Three days later, the earth-shattering duel finally ended. The result was that the other half of the island had been completely sunk by the shockwaves of their battle, turned into dust at the bottom of the Grand Line. The two men responsible, Garp and Roger, lay panting on the beach like two exhausted bulls, having fought each other to a draw.
Then, as their crews watched with tired familiarity, the two rivals devoured a massive meal and, almost at the exact same time, tilted their heads back and began to snore loudly, having fallen fast asleep right where they sat.
"Alright, that's a wrap," Rayleigh said, clapping his hands.
"It's the same routine again…" Spencer sighed, already directing the newer crew members. "Carry the captain onto the ship. Be careful not to let him roll into the sea."
On the other side of the beach, the Marines, with equally practiced movements, haphazardly carried their Vice-Admiral onto the dog-headed warship. The two ships then parted ways in the bay, their crews standing on deck and tacitly waving goodbye to each other. It was a strange sight, like old friends bidding each other farewell.
"The next time we meet, we'll be enemies!" Jabba shouted at the departing Marine ship.
"Next time, we'll definitely capture all of you!" a Marine Rear Admiral shouted back.
After the Marines were gone, the deck of the Oro Jackson was finally quiet for a moment. But the quiet didn't last long. As the setting sun painted the sea a brilliant golden-red, a small boat appeared on the horizon. A tall figure stood alone at its bow, and his presence alone was enough to create a suffocating sense of pressure. From his stance, it was clear this man was terrifyingly strong. He had bright golden hair and a distinctive, crescent-shaped white beard.
Edward Newgate. The man who would one day be known as the "Strongest Man in the World," Whitebeard.
Wait a minute, Kyle thought to himself. Aren't you only in your thirties? What's with that crazy beard?
The man leaped from his boat onto the deck of the Oro Jackson, landing so heavily that the entire ship trembled. "Where's Roger?" Newgate's voice was low and powerful. He scanned the crew, his eyes finally landing on Rayleigh, Jabba, and Kyle, the three with the most powerful auras. "I heard he was here. I came to test my skills against him."
This man was a great pirate on the same level as Roger and the Golden Lion. Some of the crew members instantly tensed up, their hands moving to their weapons.
"My apologies, Newgate," Kyle said, calmly stepping forward with his arms crossed and a polite smile on his face. "Our captain just finished a very intense 'pre-meal exercise' and is currently sleeping it off. I'm afraid he won't be able to answer your challenge right now."
Newgate's eyebrow twitched, clearly surprised by the answer.
Kyle pointed to the naginata on his back, a pure battle-lust burning in his golden eyes. "However, since you came all this way, it would be a shame for you to leave empty-handed. We both use a naginata. How about I be your opponent instead?"
Everyone on the deck was stunned.
"Be careful, Kyle!" Ellio said with a frown.
"Whoa, that's Newgate!" Nozdon gasped.
Newgate looked at the young man before him. He was much younger, but his presence was no less impressive. He suddenly broke into a wide grin, filled with the confidence of a powerful warrior. "Gurara-ra-ra, alright! Let me see just how strong the monster on Roger's ship really is!" He pulled the massive naginata from his back—Murakumogiri.
Kyle also unstrapped his own long naginata, and the two of them faced each other in the center of the deck. There were no Devil Fruit powers, no flashy moves. This was going to be a pure duel between two masters of the naginata. The next second, they both vanished.
Clang—!
The sound of metal on metal exploded across the deck as their blades clashed fiercely, sending sparks flying like fireworks. The invisible force of their Haki colliding sent out a shockwave that made the surrounding crew members stumble.
They were fast. Unbelievably fast. The long weapons in their hands seemed to be extensions of their own arms. Every swing, block, and thrust was so fast that all anyone could see was a blur of afterimages. The blades whistled through the air, and the deck beneath their feet began to crack under the strain.
Newgate's power was overwhelming. Every strike seemed strong enough to split mountains, and his broad, sweeping attacks showed the presence of a king. Kyle, on the other hand, was more agile. He used his understanding of vibrations from his Wave-Wave Fruit to enhance his footwork and his technique, allowing him to deflect Newgate's immense power from clever angles and launch swift counterattacks.
Seeing an opening, Kyle pushed forward, his black and gold naginata slashing upwards in a diagonal arc that seemed to split the air itself. Newgate, however, didn't dodge. He let out a low roar, and his Murakumogiri, now coated in an even thicker layer of Armament Haki, came chopping down vertically, stopping Kyle's attack in its tracks.
"A good move!" Newgate praised, but his own attack only grew more ferocious. He took a heavy step forward that made the entire ship shake and brought his Murakumogiri down with immense power.
Kyle's eyes narrowed, and he raised his own weapon horizontally to block.
Boom!
An unimaginable force slammed into his blade. Kyle felt his arms go numb, and he was forced down onto one knee, the deck cracking under his feet. In a pure contest of strength and Haki, he was still no match for this future legend.
"Kuhahaha! That was a good fight, Newgate!" Just then, a familiar hearty laugh came from the ship's cabin. Roger, now shirtless, had woken up and was watching the battle with great interest.
Kyle used the distraction to retreat, shaking his numb arms with a wry smile.
Roger strode forward and threw an arm around Newgate's shoulder. "No more fighting! It's not every day we get to meet like this. Let's have a banquet!"
Newgate put away his weapon and looked from Roger to Kyle, then shook his head. "A banquet can wait. I'm still searching for the meaning of my journey." He looked at Kyle with a deep, appraising gaze. "You are strong, young man. I look forward to our next meeting." After he spoke, he turned, leaped back onto his own boat, and sailed away.
The Roger Pirates watched his receding figure in silence. Kyle put away his naginata, his mind already replaying every moment of the duel. He hadn't used his Devil Fruit. It had been a pure contest of skill, strength, and Haki. If he had used his Wave-Wave Fruit, he was confident he could have defeated a Whitebeard who had not yet eaten the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. But what about in the future? Once Newgate ate the fruit that was said to be the strongest Paramecia, the outcome would be anyone's guess.
However… Kyle's lips curled into a slight smile. He still had one major advantage: time. He had plenty of it to grow stronger and gain more experience. One day, his strength would surely surpass the legends of today.
Thinking of this, Kyle suddenly froze. When did Whitebeard get the Tremor-Tremor Fruit? A word buried deep in his memory suddenly surfaced—God Valley. In a few years, the world-shaking "God Valley Incident" would happen. It was the event that led to the downfall of the Rocks Pirates and the legendary team-up between Roger and Garp. And Whitebeard had been a member of the Rocks crew at the time.
Could it be… that he only got the Tremor-Tremor Fruit after the God Valley Incident? And that's when he found his reason for sailing and started to build his massive family of "sons." A bold and crazy idea began to form in Kyle's mind. God Valley… it was a stage where legends would clash, the end of an old era and the beginning of a new one. How could he possibly miss it?
Kyle looked up at the sea, an unprecedented light flickering in his golden eyes. He licked his lips and murmured to himself, his voice filled with anticipation and excitement.
"On that day, we're going to turn the world upside down."
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