That destructive light on Whitebeard's right fist compressed into a singularity so pure, so blinding, it seemed capable of swallowing all light itself.
On Whitebeard's weathered face, a near-mad delight surfaced—the exhilaration only a true king of the seas could feel when facing an opponent worthy of his full strength.
It had been too long—far too long—since he last felt this thrill!
"Gu ra ra ra ra!"
"Lucian!!"
"Take this blow—and live through it!"
With a roar that split the heavens, time itself shattered.
Whitebeard's world-ending fist struck straight toward Lucian!
No shockwave.
No excess noise.
Only a pure white light—and the spreading of cracks.
Crack!
Space itself broke apart!
Lucian's Observation Haki failed him in this instant; what lay before him was beyond foresight. It was no longer "something that might happen." It was predetermined destruction.
He did not retreat.
There was no retreat.
At the exact same moment Whitebeard threw his punch, Lucian squeezed out the very last ounce of his strength. Crossing his arms before him, Armament Haki surged so thick it resembled a black hole—meeting the world-rending fissure head-on!
He wasn't defending.
He was receiving. Absorbing. Analyzing.
This final strike—the last, crucial data!
"COME!!"
A hoarse roar tore from his throat.
The next second—
White and black collided.
No thunderous crash. Only silence.
Lucian's body vanished in that instant of contact, erased like chalk wiped from a board.
Then—
RUMBLE!!!
One second later, the repressed destruction detonated!
The entire island—and thousands of meters of surrounding sea—were crushed downward!
A colossal bowl-shaped crater, more than a kilometer wide, carved itself into the ocean!
Water drained away, baring the pitch-black seabed.
Then came the rebound.
A titanic surge of water erupted skyward, forming a wall that bridged sea and sky!
On the Moby Dick, crewmen crowded the rails—only to collapse in terror at the apocalyptic sight, too stricken even to scream.
Jozu instinctively turned his arms to diamond, shielding the ship, but the backlash numbed him to the bone, sending the vessel skidding hundreds of meters across the waves!
"Lucian!!"
Marco's anguished cry split the chaos. Transforming into the phoenix, he dove headlong into the blast's center!
Nothing but steam. Nothing but raging currents.
He thought Lucian's body was gone.
And then—a silhouette burst from the haze, bloodied and broken, like a kite with its string cut!
Lucian!
Marco's wings beat furiously, catching him in midair.
What met his hands was heat, blood, and bones on the verge of shattering.
Lucian's arms were twisted grotesquely, his body mangled, his breath so faint it seemed ready to vanish.
But—he was alive!
And in that moment, just before his consciousness faded, a cascade of cold, mechanical tones erupted in his mind like the sweetest music:
[Warning! Warning! Subject exposed to extreme seismic energy!]
[Vital signs rapidly declining!]
[Edward Newgate data forcibly transferring…]
[Analysis Progress… 95%…]
[Analysis Progress… 98%…]
[Warning! Energy overload! Module near collapse!]
[Analysis Progress… 99.99%…]
[DING!]
A clear chime rang out, as though announcing the birth of a new world.
[Congratulations, Host! Ultimate Trump Card [SSR: Peak Whitebeard] fully analyzed and charged!]
[Host near death detected. As first-time reward for unlocking an Ultimate Trump Card, the system will extract 50% of Peak Whitebeard's power for permanent reinforcement!]
[Reinforcement commencing!]
BOOM!
An indescribable force, vast as the stars, surged into Lucian's body!
It carried dominion, the tyrannical might of a man who ruled the seas, the raw ferocity to shatter all creation!
His broken bones knit before Marco's eyes, reforged by the flood of energy.
His fading life force roared back, swelling beyond measure.
Marco trembled, holding him. The fragile flame he thought would gutter out now erupted like a volcano awakening.
A presence so immense, so oppressive, radiated from Lucian that Marco's heart raced with dread.
"This… this is…"
He was speechless.
Lucian's eyes opened.
And the world—changed.
He could see the flow of air.
He could hear the flick of a distant fish tail.
He could feel the ocean of power in Whitebeard's body—immense, yet tinged with decay.
[Reinforcement complete!]
[Evaluating host's current combat rating…]
[Result: Mid-tier Admiral level. Comparable to Fujitora or Ryokugyu.]
Lucian's lips curved into a wild grin.
An Admiral!
With just half of Peak Whitebeard's power integrated, he had leapt from survival in the New World to standing on the very stage that shaped it!
This… this was the strength of the World's Strongest Man!
He slipped from Marco's arms, rising into the air under his own power.
Across the water, Whitebeard strode toward him on the sea's surface, using Moonwalk.
The giant landed, staring at Lucian's bloodstained form—yet stronger, immeasurably stronger, than before.
Those golden eyes widened in disbelief.
He knew the force behind that punch.
It was an attack meant to erase an island from the map.
Yet this boy had not only survived—he had grown stronger?
The battle was over.
The waves slowly calmed.
Whitebeard stared at the youth floating before him, battered but grinning with manic joy.
For a moment, he froze—then, unable to contain it, a surge of pride and exhilaration burst forth from his chest.
"Gu ra ra ra… GU RA RA RA RA RA RA!!"
He laughed skyward, laughter full of pride, relief, and limitless expectation for Lucian's future!
Lucian laughed too, wiping blood from his lips.
Then he rose fully to his feet.
And his eyes locked onto Whitebeard once more.