Among the three great powers of the New World, the strongest was undoubtedly Golden Lion Shiki and his Golden Lion Pirates. As the greatest Dual Sword Style swordsman of the era, his mastery of the blade bordered on divine. Coupled with the Float-Float Fruit, he stood in an almost innately undefeated position.
Next came the Whitebeard Pirates.
In truth, the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates were nearly equal in strength. Any so-called ranking merely reflected the degree of threat each posed to the World Government.
Whitebeard was the complete opposite of Roger in fighting style.
Roger excelled in swordsmanship and Haki, with top-tier physical prowess.
Whitebeard, however, was simpler—and more brutal.
His Haki was equally monstrous. In raw strength, he surpassed Roger. And more importantly—
He possessed the Gura Gura no Mi.
Looking at the cracks spreading across the sky, Roldy's expression grew solemn.
He knew exactly how powerful this monster—devoid of grand ambition—truly was. Former First Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates. The man was no fraud.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit truly held the power to destroy the world.
"Brat! You're a hundred years too early to beat me!"
A milky-white aura gathered around Whitebeard's fist.
With a roar, he punched toward Roldy.
The fist of destruction expanded in Roldy's vision.
He didn't dodge.
This was his first true clash with Whitebeard.
On such a monumental occasion—
Dodging would be boring.
"Is that so? Well, at least your trash talk's better than Roger's!"
Roldy bared his sharp teeth in a grin.
The blood of giants and Minks roared within him. His body expanded dramatically. Exceptionally dense Armament Haki coated his arm—far beyond what he had once displayed under Zephyr.
He threw his own punch.
The moment they collided—
The world went silent.
Even the sound of the ocean was suppressed.
Only the nauseating crack of fractures and thunderous reverberations remained.
The tremor power of destruction tore violently at Roldy's arm.
Yet Whitebeard's eyes widened.
His unstoppable tremor force left only faint marks on Roldy's Armament Haki.
Impossible.
When he had fought Kozuki Oden, a single punch like this had decided the outcome. He was certain this blow was no weaker than that one.
Oden had been sent flying.
Roldy, however—
Grinned at him.
This brat's Armament Haki was absurd.
"Now that's more like it! Newgate-san! Compared to you, Roger's strength is crap!"
As a pure physical fighter, Roldy reveled in brutal, head-on combat.
Excitement surged—
The Mo-Mo no Mi activated.
The power in his arm exploded—
Sixtyfold amplification.
The overwhelming spike in force sent Whitebeard flying instantly.
No one on the seas could casually endure such a sudden burst.
Whitebeard's body shot away like a cannonball, flying for nearly a kilometer before crashing near the shoreline. Only his precise control prevented him from plunging into the sea.
"…You're outrageous, brat."
Standing on the sand, Whitebeard looked slightly disheveled. His coat bearing the Whitebeard emblem was dirt-stained.
The last time he'd looked this messy…
Was when he fought Rocks.
"Damn it. The brat from the old crew's grown into someone who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the strongest on the seas…"
Whitebeard was shocked by Roldy's strength.
But surrender?
Ridiculous.
He was Whitebeard.
The man the world called—
The World's Strongest Man.
His bounty exceeded Roldy's by more than a billion.
"If I don't get serious now, I'll lose all face."
In that instant—
Roldy reappeared above him.
Fast as a ghost.
Excitement gleamed in his eyes.
He raised his right leg high and brought it down like a battle axe. With the Mo-Mo no Mi's sixty-sixfold speed amplification, the strike descended almost the moment it was lifted.
Whitebeard's eyes flashed red—Observation Haki.
Regrettably, he did not possess Future Sight. His Observation Haki was vast, but not precognitive.
He could only react in haste.
He raised Murakumogiri horizontally.
Roldy's leg slammed into the shaft of the naginata.
The force surpassed that of a fully grown giant.
Speed was power.
Descending from such height at such velocity—
Whitebeard felt as though struck by a divine warhammer.
His legs sank into the earth up to the thighs.
Roldy pressed the advantage.
He preferred fists over kicks.
And so—
A relentless barrage of punches rained down.
Against an opponent of this caliber, holding back would be disrespectful—to himself and to his enemy.
Whitebeard defended as best he could, Armament Haki coating his body—
But he soon realized something unsettling.
Roldy's punches hurt as if his Haki defense didn't exist.
They really hurt.
The more Roldy fought, the wilder he became.
And Whitebeard's temper ignited.
"Brat! That's enough!"
Whitebeard roared and punched to his side.
His Observation Haki far surpassed Roldy's—he aimed precisely where Roldy would be.
But Roldy was too fast.
The punch missed.
However—
Whitebeard had never intended to hit him.
Spiderweb-like cracks spread through the air.
Roldy immediately retreated, sensing danger.
Whitebeard seized the moment to free himself from the ground.
Dust clung to him. His expression darkened.
"Brat. Let me teach you a proper lesson."
He tossed Murakumogiri aside.
He tore off his coat.
Beneath the light green shirt was a body honed to its absolute peak.
Then—
Whitebeard grabbed the air itself with both hands.
Pale fracture lines spread outward.
The sea—
Began to churn.
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