In this world, the recognized effects of Haki are its ability to capture the tangible form of Logia-type Fruit users, and Armament Haki Emission's ability to block some Devil Fruit abilities.
And the lesser-known Conqueror's Haki Infusion, while stronger than Armament Haki, cannot directly suppress Devil Fruit users, let alone counter them.
What counters Devil Fruits are only seawater and Sea Stone. In essence, these two things are one and the same: the sea.
"So, besides the sea, there are other things in this world that can counter Devil Fruit abilities…" Whitebeard's expression was one of shock, but a hint of realization appeared in his eyes.
Then, he was sent flying by the dominant energy.
This time, Whitebeard sustained very severe injuries, affecting his internal organs.
After all, this time he was completely suppressed by the Conqueror's Haki, unable to even use his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability, and his own Conqueror's Haki had already been suppressed.
So at this moment, it was as if he had been hit by a train.
If it were an ordinary person, it would be hard to say if a corpse would even be left. The violent Conqueror's Haki could easily tear apart everything, how could a flesh-and-blood body withstand it?
It's just that Whitebeard is no ordinary person. Although his physique is not as formidable as Charlotte's Steel Balloon, it is still extraordinary.
This can be seen from his unusually tall stature.
As a child, Whitebeard's height was not much different from an ordinary person. As he gradually grew stronger and even became a Legendary Pirate, his body grew along with his strength, reaching nearly seven meters, making him a true small giant.
"Hmm?"
Kenji stood still, his Observation Haki perceiving Whitebeard's current state, and he let out a surprised sound.
"After taking that hit, the injury isn't too severe... Looks like Newgate's 'health bar' is quite thick."
Kenji muttered to himself, a smile appearing on his face, but he did not get up to pursue.
Actually, if Kenji's thoughts were spoken aloud, they probably wouldn't receive much agreement.
Everyone has their own standards for judging injuries.
And Kenji's standard for severe injury is: as long as they're not dead, it's not a severe injury.
What? Dead? That doesn't count either. If a person is dead, there's no need for rescue, and if there's no need for rescue, then there's no injury.
Only those half-dead, dying and unsalvageable states might meet Kenji's severe injury standard.
At this moment, in Kenji's Observation Haki perception, Newgate was far from a dying state. He even possessed the ability to continue fighting.
Of course, this defensive power is still inferior to Charlotte's Steel Balloon Physique. As the saying goes, comparing people can be deadly.
But it also depends on who he's compared to. Compared to Roger, Rayleigh, and others, Whitebeard's physical toughness is formidable.
Roger, Rayleigh, and even Shiki, their physical defense was not enough to look at.
Previously in East Blue, Kenji encountered the Roger Pirates. In battle, after Roger was injured, he immediately lost his combat ability. If Roger had to endure that 'Conqueror's Haki tsunami' that hit Whitebeard just now, he would probably ascend to heaven on the spot.
Of course, Roger isn't an idiot. He has hands and feet, so even if he couldn't win, he would dodge and wouldn't take the full brunt of the Conqueror's Haki.
But Whitebeard endured it head-on for so long, and now he can't stand and judging by his state, seems capable of continuing to use his Devil Fruit ability and Conqueror's Haki-infused slashes.
"Speaking of which, will this kid only lose his combat ability when he's about to die?"
Kenji raised a hand to stroke his chin, and the image of Whitebeard's performance during the Summit War appeared in his mind.
Even with half his body blown off, he could still deliver a powerful blow to Akainu.
That scene had left an extremely deep impression on Kenji, so from then on, he basically regarded Whitebeard as an unkillable cockroach.
"Forget it, the testing is almost done…"
Kenji's heart stirred, and the Conqueror's Haki within him was released again. Dark red light flowed around his body, and arcs flickered in and out of existence silently around him.
"Although there might be some errors, it can basically be confirmed that in a direct attack, Newgate cannot withstand it."
"And Conqueror's Haki - God's Domain can counter those Devil Fruit abilities."
Just as Kenji was secretly reviewing the previous battle and estimating the strength of Conqueror's Haki - God's Domain—
In the distance of the battlefield, Whitebeard was blasted all the way to the edge of the battlefield, still without enough strength to steady his body.
His skin was cracked in many places, blood stained his outer garment red, and his legs and arms hung limply, as if his entire body had lost strength.
In reality, some Conqueror's Haki still lingered within him, its dominant aura rampaging, causing Whitebeard's blood to churn and making it difficult for him to effectively mobilize his internal strength.
However, as time passed, the residual Conqueror's Haki in Whitebeard's body gradually dissipated, and he could finally feel the activity of his internal power.
"Gah! Pfft!"
The next moment, Whitebeard twisted his body and forcibly stepped onto the ground, then spat out clotted blood, and his body finally stabilized, the momentum of his retreat stopping.
"Hmph! Hmph!"
Whitebeard hunched over, panting heavily, but his gaze remained firm and without the slightest trace of fear.
"To think that I would suffer such severe injuries just as the battle began... When did that old man become so strong?"
Whitebeard casually wiped the blood from his face, then looked up at Kenji's figure in the distance, his eyes showing surprise and confusion.
He believed he understood Kenji, but today, he felt as if he had just met the latter.
"That old man has become stronger than when I last met him." Whitebeard frowned slightly, recalling the situation when he last saw Kenji.
In fact, during that encounter, Whitebeard had already sensed something was off. The power of Kenji's long-range Titan Breaker was simply too strong.
At that time, the sense of threat that Kenji's attack brought to Whitebeard was comparable to Sengoku's full-power attack.
However, at that time, Whitebeard's main target was Golden Lion Shiki, and the battlefield was chaotic, so he didn't have much time to investigate Kenji's situation.
But the power of Kenji's attack was still deeply etched in his memory.
Therefore, this time Whitebeard was extra careful, cautiously guarding against that technique.
Who knew that this time, Kenji wouldn't use his fists, but would directly attack with Conqueror's Haki?
Although Kenji also launched slashes during this time, they were clearly probing attacks. In Whitebeard's view, his true killing move was still the final Tide of Conqueror's Haki.
"Such strong Conqueror's Haki cannot be cultivated in a day or two…"
Realizing this, Whitebeard grit his teeth and thought resentfully.
"He clearly possesses top-tier Conqueror's Haki, yet he never used it for the past few decades…"
"What a cunning old man!"