"Such arrogance!"
"What audacity!"
"Get your captain out here!"
Esdeath's words instantly provoked a wave of outrage among the Whitebeard Pirates. Her statement was nothing less than a direct provocation to the entire crew, and, by extension, to Whitebeard himself.
In the world of pirates, there is an unspoken but ironclad rule: the captain's authority is absolute. No matter how informal a crew might seem, their captain's orders are to be obeyed without question. Even the Straw Hat Pirates adhere to this rule. While Nami often berates Luffy and might even hit him, she has never outright defied his orders. When Luffy decided to head to Skypiea, despite its seemingly impossible nature, Nami found a way to make it happen.
Similarly, when the crew decided to abandon the Going Merry, Usopp's refusal to apologize meant Zoro would not allow him back on the ship under any circumstances. This unshakable principle of a captain's authority extends beyond individual crews to battles between pirate crews: captains fight captains.
Esdeath's open challenge to Whitebeard was tantamount to ignoring this code, implying not just her own disregard for Whitebeard but, by extension, that Daniel Davis (沈飞) did not respect him either.
"Whitebeard, come on! Show me the strength of the so-called 'World's Strongest Man,'" Esdeath declared boldly, completely ignoring the jeering of Whitebeard's crew. Her piercing gaze locked onto Whitebeard, and a surge of overwhelming Conqueror's Haki erupted from her body, sweeping across the battlefield.
In an instant, nearly a quarter of the Whitebeard Pirates collapsed unconscious, unable to withstand the pressure. Many others, while managing to remain conscious, felt their knees weaken and their bodies tremble. Only a small handful remained unaffected, standing firm against the onslaught.
As the former strongest general of her empire and a staunch believer in survival of the fittest, Esdeath found herself exhilarated in this world filled with powerful opponents. Upon learning of Whitebeard's title as the "World's Strongest Man," she had long marked him as a target of interest. Daniel's temporary absence provided the perfect opportunity to challenge him directly. Of course, Esdeath only issued the challenge because she was confident in her strength. Recklessness was not in her nature; had she believed herself weaker, she would never have dared to fight Whitebeard.
Her calculated and pragmatic nature had allowed her to survive countless battles against the most dangerous creatures in her homeland. In her original world, she had faced and defeated beasts far more formidable than most could imagine, including the eastern dragon—an apex predator that even her empire's founding emperor could not kill outright, only harvest materials from.
Esdeath shared a certain philosophical similarity with Akainu: both believed in absolute power and unwavering justice. If not for Daniel, Esdeath would likely have joined the Navy in this world, becoming a force similar to Akainu but with her own unique methods.
Esdeath's Conqueror's Haki immediately silenced the boisterous Whitebeard Pirates. In the New World, Conqueror's Haki users were not uncommon—Don Chinjao had once remarked that they were as plentiful as stars in the sky. Even within the Whitebeard Pirates, several possessed Conqueror's Haki, including Ace. However, Ace had never fully mastered its use, and his Conqueror's Haki remained largely dormant until the day of his death.
Ace's lack of growth was one of the main reasons why joining Whitebeard's crew had been a detriment to his development. While Whitebeard was a protective and nurturing father figure, he did not push his "sons" to grow stronger. Unlike the Red-Haired Pirates, where even errand boys commanded bounties near 100 million berries, or the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates, where recruits underwent brutal trials, Whitebeard welcomed anyone who called him "pops."
"Impressive," Whitebeard finally spoke, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as he felt Esdeath's powerful Conqueror's Haki. This level of dominance was on par with the Four Emperors themselves.
With a heavy thud, Whitebeard planted his bisento on the deck of the Moby Dick. Another surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body, clashing violently with Esdeath's.
Boom!
The collision of their Haki created a massive shockwave, causing the sky to darken and crackle with black and red lightning-like energy. The frozen sea beneath them, as well as the deck and railings of the Moby Dick, began to fracture under the immense pressure. The ice covering the sea spiderwebbed with cracks before large chunks shattered completely, leaving open water in its wake.
Behind the Moby Dick, the shockwave's residual force created towering waves several meters high. Fortunately, the Moby Dick's massive size ensured it remained steady, unaffected by the turbulence. However, several more pirates aboard the ship collapsed under the pressure of the clashing Conqueror's Haki.
At its pinnacle, Conqueror's Haki transcends mere intimidation, becoming a tangible force that can be infused into attacks. Esdeath's mastery of all three forms of Haki—Observation, Armament, and Conqueror's—had reached an extraordinary level.
