Edward Newgate possessed a boundless, magnanimous heart. Because most of his crew consisted of outcasts and rejects shunned by society, his treatment of them as his own sons and family earned him their absolute reverence and gratitude—which was why everyone affectionately called him "Pops."
Although aging and illness required him to remain hooked to medical IVs in daily life, neither his imposing majesty nor his raw combat prowess had waned in the slightest. Especially when facing this lethal death trap.
Hundred Beasts Kaido, Marshall D. Teach, the mysterious Otsutsuki infiltrator, and a hidden ambush of Kaido's elite forces had lured Whitebeard into an inescapable execution ground.
Swinging his bisento with devastating Conqueror's Haki, arcs of explosive force capable of tearing through space and time forced all three ambushers to acknowledge the terrifying majesty of the man standing before them.
Seismic Shockwave: Ocean Tsunami!
Channeling the Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi), Whitebeard unleashed an apocalyptic force that shook the ocean to its core, raising the sea level and creating towering tsunamis that swallowed everything in their path. The sheer kinetic shockwave split the very sea wide open.
Under the crushing impact of the ocean currents, Blackbeard and his co-conspirators were temporarily scattered. Seizing the opening, Whitebeard lunged forward, charging directly at his treacherous former subordinate!
Whitebeard was still Whitebeard. Even if old age and sickness plagued his flesh, he remained the undisputed titan of the seas!
Fearless to the end, he met every incoming threat with direct, unyielding ferocity. He would never permit anyone to harm his sons—and he would never tolerate treachery among brothers.
Faced with Teach's fratricide and betrayal, despite sustaining grievous wounds, Whitebeard fought on without retreat, determined to execute Teach on the spot.
Grabbing Teach by the throat, fury burned across Whitebeard's brow. Among the three ambushers present, the one he wanted to crush most was the man he had once embraced as his own kin.
It was precisely because his heart was broken that his rage burned so fiercely.
After trading a rapid flurry of blows, Teach had relied on his Dark-Dark Fruit to absorb and counter Whitebeard's attacks, growing overconfident in his perceived invulnerability. Feigning an opening, Whitebeard struck down with a lightning-fast bisento cleave!
CRACK!
Teach's expression twisted in terror as Whitebeard drove a massive fist straight into his face. The crushing impact distorted Teach's features as bone splintered beneath the blow.
In the distance, Kaido held back. Teach's Dark-Dark Fruit was bizarre and unpredictable; while Kaido was reckless, he was no fool, choosing to observe and gather intelligence before committing his next strike.
Holding his bisento flush against Teach's throat while pinning him to the deck with an iron grip, Whitebeard looked down with icy disdain. Drenched in cold sweat, Teach struggled desperately, unable to break the sovereign's hold.
"Teach... you get ahead of yourself far too easily."
Throughout the clash, Whitebeard had pinpointed the fatal flaws of the Dark-Dark Fruit: the darkness itself lacked intrinsic offensive force and could not elementalize to grant physical immunity like other Logias. Instead, it absorbed all incoming physical trauma at the cost of doubling the pain suffered.
Teach's agonized screams during their exchanges had made this weakness glaringly obvious, prompting Whitebeard to pour raw physical weight into every strike to amplify the backlash.
Furthermore, to nullify another user's Devil Fruit, Teach had to maintain physical contact with his hands—until Dark Vortex (Kurouzu) physically clamped down on a target's body, the opponent remained completely free to activate their powers.
Because Whitebeard was gripping Teach's head, he could still channel his seismic vibrations freely. Teach could only disable powers when his own palms made contact.
Recognizing this, Whitebeard had deliberately bypassed Teach's hands, denying him any opportunity to activate his nullification.
Pinning Teach by the throat, Whitebeard gathered a sphere of concentrated seismic energy in his free hand.
Terrified, Teach put on a pleading, pathetic expression: "Pops! I was wrong! Please don't kill me... Don't kill me, Pops!"
