A powerful aura swept over the battlefield, unleashing a raging shockwave that turned into a howling gale. It was almost impossible to stand upright. Amid screams of surprise, many people were blown into the air, and even the Navy admirals had to shield themselves against the wind.
When the gale abruptly stopped, Sengoku looked up—and his pupils shrank sharply.
"Impossible..."
Whitebeard's towering figure stood like a steel tower on the battlefield. His burly body was covered in mottled wounds, blood staining his white coat, and several gaping holes in his flesh revealed bone—truly a horrifying sight.
If it had been anyone else, they would have died countless times over already. Even so, with such grave injuries, Whitebeard should have been on the brink of death.
But then, what was that overwhelming aura just now?
Sengoku, Garp, and everyone present stared at the massive figure in bewilderment.
Whitebeard appeared no different from before, even his wounds remained unchanged—but the fierce aura he now exuded was completely unlike before.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard suddenly burst into loud laughter, slamming his massive blade into the ground with a bang. The earth cracked like a spiderweb beneath it. He said, "Come on, Navy—let's settle this."
Akainu's face turned livid, veins bulging on his forehead. He growled, "You're just an outdated old man. Go back to your grave!"
With a stomp, the ground beneath Akainu turned into molten lava. His figure shot out like an arrow, muscular arm tensed, transforming into blazing magma as he threw a powerful punch.
"Great Eruption!"
The magma fist expanded as it flew through the air. By the time it reached Whitebeard, it had become a massive fireball over ten meters in diameter.
Whitebeard grinned. "Magma brat, attacks like that won't be enough to defeat me."
With that, he clenched his fist. His muscular arm swelled, and with a mighty swing, he punched forward.
Crack!
With a sound like shattering glass, a shockwave burst out like lightning, ripping through the air.
Boom! A deep roar echoed as the shockwave collided with the magma.
The magma exploded, sparks flying in all directions.
Whitebeard's punch had effortlessly shattered the magma fist.
From the smoke, Akainu shot forth and said coldly, "You're still no match for me."
"Is that so, brat?"
A familiar voice rang in Akainu's ear. His pupils shrank—Whitebeard was suddenly right beside him.
Akainu growled and threw a punch.
But before it could land, a massive fist struck him in the gut like lightning.
Boom!
Akainu's chest caved in, eyes bulging as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
He flew backward and crashed heavily into Marineford's mountains. Boom! Rocks shattered and flew as his body blasted a huge hole in the mountainside.
"Impossible..." Akainu, now half-kneeling on the ground with blood trickling from his mouth and nose, stared in shock.
Before he could rise from the rubble, Whitebeard stomped down, the ground splintering, and shot toward him like a cannonball. Raising his fist, he delivered another crushing blow to Akainu.
Boom!
Rocks shattered, debris flew everywhere, and the forceful shockwave stirred up a savage whirlwind that roared outward.
"So fast!"
Sengoku's eyes widened. Just now, Whitebeard moved with astonishing agility, his punches carried immense force—it was a stark contrast to the terminally ill state he had shown before.
"What's going on?" Sengoku couldn't help but glance toward the distant, slender figure. His eyes narrowed. "Could it be... her?"
"Two-Spined Spear!"
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
Suddenly, freezing spears and light bullets tore through the air, raining down on Whitebeard like a storm.
Seeing the attack coming, Whitebeard grinned, raised his muscular arm, and threw a punch.
Boom boom boom!
Amid thunderous blasts, Whitebeard's punch shattered the oncoming ice spears and light bullets into dust.
A spark flashed in Whitebeard's eyes. With a stomp, the ground split beneath him as he charged toward the Navy like a bolt of lightning.
Boom boom boom!
Whitebeard engaged in a fierce battle with Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru. What shocked everyone was that the previously weak Whitebeard now fought with unmatched vitality. Not only did he take on all three admirals, but he even seemed to have the upper hand.
"Pops!"
Marco's heart was filled with worry. He knew this was merely a final burst of strength—a brief blaze before death. Power gained by burning one's life force couldn't last.
Boom!
With a muffled thud, Whitebeard sent Aokiji and Kizaru flying. They skidded dozens of meters before coming to a stop. Aokiji's expression turned serious.
"Why don't you just die already?" Kizaru dusted off his clothes with a look of disdain. "You're such a nuisance."
Whitebeard swung his massive blade and grinned. "Come on, brats—let me show you the power of the old era." With a stomp, the ground cracked beneath him as he charged forward once again.
"Go, Pops!"
"Smash those guys!"
"Yeah, show them the might of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Charge! Kill them all!"
Although they didn't understand why, seeing their captain fight so ferociously lifted the spirits of the Whitebeard Pirates. With renewed morale, they surged forward like a tide, clashing fiercely with the Navy.
Only Marco remained anxious. He knew that no matter how powerful Pops was, it was impossible to defeat a Navy filled with so many top fighters.
Sure enough, seeing the Navy being pushed back, Sengoku and Garp joined the fray.
With Sengoku and Garp entering the battle, Whitebeard was immediately overwhelmed. Wounds began to multiply across his body. After all, even someone like Whitebeard couldn't fend off so many powerful opponents indefinitely.
Yet Whitebeard's spirit did not wane. Instead, he fought with even more vigor. His massive blade swept through the air like a storm. For a moment, he actually held off six admiral-level foes.
Then, from the sidelines, Kaguya suddenly said, "Time's up."