"Terrifying," Admiral Kizaru murmured from high above, watching the confrontation unfold. His usual playful demeanor was absent, replaced by a rare look of seriousness.
It wasn't just the clash between Esdeath and Whitebeard that unsettled him; it was also the earlier displays of power from Ada and Akame. From his vantage point, Kizaru had carefully observed their fights. Based on his experience, he could confidently say that even with his own abilities, defeating either Ada or Akame in a one-on-one battle would be extremely challenging.
Ada, with her Rumble-Rumble Fruit, rivaled Kizaru's speed and possessed an arsenal of techniques that made her an exceptionally troublesome opponent. Akame's swordsmanship, refined under the tutelage of Ryuma, was also a force to be reckoned with. Now, Esdeath stood toe-to-toe with Whitebeard, showcasing power that could rival even the Admirals.
This group didn't just have one Admiral-level fighter—they had three. And if Daniel Davis himself were added to the equation, this crew could easily be considered the strongest pirate group in the world, potentially surpassing even the Four Emperors.
"Strong enough, indeed! Gray Ice Horn!"
Esdeath's eyes gleamed with excitement as she felt the full force of Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki. Taking a step forward, she summoned a massive ice spear from the frozen ground beneath her feet. With a flick of her wrist, the spear shot toward Whitebeard like a lightning bolt.
Whitebeard didn't flinch. Raising his left fist, he activated his Tremor-Tremor Fruit. A strange, white shockwave enveloped his fist as he punched the air in front of him.
The space ahead of Whitebeard cracked like shattered glass, the tremors radiating outward. The ice spear shattered into countless fragments, disintegrating into a fine mist of frost. The tremors continued, fracturing the ice covering the sea. Within moments, the frozen surface directly in front of the Moby Dick was reduced to open water.
The sheer destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was awe-inspiring. In the blink of an eye, Whitebeard had erased several hundred meters of ice with a single punch.
"So this is the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit," Esdeath remarked, retreating nearly a hundred meters to avoid the shockwave. She inspected her left arm, where her Armament Haki had cracked under the strain of Whitebeard's attack. Though she had avoided injury, the sheer force of the blow left her both impressed and exhilarated.
Despite his immense power, Whitebeard's age and declining health were evident. Had he been in his prime, the battle might have ended differently. But now, his attacks lacked the consistency needed to overwhelm Esdeath, who used her agility and ranged techniques to avoid direct confrontation.
From the deck of the Moby Dick, Marco and the other commanders looked on with concern. "Pops, are you okay?" Marco called out, worried about the toll the fight was taking on Whitebeard.
"I'm fine," Whitebeard replied firmly, raising a hand to stop Marco from intervening. Despite his words, a shadow of fatigue crossed his face. He knew better than anyone that his body was no longer capable of sustained combat.
Esdeath, meanwhile, continued her assault. With a snap of her fingers, three enormous ice spheres, each ten meters in diameter, appeared high above the Moby Dick. The spheres descended rapidly, aiming directly for Whitebeard and his crew.
Whitebeard reacted instantly, punching the air once more. The tremors obliterated the ice spheres mid-air, reducing them to harmless shards that rained down around the ship.
Undeterred, Esdeath launched a barrage of ice weapons—spears, swords, blades, and arrows—all aimed at Whitebeard. Each attack was met with the same result: a single punch from Whitebeard shattered them all.
The battle reached a stalemate. Esdeath's relentless long-range attacks failed to harm Whitebeard, while his devastating tremor punches couldn't land a decisive blow on her. Whitebeard's attempts to counterattack with towering waves were also neutralized, as Esdeath froze the water instantly, using it as ammunition for her
next assault.
"Pops!" Marco called out again, his concern growing. Prolonged combat was dangerous for Whitebeard in his current condition, even if he had avoided the injuries that plagued him during the Marineford War.
"I said I'm fine!" Whitebeard growled, silencing Marco with a stern glare.
Whitebeard's mind, however, was racing. In his prime, such drawn-out battles would never have occurred—he would have ended it with a few consecutive tremor punches. But now, his aging body could no longer sustain the level of force needed to break the stalemate. Compounding the issue, he couldn't stray too far from the ship without risking his crew.
"Whitebeard, take this next move!" Esdeath shouted. She leaped high into the air, summoning an enormous ice blade nearly forty meters long. With a sharp downward slash, she aimed to cleave through Whitebeard and the Moby Dick itself.
"Cold Wave: Shocking Glimpse!"
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Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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