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

The enormous head involuntarily jerked upwards and violently tilted to the side and rear!

But Luffy's "White Star Spear" punch didn't stop there!

The moment the fist knocked Vochuli's head away, it continued forward and upward without stopping, using the reaction force and the extension of the punch itself!

puff!puff!

Following closely behind Saint Vocuri, Itsumade (Saint Maz), swooping down from the sky and spewing flames, had its neck below its beak.

And a sandworm (Pete Saint) that has just emerged from the ground with its upper body out and its mouth open as if about to devour something.

Almost simultaneously, they were pierced and struck by the unstoppable white fist energy!

"Screech!!" Maz Saint's flames came to an abrupt halt, emitting a distorted mournful cry. His bird head was struck and jerked backward, his neck bending unnaturally!

"Hiss!!" Pitsaur's hiss turned into a painful groan as his massive head was smashed to one side!

One punch!

Three heads in a row!

The visuals are incredibly impactful!

Even more outrageous, tiny, swirling stars simultaneously appeared around the heads of the three people who were hit (a manifestation of the Nika effect).

His eyes appeared noticeably unfocused and he felt dizzy.

It was momentarily frozen in place!

"Well done! Straw Hat Boy!!" A glint flashed in Gern's eyes as he shouted in a low voice.

Although I am not afraid of being attacked by three people, no one would mind a perfect opportunity to counterattack or expand the victory!

At the same time

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by Luffy's punch that knocked out three opponents, Blackbeard had already quietly retreated several dozen meters.

His eyes flickered, his expression shifted constantly, a dark vortex spun slightly in his left hand, and a shockwave remained hidden in his right.

They are clearly in a state of extreme indecision, ready to flee at any moment!

He had no intention of going to help the three Five Elders who were in a daze, nor did he intend to take the opportunity to fight Gern to the death.

His gaze kept shifting between Guern, Luffy, the Five Elders, and the distant coastline.

The instinct for survival and escape once again overwhelmed the greed for power and profit!

Underground, the sandworm (Pete Saint), having just caught its breath and with its head still buzzing, barely managed to turn its eyes.

They happened to capture Blackbeard's timid and retreating appearance.

He was so angry that he cursed it as a 'hyena'.

"Blackbeard!! You damned 'hyena'!!"

What are you waiting for?! Make your move!! Cooperate with us to kill him!!!

In the sky, Itsumade (Mazsei), who was also dizzy, also roared in anger.

"You treacherous and greedy scoundrel! The World Government will not let you get away with this!!"

Even Feng Xi (Saint Wochuli), who had just recovered slightly from the dizziness of the hook punch and was still experiencing severe jaw pain, growled.

"Useless! What a waste of the Dark-Dark Fruit!!"

【Hyena】This word was originally given to Blackbeard by the Golden Lion to satirize him.

These words, uttered again by the three elders, were filled with contempt and anger.

At the same time, the Five Elders finally saw things clearly.

Marshall D. Teach, the "hyena" they once tried to utilize, and even placed some hope in.

From beginning to end, he was a complete, indecisive, and selfish opportunist!

Or rather, Blackbeard's deep-seated tendency to repeatedly oscillate between "absolute advantage" and "potential risk"

A fence-sitter mentality that always pursues a "100% win rate"

That's what led to Egerhead's meticulously planned attack.

The Battle of Encirclement of Gern, which seemed to offer a significant advantage

The most fundamental reason for eventual collapse and failure!

Let's review the entire Battle of Egherd.

When Satan Saint and Blackbeard first joined forces, Satan Saint had a slight advantage and suppressed Gern.

Blackbeard was arrogant and overbearing.

When Gern revealed his true strength and began to fight back, even severely injuring Satan Saint...

Blackbeard immediately hesitated, retreated, and even began to think about escaping.

When Gern unleashed his Haki and awakened his Devil Fruit, he severely damaged the Five Elders' formation.

Blackbeard was terrified and didn't even dare to fully maintain the restraint of the Dark-Dark Fruit.

When Saint Nassou was instantly killed and Saint Satan was beheaded, fear completely overwhelmed the Five Elders.

When they had no choice but to humble themselves and beg/threaten Blackbeard to cooperate fully...

What was Blackbeard's reaction?

He's planning to run away on his own!

He is only willing to bet when it is "absolutely safe" or "certain to win".

If the situation becomes even slightly uncertain or requires him to take risks...

His extreme arrogance (in the early stages) can instantly transform into extreme recklessness and cowardice (in the later stages).

They did not hesitate to abandon their allies in order to save themselves.

Arrogance and recklessness are your weaknesses.

This was the final assessment given to him by his "father," Whitebeard, who had raised him for decades and seen through his true nature, in another timeline.

