"Hahaha, behold the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!" Izou laughed, a confidence in his voice no one had ever heard from the quiet man before.
"Thirty Million Volts: Thunderbird!"
Lightning erupted around him.
As he raised an arm, the intricate thunderbird tattoo on his bicep began to glow.
With a piercing cry, a massive bird made of pure lightning burst forth from his skin and soared into the sky.
He then revealed his other arm, covered in tattoos of a leopard, a tiger, and a dragon.
At his command, they too sprang to life, becoming beasts of crackling energy that playfully chased each other across the sky.
The crew stared, mesmerized and burning with envy.
"So strong..."
"I've changed my mind," one muttered in awe.
"Forget the Glint-Glint Fruit. I want that."
In a dark corner, Enel watched this scene, completely broken.
The power he had lorded over others, now a parlor trick summoned from a man's tattoo.
It wasn't just that they had his power; it was that they used it with an ease and creativity he'd never imagined.
The god was dead.
All that was left was an empty shell, whose only use now was to be a blood bank.
"Gurararara! Alright, you brats!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, itching for a fight. "Who wants to spar with your old man?"
"I'll go first, Pops," Marco said, stepping forward without hesitation.
"Count me in," Ace grinned. "Better watch out, Old Man."
"Don't forget me," Whitey Bay added with a frosty smirk. "I've gotten pretty good with this Ice Fruit."
"I just got this power," the new Glint-Glint user laughed, "but I should be fast enough to run away, at least."
"A chance to get pointers from you?" Izou nodded respectfully. "I wouldn't miss it."
Battle intent flared in their eyes.
They exchanged grins and turned as one to face Whitebeard, ready for the fight of their lives.
Ron, meanwhile, was happy to just be a spectator.
This was the perfect way to see the results of his experiments.
"Sir, I made some juice with angel island fruit," Conis said, offering him a glass with a sweet smile.
"I hope you like it."
Ron took the glass and settled into a comfortable spot to watch the show.
Conis stood by his side, ready to serve him at any moment, a genuine peace can be seen on her face.
She looked from the fearsome pirates preparing for their earth-shattering battle to the kind man sipping his juice.
These people were terrifying, but they had taken nothing from her people but gold they didn't value, and in return, they had given her something she'd thought was lost forever: peace.
It was a strange and wonderful new life for her.
"Here I come, brats!"
Whitebeard laughed, his booming voice echoing as he vanished in a dazzling arc of lightning.
The next moment, he reappeared directly in front of Marco, his Murakumogiri already descending in an unstoppable arc.
"Too slow!" Whitebeard's cold voice rang out as the massive blade sliced cleanly through Marco's waist.
Marco sighed as his lower half fell away.
He'd gotten arrogant after gaining a second ability, but against the Old Man, he was still just a kid.
A moment later, blue flames erupted from the wound, and his body regenerated completely.
Undiscouraged, he stepped aside with a grin, having learned a valuable lesson.
With Marco's instant defeat as a warning, the others went on high alert.
Whitebeard then appeared before Ace, his greatsword aimed for his head.
"Been waiting for you, Old Man!" Ace grinned, meeting the blade with a fist wreathed in dark, ghostly phoenix flames.
The two forces collided with a thunderous boom, and for a split second, Ace held his ground.
Then the Murakumogiri sliced through his fist, severing his arm at the elbow.
"Gurararara, you've improved, Ace," Whitebeard praised as Ace's arm regenerated in a burst of fire.
He then transformed back into a bolt of lightning, weaving between the others.
"Come on, brats! All of you at once!"
It had been years since he'd had a fight this enjoyable.
Then, all hell broke loose.
"Laser Cannon!"
"Thirty Million Volts: Thunderbird!"
"Ice Age!"
A chaotic storm of elemental attacks erupted as the commanders threw everything they had at their captain.
Whitebeard laughed and weaved through the barrage, a whirlwind of lightning and quake energy, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Ron watched the spectacular, clownish free-for-all brawl, laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all.
Then, as a massive thunderbird soared past a giant pillar of ice, a sudden, brilliant idea struck him.
He had always treated his Sword energy as a fixed projectile, a simple slash.
But what if it wasn't? What if it was just an extension of his will, an energy he could shape?
If he could project it, could he not also expand it?
The thought was exhilarating.
He couldn't increase its raw power, not without more training, but he could change its scale.
He could make a simple slash look like it could cut a continent in half.
The sheer intimidation factor would be a weapon in itself.
A wave of excitement surged through him.
He could even apply the principle to his own body, growing or shrinking at will by manipulating the space his energy occupied.
It was a completely new dimension to his fighting style, a technique he could call "Size Manipulation."
He grinned, the possibilities racing through his mind.
A sword slash that filled the entire sky.
An enemy paralyzed by fear before the real attack even landed.
This trip to the sky had been more fruitful than he could have ever imagined.
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