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Bang!
The entire island trembled as Whitebeard's enormous frame crashed to the ground and his head slammed instantly into the earth.
Black-red lightning erupted, and the ground convulsed violently, like a raging sea. Dust billowed skyward, instantly shrouding everything in a dense cloud.
"Old man!"
Marco and the others paled, shouting out in alarm. They were about to leap off the ship and rush forward when a sudden surge of sand swept across the deck, pinning them in place.
"This is a fair duel!" Crocodile snarled. "Do you dare interfere?"
"Crocodile!" Marco gritted his teeth.
"Or are the Whitebeard Pirates nothing more than a pack of sore losers and glorified charlatans?" Crocodile sneered.
He stood alone in their way, with not a trace of fear on his face.
"Bastard!" Marco roared.
They had no choice but to remain on the ship, their eyes fixed on the battlefield ahead as they awaited the outcome.
Suddenly, a violent gust of wind swept across the scene.
"Gulalala啦!"
Accompanied by thunderous laughter, the dust dispersed rapidly, revealing a colossal figure slowly rising to its feet.
"Marco, do you think I have become some frail old man?"
"A punch like a mosquito bite, and you're all so worried?"
"Don't let outsiders underestimate us!"
A deep, resonant voice boomed across the battlefield as Whitebeard raised his head. An invisible aura of immense power surged forth and swept over everyone present.
"The Old Man's fine!"
"Thank goodness!" Diamond Jozu exclaimed, relieved.
But their relief was short-lived. When they finally made out the figure's face in the arena, their expressions twisted again in horror and apprehension.
"Old Man?!"
"Are you really okay?!" Marco's voice trembled.
The mountain-like figure standing proudly in the arena was drenched in blood. Crimson rivulets trickled down his face, staining his cheeks scarlet.
Such a gruesome sight was impossible to ignore.
"Your turn, Whitebeard!" Another figure in the arena said calmly.
All eyes turned to Kojin once more. With his arms crossed and blood smeared across his face, his eyes burned like the sun, as if aflame.
"That monster!" Diamond Jozu growled through clenched teeth.
Whitebeard clenched his fist, leapt high into the air, and brought it crashing down.
Bang!
A tremor rippled outwards, but this time Kojin didn't fall. Instead, he tilted his head and bent at the waist, swaying with the force of it.
"Not as strong as the last one... Feels like a tickle," Kojin grinned.
Whitebeard scoffed. "Your stubborn mouth won't be so tough for long!"
'We'll see about that,' Kojin retorted.
The two men traded blow after blow, each punch reverberating with deafening force. With every strike, they taunted each other's strength and stamina.
"You're already losing steam, aren't you? Give up now, Kojin!"
"Heh, Whitebeard, your skull isn't as tough as your mouth!"
"Gulalala! Is that all you've got, little man?"
"Same goes for you, Newgate!"
"..."
The onlookers watched in nervous awe.
"Those two!" Marco gasped, his eyes shifting with concern.
They knew that, despite appearances, either man could collapse at any moment. As their injuries mounted, their strength visibly waned. Yet neither would concede, locked in a relentless exchange of blows, punch for punch.
"Every punch lands with bone-jarring force... this is a true battle between men!" Diamond Jozu declared, clenching his fist.
Time slipped by, and before long it was the second night. The two men continued to trade blows, their fists landing with an earth-shattering force that reverberated across the island.
At that moment, all the spectators present felt genuine admiration for these two stubborn, relentless warriors.
"They're both seriously injured, yet they refuse to give up."
"Whether it's the Old Man or Kojin, their strength is beyond comprehension!"
"Their physical prowess, mental fortitude, and indomitable will far surpass our own!" Marco marveled.
This head-to-head clash was the ultimate test of everything they possessed.
Time continued to tick by.
The frequency of the earth-shattering impacts on the island gradually diminished, yet intermittent roars still echoed across the landscape, signaling that neither side had relented.
Before anyone knew it, dawn broke on the third day.
"Admit defeat, Whitebeard!" Kojin snarled, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "Your eyes are already glazed over!"
"Don't make me laugh," Whitebeard scoffed. "What kind of man do you take me for?" He immediately retorted with equal scorn. "Look at your eyes... they're so swollen, even Garp wouldn't recognize you!"
"In this state, not even your own sons would recognize you!" Kojin taunted.
From a distance, both men appeared battered and bruised, their faces almost distorted and covered in purple blotches. Their eyes were swollen shut and lumps protruded from their heads.
But that was only what could be seen on the surface. Observing the Old Man's condition, Marco could tell that his ribs and internal organs had also been severely injured.