However, in this world where the "heaven-shattering" Gern Reginald Sigma exists and rises, Whitebeard may never have had the chance to say those words.

Blackbeard himself has never truly faced this fatal character flaw.

Instead, they regarded it as "prudence" and "wisdom," and achieved many "successes" based on it.

Therefore, this logic might still work when he acts alone, allowing him to carve out his own path with his patience, ruthlessness, and dual Devil Fruit abilities.

However, once allied with others and participating in "team battles" that require a high degree of trust and cooperation...

His extremely unstable state became his greatest poison and weakness!

He cannot act like a true "emperor" or "strongman," risking everything for strategic goals at crucial moments and standing with allies through thick and thin.

He is always calculating his gains and losses, and always looking for the safest way out.

This meant that even though he clearly possessed the Dark-Dark Fruit, this was enough to make Gern extremely uncomfortable.

Despite having a trump card that severely limits its ability to perform, it consistently fails to deliver the expected suppression and synergy.

When he should have been fully engaged in containing the enemy, he hesitated and became distracted.

When the opportunity to finish him off came, he hesitated and tried to save himself.

When it came to coordinated defense, his first thought was how to escape.

From the perspective of the world government, this is an encirclement of "Skyquake" Gern.

They should have had the advantage of favorable timing (the remaining formations on their home turf).

Advantage of terrain (surrounded by multiple people)

In a deadly situation where both humans and the Dark-Dark Fruit (which counters each other) are at odds...

However, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach possesses the most crucial "counter-type" ability.

He was completely out of it, betraying his allies at crucial moments, leading to the collapse of the encirclement.

The act that indirectly caused the deaths of two of the Five Elders can be described as...

[The Greatest War Criminal]

Now, in the brief chaos created by Luffy's punch, this "greatest war criminal" has once again revealed his true nature.

He wasn't thinking about how to use this opportunity to join forces with the Five Elders.

The real question is how to escape safely amidst the chaos!

Gern observed everything Blackbeard did and understood the situation perfectly.

He no longer viewed Blackbeard as a "cooperative threat" that needed to be dealt with at all costs, but rather...

An "unstable factor" that could collapse at any time or even be used to create greater chaos.

His gaze returned to the three men who were stunned and temporarily unable to coordinate after Luffy's punch.

Moreover, the Five Elders are filled with resentment towards Blackbeard and fear of death.

Opportunities are fleeting.

It's time to... clear the area.

Chapter 704 'God' Descends! Reversal!

Gern's eyes were icy cold, his killing intent locked onto the three Five Elders who were briefly stunned and paralyzed by Luffy's "White Star Spear".

Without further hesitation, he flicked his wrist, and the black blade "Eight Desolations" drew a mysterious trajectory in the air.

A dark purple, domineering color surged up from his arm and instantly wrapped around the entire blade!

The blade hummed, a trembling sound.

At the same time, the remaining seven star rings in the sky suddenly shone brightly!

hum!hum!hum!

Three of the star rings closest to the ground collapsed simultaneously!

The enormous vibrational energy was forcibly compressed and drawn in, and then poured into the "Eight Desolations" held high in Gern's hand!

The blade of "Eight Desolations" trembled violently, its color becoming chaotic and uncertain, as if it could not withstand the infusion!

Gern held the front of the hilt loosely with his left hand, while his right hand gripped the end of the hilt tightly!

In the palm of his left hand, an extremely violent, high-frequency, and agitated force of "movement" capable of tearing apart all matter in the world.

It coalesced into a blazing, crimson, vibrating halo!

In the palm of his right hand, there was an extremely condensed, heavy, restrained, and suppressive force of stillness.

It coalesced into a cold, dark blue, vibrating halo!

Red ring (extremely dynamic) and blue ring (extremely static)

These appear at the front and back ends of the blade, emitting terrifying energy waves that are completely opposite yet share the same origin!

In the middle section of the blade between the red and blue rings

The third star ring is the purest and largest source of vibration, which transforms into a pure white, flawless, slowly rotating core star ring!

Countless dark purple, domineering-colored lightning bolts coiled around it like chains.

It emits crackling sounds, perfectly fusing its destructive and domineering will with the source of vibration!

Three forces converge!

Red, white, and blue halos shone brightly above the "Eight Desolations," and the aura of destruction caused the entire battlefield's space to fluctuate unstablely!

Gern took a deep breath, gripped the knife with both hands, and twisted his waist.

Integrate the power of your entire body with the energy of the tricolor halo.

"This is the solo performance I, Gern, have put together all by myself..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gern, like Whitebeard at his peak, unleashed a fierce horizontal slash.

"Overlord of the Sea!!!"