"Holy crap!" Drake nearly jumped with excitement. The Blackbeard Pirates were done for, just like that?
Could this get any more intense? Teach was a man destined to become a Yonko; sure, he was an eyesore to look at, but the man had ambition and cunning in spades. To see a titan like that fall so abruptly... honestly, Drake found it hard to believe.
"This..." The Marines flanking Kizaru were pale with shock. The strike had been too swift.
They glanced at Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but seeing his calm, stoic expression, they felt their hearts steady. Of course! How could Fleet Admiral Sengoku ever actually team up with a vile pirate like Blackbeard? In the end, the Navy is the only one who wins! Even if Whitebeard is a monster, we still have the three Admirals!
At that moment, every Marine steeled their resolve, gripping their weapons tighter. This war was a must-win!
"Men, secure Blackbeard and his crew immediately!" Sengoku commanded with a sharp wave of his hand. He had never intended to cooperate with Teach; victory belonged solely to the Navy.
He then turned his sharp gaze back to the giant standing on the ice.
"Whitebeard..."
"Gurararara... Sons, stay back!" Whitebeard barked. He knew this final clash was unavoidable, and more importantly, he intended to settle the score with Teach himself once the path was clear.
HUMMM—!
Quake energy condensed onto the edge of his blade. Whitebeard's eyes flashed with a piercing light as he swung. He was making his move!
Drake, teleporting frantically to avoid Akainu, kept a close eye on Whitebeard. He was stunned by the Senzu Bean's efficacy; the results were nothing short of miraculous. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least the old man won't be dying here today.
What Drake didn't realize was that Whitebeard hadn't just "healed"—System-issued items always carried an extra touch of surprise.
BOOM! A gargantuan shockwave slash tore toward Sengoku, carving a deep trench into the plaza floor.
VROOM! Sengoku entered his Daibutsu form. Energy surged in his right palm as he thrust it forward.
KABOOM!! The tremor energy and the golden shockwave collided with a deafening roar, the sheer force of the impact launching every nearby object into the air.
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes. A sphere of vibration gathered in his left fist.
BOOM! He punched the air!
CRACK!!
"What?" Sengoku gasped. His own shockwave was physically being repelled and shoved back toward him. Not good!
"He's pushing the Fleet Admiral's shockwave back!" the Marines cried in disbelief. Aside from the veteran soldiers, few had ever truly seen Sengoku's power in full display. Until now, he had mostly used it to clear the sky of magma and falling fire.
They had placed all their hopes on their leader defeating the Yonko, yet the legendary "Buddha's Palm" was being countered. The realization hit them like a physical blow. The pirates of this era were terrifying; as Marines, they found themselves staring up at a peak they couldn't hope to scale.
The Great Pirate Era was no mere slogan—it was a nightmare.
"How terrifying... Whitebeard..." Kizaru muttered. Seeing Sengoku beginning to buckle, he realized he couldn't slack off anymore. If things went south, he might actually lose his job.
Kizaru dissolved into a streak of golden light, streaking toward Whitebeard.
WHOOSH! Marco took to the sky, intercepting the Admiral mid-flight.
BANG! The two collided in the air. Marco manifested his Phoenix form, the blue and gold flames burning with breathtaking brilliance.
"Marco..." Kizaru's brow furrowed. Suddenly, a wave of searing heat lunged at him.
"Fire Fist!!" Ace unleashed a torrent of flame from his palms, aimed directly at Kizaru. Forced to defend, the Admiral had no choice but to retreat.
Just as Sengoku was about to be overwhelmed by the pressure, a massive, muscular silhouette leaped into the air. He delivered a thunderous punch toward Whitebeard.
The figure was impossibly fast. It happened in the blink of an eye; by the time the Division Commanders noticed, the man was already upon their Father.
Whitebeard's pupils shrank. He swung Murakumogiri with his right hand to meet the blow.
KABOOM!! Fist met blade. The resulting shockwave rippled across the entire harbor.
"It's Vice Admiral Garp!" the Marines cheered.
Having been spared the brunt of the impact, Sengoku exhaled a ragged breath, his body slowly reverting to its human form. He looked at Garp, who was now locked in a stalemate with Whitebeard.
"Garp..."
"Garp..." Whitebeard's eyes narrowed. He exerted more force through his arms. Opposite him, Garp's expression was deadly serious.
"HRAAAH!" "HRAAAH!"
The two veterans roared simultaneously, channeling their power to the absolute limit. The mere aftershocks of their clash caused the entire island of Marineford to tremble as if in the grip of a seizure.
Sizzle...CRACK!
The two pushed off each other, coming to a rest several meters apart, their eyes locked in a fierce glare.
"Still as fierce as ever... Garp!" Whitebeard settled into a combat stance. Garp's strength had been legendary for decades. With the title of "Marine Hero" and power that once rivaled the Pirate King himself, he was a titan. They had clashed many times in the past, but in recent years, Whitebeard's failing health had sapped his strength. Garp, however, didn't seem to have weakened at all.
The greatest uncertainty in this war was Garp. Since Roger's execution, the Hero had never shown the world his true strength. As the saying goes, "the older the ginger, the spicier it gets." Garp wasn't "spicy" because of his cunning, but because of the sheer depth of his power.
Despite the passing years, Whitebeard never once believed Garp would have significantly declined. And after that exchange, he was shocked: Garp hadn't just maintained his strength—he felt even more potent than before!
If it weren't for Drake's divine medicine repairing the decades of internal damage and old scars, Whitebeard knew he would have lost this duel. Even with the Gura Gura no Mi, defeating the "Old Man" Garp was a monumental task.
But now...
SHING! Whitebeard lunged forward. Murakumogiri became a blur of steel, unleashing strike after relentless strike.
CLANG! Garp's fists met the blade, the sound of flesh against steel ringing out like the clashing of legendary swords.
Whitebeard's movements were fluid and powerful—he fought like a man half his age. The Division Commanders were mesmerized. Is that really Pops? Since when was he this fierce?
He moved with the grace and lethality of his prime. If he had possessed this level of power earlier, there was no way Squard's blade would have ever touched him!
BANG! The two collided again. The shockwaves from their battle were so intense that they physically forced everyone else to retreat. Only a handful of people on the field could even stand within the radius of their struggle.
"How scary... Garp-san..." Kizaru muttered, genuinely surprised. He was beginning to realize the true gulf between himself and the pinnacle of the previous generation. He knew that if those strikes were directed at him, even he would be struggling just to survive the onslaught.
Of course, Kizaru didn't let it bother him too much. His Devil Fruit gave him a speed no one could match. He could rain down destruction from afar, and if he couldn't win... well, there was always the option to run.