"This kind of thing..."
Under the reflection of the light waves, Sage repeated what he had said earlier, but just as the words left his mouth, he froze, his brows knitting together.
He tried to lift the hand that had just struck Teach's shoulder, but not long after he raised it, that arm which he remembered having lifted at a certain angle actually drooped down again, then once more took up the motion of lifting.
Seeing this, the scarlet in Sage's pupils clearly intensified, and the sound of something shattering suddenly rang out around him.
The raised arm no longer repeated its motion, but in terms of speed, it was obviously being suppressed.
Teach burst out laughing: "Stagnate-Stagnate Fruit! Slow-Slow Fruit! Rewind-Rewind Fruit! Stagnation can't stagnate your speed, a single Fruit Ability will be broken by your Haki, two abilities are useless too, but what about three! The Rewind-Rewind Fruit can rewind your movements to three seconds ago. Though it's all been broken, that's within my expectations."
"Even you... can't possibly be completely unaffected. Your speed! Has already dropped!"
"Zehahaha, to get the right match, I've tested on a lot of people. The ones I'm using against you are all carefully picked! Again!!"
Another giant suddenly planted both hands on the ground and Summoned a mass of vines under Sage's feet. The vines didn't Coil around Sage's legs, just formed a circle around him, glowing with a faint green light.
Shrouded by the green glow, Sage frowned again. He looked at Teach; his voice was slow, yet earth-shaking: "Something that absorbs the nature of strength? Once I display strength, it'll absorb it double?"
"Exactly! Parasitic Spores!"
Teach laughed: "This is the Parasite-Parasite Fruit! Now, inside your body and all the green radiance around you, it's all an Ability trap. The more power you use, the more strength gets absorbed. Ability is a miracle, Sage—that's what you said. And then!!"
Yet another giant bared a vicious grin, stretching out one hand; a halo appeared and sank into Sage's body.
"Inertia-Inertia Fruit!"
Teach shouted: "All your movements will lose inertia! Sage, if power doesn't have inertia, the damage will drop to a certain level, right? And then!"
From among those surrounding them, a trembling, frail man stepped out, thin to the point of resembling a skeleton, almost just skin and bone, so weak that a gust of wind could knock him over.
Even thinner than Doc Q whom Sage had beaten to death back then.
He stepped out twice, clearly panting, then stretched out a shaking hand toward Sage and stammered, "S-sorry... I-I'm going to curse you."
As he spoke, his movements suddenly grew exaggerated; he began hopping like a witch doctor's ritual, then struck a pose identical to Sage's.
Dragged and shaken, plus the slowing of his speed, the combined effects became a dual impact that truly began to interfere with Sage's movements, leaving him unable to move at this moment.
But likewise, Teach also couldn't move.
As for the surrounding people taking the opportunity to attack...
No one had the guts. This aura was too overwhelming, so strong it made them tremble; they believed that even if they forced themselves to strike, they would be unable to harm Sage, and if they misplayed it, they would die. Under that subjective fear, they didn't even have the courage to make a move.
Except for these Ability Users.
After a brief stillness, that frail man suddenly let out a shout and then coughed violently. In that instant, Sage's body visibly thinned.
Thud!
The power of vibration, for once, pushed back against Sage, making the arm he had held steady begin to tremble.
"Also, the Etcetera Fruit! He's an equalizer! But it's troublesome, needs a period of ritual to pull off, and he has to maintain the same posture as the cursed target. If it were your normal self, of course you could ignore it, but right now you're not. He equalizes everything of himself with another, and once it succeeds, whatever direction that person is cursed in will be on the same level as the Ability User!"
Teach yelled: "Sage! Your Physique has already changed! Your strength is starting to drop too!"
Another giant stepped out as Teach finished speaking; the fluid in his hands surged like water, taking on a soft, sticky form as it splashed onto Sage.
"Mass-Mass Fruit!"
"Besides increasing an object's mass, it can also decrease it. Sage, this is a lower-grade Fruit compared to yours! But it's not completely useless—it can be used to check your ability! Ability against ability; there's no such thing as one being unable to counter another. All your mass Multiplications will revert to the starting point!"
