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

Immediately afterwards, the fifth and sixth rings of vibration contracted one after another, Roger's Haki domain was compressed to three meters around his body, and Ace's blade began to disintegrate.

When all nine rings of divine meteorites contracted, only one voice remained.

"Divine Judgment".

The moment the first strike landed, time seemed to stand still.

The space within ten meters is like a fragile canvas, neatly cut apart by a ring-shaped crack.

Pale lightning crackled at the edge of the rift, emitting a sickening hissing sound. Within the cleaved spatial fracture, distorted void currents could be vaguely seen.

When the second slash swept out, Gern's right sleeve instantly turned to dust.

The 100-meter-long spatial fissure spread in a fan shape, silently disintegrating the crystallized ground wherever it passed.

A violent spatial turbulence erupted from the rift, shredding everything in its path into the most basic particles.

When the third blow landed, the skin on Gern's right arm had already cracked, and the blood was evaporated by the high-frequency vibration before it could even seep out.

This strike carried a world-destroying power, instantly covering the entire sky with spiderweb-like cracks.

Sunlight was fragmented into countless pieces, refracting wildly between the intersecting spatial rifts, illuminating the battlefield in a bizarre and surreal way.

Three consecutive slashes! The world was shattered!

Annihilation is also the judgment of Heaven!

Roger's pupils reflected the apocalyptic scene, yet a fanatical smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

The golden flames on Ace's body suddenly surged, emitting a terrifying aura.

"God—Wrath!!!" He slashed upwards against the countless cracks in the sky, his dark red Conqueror's Haki intertwining with golden flames to form a net of destruction.

Each blade of light struck precisely at the weakest point of the spatial rift, and the resulting energy turbulence lifted the entire crystallized earth.

Tens of thousands of tons of crystal fragments poured down like a torrential rain, refracting into a dazzling array of seven colors in the sunlight.

The moment the two swords clashed, the world fell into an eerie silence.

"Crack!" A faint cracking sound rang out, which then turned into a deafening explosion.

Centered on the two individuals, the space within a radius of ten thousand meters shattered completely like glass, revealing the pitch-black void behind them.

The seawater was torn apart by an invisible force and swirled back towards the sky, while the clouds were shredded into cotton-like fragments in the spatial turbulence.

All matter is collapsing and recombining, forming a short-lived black hole singularity.

In the heart of this destruction, Gern saw blood trickling from Roger's lips, but the fighting spirit in his eyes burned ever brighter.

He himself felt the vibrational energy on the Eight Desolations Blade was getting out of control, and the bones in his right arm were groaning in pain from the unbearable strain.

"boom!!!"

The black hole singularity finally erupted, and a dazzling white light engulfed the entire battlefield.

The shock wave spread out in a spherical shape, pressing a huge dent into the sea surface over a radius of hundreds of thousands of miles.

(By the way, the world of One Piece is much bigger than you might imagine.)

……

As space repaired itself, the battlefield was reduced to ruins, leaving only two small patches of ground, each less than one square meter in size, supporting the small area where both sides had landed.

Gern's Heavenly Tremor Domain completely collapsed, and the Black Blade Eight Desolations was deeply embedded in the crystallized ground.

He knelt on one knee, his pale pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat mixed with blood dripped from his chin.

Her overworked body trembled uncontrollably, yet she still stared intently at the man opposite her.

Roger also knelt on one knee, just like Ace, stabilizing himself by planting his foot in the ground. His chest heaved violently, but he still grinned and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Did you enjoy it?" Roger spat out a mouthful of blood, his voice hoarse and trembling from the pain, clearly indicating that he had reached his limit.

“This is not your peak.” Gern wiped away the blood seeping from his brow bone, dug his fingers deep into the ground, and dragged himself to his feet.

In the distance, the shattered clouds began to gather.

A beam of sunlight pierced through the gap, enveloping the two like a spotlight on a stage.

"Why...does it have to be like this..." Roger suddenly coughed violently, and a large amount of blood gushed from between his fingers.

“Because…” Gern took a deep breath and said slowly, “My era and my future… need this momentous stroke of genius!!”

"Do I need to..." Roger struggled to straighten his body, and the Conqueror's Hide arc of electricity erupted once again. Those leaping scarlet lightning bolts were the limit he could reach under the influence of his illness.

“That’s right!” As Gern watched this scene, all that remained on his body was the flickering arcs of Conqueror’s Haki!

Two completely different domineering colors collided in the void, unleashing a pressure that changed the very fabric of the world.

In an instant, both sides fought with all their might and picked up their weapons!

"This battle should end!"

"I think so too!"

Almost simultaneously, two figures sprang up!

The Black Blade Eight Desolations suddenly trembled, and the blade emitted an unprecedented low hum!

The jet-black blade patterns surged like living things, and purplish-black lightning crackled wildly around them.

The space at the edge of the blade began to distort and collapse, forming a black hole vortex that swallowed light!

Gern's figure suddenly shot up, and the Black Blade Eight Desolations dragged out a purple-black torrent that pierced through the heavens and earth!

Wherever the blade passed, space shattered like fragile glass, and pale shockwaves tore countless cracks in the void!

Fast! Faster than the limits of vision!

This was his final, desperate strike!

For a moment, only a crimson and a dark purple afterimage remained in the air, preparing to collide at a speed that seemed to tear through space and time!

