The battlefield exploded beneath Tenjin's feet.
BOOOOM!!
The frozen sea shattered as he vanished from sight entirely.
Only a violent burst of wind remained where he had stood.
Whitey Bay's instincts screamed.
'Too fast.'
She swung her blade instantly
CLANG!!
Tenjin's fist collided against the flat of her sword hard enough to bend the ice beneath her boots.
A shockwave detonated outward.
Whitey Bay slid backward several meters.
Tenjin was already gone again.
BOOM!!
The air ruptured behind her.
She twisted—
Too late.
A wooden-enhanced kick slammed into her ribs and launched her across the battlefield.
The Ice Witch crashed through a massive chunk of frozen sea before flipping midair and regaining her footing.
Her coat fluttered violently.
Tenjin stood dozens of meters away, green steam pouring from his body.
The bark-like patterns covering his limbs pulsed faintly as compressed wooden fibers tightened beneath his skin.
Creak.
Creak.
Every movement sounded like an ancient tree being bent beyond its limits.
Then he vanished again.
Whitey Bay's eyes widened.
'There!'
She slashed sideways.
SHING!
The blade cut through empty air.
Tenjin had already ducked beneath the strike.
His palm smashed into her stomach.
BOOOOM!!
The impact folded Whitey Bay's body slightly as compressed kinetic force exploded from Tenjin's arm.
The ground beneath her feet cracked apart like glass.
Before she could recover
Another burst.
BOOM!!
Tenjin reappeared above her.
Axe kick.
Whitey Bay barely crossed her blade in time.
The strike still blasted her downward through layers of frozen ice.
An enormous crater formed across the battlefield.
Nearby Marines stared in disbelief.
"Captain Tenjin is overwhelming her!"
"He's incredible!"
"The pirates are getting pushed back!"
Morale surged instantly through the Marine ranks.
Marines who had been retreating moments earlier regained confidence seeing Tenjin dominate one of Whitebeard's allied captains.
"For Justice!"
"Push forward!"
Even some Vice Admirals glanced toward the battle with surprise.
Momonga narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That speed…"
On the pirate side, several allied captains grimaced.
"What happened to Whitey Bay?!"
"He's too fast!"
Marco, still hovering high above in phoenix flames after his clash with Kizaru, glanced down briefly.
"…Interesting."
Back on the battlefield
Tenjin moved like a green blur across the frozen sea.
Every step exploded the ground beneath him.
Every punch carried enough compressed force to rupture the air itself.
Whitey Bay swung repeatedly, but each strike missed by fractions.
Too slow.
Tenjin slipped around her guard effortlessly now.
BOOM!
A punch to the shoulder.
BOOM!
A kick to the ribs.
BOOM!
An elbow strike to the back.
Every impact detonated with spring-loaded force.
Whitey Bay gritted her teeth as she slid backward again.
'That transformation…'
'It completely changed his fighting style.'
He was no longer fighting like a reckless Logia.
Now he moved like a compressed weapon waiting to explode.
Tenjin grinned wildly.
"You can't keep up!"
He vanished again.
Whitey Bay narrowed her eyes.
'Calm down.'
'Observe.'
'Find the rhythm.'
The green blur appeared directly before her again, fist pulled back.
Tenjin's wooden fibers compressed violently beneath his skin.
Creak.
Then released.
BOOOOM!!
His punch shot forward faster than cannon fire.
Whitey Bay raised one hand casually.
And caught it.
Silence followed.
The battlefield around them seemed to pause.
Tenjin's eyes widened slightly.
Whitey Bay's fingers tightened around his fist.
The impact pressure still exploded outward around them, splitting the frozen ground into enormous cracks.
But she herself did not move even an inch.
The Ice Witch sighed softly.
"…Boy."
Tenjin froze.
Whitey Bay looked up at him calmly.
"I'll admit…"
Her grip tightened further.
"…your speed caught me off guard."
Her sword slowly rose with her free hand.
"But I can handle this much."
Tenjin's expression shifted instantly.
Not fear.
Annoyance.
Then suddenly—
The bark-like patterns covering his body began fading.
The green steam weakened.
His body trembled slightly.
Whitey Bay noticed immediately.
"…Hm?"
Tenjin staggered backward as she released his fist.
The compressed wooden fibers beneath his skin loosened rapidly.
His breathing became ragged.
Dry.
Painfully dry.
His lips cracked slightly.
His face turned visibly pale.
The Marines watching blinked in confusion.
"What happened?"
"Captain Tenjin?"
Tenjin looked down at his trembling hand.
Then clicked his tongue hard.
"…Shit."
Hydration.
He had burned through too much water maintaining Dead Wood.
And now
His transformation was collapsing.
Whitey Bay watched him carefully, sword resting lightly at her side now.
"…What's wrong?"
Tenjin clicked his tongue irritably.
"I burned through too much water."
Whitey Bay blinked once.
Then understanding crossed her face.
"…Hydration?"