As he spoke, another man stepped out. This one didn't apply anything to Sage's body; he simply opened his hand and unfolded a domain, like Law's room.
"Most important of all, the Direction Fruit!"
Teach's grinning mouth stretched almost to his ears. "Within this domain, every direction will shift according to his will. Forward can become back, left can turn into right. Everything you throw out with your abilities will be scrambled in this directional field!"
"Physique! Speed! Strength! Mass! Direction! Sage! Your abilities and that body you're so proud of are all being weakened by these powers! And on top of all these abilities, you still have the most important one—me!!"
Teach's fist, glowing with white vibration light, clenched tighter as he drew it back.
"You're not immortal. Right here and now! No matter how many injuries you can take, you're still flesh and blood—getting hurt is getting hurt. As long as you take enough damage, then I win! In the end you will be killed by me, zehahahaha!"
The drawn-back fist, under the shroud of white light, fused again with pitch black, turning into a patch of chaos.
"Dark Shaking!!"
"Sage!!"
Lily, who had already broken into the battlefield, sensed that something was wrong. She rapidly cut down the enemies blocking her path, about to dash forward, when suddenly red points flickered in her eyes—her Observation's danger sense picked up something off. The moment she lunged out, she swiftly leapt into the air.
The spot she had just been standing on was smeared with a layer of ice.
"Two-pronged Spear!"
As Lily charged into the sky, a shout reached her ears. She raised her sword on instinct and swung, shattering the Ice Spear rushing toward her.
The air around her grew even colder, condensing into more Ice Spears, forcing Lily to drop back down quickly. She then slashed upward with one stroke, sending out countless Flying Bird Slashes that shattered, raining down a shower of ice crystals.
As the glittering ice crystals fell, Lily gripped her sword hilt tightly, staring straight ahead at the slovenly uncle who had been idling around earlier but was now radiating intense cold, adjusting a glove. His glasses glinted white, hiding his expression.
"Kuzan, move aside!" Lily said coldly.
"Ah la la, that won't do."
Kuzan pulled on his glove and said mildly, "I'm Teach's Captain too, after all. Since there's a battle, how could I not have a part in it? Besides, their fight should be left to them."
"You're that loyal to Blackbeard? I remember you two are just in a cooperative relationship."
Lily said, "What exactly do you want to get from him that makes you go this far?"
"The truth of the world..."
Kuzan said, "Or rather, the truth on other levels. I know a lot, but it all comes from the Navy's perspective. Now that I'm changing my vantage point, seeing things from another side, it feels pretty good too."
"It's not that Teach has given me something, just that there are things only he can pull off. He's not really the same type as Sage, after all. Anyway, what you said to Shiryu, I agree with that too."
Kuzan turned his head and glanced toward Sage's side. "If Sage wins, I can join him as well. But if he loses, then don't stop me from seeking the truth from the other side, from finding the things I'm looking for."
"This is another kind of trial. Since Sage claims he'll rule the entire New World, that he's the strongest on the seas, then only by winning one-versus-many in any kind of adversity can he prove himself. Otherwise, he's just a supersized Rocks. The World Government's strength is formidable; a lineup like this is something they can easily put together."
"Only by proving that he's the true number one, the first above all powerhouses, can he truly move across this sea guided solely by his own will."
White mist gradually gathered around Kuzan's hand. "I'm very grateful that Sage raided Hive Island, because Mr. Garp didn't die by my hand, but was taken away. But right now, I won't step aside."
"Got it..."
Lily loosened her grip slightly, no longer trying to push through.
"You're giving up that quickly?" Kuzan asked, puzzled.
"That was just instinct earlier. Now..."
Lily looked past him, toward the space behind Kuzan, a faint smile lifting the corner of her mouth. "I don't believe Sage will lose."
That chaotic fist was almost at Sage's face, yet his expression didn't show the slightest negative ripple; instead, his lips curled into a confident, wicked smile.
He had still overthought it.
Lily could be certain: Sage will definitely win!