LightReader

Chapter 38 - "The Battle of Marineford: A Clash of Legends"

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Facing Luffy, Akainu spoke first, his voice low and cutting. "Your determination is admirable. But…"

"…this stage is far too early for you," Aokiji finished coolly. "You can't possibly win against us."

Luffy's gaze never left the execution platform. "Give Ace back to me!!!"

With all his strength, he hurled the wooden spear.

Whitebeard laughed heartily. "That reckless look… just like his brother."

"Oars! Stay put—I'll need your strength!"

"Pops!!!"

"Jozu, unleash your trump card!" Whitebeard bellowed. "Everyone, charge into the plaza!"

But the spear Luffy threw shattered into ice the moment Aokiji touched it.

Luffy roared, veins straining. "Gum-Gum… Stamp Gatling!!!"

His legs split into countless afterimages, stomping furiously, each blow crashing down with overwhelming force. The frozen spear shattered into fragments, shards raining everywhere.

The Admirals only watched calmly.

As the debris scattered, Luffy launched himself forward, activating Second Gear. His speed skyrocketed as he bolted toward the platform.

"No time to waste on them!"

Kizaru's golden light flickered. "Trying to be clever, are we?"

In a flash, he was there, blocking Luffy's path.

"Too slow!!!"

His kick struck like lightning, flooding the battlefield with brilliance. Luffy went flying, slammed deep into the ground.

"Prepare for execution!!!"

The executioners' twin blades rose, glinting, ready to fall—

When suddenly, two devastating strikes pierced the platform, killing the soldiers outright.

"What?!" Sengoku shouted, stunned. "Who dares?!"

Not far away, Crocodile stood, blackened aura flaring around him.

"You bastard," Sengoku snarled. "I thought your grudge against Whitebeard would make you useful to us, Crocodile!"

From above, Marco descended in a blaze of blue fire. "Well well… looks like I almost missed my chance to shine."

Jinbei frowned from within the seawater. "That man who once tried to take Pops' life… what's he playing at?"

Crocodile's voice was sharp. "That dying old man is mine to settle with later. Until then, I won't stomach the Navy grinning in triumph."

But in the next moment, strings lashed out—Doflamingo's attack slicing clean through Crocodile's head. It dissolved into sand.

"Oi, oi… Crocodile. You ditch me just to team up with Whitebeard?" Doflamingo's grin widened. "You'll make me jealous."

The sand reformed, his head snapping back into place. "I'm not teaming up with anyone."

"Still pushing me away, huh?" Doflamingo chuckled.

Their glares clashed, then both struck at once—Crocodile's hook colliding with Doflamingo's kick. The shockwave rocked the battlefield, a storm of dust exploding outward.

Meanwhile, Luffy struggled back to his feet. "I don't get what's going on… but at least Ace is safe for now."

He barely had time to breathe before Marines swarmed him. Luffy fought tooth and nail, breaking through the encirclement, sprinting toward the execution stand again.

"Stop right there, Straw Hat!"

Luffy vanished in a blur—Second Gear engaged.

"Moonwalk!!!"

A Vice Admiral soared after him, his fist blackening with Armament Haki.

The punch missed by inches, but the ground beneath exploded into a massive crater.

Luffy twisted midair, arm stretching back. "Gum-Gum… Bullet!!!"

His fist shot forward like a cannon, slamming the Vice Admiral in the gut.

"Iron Body!!!"

The man's torso turned black, absorbing the blow. But then Luffy's fist flared with raw power—the Vice Admiral crumpled.

Luffy kept running for the stand.

Aokiji moved to intercept, his entire body cloaked in frost. An ice spear shot from his arm, striking Luffy in the shoulder like a bullet.

The force hurled him back, pinning him down.

Aokiji strolled forward, yanking the spear free. Blood gushed instantly, and Luffy writhed in agony.

"Your grandpa once did me a kindness… but I can't show mercy now. This is the dead end you chose, as a man."

Blue flames blazed across the battlefield. Marco streaked in like a meteor, his kick shattering the ice spear in Aokiji's hand and blasting him away before he could react.

"Sorry for the wait, kid—you're safe now." Marco winked, blue fire swirling around him.

Luffy gasped for breath. "Thanks… you saved me…"

Marco gave a faint smile. "It's fine."

Suddenly, a pirate ship burst out from beneath the waves behind them. Pirates swarmed onto the deck and charged straight toward the square. Because of Akainu's earlier attack, the entire bay had already been flooded with seawater.

The Navy cannons all swung to lock onto that ship.

With a furious roar, the giant Oars grabbed the entire vessel and hurled it toward the execution platform.

"Attack Oars!!" Sengoku barked the order.

The ship crashed down right in front of the platform.

The pirates aboard let out a battle cry as they leapt down with blades raised, charging headlong toward the execution stand.

"Father!!!"

Ace roared desperately from his chains.

Exhausted and bleeding, Oars panted heavily. "Did it work…? Did we manage to save Ace…?"

But volley after volley of cannon fire tore into his massive body, explosions ripping him apart until he finally collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Whitebeard surged forward, leaping onto the plaza. A crushing, overwhelming aura radiated from him, silencing the battlefield for a moment.

"My sons—fall back!"

He raised the massive naginata in his hands. White, rippling power from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit wrapped around the blade instantly.

That terrifying force fractured the very air in front of the execution platform, spiderweb cracks spreading across space itself.

The entire world seemed to tremble.

A gale of destructive energy ripped across the battlefield, blasting countless marines off their feet. Whitebeard's power was unleashed in full.

The fourteen division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates immediately rallied to his side.

"Boys—rescue Ace, crush the Navy!!"

In the World of One Piece

The Whitebeard Pirates' ship erupted with deafening cheers.

"Father is unstoppable!!""Whitebeard Pirates forever!!"

On the Thousand Sunny, Sanji stared at the transponder screen in shock. "No wonder they call him the strongest crew in the world… even the Navy would tremble at this."

"Ace is saved for sure!!" Luffy punched the air with all his strength, cheering with tears in his eyes.

In the World of Inuyasha

"So that's the strongest man from another world? His power really is terrifying… I wonder how he'd compare to Naraku," Miroku muttered, eyes wide in awe.

Inuyasha tightened his grip on Tessaiga, voice low and tense. "Miroku… the pressure that Whitebeard gives off is way heavier than Naraku's."

"And his power—it's entirely his own. Not borrowed, not boosted by the Shikon Jewel. Naraku wouldn't stand a chance against someone like him."

In the World of One Punch Man

Child Emperor gaped at the feed. "These people… their bodies can transform naturally?!"

"That Crocodile guy had his head sliced off and just turned into sand and reformed! Unbelievable!"

"And that man—Whitebeard—he can trigger earthquakes and tsunamis at will… what a terrifying ability!"

Across the multiverse, the power of the One Piece world left warriors stunned. No one had expected such overwhelming, diverse strength from another world. It was fearsome beyond imagination.

"..."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

More Chapters