Another transformation, yet it's somewhat different again.
Kuzan watched as the black flames burned fiercely close to Sage's body, with black and red lightning flickering within the flames, and on his shoulders, white flame clouds reminiscent of a Zoan-type awakening. He shook his head, saying:
"Oh my, you're not a Zoan-type, and I've seen this posture before. Is it purely for show, Sage?"
The black flames I've seen before too, but they seem less intimidating than his restrained Haki; this thing looks somewhat superfluous.
"Why don't you try and find out?"
Sage extended his index finger, beckoning with a sinister smile, "Or should I go over first?"
"Ze ha ha ha ha, since you've come to my territory, it's only right for me to entertain you!"
Teach lifted his darkened hand, laughing heartily. Then his expression suddenly turned serious as he crouched and pressed his hand against the ground, "Sink into darkness! Dark Acupoints!"
An even deeper darkness than before swiftly expanded from beneath his palm, quickly covering the land ahead, shrouding half of the island.
Thud!
Before the darkness reached Sage's feet, he stomped forcefully and shot up into the air.
At this moment, Kuzan seemed to anticipate Sage's move, blasting a long-range freeze upwards.
"Frozen Time Capsule!"
The cold air swiftly surged through, crystallizing the air along the way, forming layers of ice.
Freeze is faster than ice itself; almost as soon as Sage reached the sky, the cold was already upon him.
Just before the freeze reached him, Sage spun in the air, dodging the cold as his hand pushed downwards, blasting a beam of black-red light from his palm.
Boom!!
"Aeroquake!!"
Teach's other hand clenched into a fist, punching the air violently. The resulting shockwave shattered the ice crystals forming in the air and dissipated the Haki shockwave that had been launched amidst the tremors.
But within those vibrations, Sage's figure flashed swiftly through the fractured air, coming into Teach's view.
"Ze ha ha ha ha, Sage!"
Teach revealed a grin missing several teeth, extending one hand in a spiral of darkness, reaching towards that figure.
No matter how terrifying Sage's aura appeared or how many battles he'd won.
One thing was certain: he was an Ability User!
As long as he's an Ability User, he can't escape his Dark Gravity!
That posture surely is the full release of Haki and abilities; as long as the ability is reduced, Sage's battle prowess will...
"Teach! Get out of the way!"
Before his hand could make contact, Kuzan's shout came from the side, as two ice cones, mingled with cold air, rushed towards the suddenly appeared figure near Teach.
That figure flickered, and the ice cones pierced Teach's chest, making him howl in pain and fall to the ground. However, the cold clung to the periphery of the figure, forming ice crystals around.
"Impressive, Kuzan."
Sage glanced at the ice crystals still blocked by the flames around, smiling, "Did you notice?"
Kuzan exhaled deeply with frosty breath, "My freeze isn't slow, it clearly hit you. Even with Haki defense, you'd need to show some sign of blocking. That flame of yours doesn't seem just for show."
If Logia-types are naturally AOE attacks, the strongest in AOE isn't Kizaru or Akainu, but rather Kuzan.
Because his freeze is mixed with temperature, a sudden drop can turn everything to ice.
That speed isn't easy to evade.
As an experienced warrior, Kuzan could confirm that the freeze aimed at the sky hit Sage, regardless, at least frost and ice crystals should appear on Sage's body.
Such freezing isn't easily defended against even with Haki; only Hardening can reduce damage.
This is the secret behind the Logia-types' power as well.
But his freeze hadn't contacted Sage's body; in that instant, Kuzan realized that those flames weren't just for show.
And now, he's even more certain of his thoughts.
"This is after the battle with Akainu, simply using Externalized Haki to prevent you Logia-types,"
Sage chuckled, "Though I don't particularly like it, at least you guys are annoying enough."
The sixty-fold form, developed after the life-and-death struggle with Akainu, due to the enhancement of will and further development of abilities, became a new and stronger form.
Unlike the fifty-fold form which brought about quantitative change, this is merely a simple enhancement, making himself stronger and quicker.
But based on the sixty-fold form, he further strengthened the Haki Black Flame he used during previous transformations.
Continuing to enhance in this form, using Externalized Haki to form shockwaves, countering elements with attacks, and forcibly hardening with the power of will, formed a specialized defense against Logia-types.
Different from traditional Externalized Haki, this specialized form can resist the temperature and weather changes brought by Logia-types.
With Adaptive Haki combined with this specialization, you needn't bother with the indiscriminate AOE of these Logia-types.
Sage, being a Body Technique Expert, already found Logia-types challenging to fight, but with the new form, he could at least shield against the high temperatures and cold instigated by magma and freeze.
As for how much it can block...