"Jihahahaha... This feeling, it's been a long time since I've felt it."
Shiki raised a hand to wipe away the blood, the smile on his face slightly receding. But soon, the smile on his face gradually deepened, and he finally tilted his head back, laughing wildly.
"Jihahaha! Just as I thought!"
Shiki's eyes widened, a sharp light piercing through the battlefield, directly looking at Whitebeard below. His triumphant gaze seemed to have seen through Whitebeard's secret.
"You're injured!"
His arrogant words were exceptionally loud, echoing throughout the entire field.
The moment Whitebeard heard these words, his eyes instantly narrowed, a dangerous glint appearing within them.
He was indeed injured, having sustained severe injuries in his previous battle with Kenji.
Although Marco had used his Devil Fruit ability to treat him during that time, Kenji's final kick had once again left him severely wounded.
Of course, Marco had also provided treatment during their journey from the depths of Wano Country's Flower Capital to the coast. However, it was impossible for Whitebeard's internal injuries to be completely suppressed.
In fact, at this moment, Whitebeard found it difficult to even fight at full power, as it could easily aggravate his internal injuries.
The vibrating Conqueror's Haki-infused slash he had just unleashed had a slightly weaker power compared to when he was in perfect condition. Shiki had used this very point to ascertain Whitebeard's true current state.
"What? Old man is injured? Is it serious?"
Shiki's words suddenly shocked the young pirates on the Moby Dick.
They had stayed on the pirate ship and were unaware of the major battle that had occurred outside the Flower Capital.
However, a mere statement from an enemy was not enough to convince everyone present.
But after they questioned Marco, who had rushed to support Whitebeard earlier, they finally confirmed it.
"Old man's injuries aren't too troublesome, he just needs a day or two of rest to recover..." Marco's voice grew quieter as he spoke.
Clearly, he too had realized that the current situation offered no time for Whitebeard to recover from his injuries.
Not just him, but the other crew members present quickly realized this as well, their expressions turning serious.
They gazed at Whitebeard's figure in the distant battlefield, their eyes filled with worry.
After all, a Legendary Pirate in perfect condition fighting a Legendary Pirate with impaired condition, the final outcome of the battle seemed obvious, didn't it?
"So Whitebeard was that seriously injured?"
Outside the battlefield, Kuzan also heard Shiki's previous words, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
He had almost entirely observed the major battle between Kenji and Whitebeard earlier.
But the terrifying Conqueror's Haki displayed by the two triggered dense arcs. Ultimately, they became so dense that it formed a continuous expanse, obscuring most of the battlefield area, making it difficult for observers outside to see the true battle scene.
If you couldn't even see, how could you know the battle situation? You could only rely on imagination and conjecture.
However, many people did see Kenji's final kick sending Whitebeard flying.
"Even with Marco helping with treatment, are his injuries still that severe?"
Kuzan released his Observation Haki and sensed that Whitebeard's aura in the distance had weakened. He immediately grew anxious, speaking rapidly into the Den Den Mushi.
"This is bad, this is really bad! Kenji-san!"
"Whitebeard looks like he won't last much longer. Our Marine ship is going to be stolen by Golden Lion Shiki."
Kuzan's anxious voice reached the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
Inside the pleasure district, in the fragrant room, Kenji was leisurely savoring a cherry brought to his mouth by the courtesan, Anna.
He heard the urgency in Kuzan's words but still offered no response. Because, so far, Shiki's true objective had not yet been revealed.
A Legendary Pirate traveling thousands of miles just to steal a Marine ship?
In reality, Kenji didn't believe it.
Although Shiki was arrogant and wild, he wasn't a fool.
And Kenji understood this Golden Lion better than anyone else, knowing that while he appeared overbearing, he was actually meticulous and preferred to plan before acting.
He was also extremely patient, enduring in secret for twenty years for his plan to destroy the East Blue.
Would such a schemer come to rob out of a momentary impulse? And of all things, a Marine ship?
Kenji clearly didn't believe it, so he simply continued to observe the battlefield through the Den Den Mushi, especially Shiki's movements.
As for his Observation Haki, although it could easily cover the entire Wano Country and sense the situation on the battlefield, it was difficult to clearly hear Shiki's words amidst the various loud noises of the intense battle.
"That kid Shiki, he wouldn't have been collecting information about me all this time, would he?"
Kenji felt a suspicion, after all, he had arrived a bit too coincidentally.
Moreover, if he could arrange for people to collect information on other forces, other forces could naturally collect information on him.
Perhaps this was, in a sense, a 'you in me, me in you' situation.
"Forget it, let's see what this kid is up to first." Kenji yawned, then turned his head and sank into a 'cotton candy' embrace.
The courtesan's face almost completely red, could no longer hold back and was about to make a sound. But suddenly, her slightly opened mouth was blocked.
...
Wano Country Coast, within the battlefield.
After Shiki had ascertained Whitebeard's true condition, he no longer had any reservations and unleashed his power freely.
Amidst the rumbling sounds, the ground was continuously lifted, completely obscuring the battlefield sky.
When the lifted rocks and earth fell, everyone on the battlefield felt as if the sky was collapsing at that moment.
"Jihahaha! This time, you'll have to surrender, Newgate!" Shiki laughed arrogantly, continuously striking with his twin swords.
"Injured, you're no match for me!"
As if to maximize the power of his attacks, Shiki quietly descended a short distance, only less than ten meters away from Whitebeard below.
With their power, a ten-meter distance was almost no different from being face-to-face.
"You're always so arrogant..."
Whitebeard raised his hand and clenched his fist, a pure white light appearing. The power of spatial tremor erupted, rapidly shattering the ground that was falling from above.
The power of the tremor force was relentless, continuously surging upwards like an overwhelming tide.
Shiki smiled as he struck, easily cutting through the subsequent shockwaves.
However, during this time, Whitebeard keenly noticed that Shiki would always incidentally block the shockwaves heading towards the Marine ship in the sky, ignoring the shockwaves in other directions.
"You seem to value Kenji's Marine ship quite a bit, Shiki." Whitebeard said thoughtfully.
Shiki's expression changed upon hearing this, but a cold sneer appeared on his face.
"Hmph! What a joke! I'm a pirate admiral. I have plenty of warships."
"It's just that I'm a little interested in this Marine ship, so if I encounter it, I'll take it back and use it as a target."