Chapter 26: The Strongest
Ding!
Whitebeard thrust his naginata into the ground beside his foot. Draped in a white coat, he slightly lowered his body, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and clenched his fists. Those familiar with Whitebeard knew this was his stance for using the Gura Gura no Mi.
Whitebeard grinned, the muscles in his chest tensing, veins bulging from his neck. An extremely terrifying pressure emanated from him.
"Stop him!"
Sengoku roared from the execution platform. The war had begun more abruptly than anticipated, erupting directly into its climax.
From the high observation deck, Aokiji suddenly vanished, leaving behind a wisp of cold air.
Not far from the three Admirals, a fair-skinned boy around ten years old stood with his arms crossed.
"Hey hey, what's going on here? In the original story, Whitebeard was trying to cause a seaquake, triggering a tsunami to crash into Marineford. But now it feels... not like he's just causing a tsunami."
The boy seemed terrified. Most perception-type individuals shared the weakness of being timid, especially the stronger ones, because they could perceive terrifying things that others couldn't see, hear, or ever touch.
"Not a seaquake? Are you sure?"
A burly man behind the boy, about three meters tall and so muscular it was intimidating, spoke up.
"Definitely not..."
Before the boy could finish, Whitebeard, standing on the bow of the Moby Dick, had already swung his fists back to both sides.
Boom!
Whitebeard's fists struck the air as if hammering it. Cracks appeared in the atmosphere on both sides, and the hem of his white coat fluttered violently.
Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack...
The air on either side of Whitebeard split open. A tremor radiated from him as the epicenter, spreading outward toward the two outer harbors.
The Marines stationed on the outer harbors felt a buzzing in their heads, as if struck by a hammer. Their legs gave way, and they collapsed to the ground. Some vomited blood with a loud "wow." With two punches, large swaths of Marines fell.
Crash! Crash!
The fronts of the outer harbors cracked. The stone slabs on the ground shattered like broken glass, cracks rapidly spreading under the feet of the Marines. The edges of the U-shaped outer harbor were about to collapse.
Boom!
Seawater outside the harbor splashed up, surging wildly back into the ocean. The water temperature visibly dropped, exposing the moss-covered outer walls beneath the harbor.
Whitebeard took a deep breath. His lung capacity was so immense it seemed he could inhale all the surrounding air into his chest.
A stinging sensation came from within Whitebeard's chest. It wasn't strong, like being pricked by a needle.
*'Your lungs are failing. I can only 'reactivate' them to keep them working for you. But remember, this is like a heartless boss exploiting an employee. Overuse them, and they'll eventually go on strike.'*
Whitebeard recalled what Su Xiao had said to him after the successful surgery. However, Whitebeard couldn't afford to worry about that now. He had to single-handedly close the gap between his forces and the Marines.
Sengoku could command the entire battlefield from the execution platform, protecting Marine Headquarters. Whitebeard couldn't do that. He had to create an advantage for his side as soon as the battle began.
Just as Whitebeard's fists came down, a figure radiating cold air appeared not far in front of him—it was Aokiji.
"Two-Pronged Spear."
Three ice spears formed above Aokiji. These spears, emitting white vapor and at ultra-low temperatures, shot toward Whitebeard. Their speed was so fast that they reached Whitebeard's side in an instant.
Boom!
Whitebeard swung his fist sideways. Cracks appeared in the air, and the three ice spears shattered. Although the Admirals' strength was undeniable, Aokiji had made a mistake by facing Whitebeard alone.
Shattered ice crystals scattered everywhere. Aokiji crouched, preparing to freeze the Moby Dick.
Just as Aokiji's hand touched the bow's deck, Whitebeard had already grabbed his naginata and charged toward him with a stride.
Aokiji's situation was dire. The overwhelming pressure bearing down on him forced him to stand up immediately, enter his elemental form, and leap sideways.
Aokiji was three meters tall, but compared to Whitebeard, he was a dwarf.
Whitebeard's forward charge looked clumsy, but he wasn't slow, and each step was steady, giving an impression of being impossible to repel.
Bang!
The naginata slashed down beside Aokiji's foot. Mid-leap, an ice thread extended from Aokiji's hand, curving until it touched Whitebeard's abdomen.
The next moment, Aokiji felt a blunt impact on his side. Although he had elementalized, the naginata's handle was coated in Haki, shaking his internal organs painfully.
With a whoosh, Aokiji was sent flying by Whitebeard's naginata handle. Ice began spreading from Whitebeard's abdomen. Whitebeard tensed his body, shattering the ice layer on his surface, the fragments falling at his feet.
Aokiji fell into the sea. Seeing this, the pirates of the Whitebeard Pirates roared, their morale soaring.
On the execution platform, Ace, still kneeling, opened his mouth slightly, staring in disbelief at his father, Whitebeard. The sight of his father sweeping Aokiji away in a few moves was beyond his comprehension.
Ace knew Whitebeard's physical condition well. His father was gravely ill. The guilt of seeing his father come to rescue him was like a knife twisting in his heart.
But now, Ace was stunned. His father didn't look sick at all, especially the deep breath earlier. According to Ace's memory, his father's lung function was terrible; sometimes he would wake up at night gasping for air and couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.
Aokiji falling into the sea dealt a critical blow to Marine morale. But as a Marine Admiral, Aokiji wouldn't be taken down by Whitebeard so easily.
Crack, crack, crack...
Cold air froze the sea surface, forming a chunk of ice. Aokiji was crouching on it, his eyes seemingly contemplating something. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Whitebeard's strength was beyond his belief. After only a moment's hesitation, he began freezing the sea surface in the harbor area, which practically helped the Whitebeard Pirates create a foothold.
In an instant, the sea inside the U-shaped harbor was frozen. Aokiji dispelled his elemental form, standing on the ice. He had gained crucial intelligence: no single Admiral should face Whitebeard alone—it would mean death.
Standing at the bow, Whitebeard didn't pursue. He looked at the ice beneath the ship. Now he was certain Sengoku had set something up in the harbor; otherwise, Aokiji wouldn't have helped them create a foothold.
"My sons, show the Marines what we're made of!"
"Roar!"
Pirates leaped from the ship onto the ice. This was the pirates' greatest weakness: command relied entirely on shouting. Before Whitebeard even gave the order, they had already disembarked and charged toward the harbor.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three cannonballs exploded on the ice. The inner harbor's cannons had fired.
"Counterattack!"
"Hold the flank line!"
"Hurry! Seal off the inner harbor!"
Marines jumped from the harbor onto the ice. Among them were many lieutenants and captains. On the battlefield of Marineford, they were merely minor characters with some strength. Smoker and Tashigi were typical examples—elites among the small fry. Even though Smoker was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, there were too many on the battlefield who could kill him.