"What the hell does that guy mean?" Sengoku's eyes widened, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow. "Could it be that he also...?"
He was cut off by a sudden, jarring change in the sky above Marineford. The once clear blue sky was instantly shrouded in endless dark clouds. The world was plunged into a sudden, deep gloom.
Zzzzt—
A series of horrifying, massive lightning bolts snaked and crisscrossed through the clouds like giant dragons, exuding a terrifying and destructive aura.
"This... Could it be that Kaido is here?!" Sengoku's expression changed instantly. This scene reminded him of Kaido of the Beasts, who could trigger changes in the celestial phenomena. Other than him, not even Big Mom's thundercloud, Zeus, could create a lightning storm on this scale.
But the very next second, he realized his mistake.
RUMBLE!
To everyone's astonishment, huge pillars of thunder, filled with a destructive aura, crashed down from the sky, instantly engulfing Adrian's figure. Then, the massive thunder pillars began to converge crazily behind Adrian. In the blink of an eye, a gigantic, 20-meter-tall Thunder God, completely surrounded by lightning, was condensed.
This time, however, the Thunder God was different from the one Adrian had used to kill Byrnndi World in Eternal Hell. It was much larger and more powerful. It resembled Madara's full-body Susanoo from Naruto. A pair of huge lightning wings emerged from its back, constantly exuding an atmosphere of destruction that seemed to look down on all living things.
"Then... is that the power of God?" At this moment, every Marine and pirate below was so frightened that their legs went weak. Many knelt down, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
"That guy... has shown another devil fruit ability?!" Sengoku felt like his head was about to explode. Can someone tell me what is going on? Is a Devil Fruit a common carrot? Why can that kid use so many abilities?
"Hey, Kuzan, that ability looks like... Logia?!" Kizaru stopped, exclaiming in disbelief.
"How is that possible? There has never been an awakened Logia Devil Fruit user before!!" Aokiji's eyes were filled with astonishment.
Akainu, who was far away in the harbor, also had an incredulous look on his ferocious face. A Logia awakening had never been seen in the entire 800-year history of the world. Even though Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru were among the most powerful Logia users, they still hadn't reached the point of awakening. How did that kid do it?
"A Logia awakening? I really have to admire you!" A look of surprise flashed in Whitebeard's eyes. Even he felt an extremely dangerous aura from the Thunder God. But now, Whitebeard had entered a state of almost certain death. No matter what, he had to kill Adrian. He knew his useless sons couldn't handle such a terrifying enemy. Before he died, he had to eliminate this future threat.
"Gurarararara, let me use this attack to awaken the world's fear of me one last time!"
"Awakening - World Destruction!!!"
Whitebeard's final, full-powered attack was finally unleashed. Time seemed to stop for an instant. Everyone froze in their last position. Light, space, and the very atmosphere were violently distorted.
At the same time, Adrian also moved.
Zzzzt—
The Thunder God's massive palm reached into the clouds. The lightning dancing among the thunderclouds frantically gathered in its palm. When the palm retracted, it held a dazzling purple lightning spear. The Thunder God then handed the huge spear to Adrian.
Buzz—!!!
Just like Bartholomew Kuma's ability to compress the atmosphere into an air bomb, Adrian used the power of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi to compress the enormous spear. In an instant, the spear shrank to a manageable size of two meters, its power having been amplified tenfold.
"Whitebeard, this battle was actually destined from the very beginning!" Adrian pulled his arm back and threw the spear forward with incredible force.
"Awakening - Thunder Gun!!!"
BOOM!
Like a star exploding, the entire Marineford was instantly enveloped in a dazzling light. Then came a shocking explosion. The whole space trembled violently.
A terrifying, gaping hole was blasted through Whitebeard's waist. Only a few bones remained on the edges. But even so, his proud figure remained standing upright in the center of the plaza like a titan.
Adrian was sent flying by Whitebeard's blow, crashing heavily into the Marine Headquarters building.
"Ah... Lord Adrian!!" The Empress was the first to react, a monstrous killing intent erupting in her beautiful eyes. "Damn you, Whitebeard! How dare you do such a disrespectful thing to my beloved! If Lord Adrian is injured in any way, even if you are dead, this empress will turn you to stone and crush you into dust!"
In the next second, her figure turned into a purple flash and rushed toward where Adrian had fallen. If she hadn't seen Whitebeard's serious injury, she might have ganged up on him right there.
"Daddy!!"
"Impossible... Daddy... he won't die..." Jozu and the others at the edge of the square fell to their knees, weeping as they saw the terrible wound on Whitebeard's body.
"Bastards, get up and get on the boat! Have you all forgotten Dad's last order?!" Vista, the only one still with his senses, stood up and shouted. But his tears wouldn't stop flowing. The man who had made them so proud, the man they called "Dad," the man respected by the world as "the strongest," the man closest to becoming Pirate King after Roger... his time was finally here.
"Oh yo yo~~ Whitebeard is really scary... but that kid can do that? He's a true monster~~" Kizaru's voice had returned to its lazy, nonchalant tone, but his face was incredibly solemn.
"With a blow like that, I'm sure we would have died..." Aokiji, his curly hair blown into a mess, stared at Whitebeard's wound with a look of awe.
"That old guy was in the way for far too long, he should have died a long time ago. As a remnant of the old era, his very existence was an insult to justice!" Akainu said with a grin. Whitebeard was dead, and he was undoubtedly one of the happiest people there.
"Phew, the era of Whitebeard has finally come to an end..." At this moment, Sengoku's expression was incredibly complicated. With Whitebeard's fall, this epic battle could finally end. And this victory was bound to restore the Marines' prestige to its former height. This was what Sengoku wanted most.
However, the one who had killed Whitebeard was Adrian. His influence would reach an unprecedented level. This worried Sengoku immensely.
After dealing with the Whitebeard Pirates, should I get rid of Adrian, too? The thought of "unloading the mill and killing the donkey" took root in Sengoku's mind. That old bastard Garp should be more than willing to use this opportunity to make up for his mistakes, right?
"Lord Adrian, are you alright?" The Empress rushed into the ruins and found him. "You can't be hurt, my darling! Otherwise, how will you rule the world? I... our ten children are still waiting for you to name them..."
Adrian looked a bit disheveled. The right side of his body was a bloody mess, and his bones and internal organs were almost completely shattered. The full-power blow from an awakened Whitebeard was simply shocking. If his Thunder God and Armament Haki hadn't absorbed most of the damage, the situation would have been far more serious.
But all of this was within Adrian's expectations. To prepare for this, he had even gotten Marco's Devil Fruit early in the war.
"Hancock, don't cry. I'm fine... But Whitebeard is truly amazing, worthy of the title of the world's strongest!" A look of respect came over Adrian's face. Whitebeard was unlike any enemy he had ever faced. From the use of his Devil Fruit to his Taijutsu and Haki, he was a master of everything. If he hadn't been weakened by his injuries, He would likely have lost the battle. Fighting such a peerless powerhouse had given Adrian countless insights, which would be crucial for his future.
Whoosh.
A light blue flame of regeneration emerged from Adrian's body. In the next second, all his injuries had recovered.