Three days later, the earth-shattering duel finally came to an end.
Half of the island had been completely sunk by the aftershocks of their battle, reduced to a handful of dust on the Grand Line's seabed.
The instigators—Garp and Roger—collapsed on the beach like two exhausted bulls, panting heavily in a draw.
Under the helpless yet familiar gazes of their respective crews, both men wolfed down their food and, almost simultaneously, tilted their heads back and fell into deep sleep with thunderous snores.
"Alright, pack it up!" Rayleigh clapped his hands.
"Same routine again..." Spencer sighed, skillfully directing the newcomers. "Carry the captain aboard—careful not to let him roll into the sea."
On the other side, the marines used equally practiced movements to hoist Vice Admiral Garp aboard the dog-head warship.
The two ships parted ways in the bay, with crew members standing on deck, waving goodbye with mutual understanding.
Between pirates and marines, there was a strange atmosphere, like old friends saying farewell.
"Next time we meet, we'll be enemies!" Gaban shouted at the departing warship.
"Next time, we'll definitely be arresting all of you!" a rear admiral shouted back.
With the Navy gone, the Oro Jackson's deck finally regained a moment of tranquility.
However, this peace didn't last long.
As the sunset's afterglow painted the sea a golden red, a small boat appeared on the horizon. A tall figure stood alone at its bow, radiating a suffocating sense of oppression simply by standing there.
From his posture alone, it was clear—this man was terrifyingly strong.
He had brilliant golden hair and a distinctive crescent-shaped white mustache.
Edward Newgate.
The future "World's Strongest Man"—Whitebeard.
Wait a minute, aren't you only in your thirties? How do you already have that iconic mustache?
He leaped directly onto the Oro Jackson's deck single-handedly, his heavy landing making the entire ship tremble.
"Where is Roger?" Newgate's deep, booming voice demanded.
He scanned everyone on deck, finally settling on Rayleigh, Gaban, and Kyle—the calmest among them. "I heard he's here. I've come to test my strength against him."
This man was one of the great pirates, on par with Roger and Golden Lion. Some crew members immediately tensed, reaching for their weapons.
"Sorry about that, Newgate." Kyle crossed his arms and stepped forward calmly, wearing an apologetic smile.
"Our captain just finished an intense 'pre-meal workout' and is currently catching up on sleep. I'm afraid he can't respond to your challenge right now."
Newgate raised his eyebrows slightly, clearly surprised.
Kyle gestured to the naginata on his back, pure fighting spirit igniting in his golden pupils. "But since you've come all this way, leaving empty-handed would be too boring. We both use naginata—how about I be your opponent instead?"
His words shocked everyone present.
"Be careful, Kyle-san!" Elio frowned with concern.
"Hey, hey, that's Newgate!" Seagull Guns Nozdon whispered in alarm.
Newgate studied the young man before him—much younger than himself, yet with a presence no less imposing—and suddenly grinned with the confidence and boldness of a true powerhouse. "Gurararara! Fine! Let me see just how strong the monsters on Roger's ship really are!"
He drew the massive naginata from his back—Murakumogiri.
Kyle unsheathed his long naginata as well, and the two faced each other at the center of the deck.
No Devil Fruit abilities, no flashy techniques—this was a pure duel between naginata wielders.
The next second, both figures vanished from sight.
"CLANG—!"
The sound of metal striking metal exploded as the two naginata blades collided violently, sparks flying like brilliant fireworks.
Invisible haki clashed, and the resulting air currents made the surrounding crew struggle to stay upright.
Fast! Too fast!
The long weapons seemed like extensions of their arms; each swing, parry, and thrust was so swift that only afterimages remained.
Blades sliced through the air with sharp whistles, the deck cracking inch by inch beneath their feet.
Newgate's power was overwhelmingly dominant—each strike capable of splitting mountains, displaying a king's bearing with every wide, sweeping movement.
Kyle was more agile, integrating his Wave-Wave Fruit mastery of "vibration" into his footwork and blade techniques. His form was elusive, deflecting tremendous force at tricky angles while launching swift counterattacks.
Seizing an opportunity, Kyle struck suddenly, his black-gold naginata sweeping upward diagonally, the air exploding along its path.
But Newgate neither dodged nor evaded. With a low roar, he covered Murakumogiri with solid armament haki and chopped down vertically, forcibly stopping the slash!
"Nice technique!"
Newgate praised, but his assault became even fiercer. He stepped forward forcefully, making the entire ship shake as Murakumogiri crashed down with crushing momentum!
Kyle's pupils contracted as he raised his blade to block.
"BOOM!"
An unimaginable force transmitted through the blade. Kyle's arms went numb, the power forcing him to one knee as his feet sank into two deep holes in the deck.
One move short!
In pure strength and haki comparison, his current self was still inferior to this future legend.
"Gu ha ha ha! Great fight, Newgate!"
Just then, a familiar laugh came from the ship's cabin.
Roger had somehow awakened and was watching the battle shirtless with great interest.
Kyle took the chance to retreat, grimacing as he shook his numb arms.
Roger strode forward and threw his arm around Newgate's shoulders. "No more fighting! Since we rarely meet, let's have a party!"
Newgate sheathed Murakumogiri, glanced at Roger, then at Kyle, and shook his head. "I'll pass on the party. I'm still searching for what it truly means to set sail."
He looked deeply at Kyle. "You're strong, young man. I look forward to our next encounter."
With that, he turned and leaped back onto his own ship, sailing away.
The Roger Pirates watched Whitebeard's departing figure in prolonged silence.
Kyle sheathed his naginata, rapidly reviewing the battle in his mind.
In that sparring match, he hadn't used his Devil Fruit ability—just pure swordsmanship, strength, and haki. If he'd used the Wave-Wave Fruit's power, he was confident he could defeat Whitebeard, who hadn't yet eaten the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
But what about the future? Once he consumed the fruit known as the strongest Paramecia, the outcome would be uncertain.
However, Kyle's lips curved slightly upward.
He still had one major advantage—youth. He had plenty of time to grow and accumulate battle experience.
His future self would definitely surpass these current legends.
Thinking this, Kyle suddenly froze.
When did Whitebeard get the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?
A word buried deep in memory suddenly jumped out—God Valley.
In a few more years, the world-shocking "God Valley Incident" would occur—the destruction of the Rocks Pirates, Roger and Garp joining forces... And Whitebeard had been a member of Rocks' crew at the time.
Could it be that he obtained the Tremor-Tremor Fruit after the God Valley incident?
Then found the meaning of his journey—ahem—of setting sail, and began collecting "sons" worldwide to build his big family.
A bold and crazy idea took root irrepressibly in Kyle's mind.
God Valley... that was a stage where legends gathered, marking the old era's end and the new era's beginning.
How could I miss out on that?
Kyle looked up at the ever-changing seas, unprecedented light flickering in his golden pupils.
He licked his lips and murmured quietly, his tone full of anticipation and excitement.
"That day, I'll have to turn the world upside down."