Wano Country Coast Battlefield.
On the deck of the giant whale warship, Moby Dick.
A group of young men and women from the Whitebeard Pirates stared intently at the two figures in the distant battlefield across the surging tides.
At this moment, they couldn't clearly hear what Shiki and Whitebeard, were saying.
"What is that Golden Lion doing? Why is even pops suddenly speaking in a low voice?"
"Hmm... Maybe they're discussing some dangerous things or powerful individuals?"
"I feel like that Golden Lion has some kind of scheme… he looks like he's up to no good."
Everyone discussed among themselves, all guessing, but getting no useful results.
Among the crowd, Marco, standing on the mast, heard the discussions, and his youthful impatience finally got the better of him.
The next moment, he transformed into a Phoenix, spread his wings, and soared into the sky, rapidly rushing towards the center of the battlefield.
"Marco? What are you doing?!"
On the deck, Rakuyo was the first to notice and quickly called out to stop him.
The others in the field looked up when they heard him and were immediately shocked.
"Get back here! You're just an apprentice crewmate!" Whitey Bay shouted loudly.
Other crewmates also called out, but they couldn't dissuade him at all.
Marco had already flown far away, surrounded by blue flames, he forcefully passed through the destructive arcs.
The areas hit by the arcs were continuously healed by the blue flames. He relied on his powerful recovery ability to push through.
The dense arcs were only the outermost area of the battlefield. Deeper in, besides the arcs being even denser, there were also shockwaves and Conqueror's Haki sweeping indiscriminately.
Marco barely managed to block the shockwaves, but the Conqueror's Haki was ultimately something he couldn't resist.
"Ugh, damn it!"
Under the suppression of the Conqueror's Haki, Marco felt his head spin, and he uncontrollably plummeted downwards, with a trail of blue residual flames.
And his current position was already very close to the center of the battlefield, but it was like a moon in the water, unattainable for him.
"This kid… is he your subordinate?" Shiki had actually noticed Marco, who had trespassed into the battlefield, earlier.
It was just that the latter being able to penetrate so deep into the vicinity of the battlefield's center was somewhat beyond Shiki's expectation.
"Hmm, this kid is quite good."
Shiki stared at the blue figure falling like a kite with a broken string in the distant sky, his eyes lighting up, as if he had seen some treasure.
"His Devil Fruit… is the legendary Mythical Zoan, Phoenix?"
"I never thought you'd be able to recruit such a talent…"
Shiki turned his head back, staring at Whitebeard below, and suddenly asked with a chuckle, "How about we make a deal?"
"I'll trade thirty warships for that Phoenix!"
Upon hearing this, Whitebeard's brows furrowed sharply, his eyes revealing deep anger. Shiki could tell that Whitebeard was truly enraged, one could say extremely furious.
"It seems you're not too keen on trading." Shiki laughed heartily.
Whitebeard suddenly spoke, his words filled with killing intent, "Are you provoking me, Shiki?!"
"Marco, he is my son."
"…Oh?"
Shiki paused slightly, then immediately remembered that after Whitebeard left the Rocks Pirates and formed his own pirate crew, he seemed to have adopted many sons.
Originally, Shiki thought Whitebeard had some peculiar hobby: a hobby of adopting others as his sons?
Now, from Whitebeard's behavior, it seemed he was serious, truly treating those adopted kids as his close family.
Shiki didn't understand such behavior but was greatly shocked. Was Whitebeard really that foolish?
"Taking a bunch of kids as family, do you intend to raise them to help you become the overlord of the seas?!" Shiki speculated based on his own understanding.
"…" Whitebeard did not respond.
His tremor punch was his response!
A heavy punch, enveloped in a pure white light, slammed fiercely into space itself.
The next moment, large cracks appeared in space, and the vibrating cracks spread rapidly, rushing towards Shiki in mid-air.
"Jihahahaha! So you've caught your breath and want to fight me again?"
Shiki sneered, waving his swords, with Conqueror's Haki flowing over the blades.
Then, he actually charged straight down, his swords unleashing shockwaves along the way, finally arriving in front of Whitebeard.
Whitebeard swung his naginata, also launching a slash with Conqueror's Haki.
Buzz—Boom!
The Conqueror's Haki-infused blades of the two great powerhouses collided in mid-air, instantly unleashing endless arcs. However, this collision did not last long.
Under Shiki's continuous full-power assault, Whitebeard was actually sent flying, his legs dragging on the ground as he retreated a long distance.
"Jihahahaha! Since you're injured, you should behave yourself."
Shiki looked at the bloodstain on Whitebeard's lips, his smile filled with menace.
Then, his body floated in mid-air, carrying a powerful pressure as he flew unhurriedly towards Whitebeard.
In the distance opposite, Whitebeard casually wiped away the blood from the corner of his lips. Even though he was temporarily at a disadvantage, his gaze remained firm.
Seeing this, Shiki sneered and attacked again, the two swords gleaming with Conqueror's Haki.
However, at this moment, an incredibly powerful pressure suddenly descended upon the battlefield.
"Ngh!"
In an instant, Shiki felt an immense pressure rolling towards him. His body, floating in the air, was even forced down to the ground.
"Who is it? Who's ambushing me?"
Shiki's expression was furious, but deep in his eyes, there was a hint of shock and horror.
Although he was arrogant and conceited, he wasn't a fool.
How strong would the person be who could make him feel suppressed and use such power?
Just as Shiki was scanning around, searching for the hidden enemy, a calm voice unexpectedly entered his ears.
"Shiki, you're quite bold, daring to steal my warship?"
"…It's that old man Kenji!" Shiki instantly recognized the speaker.
"So, the one who used that power just now was him?!"
"When did he acquire such immense power?!"
While horrified, Shiki's eyes darted around, his mind quickly thinking, and soon he responded.
"Misunderstanding, actually, I was just… passing by."
(End of Chapter)
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