In an instant, the entire battlefield was stunned into silence.
The most shaken of all were the members of the Whitebeard Pirates, who cried out on the spot.
"H-how is this possible?!"
Whitebeard, the man who bound his crew together through familial bonds and was said to be the least likely person on the seas to ever be betrayed, had been betrayed by his own "son" in this very moment!
Sengoku watched the scene unfold, his expression turning extremely complicated.
This had originally been nothing more than a casual suggestion by Akainu, a single idle move made on a whim.
Whether Squard truly turned against Whitebeard or not, Sengoku hadn't cared at the time.
Because with the Marines' strength, they were more than capable of wiping out the entire Whitebeard Pirates!
"I never thought this idle move would become the winning hand that changes the flow of the battlefield!"
Sengoku's eyes gleamed as a surge of joy rose in his heart.
"Whitebeard… you really are old now!"
With Whitebeard's former strength, even a sudden betrayal should never have succeeded so easily.
There was only one explanation.
Whitebeard had grown old, and his power was no longer what it once was!
With declining strength and now a severe injury on top of it, as long as they could defeat Whitebeard quickly, the Marines still had a chance to win this war!
Over there, Squard shouted accusations at Whitebeard, condemning him for hiding Ace's true lineage.
Squard's own family had been killed by Gol D. Roger.
And yet Whitebeard, who knew the truth, had chosen not to tell him.
Worse still, Squard had been deceived by Akainu, coming to believe that Whitebeard had made a deal with the Marines at the cost of the allied pirate crews.
To him, it was a complete and utter betrayal.
In response, Whitebeard didn't waste breath arguing.
He simply pulled Squard into his arms with great force.
"You foolish son! Even though you were deceived by the Marines, I don't blame you! After all… I was at fault too!"
Boom!
Whitebeard swung his right fist with all his might, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that wiped everything behind him clean, carving out a clear retreat path!
"Whether I betrayed you or not is for you to judge yourselves! Those still willing to save Ace, charge with me!"
"Those who wish to leave, retreat along this path. I'll cover your escape!"
With that, Whitebeard yanked the blade out of his chest and surged forward.
Murakumogiri flared with dazzling white light as a visible, horrifying shockwave slammed straight into Sengoku!
Rumble—!
Even Sengoku, in his Buddha form, was forced back by this earth-shaking blow.
And the pirates who had been wavering only moments before completely erupted at this sight.
Whitebeard's words hadn't made them think of retreat.
Instead, their morale soared even higher!
Squard collapsed onto the deck with a thud, sobbing uncontrollably.
"W-what have I done…?!"
At this moment, Sengoku stared grimly at the Whitebeard before him.
Despite being gravely wounded, Sengoku's Observation Haki screamed one thing at him—
The man in front of him had become even more dangerous!
"He's resolved to die…" Sengoku felt a chill in his heart.
A Whitebeard with nothing left to lose… even Sengoku couldn't say how terrifying his strength might become!
"Hmph! Whitebeard… still not strong enough in the end!"
Barrett glanced toward the rear of the battlefield, his face filled with disdain.
"Hm?"
The next instant, Barrett noticed something wrong.
Akainu, whom he had smashed deep into the ground earlier, was gone!
Scanning downward with Observation Haki, Barrett's expression turned strange.
"Marines… are you all this shameless?"
At the same time, Whitebeard launched a ferocious assault on Sengoku.
"Quake!"
Both fists swung at once.
The two shockwaves merged into one, shattering the air itself as massive waves rose from the sea and crashed down toward Sengoku!
"Buddha Shockwave!"
The best way to counter shockwaves was with shockwaves of equal magnitude.
The Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Buddha Model couldn't directly manipulate vibrations, but the shockwaves it produced achieved a similar effect.
Crack—BOOM!
The area affected by their clash was simply enormous.
Not only did the ice shatter, but even the nearest encircling wall cracked open with massive fractures.
"Buddha Vajra Fist!"
Sengoku immediately followed up with a storm of relentless attacks.
The colossal Buddha form unleashed dozens of massive fist shadows in an instant, drowning Whitebeard's figure like an artillery bombardment.
Whitebeard was already gravely injured.
Prolonged high-intensity combat would only worsen his condition, which was all the more favorable for the Marines!
Sengoku's Devil Fruit granted its user not only power, but also wisdom and spirit akin to that of a Buddha.
By combining a Buddha-like body with a sharp mind and refined technique, Sengoku became an ultimate being of mind, body, and skill.
Thus, even amid such fierce combat, Sengoku could still make the correct decisions in the shortest possible time!
"Gurararara… you think this is enough to defeat me? Sengoku, since when did you become this naïve?!"
Whitebeard's spirit surged like a roaring storm, showing not the slightest hesitation despite his wounds.
"Quake!"
Whitebeard swung Murakumogiri.
A colossal shockwave poured forth like an avalanche.
Sengoku's fist shadows lasted less than two seconds before being completely crushed.
This was the aura of the world's strongest man!
"Pops!"
Ace and the others struggled through the battlefield, shouting for Whitebeard to leave with them as they saw his blood flowing nonstop.
"Gurararara! Brat, are you afraid I'll die here? Who do you think I am? I'm Whitebeard!"
Whitebeard's heroic laughter echoed across the battlefield.
Even Sengoku, his greatest enemy, had to admit—
Whitebeard was a true legend.
"You go first. I'll catch up later!"
Whitebeard looked at Sengoku and the Marineford behind him, a sharp, icy light flashing through his eyes.
"You deceived my son and turned him into a traitor. Sengoku… are you ready to face my wrath?!"
Only then did Sengoku realize—
In the midst of their fierce battle, the two of them had unknowingly reached the edge of Marineford's landmass.
Whitebeard raised his left arm high.
Blinding white light gathered in his hand, twisting even the surrounding space.
"Whitebeard, don't you dare!"
Sengoku instantly understood what Whitebeard was about to do and lunged forward to stop him.
Whitebeard merely sneered coldly.
"Sink into the sea for me!"
Boom!!
His left fist slammed down, and Marineford shook violently in an instant.
"An earthquake?"
Some of the uninformed cried out in confusion.
"Damn you, Whitebeard!"
Before Sengoku's bloodshot eyes, the ground began to collapse.
Massive cracks spread rapidly, the encircling walls crumbled, and seawater came flooding in.
Most terrifying of all, those dreadful fissures raced straight toward the Marine Headquarters fortress.
In just moments, half the fortress collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Marineford was reduced to ruins!
"Sengoku, this is just a little interest!"
Whitebeard's gaze was icy as he met Sengoku's furious stare head-on.
"Great Eruption!"
At that moment, a figure suddenly burst out from the crack in the ground.
"Whitebeard! Today is the day you die!"
***
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