Roger, unfazed by Sakazuki’s taunt, grinned and unleashed a swirling Haki-infused slash with his long blade.
The condensed sword energy, like a stream of light, shot towards Sakazuki.
Sakazuki’s eyes narrowed, his arms instantly clad in Haki as he raised his left hand to block the sword energy diagonally.
Clang!
His right fist struck with immense force, the elbow exploding with power and slamming into his left hand.
A colossal shockwave erupted, blasting the black sword energy backward into the forest.
Boom!
A mushroom cloud rose, followed by a howling hurricane and waves of heat that dispersed the thick black smoke over the town. The moment the smoke vanished.
Swish!
The two men disappeared from their positions, reappearing elsewhere. Their forms collided for an instant before vanishing again.
Boom!
Where they had just been, the ground exploded as if bombs had been buried, sending debris of houses and molten rock skyward.
Then, the clang of metal on metal echoed ceaselessly, their colliding afterimages appearing and disappearing.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!....
Countless pillars of magma surged from the earth.
Their figures reappeared once more, a ruthless glint in Sakazuki’s eyes.
Clang!
Sparks flew as Sakazuki’s dark left hand firmly gripped Roger’s long blade. His right hand, clad in Armament Haki and sharpened like a blade, thrust towards Roger’s heart.
Meanwhile, Roger’s left hand, also coated in Armament Haki, grabbed Sakazuki’s wrist.
Crack!
The sound of bone breaking echoed. Sakazuki, unconcerned, transformed his right hand into a claw, gripping Roger’s wrist in turn. With his right leg, imbued with Armament Haki, he kicked towards Roger’s knee.
Clang!
Roger parried with his own Armament Haki, and the two were locked in a stalemate.
At this moment, Sakazuki channeled his power, forming six magma vents on his back. Boundless magma and explosive force erupted, as if a rocket booster had been attached to his back.
Propelled by this, they, unable to separate, charged towards the coast.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!....
Crushing countless boulders and trees, Sakazuki’s scorching aura surged with a hint of madness. His body glowed a deep red as he held Roger in an iron grip.
That intense heat sent alarm bells ringing in Roger’s heart. Sakazuki’s eyes held a flicker of frenzy.
“Magma God’s Ball!”
Roger’s pupils contracted. It was too late.
BOOM!!!
A colossal mushroom cloud formed from magma billowed upwards, filling the entire beach with endless smoke and searing heat. Magma surged outwards, spreading relentlessly.
In an extremely short time, it consumed everything visible within sight.
At the epicenter of the explosion, the immense shockwave tore the earth apart, akin to an earthquake, shaking the entire island multiple times.
Fierce heatwaves swept out, carrying thick black smoke and molten rock, swallowing everything in sight like a mudslide.
The beach at the center of the explosion was gone, replaced by a massive magma crater, over a thousand meters in diameter and a hundred meters deep.
Within the deep pit, the two men stood facing each other.
Magma flowed from Sakazuki’s body from various points. It was unclear if it was blood or just magma. His magma form was riddled with cracks that healed slowly.
Roger’s body remained standing, but even with Armament Haki, he was not unscathed by such a terrifying explosion. His body was covered in countless wounds, and half of his beard was burnt off.
Under the extreme heat, no blood appeared; it was all vaporized instantly.
Roger, his usual smile gone, stared grimly at Sakazuki.
“Brat.”
“Do you want to die?”
Sakazuki looked at Roger indifferently.
“I do.”
Boom!
A crater several meters in diameter appeared beneath their feet. Afterimages flashed, and two violent waves of energy collided, forming hurricane-like blades that shot out, obliterating everything around them.
A moment later, a figure shot backward, then Roger’s silhouette appeared, pursuing and stomping down on the flying Sakazuki.
Armament Haki met the blow, and immense force slammed Sakazuki into the ground. Roger, now above him, gripped his sword with Haki-condensed to its essence and slashed down.
Sakazuki, without hesitation, rolled aside. Roger’s long blade cleaved the ground, splitting it open and sending magma erupting into the air.
Seizing the opportunity, Sakazuki channeled his power, forming a massive gauntlet around his right arm. A huge nozzle protruded from his shoulder, covered in Armament Haki.
Aiming at Roger, violent magma blasted from the end of the gauntlet. A deep red streak flashed through the air.
Clang!
Boom!
Roger extended his left hand, grabbing the gauntlet and resisting for a moment before being sent flying by the immense force, crashing into the magma within the deep pit. Stuck against the magma wall, Roger revealed a cruel, chilling grin.
His left hand gripped Sakazuki’s right arm, while his right hand, Haki-condensed, swung his long blade down fiercely.
Splat!
With no time to dodge, Sakazuki’s Haki provided momentary resistance. He then used Life Absorption, his body shrinking slightly.
Using a portion of Life Return, he enlarged the bones in his shoulder, and with his head, he clamped onto the long blade that had been driven several inches into his neck, his expressionless face betraying no pain.
“Magma God’s Ball.”