The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"What...?!" Gurn's attention was completely focused on the struggle with Shanks and the punch he was about to unleash, and he minimized his defenses against his side and rear.

He only had time to hastily gather some of his Armament Haki to his left back before he was struck hard by this overwhelming force!

"Pfft!" A mouthful of blood gushed uncontrollably from his mouth.

His body flew out like a kite with a broken string, completely losing his balance, bouncing and tumbling on the hard, iron-like ice.

Each collision sent up a cloud of ice shards and a dull thud, leaving a trail of carnage hundreds of meters long.

Finally, Gern let out a low roar and plunged the Eight Desolations Sword into the ice!

"Sizzle!!!"

With a screeching sound, the black blade carved a deep furrow in the ice, scattering ice shards and sparks, finally managing to stop its momentum.

Gern knelt on one knee, leaning on his knife and breathing heavily. His left shoulder and back were burning with pain, clearly indicating that he had suffered a serious injury.

Then, he raised his somewhat blurry vision and looked around.

In the distance, Dorrag had already stood up again. Although his arms hung down unnaturally and trembled slightly, his posture remained upright.

He slowly lowered his hands, which had been in a pushing position, and the chaotic energy flowing through his body gradually subsided.

His face was as pale as paper, blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth, and the dent in his chest was shocking.

Clearly, it was he who unleashed that long-range wind pressure attack, gathering his remaining strength and disregarding his own injuries.

"Trouble!" Gern spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes darkening.

These words were almost an intuitive prediction!

Without hesitation, Gern instantly transformed his body into elements!

Sure enough, the instant his body prematurely transformed into elements...

A crimson blade of light silently swept across the area where his waist and abdomen had been, cleaving him in two at the waist!

Shanks' figure emerged from behind the blade's edge, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He hadn't expected that, despite being distracted by the Sight and Sound Killer, injured and out of balance, and with his vision obstructed, Gern could still make such a swift and correct reaction.

"I knew it! Someone like you would never pass up an opportunity like this!"

Guern, too, did not waste the opportunity gained through his injury to once again anticipate Shanks' attack rhythm!

The scattered pale particles did not go far away; instead, they suddenly converged inward a few meters behind Shanks.

In an instant, the right hand, with its five fingers forming a claw, wrapped in dark domineering energy and high-frequency shockwaves, fiercely grabbed at the back of Shanks' head!

Shanks was startled by a gust of wind coming from behind. Gern was too fast and too close; there was no time to fully turn around to block or dodge.

"Bang!!" Shanks' head was slammed to the ground!

"Success!" A cold light flashed in Gern's eyes, and he caused the air to vibrate around his hand, causing a white sphere to appear.

But then, an unexpected event occurred!

Dragon has launched another precise jamming attack!

"call!!!"

Two small but extremely sharp bluish-gray hurricanes intersected, one to the left and one to the right, tearing through the air and strangling Gern in the middle!

The timing was perfect, just as Gern was fully focused on capturing Shanks!

If he insists on grabbing Shanks, Gorn himself will inevitably be severely damaged by these two hurricanes.

"Tsk!" Gern cursed under his breath, forced to give up the advantage that was about to be gained.

The right hand that was grabbing Shanks' head was instantly withdrawn, and at the same time the body was forcibly twisted in mid-air, and the Eight Desolations held in the left hand swept out with the momentum of the turn!

"Heavenly Tremor - Circumferential Cut!!"

The pale, circular shockwave blades spread out from the Eight Directions as the center, colliding fiercely with the two hurricanes that were strangling towards them!

Bang! Bang! Two muffled sounds rang out as the hurricane was forcibly cleaved and shattered by the shockwave blade, dispersing into chaotic air currents.

But the wind pressure also caused Gern to freeze, leaving him suspended in mid-air with nowhere to gain leverage.

In that fatal moment when he blocked the hurricane and his body froze...

Shanks moved.

He didn't even turn around, as if he and Dorrag had already understood each other perfectly.

Taking advantage of the moment when Guern was caught in the hurricane, the ice beneath his feet shattered, and his figure vanished like a ghost. When he reappeared, he was already in mid-air behind Guern!

Griffin was dragged to his side, and the dark red arc of his dominant color had been compressed and condensed into a single point on the blade, emitting a dazzling blood-red light.

There was no roar, no build-up of power, only the simplest, purest, and most deadly horizontal slash.

"Gods, beware!!!"

Gern's Observation Haki was already slowed down by the interference of 'Observation Kill'.

Just as I deflected the hurricane, the old force had just dissipated and the new force had not yet arisen, my body was still slightly spinning in mid-air... There was no way to avoid it!

"Pfft!"

The dull thud of a sharp blade piercing flesh.

The crimson blade slashed in from behind Gern's waist, carrying an unstoppable cutting force that broke through Armament Haki defenses, tore through muscles, and was only barely stopped when it touched the bones!