Naturally, Kojin was faring no better.
Meanwhile, Crocodile chain-smoked cigars, his eyes fixed on the arena.
Of everyone present, he was the most tormented. In all the time he had known Kojin, he had never seen him in such a state.
What made his heart tremble even more was the realization that he was responsible for this entire clash, born of his own foolishness.
"Kojin, you shouldn't have come!"
"My mistake... I should bear this alone!"
huh? A flicker of moisture glistened in Crocodile's eyes, and an indescribable emotion filled his chest, causing a sudden ache to rise in his throat.
In the blink of an eye, it was noon on the third day.
The two combatants continued to exchange blows, both pushed to their absolute limits. The force behind their punches was a shadow of what it had been the previous day.
Now, agonizing pauses stretched between each strike, and getting back on their feet after collapsing took an excruciatingly long time.
But what was truly astonishing was that their clash continued unabated.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, night fell.
"How's that, Whitebeard? My fists must be giving you hell, huh?" Kojin grinned.
But as soon as he moved, he grimaced in pain. His entire body burned with searing agony, as if there wasn't a single unscarred spot left.
"What kind of joke is this, you brat?!" Whitebeard glared, his breath catching in his throat. "I'm Whitebeard, damn it!"
"Keep it coming! I won't lose to you!" Kojin retorted.
"Come at me! Do you think I'm afraid of you?!" Whitebeard roared.
After roughly four or five breaths, twin roars of laughter erupted simultaneously.
Marco, Crocodile, and the other onlookers wore peculiar expressions. As observers, they couldn't help but sense the mutual respect and admiration between the two combatants, forged in the crucible of their epic battle.
Such a complex emotion could only arise between peerless rivals, a mixture of mutual recognition, fierce rivalry, and an overwhelming desire to surpass the other.
"They're evenly matched."
Their spirits, willpower, and combat prowess have all reached the same level,' Marco sighed. The others nodded silently, agreeing that it would be difficult to determine a victor in this battle.
From the moment the battle began, the two combatants demonstrated equal strength. Even when they changed their strategy mid-fight and started to fight each other with their fists, it remained impossible to tell who was winning.
As the night swiftly passed and the first rays of dawn pierced the sky on the fourth day, the familiar earth-shattering roars failed to resound.
Everyone strained their eyes, their pupils widening in shock.
"It's over!"
"The battle has finally ended!"
"Wait, those two!"
But as the dust settled, a new wave of shock rippled through the onlookers. Two figures stood facing each other like towering mountains: unwavering and steadfast. Neither had fallen.
This awe-inspiring sight left everyone speechless.
After a long moment, Marco finally came to his senses and approached to investigate.
"They're both unconscious! Completely drained of stamina and energy!"
Even at their limits, with their consciousness fading, their bodies remained rooted to the ground as if by instinct, refusing to fall.
"What fierce competitiveness!"
"Or perhaps neither of them was willing to lose to the other."
The Whitebeard Pirates' officers silently surrounded the two figures, wearing expressions of awe and respect.
They carefully helped the old man to his feet and carried him back to the ship.
Crocodile supported Kojin, his gaze both solemn and wary as he surveyed the others.
"This battle for the title of World's Strongest has ended in a draw!"
"We Whitebeard Pirates aren't the kind to take advantage of a fallen opponent."
"Take him and leave!"
"But...!"
Marco's eyes turned cold.
"If we meet on the battlefield again... We won't show any mercy. That time... It will be a battle to the death!"
Crocodile paused, then chuckled. "I won't hold back against you either."
No sooner had the words left his lips than Crocodile scooped up Kojin and ran towards a ship that his subordinates had seized on the other side of the island.
The two factions swiftly separated, bringing the world-shaking battle to a stalemate.
"Hurry! Get us out of here now!" Crocodile barked as he boarded the ship. "Pirates are never ones to keep their word!"
His subordinates scrambled to start the engine at his command.
After sailing for about two hours and confirming that there were no other Whitebeard Pirates ships in sight, Crocodile finally exhaled in relief.
"Those bastards actually kept their word."
At that moment, Kojin, who had been lying unconscious on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Whitebeard isn't the kind of scum to break his word," Kojin growled, struggling to sit up. "Crocodile!"
Crocodile turned around, his face lighting up instantly with a grin. "Awake so soon!"
"I was just resting my eyes, you bastard!" Kojin retorted, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to sit up.
The next instant, his right hand shot out, drawing the blade at his waist and slashing it across his neck.
Crocodile froze, while his subordinates' eyes widened in shock.
'What is he doing?!'
(End Of This Chapter)
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