted in an instant, each one precisely hitting Oden's spine, back, and sides.
Each strike was accompanied by the implantation of a "micro-tremor core"!
Oden's pupils suddenly constricted, his body trembling violently in mid-air, and a spiderweb-like pattern of pale dots appeared on his skin's surface.
Immediately after, Gern spun around, perfectly catching black blade eight desolations, and then, using the momentum of his turn,
He slashed powerfully across Oden's abdomen, the impact directly slamming him into the ground!
"Boom!!" The Deserted Island trembled again; Oden's body, like a cannonball, embedded itself into the rock layers, blasting open a giant pit dozens of meters in diameter.
Dust soared into the sky, shattered rocks rained down, and yet the figure at the bottom of the pit was still struggling to stand!
Oden's arms trembled, Enma and ame no habakiri deeply plunged into the ground, supporting his tottering body.
"Hahaha...! This is more like it!!" He still had a wild, unhinged smile on his lips, blood dripping from his entire body, but the fighting spirit in his eyes showed no signs of diminishing.
"However, I didn't expect..." Oden looked at black blade eight desolations in Gern's hand.
"You, who possess one of the Supreme Grade Swords - Twelve Supreme Blades, are not even a swordsman!"
Hearing Oden's words, Gern watched coldly, having to admit that Oden was truly durable.
"I also didn't expect you to be so durable, like a..."
"Stubborn beast." Oden finished his sentence, his wild laughter exploding in the smoke and dust; blood dripped from his chin, but it was shattered into a bloody mist by some invisible force in mid-air.
"Bai Ji taught me the feeling of using that move; I felt it in my battle with you!"
Oden's arm muscles bulged, veins protruding like enraged dragons, and the blades of Enma and ame no habakiri suddenly hummed and vibrated.
The Haki Infusion of his Armament Haki receded like a tide, replaced by crimson-black lightning!
Haki Infusion!!
"Haki Infusion?!" Gern's pupils suddenly constricted; this was something he hadn't expected.
"You're right, I do rely on my instincts..." Oden slowly raised his twin blades, the Conqueror's Haki arcing on the blades pulsed like living things, and the surrounding air began to distort.
"But sometimes..." His figure suddenly blurred for an instant.
"I believe, instinct is enough!!!"
"Oden Two-Sword Style: Paradise White Waterfall!!!"
"Whoosh!" Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
Above the Deserted Island, a crimson-black fine line flashed past, like lightning tearing through the sky.
There was no magnificent slashing storm, no exaggerated energy burst, only a pure, ultimate "flash"!
Gern's Observation Haki instantly saw the future, but the speed of this slash had already surpassed the realm of "pre-cognition"!
"Swish!!"
The blade light swept across Gern's chest, silently severing, and a fine line of blood slowly appeared.
The high-frequency vibrating pale particles were actually cleaved open by this single slash, and even space temporarily cracked open a pitch-black fissure!
"Cough!" Gern's muffled groan was exceptionally clear amidst the gunpowder smoke.
He slowly lowered his head, looking at the hideous wound on his chest.
The blood first froze for an instant, then gushed out like a spring, staining his white uniform a dazzling crimson.
Oden's figure appeared dozens of meters behind him, his twin blades hanging down, blood dripping from their tips.
His breathing was heavy like an ox, his entire body trembling from overexertion, but the smile on his lips grew even more ferocious.
"How is it... Does this slash deserve your 'Heaven Quake'?"
"Cough cough..." Gern didn't answer, one hand covering the wound on his chest, the other leaning on black blade eight desolations plunged into the ground for support.
After stabilizing himself for a moment, he managed to pull out black blade eight desolations; the pale particles on the blade's edge re-condensed.
But this time—they were no longer scattered shockwaves, but flowed like liquid, gradually covering the entire blade!
"You intentionally took the 'micro-tremor cores' head-on just to let the vibration feedback interfere with my Observation Haki's pre-cognition."
Oden grinned: "My instinct told me that you would think I would rely on instinct."
"Heh heh..." Looking at the wound on his chest, Gern chuckled softly, blood sliding down his fingertips.
But the moment it touched black blade eight desolations—it was "hiss!" and evaporated into a bloody mist.
He lowered his head, gazing at the trembling blade in his hand; the pale vibrating particles that were originally wrapped around it,
Now churned like boiling magma, and a humming sound, like something awakening, came from deep within the blade.
"Buzz!!" A dark purple lightning bolt suddenly erupted from the blade of black blade eight desolations, circling the blade and shaking the surrounding space into a spiderweb of cracks!
Gern's pupils contracted slightly, then the corners of his mouth curved into a cold arc.
"So that's it..." His five fingers tightened; the trembling of black blade eight desolations grew more intense, as if responding to his fighting spirit, and also once again fully guiding Gern's Haoshoku!!
The patterns on the blade transformed; dark purple Haoshoku arcs intertwined with pale high-frequency vibrating particles,
Gradually merging into a completely new power—a purplish-white destructive energy!
"Only when facing a strong opponent will you cooperate with me?" Gern murmured, his voice laced with a hint of sarcasm, yet also a touch of excitement.
The next second—"Boom!!!"
Dark purple Conqueror's Haki erupted from Gern's body like a volcanic eruption; a torrent of violent energy soared into the sky, completely tearing apart the clouds above the Deserted Island!
The entire island trembled under the combined pressure of this Haoshoku and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power; seawater surged backward, forming giant waves dozens of meters high!
Oden's pupils suddenly constricted; his Haoshoku instinctively resisted it, and crimson-black lightning exploded around him.
Originally, Gern's Haoshoku only slightly overpowered his.
But this time... it was an instant crushing defeat!
"How can your Marine Haoshoku be stronger than Bai Ji's!" Oden gritted his teeth, his entire body's muscles tensed, and the blades of Enma and ame no habakiri were once again wrapped in Conqueror's Haki arcs.
Gern slowly raised black blade eight desolations, its tip pointing directly at Oden; purplish-white energy condensed on the blade.
The surrounding air twisted and collapsed due to the high-frequency vibrations, as if even light was being swallowed.
"Kozuki Oden..." Gern's voice was cold and calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.
"Next, I will make you understand..."
"What 'Two Kings Cannot Coexist' means."