"Demon Dragon Capone Bege… so that unbelievably strong brat actually showed up. Gurararara! I've wanted to meet him for a while now, see if he's willing to become my son."
Whitebeard's eyebrows rose slightly, a flicker of surprise on his face, quickly followed by a hearty laugh.
"Pops, that guy's got ambitions as big as the sky. He won't be content just being your son," Marco said with a smile.
"Who can say for sure how things in this world will turn out?" Whitebeard chuckled again, standing up and walking towards the bow, his eyes fixed on the approaching pirate ship.
Bege's gaze locked onto the powerfully built man who stood there, a faint smile on his lips, radiating an aura of absolute confidence and overwhelming power. His eyes narrowed as he breathed out the name, "Whitebeard—Edward Newgate!"
Though the Great Pirate Era was a magnificent age of countless rising heroes, this world truly belonged to only a handful of individuals. And the man before him, without a doubt, controlled a third of the New World!
His strength, his dominance, sent shivers down the spines of all who sailed these seas; no one dared to provoke him lightly.
He was a symbol of the Great Pirate Era, and the key who would later push it to its absolute zenith.
As Thatch's pirate ship drew closer to the Moby Dick, Bege stared intently at Whitebeard, an irrepressible, fierce fighting spirit igniting in his eyes.
"Gurararara! This kid really is strong," Whitebeard boomed, feeling Bege's battle intent and letting out another laugh.
"Pops! The Demon Dragon wants to challenge you!" Teach shouted out directly, desperately hoping Whitebeard would eliminate Bege for him.
"Whoa, he actually dares to challenge Pops? This kid's got some serious nerve!" The Whitebeard Pirates were stunned, simultaneously thinking Bege was overestimating himself.
"Hey, hey, hey, Demon Dragon! Pops isn't someone you can just challenge! If you're looking for a fight, I'll take you on!" Marco yelled.
The mustached, middle-aged man with twin swords at his hip also showed a spark of fighting spirit in his eyes. He spoke in a deep voice, "Demon Dragon, you're a skilled swordsman. I'd like to spar with you and test our swordsmanship."
Bege glanced over. This was Flower Sword Vista, one of the greatest swordsmen on the seas.
If it were any other time, he would have genuinely wanted to cross swords with Vista. But not now. His target was Whitebeard.
"As much as I'd like to test my sword skills against yours, I want to challenge Whitebeard more."
Bege's eyes remained fixed on Whitebeard, and his Conqueror's Haki involuntarily erupted from him.
A blood-red torrent of Haki surged like a tidal wave, sweeping over both pirate ships. A suppressive, domineering presence weighed heavily on everyone's shoulders.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Conqueror's Haki! Anyone who's not strong enough, get back now!" Marco's expression turned grave as he yelled out the warning.
But he was too late. One after another, pirates collapsed, instantly unconscious.
"Still as ferocious and domineering as ever," Jozu remarked, his face serious.
"The ship… it's cracking! How is that possible?" Flower Sword Vista's eyes narrowed abruptly as he noticed cracks appearing on the ship's hull.
"Even Pops' Conqueror's Haki doesn't usually cause direct physical damage! Just who in the world is this guy?!" one of the crewmen exclaimed.
"Gurararara! Now that's a domineering man! Not bad, not bad at all! Truly the most outstanding rookie of this Great Pirate Era. I acknowledge your standing!" Whitebeard laughed heartily once more, clearly invigorated by Bege's display of Conqueror's Haki.
"Whitebeard, will you grant me the opportunity to challenge you?" Bege asked solemnly.
"Gurararara! Of course! I also want to see for myself what abilities you possess that made Roger believe you could change the very structure of this world," Whitebeard agreed readily.
"Roger? He told you about me?" Bege's eyebrow twitched.
"He spoke to me before he turned himself in, and he mentioned you. He said you have eyes that can see through the world, and the ability to change it." A hint of reminiscence touched Whitebeard's voice.
His gaze sharpened instantly.
"I've always wanted to meet you, to see just what you're capable of."
On the nearby island.
Thud!
His bisento slammed heavily onto the ground. Whitebeard stood like an unscalable, colossal mountain, looking down at Bege, a sliver of anticipation gradually appearing in his calm eyes.
"Come on, brat! Show me what power you have to change the world!"
"Hehehehe…" Bege threw back his head and laughed, a berserk and supremely ferocious wave of Conqueror's Haki blasting outwards.
Whitebeard unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki in response. The two immense waves of Haki crashed against each other, battling for dominance. Dark red lightning crackled wildly into existence, sweeping through the area, kicking up sand and stones as fierce winds howled.
"This kid's Conqueror's Haki can actually match Pops'?" Marco and the others stared in utter shock.
Bege instantly drew the Cursed Sword Hannya. Its vibrant, blood-red blade, influenced by his own crimson Conqueror's Haki, seemed to glow even more intensely, emanating an even more terrifying and heart-stopping demonic aura.
"A cursed sword! That's a cursed sword—an exceptionally demonic one!" Vista's expression changed dramatically. He instantly sensed the demonic aura; he could even feel the swords at his own waist trembling.
"Whitebeard, here I come!" Bege roared, his figure blurring as he shot forward, the Cursed Sword Hannya slashing out in an instant.
"Well met!"
Whitebeard took a step forward, his massive bisento whistling through the air as he brought it down like a flash of white light.
BOOM… RUMBLE…
The two blades clashed instantly. A tyrannical, domineering, and savage power, as if Mount Tai itself were collapsing, smashed together, crushing everything in its wake. Dark red lightning instantly filled a space dozens of meters wide.
The entire ground beneath them caved in, and then a shockwave, powerful enough to churn oceans and roil rivers, tore outwards, rapidly expanding and forcing everyone nearby to stumble back.
At the very center, the Cursed Sword Hannya pressed against the bisento, sparks flying, dark red lightning erupting wildly.
"Hey, hey, look at the sky! The clouds—no, the sky itself is splitting! The sky's been torn apart!" one of the crewmen suddenly shouted, his voice trembling with shock as he looked up.
Everyone immediately looked towards the heavens. Dark clouds roiled, and a massive, clear fissure stretched across the sky, splitting it in two.
The clouds on either side of the rift churned and collided violently.
"This guy's power… it's become even more terrifying," Marco muttered, clenching his fists, a look of deep frustration in his eyes.
"Not bad, brat. You've got some strength," Whitebeard laughed.
"This is far from enough," Bege replied, looking up at Whitebeard with unshakable confidence.
"Don't get arrogant in front of me, brat!" Whitebeard roared, hefting his bisento and bringing it down in another ferocious slash. A white light seemed to cut through the air, and a pale, shimmering aura enveloped the blade of his weapon.
Whitebeard had activated the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Bege didn't dare to be careless. He swung Hannya with all his might, and the two blades collided once more.
In the next second, the earth shattered again. Dark, gaping fissures spread out wildly in all directions from the two combatants, like monstrous spiderwebs. Thick bolts of dark red lightning streaked across the sky.
And in that same instant, Bege was sent flying backward by a terrifying, overwhelming force.
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