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

This is no longer a difference in strength, but a dimensional crushing defeat!

Sabo didn't stop. The ground beneath his feet cracked once more, and his figure transformed into a streak of blazing red fire, shooting out with explosive speed!

His right hand, wreathed in Armament Haki and flames, took the shape of a dragon claw and aimed at Gern's face!

Before the claw wind even arrived, the scorching wind pressure generated by the extreme compression of the flames and the domineering aura caused the hair on Gern's forehead to dance wildly backward, and his cheeks to feel a slight stinging sensation.

"Heh." Gern chuckled softly through his nose, still not choosing to draw his sword.

His left hand, covered in deep Armament Haki, struck first, precisely and accurately meeting Sabo's wrist!

"Bang!" A visible ring of air exploded outwards from the two of them, kicking up dust and debris that shot out in a radial pattern!

The walls on both sides of the passage could not withstand the weight and began to crack with a "crackling" sound, with cracks spreading like a spider web.

Sabo's pupils contracted sharply.

"Too green!" Gern snapped, grabbing Sabo's wrist with his left hand and applying force.

They swung him around like a sandbag and slammed him hard against the side wall!

"Boom!"

Sabo's body was embedded deep in the wall, and the enormous impact caused the entire passageway to shake, sending dust flying.

However, he was extremely experienced in combat. The moment he hit the wall, he curled up his body to absorb the force to the maximum extent, and at the same time, he pushed off the wall with both feet!

"Smoke on the Internet!"

"Boom!" The scorching flames erupted instantly in a net-like pattern centered on the point of impact, spreading outwards.

Not only did it block Gern's possible line of sight, but the scorching flames also ignited the air, engulfing Gern.

Flames were about to engulf him, but Gern simply raised his right hand casually, palm facing forward.

With a "whoosh!" sound, the air in front of them instantly distorted, and an invisible yet dense vibrating barrier instantly formed.

The raging flames crashed against the barrier, and the waves pounded against the rocks, only to be easily shattered by the high-frequency vibrations.

It turned into scattered sparks that flew everywhere, but failed to harm Gern in the slightest.

Just as the flames dissipated, Sabo's figure appeared from the side and above!

He gripped the water pipe, which was wrapped in Armament Haki and flames, with both hands, using the momentum of his fall...

He poured all his strength and anger into it and slammed it down fiercely towards the top of Gern's head!

"Flame - Azure Dragon's Shattered Fang!"

This strike was powerful and heavy!

Gern's eyes flickered slightly, and he finally stopped fighting empty-handed.

"Clang!" With a clear and melodious sound, the Black Blade Eight Desolations was suddenly drawn!

The grayish-white bandages wrapped around it broke apart inch by inch, revealing a blade as black as night. Pale white vibrating particles spontaneously jumped around the blade, emitting a heart-palpitating "buzzing" sound.

He didn't use any fancy moves, just a simple backhand upward slash!

"clang!!!!!"

The water pipe collided violently with the black knife! The deafening explosion almost ripped our eardrums off!

The point of impact erupted with blinding sparks and a pale shockwave halo!

Sabo felt an indescribable, terrifying force coming through the water pipe; it wasn't just brute force, but also a vibration that could shatter everything!

In an instant, his hand split open, blood gushing out, and the water pipe he was gripping trembled violently, almost flying out of his hand!

The flames attached to it were shattered and annihilated, and the Armament Haki also collapsed!

"Ugh!" Sabo groaned, his entire body being violently thrown away by the force.

After managing to adjust his posture in mid-air, he still stumbled backward more than ten steps upon landing.

Each step left a deep footprint on the hard ground, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

His right arm, which was holding the tube, trembled slightly, and a tearing pain shot through his muscles.

Gern stood with his sword in hand, his posture still composed. The black blade, Eight Desolations, pointed diagonally at the ground, and the air around the blade was slightly distorted due to high-frequency vibrations.

He looked at Sabo, whose breathing was slightly disordered and who had clearly suffered a loss, and shook his head.

"That's it?"

Gern tilted his head slightly, his tone calm, yet every word was piercing.

"Back then, Ace was much stronger than you in front of me."

He paused, as if recalling something, or perhaps making a cruel comparison.

"At least, his flames are fiercer, faster, and his reckless, death-defying spirit... is purer than yours."

Finally, his gaze fell upon Sabo, whose breathing was unsteady, and he gave a merciless final assessment.

"You are still too weak."

"!!!"

The word "weak" was like a red-hot iron, burning Sabo's heart!

The pain is especially intense coming from the mouth of Gern, who "indirectly" caused Ace's death and is now comparing him to his deceased brother!

Sabo's pupils contracted sharply, and the flames burning all over his body flickered violently, not from exhaustion, but from anger and humiliation!

Ace was his brother, and he was both his eternal pain and pride!

He inherited Ace's flame not only for power, but also to continue that will!

And now, this man is comparing him to Ace in such a contemptuous tone and judging him as "weak"?!

"You're not allowed... to mention Ace like that!!!"

Sabo let out a deep roar, his eyes bloodshot, and the flames that had been under control due to reason erupted completely out of control!

