Clang!!
The clash of Supreme Grade Blades echoed across the frozen sea.
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed.
A fierce smile spread across his weathered face.
"Marine!"
"You're strong!"
"But…"
"I'm stronger!"
The next instant
His grip on Murakumogiri tightened.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi) surged through the massive bisento.
Invisible fractures spread through the air itself.
Crack!
The surrounding atmosphere distorted violently.
An overwhelming force exploded outward.
Winter Solstice trembled violently in Saint Roselith Seraphina's hands.
"What?!"
Her pupils contracted.
Before she could react
Boom!!
An irresistible vibration burst through her sword.
The terrifying force shattered the flow of power in her arms.
Winter Solstice was thrown from her grasp.
It spun through the sky before embedding itself deep within the frozen battlefield.
Seraphina immediately retreated several steps.
Shock filled her expression.
"What…"
"What was that power…?"
Everything had happened too quickly.
She had sensed the danger only an instant before losing her weapon.
Had she stubbornly maintained her grip…
She was certain both of her hands would have been crushed by that terrifying vibration.
That power…
Was no longer simply the destructive force of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
It felt as though Whitebeard had shattered the very space surrounding his weapon.
The vibration had not merely struck her blade.
It had propagated through the air itself.
The sensation was unlike anything she had ever experienced.
Even the mysterious black armor had failed to completely neutralize it.
"So this…"
"Is the World's Strongest Man…"
The surrounding Division Commanders stared in silence.
"She lost her sword…"
"Is it over?"
Some quietly sighed.
No matter the outcome…
The Marine Rear Admiral had already earned their respect.
She had fought Whitebeard head-on.
Very few people in the world could make such a claim.
"No."
Vista immediately shook his head.
"Not yet."
"She carries two swords."
"She can still fight."
Sure enough
Seraphina slowly reached toward her waist.
Her second blade left its sheath.
The azure sword shone brilliantly beneath the pale sky.
Unlike Winter Solstice…
The ancient black armor did not spread across its surface.
Instead…
An endless oceanic aura gathered around the blue blade.
The pressure continued rising.
Even Whitebeard's expression became solemn.
"Whitebeard!"
"This isn't over yet!"
The sea itself seemed to answer her call.
The atmosphere grew unimaginably heavy.
An endless weight descended upon the battlefield.
Seraphina clearly understood one thing.
She could not continue exchanging close-range blows with Whitebeard.
His overwhelming physical strength…
Combined with the destructive force of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit…
Would eventually break through even the black armor.
Her stamina was also rapidly approaching its limit.
Dragging the battle out any longer would guarantee defeat.
Therefore
She decided to unleash everything in a single strike.
Whitebeard instantly sensed the danger.
His voice thundered across the battlefield.
"Everyone!"
"Fall back!"
"Immediately!"
Without hesitation, the Whitebeard Pirates obeyed.
Even Marco and Vista withdrew.
No one questioned Whitebeard's judgment.
If Pops told them to retreat…
Then they retreated.
Whitebeard stepped forward.
He planted one foot firmly into the frozen ground.
Both hands gripped Murakumogiri.
The muscles throughout his massive body tensed.
The surrounding air cracked once more.
He prepared to meet her strongest attack head-on.
Seraphina slowly raised the azure blade.
Its power no longer resembled ice.
Instead…
It resembled the boundless sea itself.
An endless pressure descended like an entire ocean falling from the heavens.
"One Sword Style…"
"Across Fourteen Seas!!"
The blue blade completed its charge almost instantly.
Whitebeard would never allow her additional time.
But…
That brief moment…
Was enough.
Boom!!!
The overwhelming slash surged toward Whitebeard.
The sea itself appeared to split apart.
…
Meanwhile
Aboard the returning Marine warship
Bruce had just stepped onto the deck.
His expression immediately darkened.
"What were all of you thinking?!"
"Didn't I order you to retreat?!"
"Do you understand what disobeying orders means?!"
"Do you value your lives so little?!"
His furious voice echoed throughout the ship.