Tenjin rolled his shoulders stiffly.
"That transformation compresses the fibers throughout my body."
His breathing remained uneven.
"It burns through water ridiculously fast."
Whitey Bay stared at him for a moment.
Then unexpectedly lowered her blade slightly.
"Well then."
Tenjin frowned.
"…What?"
She shrugged casually.
"Rehydrate."
Tenjin blinked.
"I'll wait."
For a brief moment, the battlefield itself seemed confused.
Even Tenjin looked caught off guard.
"…You're letting me recover?"
Whitey Bay smirked faintly.
"You're still just a kid."
Her eyes sharpened again.
"And I'm not interested in beating someone half-dead from dehydration."
Tenjin stared at her.
Then snorted.
"…You pirates are weird."
Whitey Bay laughed softly.
"And you Marines are too serious."
Elsewhere across the battlefield—
Steel flashed endlessly.
Rose petals spiraled through the freezing winds.
Vista and Vice Admiral Gion continued their duel across the shattered ice like two dancers trapped within a storm.
CLANG!!
Their swords collided again.
The impact blasted ice shards into the air.
Vista twisted elegantly, both blades flowing in graceful arcs aimed toward Gion's shoulders.
Gion vanished.
Soru.
Vista's strikes carved through empty air.
She reappeared behind him instantly, blade descending toward his back.
Vista spun smoothly.
CLANG!
He intercepted her strike with one sword while the second swept toward her ribs.
Gion kicked off the air itself.
Geppo.
She rose into the sky, narrowly avoiding the slash.
Vista smiled upward at her.
"Magnificent mobility."
Gion's expression remained cold.
"I'm not here for compliments."
She descended again like falling moonlight.
Her blade flashed in a rapid storm of slashes.
Vista's twin swords danced against hers beautifully.
Sparks exploded with every collision.
Rose petals scattered endlessly around them.
The choreography of their battle had become mesmerizing.
Vista fought with flowing elegance.
Every strike curved naturally into the next like petals drifting on wind.
Gion's style was sharper.
Faster.
A perfect fusion of Marine assassination techniques and master swordsmanship.
Vista lunged.
Gion bent sideways.
His blade grazed her cheek.
At the same instant
Her heel slammed toward his jaw.
Rankyaku.
A slicing wave of compressed air exploded from her kick.
Vista crossed both swords.
BOOOOM!!
The force blasted him backward across the battlefield.
He skidded over the frozen sea before stopping himself gracefully.
Rose petals drifted around him.
Then he smiled again.
"My, my."
He adjusted his grip slightly.
"You truly are wonderful."
Gion's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"You really never stop talking."
Vista laughed.
"And you never smile."
Their presences sharpened again.
The ice beneath them cracked from sheer pressure.
Then both vanished simultaneously.
SHING! SHING! SHING!
Their blades collided so quickly that nearby soldiers could barely follow the exchanges.
Only sparks and petals remained visible.
Suddenly—
A monstrous figure charged across the battlefield nearby.
Diamond Jozu bulldozed through the Marine lines with overwhelming force.
His diamond-covered shoulder smashed aside entire platoons.
Then his eyes landed on the massive frozen battlefield beneath him.
A grin spread across his face.
Jozu drove both hands into the ice.
CRRRRRRACK!!
The frozen sea split apart violently.
An enormous chunk of ice larger than a battleship tore free from the battlefield itself.
Marines stared upward in horror.
"T-That's huge!"
"He ripped the battlefield apart!"
Jozu lifted the gigantic ice mass over his shoulder like it weighed nothing.
Then hurled it directly toward the execution platform.
BOOOOOM!!
The massive iceberg tore through the sky like a meteor.
Marines panicked instantly.
"It's heading for the platform!"
High atop the platform, Sakazuki slowly stood from his chair.
Magma bubbled violently from his right arm.
Veins pulsed across his forehead.
He looked genuinely irritated.
"…Idiots."
His eyes drifted briefly toward the distant Kizaru and Aokiji.
"Kizaru leaves."
"Aokiji leaves."
His voice grew colder.
"And if all of you leave the platform…"
Magma exploded around his fist.
"…who exactly is supposed to protect it?"
The heat radiating from him distorted the air itself.
Then Akainu pulled back his arm.
"Meteor Volcano…"
No.
The magma compressed tighter around his fist.
He aimed directly at the incoming iceberg.
"Great Eruption."
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
A gigantic magma fist erupted skyward like a volcanic cannon.
The attack collided directly against the massive iceberg.
And obliterated it instantly.
The entire frozen mass vaporized in an explosion of fire, magma, and steam that shook Marineford itself.
The battlefield froze briefly.
Pirates stared upward in disbelief.
"That monster…"
"He destroyed it in one hit…"
Akainu lowered his arm slowly.
Magma dripped from his fist onto the execution platform.
His expression remained utterly merciless.
Absolute Justice.
Incarnate.
---
Find early chapters on my patreon
[Patreon.com/tenten100?]