Lugart's pupils contracted violently as he stared at the fully awakened Black Blade · Bahuang in Gern Reginald Sigmar's hand.
The dark crimson fissures running along the blade pulsed violently, and the high-frequency vibration tearing through the air made his eardrums throb.
"That's… quite a blade…" Lugart muttered.
Not just any weapon could withstand the infusion of Devil Fruit power—and the one in Gern's hand was clearly far beyond ordinary.
"C-Captain! That's… a Devil Fruit ability?!"The pirates of the Bloodspear crew finally reacted, gulping in fear.
"Paramecia-type, huh…" Lugart's expression twisted. "No wonder he dared to come alone.But… this power feels familiar."
"Captain—!"
"What are you afraid of?!" Lugart snapped, flinging his cloak aside. The military badges sewn into it clattered sharply."I've seen plenty of Devil Fruit users on the Grand Line!"
Before the words had fully left his mouth—
His body lunged forward.
Bloodbeak shot out like a viper, the hooked tip tearing through the air as it stabbed straight for Gern's throat.
"Die, Marine brat!"
Gern didn't move.He didn't even blink.
Whum.
The spear passed straight through his body—without resistance, without blood—as if piercing a mirage.
"What?!" Lugart's eyes widened in disbelief.
In the next instant, Gern's body scattered into vibrating particles—then reassembled behind him.
"Just as I thought," Gern's voice came calmly from behind."You mistook me for a Paramecia."
Lugart spun around, only to see Gern standing three steps away, the vibrating sphere in his palm glowing even brighter.
"No wonder you ran back from the Grand Line," Gern said coolly. "You really haven't grown at all."
The taunt made Lugart's face flush red with fury.
"Don't look down on me, brat!" he roared.
Bloodbeak split apart mid-motion, reforming into two shorter spears that gleamed with a sinister crimson sheen.
"Double Fang—Piercing Heart!"
Gern still didn't move.
He raised one hand gently as vibrating particles flowed over his arm like liquid light.
"Vibration Wall."
BOOM!
The twin spears slammed into an invisible barrier. A shockwave erupted outward, hurling nearby pirates through the air like broken dolls.
The ground fractured violently—but Gern didn't move an inch.
Within moments, sweat beaded on Lugart's forehead. His arms trembled violently from the recoil.
Grinding his teeth, he leapt backward, panting.
"Damn it… damned Logia-type…"
His voice twisted with rage."That's why I hate freaks blessed by fate like you!"
He stomped down hard—crack!—the ground shattered beneath his feet.
Bloodbeak spun violently in his hands, the hooked blade darkening as Armament Haki coated it in obsidian black.
"You people think one Devil Fruit makes you invincible?!"
Veins bulged across his face.
"I've seen countless trash like you in the Grand Line—every last one of them died like dogs!"
Gern didn't respond.
His figure vanished.
"Vibration Shift — Glide."
A transparent rail of vibrating particles appeared midair as Gern was launched forward like a projectile.
At the same time, Black Blade · Bahuang rose high overhead. The vibrations condensed into a blinding white arc.
Before the blade even descended, the ground split apart violently, tiles shattering like brittle glass.
Lugart grinned viciously and charged forward instead of dodging.
"Blood Feast Thrust — Sever the Sea!"
Bloodbeak met the descending blade head-on.
KRAAANG!!
The collision erupted with a deafening roar. Sparks burst outward in every direction.
Lugart staggered back several steps, his palms splitting open as blood trickled down his wrists.
At the same time, a thin red line appeared across Gern's chest—drawn by the tip of Bloodbeak.
It bled.
His Logia form… had been cut.
"Armament Haki?" Gern stepped back half a pace, eyes narrowing.
"Hahahaha!" Lugart burst into hysterical laughter, eyes gleaming with madness.
"You don't even know how to use Haki?!"
Gern glanced down at the thin wound, momentarily surprised.
Lugart planted his spear into the ground and lifted his chin arrogantly.
"Didn't expect that, did you, brat?! I fought real monsters in the Grand Line!"
"Haki—that's what separates the strong from the trash!"
With a roar, he launched forward again, spear thrusts raining down like a storm—each one coated in jet-black Armament Haki.
"Blood Feast—Thousand Spears!"
Gern raised Black Blade Bahuang, deflecting strike after strike. Sparks cascaded with every clash.
Yet something felt… off.
As the exchange continued, Lugart's expression shifted.
This Marine wasn't just inexperienced.
He wasn't using technique at all.
Every swing relied purely on raw power—brute amplification through vibration rather than refined swordsmanship.
Each strike was forceful, devastating… but inefficient.
Gern Reginald Sigmar wasn't fighting like a swordsman.
He was fighting like a natural disaster.
And that realization made Lugart's blood run cold.