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"Hahahaha! Brat, there's no way you can break through my defence!"
Jozu taunted as he slowly got back to his feet, staring at Atlas, whose upper body was bare and covered entirely in a black-red coating of Armament Haki.
Atlas was speechless. Even with the strength boost from the Ox Talisman, which put him physically above Jozu, the man was still like a rock in a latrine—disgusting and stubbornly tough.
Cracking his diamond defence was like trying to punch through a mountain.
"Is that so?"
Atlas formed finger guns with both hands, a mocking grin tugging at his lips as fire flickered at his fingertips.
"Shigan: Detonation!"
In the blink of an eye, a surge of fiery energy burst from Atlas's fingers and struck Jozu's diamond-coated body with immense force.
"Urgh!"
Jozu felt a sharp pain rise from his throat as blood welled in his mouth, the once-glistening diamond armour now riddled with cracks.
"Oi oi oi! What the hell was that?! Are you possessed by Kizaru or something?!"
Jozu was bewildered. They'd been enjoying a good old-fashioned brawl, and now the brat pulled a move like that. It felt like a betrayal of the spirit of the fight.
Not far off, Whitebeard's Murakumogiri and Garp's Iron Fist clashed again and again, sending violent shockwaves rippling across the sea and hurling waves filled with fish and shrimp into the sky.
"Can a Finger Pistol be that strong? Gurararara… turns out he's a hidden Devil Fruit user!"
Whitebeard glanced at the wrecked Jozu and concluded that Atlas must have a Devil Fruit power. No way pure martial arts could do that.
"Hahahaha, Whitebeard, looks like your division commander isn't all that great after all!"
"What a shame, brat! You would've made a fine son of mine!" Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Jozu, go get Thatch and give that kid a proper lesson!"
"No need, Pops! I just got careless. I won't lose again this time!" Jozu was flustered—he had let himself get embarrassed by a kid twice now.
"Oh really~ Brother Jozu?" Atlas smirked, fully channelling his inner Kizaru as the sarcasm poured off him.
"Marine brat! Don't get cocky!"
"Is that so? Yasakani no Magatama—Ah, sorry, wrong series! Shigan: Detonation!"
Atlas leapt high into the air, finger-guns ready, and unleashed a barrage of explosive flame blasts in Jozu's direction.
The Dragon Talisman was proving immensely useful—similar in nature to Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit, except instead of lasers, it fired flames with a destructive AOE impact.
Though newly awakened, the talisman's power was already formidable. As for cracking Jozu's defence? That was pure luck.
One, Jozu didn't expect a sudden energy blast; two, his Armament Haki wasn't fully activated at the time, catching him off guard.
"You think I'm afraid of you, Marine brat?!" Jozu growled as he reinforced his diamond body with another layer and then hardened it with Armament Haki.
Finally feeling secure, he braced himself.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted around Jozu, but he used Observation Haki to evade most of the flames, only tanking the rest with brute strength.
"Oh my, how scary you are, Jozu-kun~" Atlas mocked in perfect Kizaru fashion.
Jozu's forehead veins bulged—he was at his breaking point and wanted nothing more than to punch that smug look off Atlas's face.
"You little punk! I've had it with you! Die!!" Jozu roared, diamondizing half his body and charging at Atlas like a rampaging beast.
Kizaru's taunting style was top-tier.
Meanwhile, back at Marine Headquarters, Kizaru lounged in his chair, wearing his signature yellow-striped suit, clipping his nails while glancing lazily at the wall clock.
"Achoo!" He sneezed suddenly, wiping his nose with a bored expression. "Man… who's thinking about me now? So scary…"
"Perfect! Eat my Iron Fist!" Atlas grinned savagely at the charging Jozu, raised his Haki-coated fist, and collided with the massive diamond man head-on.
Boom!
Another explosion rang out. The combined force of Atlas's punch and the detonation behind it blasted Jozu back.
His diamond armour blackened with soot, his massive right arm even bearing the imprint of Atlas's fist.
Though his defence hadn't been fully broken thanks to solid Haki training, cracks spread across the surface—but quickly healed under his fruit's power.
Jozu frowned. This Marine brat… his Devil Fruit abilities are developed far more than I thought. That blast power—if not for Haki, even I might be in trouble…
"Oi! Thatch, come help me pin this Marine down!" Finally, Jozu gave in and called for backup, uneasy about Atlas's terrifying explosive abilities.
On the other side of the battlefield, Thatch—who was keeping an eye on Blackbeard—hesitated for a moment before nodding and rushing over.
While Whitebeard's commanders weren't ranked strictly by power, Thatch was still a bit weaker than Jozu.
"Oi, Marine brat! Don't underestimate Whitebeard's division commanders!"
Thatch, the ship's chef and dual-wielding swordsman, had a flamboyant pompadour and wore a pristine white chef's coat. He wasn't particularly tall but had a lively air.
"Thatch, I'll keep him busy. Look for a chance to strike!"
Jozu barked a command as he charged back into the fray, now even more wary of Atlas.
Though Atlas lacked Jozu's raw defence, his offence, strength, and endurance seemed to outmatch him.
Jozu hurled his enormous diamondized body at Atlas, trying to smother him with a "passionate" embrace.
Atlas wasn't into that kind of love. He lowered his stance, hardened his forehead with Armament Haki, activated the Dragon Talisman, and—
Tekkai: Armament!
I'll smash your guts, old man! With a loud crack, Atlas slammed his head into Jozu's gut.
