Marineford, Navy Headquarters.
Whitebeard had relentlessly pursued Kizaru all the way here.
Standing before the towering fortress walls of the World Government's greatest military power, his gaze burned with an unyielding intensity.
Taking in the majestic, imposing sight, he paused, casually tucking away the large barrel he was carrying, now mostly full of Kizaru's blood.
Meanwhile, Kizaru was finally able to catch his breath, though it came in ragged, painful gasps.
His expensive suit was in tatters, his body riddled with wounds.
Some had already started to scab over, a testament to his monstrous durability, but others still oozed fresh blood.
The massive blood loss had left him in bad shape.
'For the salary I'm getting, why am I risking my life like this?' Kizaru grumbled internally.
'I just wanted to slack off...'
But reality was cruel.
Whitebeard had become dead set on him, refusing to let up until that ridiculous barrel was filled.
Left with no other option, Kizaru had been forced to limp his way back to Marineford.
Fortunately, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the others had anticipated this scenario.
"Ooh, what a scary old man… chasing me all the way back home," Kizaru drawled, but the lightness in his tone didn't quite hide the pale, drained look on his face.
"Gurararara! Borsalino, did you really think running here would make me give up?" Whitebeard grinned, his eyes gleaming with fierce determination.
As he stood before the gates of his old enemies, a promise he'd made to Marco flashed through his mind: to get him the blood of Akainu.
Since he was already here, why not help his son fulfill that dream?
Hearing Whitebeard's words, Kizaru's expression stiffened.
He realized with a sinking feeling that the Emperor wasn't joking.
"Newgate… Are you actually trying to start a war between the Yonko and the Navy?" Kizaru's voice carried a rare, sharp edge of seriousness.
His usual lazy demeanor was gone, replaced by the solemnity of a man who understood the world-shaking implications of this moment.
Faced with the question, Whitebeard merely smiled faintly, as if they were talking about the weather.
"War? What war? I just wanted a bit of your blood. As for the rest... I don't really care."
With that, he casually grabbed his murakumogiri and planted it firmly into the ground with a resounding thud.
The very air seemed to freeze.
Everyone held their breath.
Then, Whitebeard spread his arms wide.
As he flexed, his muscles bulged like anchor chains, coiling with astonishing explosive power.
"Since I've come all this way," Whitebeard grinned, "it felt wrong to show up empty-handed."
Kizaru immediately felt a deep sense of foreboding.
Whitebeard slowly raised his right hand, his fingers splayed, and then suddenly clenched his fist, grabbing at the empty air.
This simple motion contained the power to shake the world.
CRACK!
The space around him shattered like glass.
Countless fine, dense cracks spread outward at a terrifying speed, continuing far into the distance until they reached the turbulent sea.
As Whitebeard's arms tensed, veins bulging on his biceps, he yanked down with one fluid, unstoppable motion.
"BOOM!"
With an earth-shaking roar, the sea erupted.
Massive walls of water surged toward the shore.
"...Are you planning to flood Marineford?" Kizaru's face went dark.
Just then, hurried footsteps broke the silence.
He turned to see Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Aokiji, Vice Admiral Garp, and the Great Staff Officer Tsuru approaching.
"Borsalino," Sengoku said, his expression grim.
"You've done well. Headquarters has decided to give you a raise."
Hearing this, Kizaru—who a moment ago looked like he was on death's door—immediately brightened, as if he'd been shot with a dose of pure adrenaline.
For him, nothing was more motivating than a salary increase.
Suddenly, the deep gashes and life-threatening blood loss didn't seem so bad.
It was all worth it for a raise!
"Go rest and recover. Since he come here, we wont let Whitebeard leave so easily," Sengoku said calmly.
Tsuru frowned at the Yonko.
"Is he really trying to flood Marineford?"
Aokiji scoffed, his hands in his pockets.
"Tch. As if he'd get the chance."
"Hahahaha! Sengoku, I don't think it's us who won't let Whitebeard leave," Garp laughed heartily, stuffing rice crackers into his mouth.
"It's Whitebeard who won't let us leave!"
At that moment, Whitebeard's gaze swept past the others, finally settling on his two old rivals, Sengoku and Garp.
The corners of his lips curled into a grin as an overwhelming battle aura erupted from his body, sweeping through the area like a violent storm.
The sheer force of his presence seemed to shake the world.
With a mere thought from the Emperor, the sea began to churn violently, waves rising and gathering into an unstoppable force.
They grew taller and larger, eventually forming a single, colossal tsunami capable of swallowing the entire island.
Carrying devastating energy, it roared towards the Marineford.
"Sengoku! Garp! It's been a while," Whitebeard's voice cut through the deafening roar of the wave.
"I wonder if you'll like my gift?"
No sooner had he spoken than the towering tsunami surged forward, its scale and power beyond all imagination.
If they couldn't stop it, this force would submerge all of Marineford, wiping it off the map forever.
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