Hearing that single word—Pops—Whitebeard's concentration wavered for a split second. Memories of their past aboard the Moby Dick flashed through his mind.
When a man grows old, his heart softens far too easily...
Even though he knew full well that Teach's begging was nothing more than a desperate stall for time.
Yet that microscopic hesitation was all Teach needed.
"NOW!" Teach roared.
Two devastating attacks struck from behind in an instant. Though battered by the raging tsunami, the two ambushers seized the opening with absolute lethal intent.
The Otsutsuki infiltrator drove his crimson cleaver blade deep into Whitebeard's chest, spilling fresh blood across the deck. Simultaneously, Kaido brought his spiked kanabo Hassaikai crashing down brutally against Whitebeard's skull!
Taking the pincer attack, Whitebeard let out a low groan. Cloaked in dark, ominous mist, Teach scrambled back to his feet, releasing waves of malevolent energy from both hands.
Unleashing a massive torrent of darkness into the sky and the sea below, Teach detonated a destructive shockwave. This technique—Dark Emperor—stood as his most powerful finishing move.
"Die, Whitebeard!"
Assaulted on all sides by three monsters and backed by Kaido's Three All-Stars, Whitebeard was pushed back several paces. Yet his grip on Murakumogiri never loosened for a single second. Enduring the combined onslaught, the light in Whitebeard's eyes gradually began to dim.
What does a man truly seek in this life?
Whitebeard's lifelong ambition had been fundamentally different from those of Roger or Shiki. Plain and humble at its core, it was driven solely by a pure longing for family.
Shiraishi's warnings from years ago echoed in his ears, yet Whitebeard held zero regrets over his choices. Family was the eternal pursuit of his life; had he compromised that conviction, Edward Newgate would no longer be Whitebeard.
"Teach... even if you carry the name of 'D.'... you are destined never to reach the final peak."
Those parting words ignited Blackbeard's explosive fury. Driving his dark energy straight through Whitebeard's chest, he snarled: "Old fossil! Even at death's door, you still have so much damn nonsense to say!"
As their eyes met in that final second, the lingering glare in Whitebeard's gaze terrified Teach, forcing him back several paces. But Whitebeard made no further movement.
"Ghahaha! He's finally dead! This monster is finally dead!"
Seeing the light completely fade from Whitebeard's eyes, Blackbeard grinned with ravenous greed. He had lurked in the shadows for decades solely for this moment. Whitebeard had finally fallen...
Cloak of Darkness!
A specialized black curtain woven from Dark-Dark Fruit energy manifested, creating an isolated domain under which Blackbeard could extract and steal the deceased Emperor's Devil Fruit.
Just as his hands reached out toward Whitebeard's body, a blinding, razor-sharp arc of sword-light dropped from the heavens!
The slash cleaved straight through the sky, tearing Blackbeard's Cloak of Darkness into tatters. Within the fractured void, the unheralded blade cleanly severed both of Blackbeard's arms in a single stroke!
SPLAT!
His severed arms hit the deck, trailing dark, unholy smoke.
The expressions of both Kaido and the Otsutsuki infiltrator shifted dramatically. That strike had arrived with zero sound and zero presence—yet it had effortlessly mutilated Blackbeard in an instant.
Even though Blackbeard had been weakened after his clash with Whitebeard, he was by no means an opponent an ordinary swordsman could casually dismember.
"AAGHHH! MY ARMS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS SO DAMN MUCH!"
In the distance, a small boat glided silently across the churning waters.
Standing at the prow was Yachiru Unohana, her Zanpakuto drawn. Gazing upon the colossal, motionless titan standing tall on the sea, her eyes remained devoid of all emotional fluctuation, the blade in her grip radiating a cold, lethal gleam.
The Sword Demon, Yachiru Unohana, stared impassively at the battlefield—and at the lifeless body of the sovereign, Whitebeard.