"Dragon's Breath!!!"

A terrifying fiery pressure instantly swept through the entire passage, and the walls began to melt and crack!

He poured all his anger, grief, resentment, and the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit, which he had only recently awakened and had not yet fully mastered, into his next attack without reservation!

That was no longer a sophisticated combination of physical techniques, but the most primal and violent torrent of flames!

He wanted to prove that he had inherited everything from Ace, including that pride and strength that never gave up!

A beam of blazing white flames condensed and roared as it hurtled toward Gern, who was still standing in place with a calm expression!

"Fire Fist!!!"

Chapter 554 Oh? Straw Hat Boy, busy, huh?

"Fire Fist—!!!"

Sabo roared, shouting out the name of the move that belonged to his brother and was etched in his heart!

He poured all his emotions and newly inherited power into his right fist without reservation.

He unleashed an unprecedentedly large and blazing fist of fire!

A torrent of blazing white flames roared, instantly engulfing all light and air in the passage, and with the power to burn mountains and boil seas, it struck directly at Gern!

Watching this person, completely driven by emotion, abandon their own advantages and blindly imitate Ace's full-force attack...

Gern's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, a barely perceptible hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, and he sighed softly.

"never mind."

The moment the words left his mouth, Gern moved.

There was no dodging, no use of Devil Fruit powers to create barriers, and not even the Eight Desolations.

He simply raised his right fist, which was covered with concentrated Armament Haki.

"Heavenly Tremor - Piercing Star".

Without any earth-shattering buildup, he simply pulled his fist back slightly, and then threw a straight punch at the torrent of flames that was burning everything!

"Boom!!!"

Wherever the fist passed, the space seemed unable to withstand this pure and extreme power, emitting a mournful cry of being overwhelmed, and faintly showing signs of collapsing inward!

Immediately afterwards, a cylindrical, pale shockwave erupted from the front of Gern's fist!

It is not a spreading shock wave, but a highly concentrated, all-pervading pure white energy beam!

"boom!!!"

The blazing torrent of white flames collided head-on with the pale, explosive cylinder!

The expected earth-shattering explosion did not occur; the flames were instead pierced through the center by the condensed shockwave column!

It pierced through the dissipating flames and landed with perfect precision on Sabo's chest!

"Ugh!" Sabo didn't even have time to react before he felt an indescribable destructive force sweep over his entire body.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body swayed violently, and he staggered forward a few steps, trying to steady himself.

But his knees finally buckled, and he could only use the water pipe in his hand to slam his fist into the ground, barely managing to support his body.

He knelt down, breathing heavily, each breath accompanied by excruciating pain.

Gern easily stepped over the dissipating flames and stood before the kneeling Sabo, looking down at the stubborn young man.

“You’re too eager to prove yourself, Sabo.”

Even though he had just eaten the fruit and might not even be able to unleash a tenth of his power, he abandoned his most familiar physical skills to imitate Ace's moves..."

Gern shook his head: "If you continue to use physical skills to fight back, even if I know I'm no match for you, I might still take a few more glances at you."

But given your current state—barely at the level of a weak general, and so eager for quick success—facing me now…

Gern reached out and slapped the top hat with goggles off Sabo's head.

Then, with his fingers spread wide, he grabbed Sabo's short, wavy, yellow hair without hesitation, lifting it slightly to force him to face him.

"It's just..."

Their eyes met at extremely close range.

There was no murderous intent in Gern's eyes, only an indifference as if he were looking at an overconfident challenger. He uttered that incredibly cruel assessment, word by word.

"A mayfly can shake the blue sky."

After saying that, Gern did not stop or show any "mercy" to Sabo just because he was unable to resist.

He grabbed Sabo's short, yellow hair, which was covered in dust and blood, and effortlessly dragged him off the ground.

Sabo was in a daze due to severe injuries and exhaustion, and could only let out painful groans as his body was dragged across the rough ground, leaving a shocking trail.

With one hand holding the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, Guern continued to walk steadily into the depths of the arena.

.......

Meanwhile, in the skies above the city of Dressrosa.

The battle, or rather, the one-sided toying, continues.

Azure lightning and threads intertwined and collided wildly in the air, erupting with continuous roars and blinding light.

The situation is completely one-sided.

Doflamingo's face was terribly gloomy, and the veins on his forehead were bulging.

His attacks were relentless, unleashing a barrage of whip strikes, raining down barbs, cutting with five-colored threads, and even attempting to use a net-like silken thread for a wide-area blockade...

However, it all came to nothing!

Enel's figure transformed into an elusive bolt of lightning in the air, easily dodging all attacks with near-instantaneous speed.

Instead of directly confronting him, he "saw" Doflamingo's intentions in advance for each of his attacks.

They can always dodge with the slightest movement and the most precise aim just before the attack hits their body.

Doflamingo felt like he was fighting a ghost with mind-reading abilities; the other party knew everything about his thoughts and actions!

This is precisely the absolute preemptive advantage that Enel gained by combining the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's super speed with his Heart Net!