A drop of magma had unknowingly fallen from Sakazuki and was now suspended midair.
After Sakazuki's figure was swallowed by the endless laser light—
The falling magma swelled and surged wildly, taking the shape of a human.
Sakazuki reappeared.
He ignored Charlotte Linlin for the time being and activated his ability to detonate the magma-tipped spear inside Whitebeard.
But instead of an explosion, the spearhead acted more like a rocket engine.
A torrent of scorching heat and acidic corrosion burst from the magma tip, eating away at Whitebeard from the inside.
In the blink of an eye, a massive hole was burned through Whitebeard's chest.
His entire stomach was corroded and destroyed.
Before the damage could spread further—
The internal spearhead twisted and deformed.
Crack!
Suddenly, it shattered into pieces.
Whitebeard instantly coated his whole body in Armament Haki.
Endless magma surged from the shattered spear tip.
It engulfed both Whitebeard and Garp.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion. Two figures shot out of the magma in opposite directions.
Garp looked at Whitebeard and grinned. Now, it was only a matter of time before Whitebeard died.
Then, his arms surged with Armament Haki.
A sonic boom erupted beneath his feet as he raised his fist and charged.
Whitebeard, panting heavily, glanced down at the gaping hole in his chest—
Then suddenly laughed...
Looking at the charging Garp, he took a deep breath.
Buzz—!
He clenched his left fist, activated his power, and hammered it at Garp.
Crack!
The atmosphere shattered. The shockwave surged and crashed into Garp.
Suddenly, the muscles in Whitebeard's left arm bulged, increasing the power output.
He managed to suppress Garp for a moment.
Then Whitebeard leapt back, eyes locked tightly on Sakazuki below.
Boom!
A sonic boom erupted beneath his feet. The naginata in his hand was wrapped in Conqueror's Haki.
With a wave of violent force, he tore through the sky and charged toward Sakazuki:
"You magma brat!!!"
In midair below, Sakazuki watched Whitebeard descend and snorted coldly.
A long blade formed in his hand, coated in Armament Haki and entwined with Conqueror's Haki.
He ignored the killing intent coming straight at him.
An explosive force erupted from his back as he raised his blade to meet the attack.
Clang!
Szzzz—!
The clash of metal echoed. Black and purple lightning sparked from the collision of blades.
Violent shockwaves blasted around them.
Whitebeard's face twisted like a demon, pressing down with all his strength.
Sakazuki sneered, veins bulging across his body, and slashed upward.
Suddenly, both Sakazuki and Whitebeard released one hand and grabbed toward the other.
Clang!
They didn't grab bodies—but wrists.
Each clutched the other's wrist in a death grip.
"Die!!!"
"Die!!!"
They roared in unison. A blinding white light burst forth.
BOOM!!!!!!
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
The deafening explosion shook the world.
At the center of the blast, the two locked eyes.
Until the endless white light consumed them both.
The violent explosion tore at their bodies—
Agonizing pain overwhelmed every nerve.
Finally, when something snapped in their brains under the strain—
A hum rang in their ears.
Buzz—
And then, complete unconsciousness.
From afar, the Golden Lion and Garp flew in at full speed.
They braved the blazing heat to catch their respective comrades.
...
Elsewhere, near the Oro Jackson—
Rayleigh, cooperating with Roger, had drawn Sengoku and Zephyr into a fierce sea battle.
Because Sengoku couldn't touch water, he remained in the air, providing long-range support for Zephyr.
Zephyr and Roger battled fiercely in the sea below.
Roger's body was covered in dents—clearly, bones had been broken.
Zephyr had multiple deep sword wounds, some down to the bone, crusted in dried blood.
Two battered figures gasped for breath as they continued colliding.
All four fighters had been locked in battle for three days without a single moment of rest.
Sengoku chased Rayleigh while launching ambushes at Roger.
Rayleigh slashed at Zephyr while fleeing.
Clang!
Fist and blade collided. Shockwaves rippled out.
Roger and Zephyr each freed one hand, wrapped it in Haki, and struck each other in the chest.
Crack!
Crack!
Bones cracked on both sides. The two were sent flying and slammed into the sea.
Boom!
Dozens of meters of water erupted into the sky.
They climbed out, wiped blood from their lips, and charged at each other again.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! ...
In the air, Sengoku's expression tensed as Charlotte Linlin charged over.
She stood on Zeus, with Prometheus flaming atop her head.
Napoleon in her hand was also wrapped in flames.
She tore through the sky toward Sengoku.
Napoleon flared wildly, and endless fire mixed with sword energy slashed toward Sengoku.
Golden light radiated around Sengoku as he thrust a palm toward Charlotte Linlin.
Buzz—!
Endless golden light clashed with crimson flames.
Boom boom boom boom!!!
A chain of explosions followed. Both retreated slightly.
Charlotte Linlin glanced at Roger in the sea and laughed:
"Mamamamamamama~ How pathetic you look, Roger."
Clang!
The two combatants below clashed and separated again.
Seeing Charlotte Linlin arrive, Roger's expression grew solemn:
"No time for small talk. Get to Newgate—now!"
The massive explosion earlier had already come and gone. Newgate's aura was rapidly weakening.
Charlotte Linlin smiled, summoned Prometheus, and flung him at Zephyr.
Then, she shot into the sky toward the Golden Lion.
Whoosh—!
A beam of golden light struck Prometheus.
Sengoku's shockwave collided with it, detonating into a mushroom cloud.
After the explosion, Prometheus reformed.
Seeing the furious Sengoku, he trembled all over.
...
Aboard Garp's warship—
Multiple whooshing sounds rang out as explosions burst around the ship.
Some shells hit directly, blowing apart large sections of the deck.
Garp's ship, surrounded by Golden Lion's fleet, was trying to break out.
Just then, the lookout shouted:
"Rear Admiral Keane! BIG MOM Pirates spotted ahead!"
Keane, who was commanding a counterattack, froze.
He rushed to the bow and looked ahead. The flag was unmistakable.
Keane slammed the railing hard:
"Damn it! Even our only escape route is blocked!"
Golden Lion's fleet was about to encircle them—and now the only breakout path was blocked by the BIG MOM Pirates.
Even his calm heart was filled with despair.
After a few seconds, a fierce light flashed in Keane's eyes:
"Hard to starboard! Cut back diagonally!!"
The crew and helmsman were stunned for a moment, then silently followed the order.
The warship turned in a perfect arc and charged back.
The deck went silent—only the sound of shells being loaded remained.
Aboard the BIG MOM Pirates' ship—
A figure in a horned helmet, holding a large sword, spoke:
"I was hoping for some fun, but they turned around, huh."
His tone was mocking.
Beside him, another figure with a scarf and trident swept his gaze:
"There will still be a fight, Cracker."
"They'll be here soon..."
Then he looked toward the stern, as if seeing through space.
He saw the massive Marine fleet fast approaching.
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