"Come on! A man will be my companion in my final battle!" Roger's voice suddenly boomed in Gern's ears.

"Clang!" The moment Ace swept out, his red Conqueror's Haki erupted like a volcano!

"I take back what I said!" Roger's maniacal laughter echoed through the sky.

"The stage and the era ahead belong to you, Gern!!!"

Ace's blade radiated a light more dazzling than the sun, and its crimson aura seemed to evoke silhouettes of countless years of adventure.

That was the strike of 'Pirate King Roger' that carried the dreams of the entire ocean!

“Exactly the same as before, but…” Gern grinned, his arm muscles bulging, and the blade patterns on the Black Blade Eight Desolations were completely boiling!

"This time, I can't lose!!!"

The blade slashed down fiercely, and the domineering aura of purplish-black and scarlet clashed in the air!

"God—avoid!!"

"God—fallen!!"

Chapter 196 Garp Takes Action

Rewinding to the very night that Guern arrived alone on Baterila Island...

Naval Headquarters, Marinevando.

The marshal's office was brightly lit.

Sengoku stood by the window, a newly delivered intelligence document clutched in his hand, his brow furrowed.

Suddenly, the office door was flung open with a loud bang.

Sengoku turned around and saw Garp striding in, his navy cloak still carrying the salty, damp scent of the sea breeze, clearly indicating that he had rushed back overnight.

"Sengoku, still working overtime this late?" Garp grinned.

He casually pulled out a bag of senbei (rice crackers) hidden in the Warring States office and tossed it on the table, saying, "Have something to perk yourself up."

Sengoku glanced at the senbei, but didn't reach for it. Instead, he said in a deep voice, "Garp, you're finally back."

"Mission terminated. I heard there was an emergency at headquarters, so I rushed back." Garp shrugged, plopped down on the sofa, and crossed his legs. "What happened?"

Sengoku took a deep breath and handed the intelligence file in his hand to Garp: "Take a look for yourself."

Garp took the document, his gaze sweeping over the findings of the CP and Naval Intelligence Network investigations conducted over the past few days.

His smile gradually froze, his fingers involuntarily tightened slightly, and the paper made a soft sound in his hand.

"Roger...the Roger Pirates disbanded?" Garp's voice was deep, tinged with disbelief.

"What exactly is Roger thinking?"

“That’s also what we’re worried about!” Sengoku walked up to Garp, his gaze behind his glasses sharp as a knife.

Why would someone who has just become the 'Pirate King' suddenly disband his pirate crew?

The world government suspects he possesses some dangerous secret, one that could even threaten the stability of the entire world order.

“No way.” Karp paused for a moment, then tossed the file back onto the table and sneered.

"Those old guys in the World Government always like to complicate things."

Roger might just be tired and want to find a place to retire.

"Retire?" Sengoku frowned. "Garp, you know Roger best. Does he seem like the type to give up easily?"

Garp's eyes flickered slightly, then he burst into laughter: "Who knows? Maybe he'll retire after achieving his dream? Zeffa did the same!"

"How can these be the same?" Sengoku's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Furthermore, Zephyr is still training the next generation after his retirement. Does Roger also plan to cultivate the Great Pirate Era after his retirement?!"

“Oh dear! Sengoku period.” Garp shrugged, his tone light: “I was just kidding!”

However, knowing Roger's personality as I do, he might indeed retire.

Sengoku stared at Garp, trying to glean something from his expression, but Garp's face remained as nonchalant as ever.

"Sigh." After a moment, Sengoku sighed, "In any case, the Navy must find Roger as soon as possible."

If he truly possesses some secret, we cannot stand idly by.

"Alright!" Garp stood up and stretched. "Since you're so worried, I'll reluctantly help you out."

Anyway, I've been chasing that guy for half my life, hahaha!

However…” he paused, a complex look flashing in his eyes, “If we find Roger, what do you plan to do with him?”

The Warring States period's voice was icy: "Kill without mercy."

Garp's smile froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered: "How ruthless, Sengoku."

“This is our duty.” Sengoku turned around, his back to Garp. “Garp, I hope you understand that no matter what happened in the past, we are now the Marines, and Roger was a pirate.”

Karp didn't answer, but walked to the window and looked at the distant horizon.

In the darkness of night, the waves crashed against the rocks on the shore, making a dull sound.

“Sengoku,” Garp suddenly spoke, his voice low, “let Gern come with me! That guy doesn’t have anything to do at headquarters.”

“G...Gern.” Sengoku’s expression froze when Garp mentioned Gern, and he rubbed his temples.

Garp was taken aback, then frowned as well: "What's wrong? You don't want to?"

"It's not that I'm unwilling, but... you're here to replace Gern!"

"Huh?! I'm back in place of that guy?" Garp looked dazed, then suddenly tensed up.

"Wait! He didn't beat my son half to death and then dare not come back, did he?"

Didn't that bastard say we'd all be playing Cyborg Kong together...?

Seeing Garp's nervous look, Sengoku smirked and interrupted, "It's not as complicated as you think. That guy just disappeared somewhere!"

On the returning warship, Libo and the other woman claimed that he was on board!

The Marshal was furious about this! That's why he had to frantically contact and recall you.

"Is that so?!" Garp scratched his head and chuckled. "That's exactly what he's good at!"

As long as his son was alright, he wasn't too worried about anything else.