"Ugh!" Gern groaned, his pupils dilated suddenly, and intense pain instantly swept through his body.

He was slammed down by the immense force of the slash and crashed into the already riddled ice below!

Boom!!!

The ice layer collapsed again in a terrifying manner, and a crater with a diameter of more than 20 meters suddenly appeared.

Spiderweb-like cracks spread wildly, stirring up a cloud of ice dust and snow mist that completely enveloped the point of impact.

Shanks landed lightly, the ice beneath his feet sinking slightly.

He flicked away a few drops of blood from the Griffin knife; the blade, reflecting the cold light of the icy plains, remained a glaring crimson.

His breathing was slightly rapid, and sweat was beading on his forehead. The continuous high-intensity bursts and the maintenance of 'Seeing and Hearing Kill' had clearly taken a toll.

Dragon also clutched his chest and walked over slowly, standing side by side with Shanks.

His arms hung limply at his sides, his face was deathly pale, but his eyes remained sharp as he stared intently at the deep pit shrouded in smoke and icy mist.

Neither of them spoke; they simply adjusted their breathing, gathering their remaining domineering aura and power.

For a moment, only the howling wind and the faint sound of ice chips falling from the deep pit remained on the ice field.

The smoke and dust settled slowly.

Chapter 608 I'll deal with you first!

"Gern!" Shanks held Griffin horizontally in front of him, his blade still radiating an aura of dominance. "Even you, fighting two against one, are already showing signs of fatigue."

"If we really fight to the bitter end and are driven to the brink of despair, you might be able to force us to retreat, but you yourself will pay an unbearable price!"

"So, stop now and go back to Marineford!"

"The overall situation on this ocean is far from being one where the navy has absolute authority!!!"

Shanks' words carried the confidence and warning befitting a Yonko, along with a subtle hint of admonition.

In other words, he was unwilling to fight the Admiral to the death here, as that would only allow the real enemy to reap the benefits.

"Ha ha……"

A low chuckle came from the smoke-filled pit below.

The laughter started softly, with a hint of suppressed emotion, but then grew louder and louder.

Finally, it turned into a burst of exhilarating, yet chilling, maniacal laughter!

"Hahaha... Hahaha! Shanks!!!"

The laughter stopped abruptly, then erupted.

Who do you think you are?!

"Is that your captain, the Pirate King 'Gol D. Roger'?!"

"Is that Edward Newgate, the 'Whitebeard' who bears the title of 'World's Strongest'?!"

"Is he still the 'Flying Pirate' Shiki the Golden Lion, who once rivaled Roger and single-handedly stormed Marine Headquarters?!"

Every question was like a heavy hammer blow to Shanks and Dragon's hearts.

It's not just a comparison of strength, but a sharp test of one's identity, stance, and spirit!

In particular, the people that Gern mentioned were the three people who, in the truest sense, had truly driven him to the brink of despair!

In other words, he! Shanks, is not worthy!!

Shanks' expression instantly turned serious, and Dragon's breath hitched slightly. They exchanged a glance, both seeing deep wariness in each other's eyes.

Gern is not in a good mood; there is no frustration in that laughter!

"You are not them!!"

"so......"

boom!!!!!!

Before the words were even finished, an unimaginable and terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the bottom of the pit!

The substantial shockwave exploded outwards in a spherical shape in all directions!

The bottom of the ice pit, which was completely empty, was now exposed!

"What?!" Shanks and Dragon's pupils shrank simultaneously!

Gern has disappeared?!

No, it's not gone! It's...

Click! Click, click, click...!

Centered on that empty ice pit, the air within a radius of a hundred miles suddenly emitted a dense, chilling wail, like shattering glass!

Visible, spiderweb-like pale cracks appeared out of nowhere throughout the space!

The sky, the ice surface, and even the air around the two of them were filled with these high-frequency vibrating cracks!

It was as if the whole world had been put into a transparent box that was about to shatter!

The air was violently vibrating and tearing apart!

Sound, light, and even perception are all distorted!

This is the full-fledged, unreserved power of the Heaven-War Fruit, resulting in absolute dominance and destruction of the environment!

Everything trembled and roared.

In the desolate realm where senses are in chaos, Shanks and Dragon's Observation Haki are subjected to an unprecedentedly strong interference!

They turned their heads almost simultaneously, trying to use their fighting instincts and line of sight to confirm each other's location and safety.

But, in that tiny fraction of a second when they turned their heads slightly and their eyes met!

A figure suddenly appeared between the two of them, right next to them!

It's Gern!

Without hesitation!

With his left hand, he grabbed Dorrag's cheek and forehead!

The right hand was equally fierce, precisely clamping down on the back of Shanks' head and the side of his neck!

“Got you.” Gern’s voice was chillingly calm.

next moment.

Without giving the two any chance to break free, it grabbed their heads and slammed them together!

"Thump!!!!!"

A dull thud echoed as skulls collided violently!