The explosion made Jozu wince in pain, but he gritted his teeth and managed to restrain Atlas. Seeing the chance, Thatch rushed in, twin blades flashing.
Tekkai: Armament – Steel!
Atlas couldn't take the hit bare-skinned—no matter how strong the Horse Talisman's healing was, pain still hurt.
Clang!
Sparks flew as steel met sword, lightning flickering at the edge of Thatch's blade.
"Well? Am I hard enough for you?" Atlas grinned at Thatch's stunned expression. "Detonation!"
Boom!
A fiery blast engulfed Thatch. The shockwave nearly knocked him unconscious, and he was left scorched and immobilised.
"Thatch!!" Jozu roared in fury. His muscles bulged as he tried to crush Atlas, but he underestimated the difference in their raw strength.
In one swift motion, Atlas broke free, stepped back, turned, and unleashed a devastating punch straight into Jozu's face.
Boom!
A loud impact shook the air as Jozu was sent flying like a ragdoll. He crashed into the distance, blood at his lips, shattered diamond fragments clinging to one side of his face.
"Commodore Atlas is the rising star of the Marines!"
"Hah! So what if it's the Whitebeard Pirates? Atlas is reliable as hell!"
"Looks like we've got another genius on our hands after the Monster Trio…Pirates! Witness the justice of the Marines!!"
The watching Marines erupted in cheers, their morale soaring after witnessing Atlas's incredible display of strength. A strange sense of disbelief swept through the Whitebeard Pirates.
These were two of their division commanders—yet Thatch had been nearly one-shotted, and even "Diamond" Jozu, of all people, was beaten into such a sorry state by that young Marine.
"What terrifying growth…" From afar, Sakazuki had also taken note of the battle on Atlas's side.
As someone who had personally fought Atlas not long ago, he was perhaps the most qualified to speak on the Marines' strength.
Back when Atlas was stationed at Marine Headquarters, his power had only slightly surpassed that of a Commodore.
But now, he was already on par with elite vice admirals—and perhaps even stronger. What puzzled Akainu the most was Atlas's explosive flame ability, a power he didn't fully understand.
He couldn't be sure whether Atlas was truly a Devil Fruit user or maybe even not entirely human.
But the Marines never made it a habit to pry into the secrets of their soldiers. As long as justice was upheld, Sakazuki didn't care what Atlas was.
"Gurararara… Why don't we call it a draw here, Garp?" Whitebeard, now sensing the shift in the tide of battle, made his move.
Earlier, the fight between Akainu and the duo of Marco and Vista had been fierce, and they'd given the magma-wielding admiral a fair amount of trouble.
Vista had yet to reach the level of a Supreme Grade swordsman, but his swordsmanship was already top-tier.
Combined with Marco's frustrating regenerative ability, Akainu felt like all his attacks were hitting air.
"Hahahaha! Whitebeard, you think war ends just because you say so?" Garp wasn't that naïve.
With Atlas's explosive entrance turning the tide, this was the perfect chance to weaken the Whitebeard Pirates.
That had been their mission from the start—there was no way he'd pull back now.
"Gurarara… Then I guess I have no choice." Whitebeard responded with a chuckle, then suddenly leapt backwards, confusing Garp—what was he planning now?
Whitebeard's towering figure straightened. He raised his right arm high, bending it slightly, as a sphere of glowing white light condensed around his fist.
"Sea Quake!" The air around them cracked like glass, and a monstrous shockwave exploded outward, transferring its force straight into the ocean.
A titanic wave, taller than anything before it, roared toward the Marine fleet.
"Gurararara… I doubt you'd want the entire Marine force to be wiped out here, Garp!"
Whitebeard didn't want to prolong the battle—not when his beloved sons could be seriously hurt. This was his way of forcing a ceasefire.
"Damn it! Sakazuki, stop that wave!" Garp had no choice but to retreat and order Akainu to break off combat.
Akainu looked reluctant. In his eyes, sacrificing a few soldiers to deal a fatal blow to the Whitebeard Pirates was a fair trade in the name of justice.
But Garp was the commanding officer on the battlefield—defiance wasn't an option.
"What terrifying power…" Hidden in the crowd, Blackbeard couldn't hide the greed that flickered through his eyes. That kind of strength… it was overwhelming.
"Well, of course! Pops' power is like a natural disaster!"
Thatch stood beside him, pride written all over his face. Even with fresh wounds from Atlas's explosion, he showed no sign of weakness.
Before long, Garp led the Marines back to G-5 Base. While they hadn't inflicted any catastrophic damage on the Whitebeard Pirates, that was never the expectation.
This was only the beginning—there was still time.
Aboard the Moby Dick…
"Gurararara! Marco, let's throw a party!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, as if they had just come out of a glorious victory.
"Pops… you just want an excuse to drink, don't you?" Marco sighed. Though he enjoyed a celebration, his pockets were emptier than ever these days.
"Jozu, are you alright?" Whitebeard turned his attention to Jozu, showing genuine concern.
He had witnessed the earlier battle and knew how badly the young Marine had shaken him.
"I'm fine,"
Jozu said, face darkening. "That Marine kid… he's seriously strong—both in hand-to-hand combat and Devil Fruit power."
"No wonder Crocodile got defeated by him," Whitebeard muttered, rubbing his chin.
"That same Marine who took down that sand punk?"
"Yeah," Marco chimed in. "His name's Kanos Atlas. I heard from the Marines that he holds the rank of Commodore."
Marco had been the first among the Whitebeard Pirates to notice Atlas in the newspaper—and now, his instincts were proving right.
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