The moment she spoke, as if on cue, Whitebeard's body trembled. His eyes widened, and clutching his chest, he staggered back a few steps before falling to one knee with a thud, vomiting a mouthful of blood.
"Pops!"
Seeing the towering figure half-kneeling in the distance, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were struck with shock and dismay. Marco's eyes widened in horror as he frantically rushed toward Whitebeard.
But before he could get close, a wall of Marines blocked his path.
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard gripped his great blade, lifted his head, and grinned. "What a pity, I'm out of time. Otherwise, I could've toyed with you brats a bit longer."
As he spoke, he coughed up a mouthful of crimson blood.
"Pops!"
The Whitebeard Pirates were stunned, trying to charge forward. But the Navy had already anticipated this, erecting a defensive line and tightening their encirclement to trap the pirates.
"Pops!"
Marco transformed into a light blue phoenix, gliding swiftly through the air toward Whitebeard.
But before he could reach him, a figure suddenly leapt up, landing in Marco's path and throwing a heavy punch down onto his head.
Boom!
Marco crashed to the ground like a meteor, slamming into it with a thunderous crash and leaving a deep crater spider-webbed with cracks.
Cough cough
Marco waved his arms to clear the dust and smoke. When he looked up, his teeth clenched in fury.
Garp crossed his arms and said sternly, "Give it up, Marco. As long as I'm here, you won't get through."
"Damn it!"
Marco's eyes burned with rage as he clenched his fists.
Then he suddenly thought of something and rushed to Kaguya's side. "You must have a way to save Pops! You saved Ace when he was gravely wounded and near death. You can save him too, right?"
Kaguya furrowed her brow and said, "Power comes at a price. This is only natural."
"But please, I'm begging you—save him!" Marco pleaded. "I know you can."
Kaguya looked toward the distant figure. "His life force is already spent. He is at the end. Let him go."
Marco quickly replied, "That's impossible! Pops, he—"
Before Marco could finish, Whitebeard's thunderous voice echoed across Marineford. "Listen well, boys! Get back to the New World safely. That's my final order!"
"Pops!"
With those words, Whitebeard gripped his great blade tightly and raised it high. Shouting, he declared, "Navy—sink to the bottom of the sea with me!"
Garp's pupils shrank. "No!"
Sengoku also realized the danger. With a stomp, he flashed forward, racing toward Whitebeard.
But it was already too late.
Whitebeard swung his massive arm, his blade cutting a great arc through the air before crashing down with immense force.
Crack!
A sound like shattering glass echoed as the air tore apart and space twisted violently. The ground suddenly split open with deep cracks, and several massive chasms sliced across Marineford, dividing the Navy and pirates.
"Pops!"
The pirates of the Whitebeard crew were teary-eyed, shouting and crying loudly. Many of them still refused to leave, but others forcefully dragged them away.
"Pops!"
"Go! Follow Pops' orders!"
"How can you leave him behind like this?!"
"Idiot! None of us want to, but what choice do we have?!"
"Still clinging on at this point? All you're doing is disgracing Pops. Don't you understand that?!" cried Thatch, the 15th Division Commander, his eyes filled with tears.
Everyone trembled, gritted their teeth, and abruptly turned around, sprinting toward Marineford's port. Tears streamed down their faces, and their clenched fists were so tight that fingernails dug deep into their palms without them realizing.
Boom boom boom!
Amid a barrage of deafening crashes, the ground split apart, the earth fractured into ravines like canyons, and the entire island began to collapse. Seawater surged in, raising monstrous waves.
The Navy was thrown into panic, retreating toward Marineford's harbor—but the ground there had already crumbled. Ravines crisscrossed the land, and huge rocks broke and cracked. There was hardly anywhere left to stand. Many stepped into empty space and screamed as they plummeted into the abyss.
"This is bad! The island is going to sink!"
"Run! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late!"
"Damn it! The pirates took the warships—we're trapped!"
"Damn that Whitebeard! Even with those injuries, he still had such devastating power!"
A Navy soldier ran over in a panic and shouted, "Fleet Admiral! The foundation of the island is destroyed—Marineford will sink into the sea soon!"
"Damn you, Whitebeard!" Sengoku's face turned grim, veins bulging on his forehead. "Even in death, you still cause destruction, you bastard!"
"Fleet Admiral, what should we do?! The entire island will be submerged any moment now!" the soldier cried anxiously.
Sengoku clenched his jaw, then raised his arm and shouted, "Send word to nearby Navy branches—deploy all available warships to support Marineford! Everyone here, evacuate to the ships at once!"
"But Fleet Admiral—the port's already submerged! The ships outside have been taken by the pirates! What do we do?!" the soldier responded, pale-faced.
"What?!" Sengoku's face darkened further. His voice squeezed through gritted teeth. "Those damned pirates!"
"What a mess. Looks like you're all about to become fish food. I wonder if the Sea Kings will enjoy the taste—or just get indigestion."
A clear and melodious voice rang out from behind. Sengoku spun around, and standing there was none other than Kaguya.
"Kaguya!" Sengoku roared. "This is all your fault! If not for you, Whitebeard wouldn't have gone this far!"
"Isn't this nice? A beachfront resort plaza—much better than what was here before," Kaguya said with a squint and a smile. "So, what do you think? Consider it."
"Kaguya!" Sengoku bellowed.
"Well, as foolish as they are, they're still my students. If they just died here, it'd be troublesome," Kaguya said as she walked forward. Raising her fair arm, her clear eyes sharpened as she intoned, "Earth Style: Seismic Core!"
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