Lieutenant Commander Levi stepped forward without hesitation.
"Colonel Bruce!"
"I don't believe abandoning Rear Admiral Seraphina was the right decision!"
Bruce glared at him.
"You deliberately violated military orders!"
Levi refused to lower his head.
"So what if we did?!"
"We're Marines!"
"We aren't afraid to die!"
Immediately…
The surrounding Marines echoed his words.
"That's right!"
"We'll fight beside the Rear Admiral!"
"We won't leave her behind!"
"No matter what!"
Bruce looked silently at the young Marines surrounding him.
Every one of them burned with determination.
None feared death.
Instead…
His heart grew heavy.
He regretted bringing them into the New World.
They simply did not understand.
They had never witnessed monsters like Whitebeard.
Courage alone…
Changed nothing.
"Colonel Bruce."
Levi took another step forward.
"Please."
"Let us fight."
"I don't want to run away anymore."
His voice gradually steadied.
"I joined Rear Admiral Seraphina because I believe in justice."
"I wanted to inherit Colonel Corvis' will."
"I also wanted to erase my own regrets."
"I never want to watch another superior sacrifice themselves while I survive."
"If justice requires someone to stand at the front…"
"Then I will stand there."
Bruce quietly listened.
He understood.
He truly did.
But reality…
Was cruel.
"In the New World…"
"Passion means nothing."
"Only strength decides everything."
"You still don't understand."
"You don't know what monsters truly exist on these seas."
"You have no idea how insignificant our strength becomes before them."
"The answer…"
"Is nothing."
Bruce slowly shook his head.
"There is no need."
He was about to refuse completely.
Then
Boom!!!!
An earth-shaking explosion erupted across the sea.
A gigantic shockwave spread toward them.
Layer after layer of compressed air tore across the ocean.
Towering waves rose into the sky.
The Marine warship shook violently.
Everyone stared in horror.
The battlefield in the distance resembled the end of the world.
The sea churned endlessly.
The wind screamed.
Even from this distance…
Their warship was pushed backward by the expanding shockwave.
"What…"
"What kind of battle is that…?"
Many Marines stood frozen.
They had never imagined such overwhelming power could exist.
Bruce quietly answered.
"Because you returned…"
"The Rear Admiral has already begun fighting Whitebeard."
Levi immediately gripped his sword.
"Then we have to help her!"
"We can't stay here!"
Boom!!
Another tremendous shockwave swept across the sea.
Sword energy cleaved the ocean.
Gigantic waves rose hundreds of meters high.
Mountain-sized icebergs shattered into countless fragments.
Columns of seawater erupted everywhere.
Bruce slowly lowered his head.
"No."
"We can't."
Levi stared blankly at him.
"What do you mean?"
Bruce sighed.
"That's not a battlefield we can enter."
"Even watching from nearby…"
"Could cost us our lives."
"As a CP0 operative…"
"I've read classified intelligence on Whitebeard."
"The reports all describe him the same way."
"A true monster."
"If people like us stepped onto that battlefield…"
"We'd probably die from the aftershocks before even reaching them."
Levi stood speechless.
"So…"
"Even you can't participate…"
Bruce smiled bitterly.
"No."
"I can't."
"In a battle of that level…"
"I'd probably die instantly as well."
At that very moment
Boom!!
An invisible pressure erupted from the distant battlefield.
Then another answered it.
Two overwhelming wills collided.
The entire ocean trembled.
The Marines aboard the warship instantly collapsed one after another.
Many lost consciousness immediately.
Others could not even remain standing.
Only Bruce remained upright.
Levi struggled desperately against the crushing pressure.
His entire body trembled violently.
His knees slowly bent.
No matter how hard he resisted…
He could no longer stand.
Thud.
Both knees struck the deck.
Sweat poured from his forehead.
His breathing became ragged.
Bruce looked toward the distant battlefield.
His expression was solemn.
"That…"
"Is the clash of two supreme kings."
"Conqueror's Haki (Haoshoku Haki)."
"And we're only feeling the aftermath."
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