"Vice Admiral Garp…"
Saint Roselith Seraphina remained conscious, but only barely.
The battle had pushed her body far beyond its limits.
Her stamina had been completely drained.
Although the ancient black armor had granted her tremendous power, it had also exacted an enormous toll on her body.
In addition, Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi) had inflicted countless internal and external injuries.
None of them were fatal.
Yet together…
They left her barely able to remain standing.
"Don't speak."
Garp immediately stepped forward and supported her before she collapsed.
"You've done enough."
Seraphina glanced toward the retreating Whitebeard Pirates.
Watching the massive fleet gradually disappear into the distance…
She suddenly smiled faintly.
"So…"
"Whitebeard wasn't invincible after all."
Perhaps…
It was simply her competitive nature refusing to admit defeat.
Or perhaps it was the satisfaction of proving that even the World's Strongest Man could be challenged.
Garp laughed.
"You little troublemaker."
"Forget Whitebeard for now."
"Let's get you back to Marine Headquarters."
"You'll need plenty of rest."
He scratched the back of his head.
"And…"
"Sengoku looks absolutely furious."
Hearing that…
The tension in Seraphina's body finally disappeared.
A vivid image appeared in her mind.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku standing in his office…
His forehead covered with veins…
His afro threatening to burst free from beneath his cap.
She almost laughed.
"Is… that so…"
The words had barely left her lips…
When her fingers finally loosened around her sword.
Her exhausted body could no longer endure.
The moment her mind relaxed…
Darkness overtook her.
She collapsed forward.
"Seraphina!"
Garp quickly caught her before she struck the ground.
He immediately checked her breathing.
Steady.
Slow.
Normal.
Only then did he release a long breath.
"She simply fell asleep…"
Even Garp couldn't help shaking his head with a helpless smile.
"She really pushed herself too far."
…
Aboard the Moby Dick…
Atmos, Commander of the 13th Division, looked completely bewildered.
"Pops!"
"Are we really letting them leave like that?"
"We still had the advantage in numbers!"
"That Marine girl could barely stand!"
"Why didn't we finish it?"
Whitebeard quietly drank a mouthful of sake before answering.
"Gurarararara!"
"Because Garp isn't someone you defeat so easily."
"If we continued fighting…"
"We would win."
"But…"
"My sons would pay the price."
Whitebeard had no intention of gambling with his family.
Even if he ultimately defeated Garp…
The Whitebeard Pirates would undoubtedly suffer devastating casualties.
That wasn't a victory worth claiming.
At that moment…
Voices came from the medical room.
"Commander Marco!"
"Please don't blame yourself."
"Victory and defeat are common on the battlefield."
The doctors had expected Marco to remain unconscious.
Instead…
He was already sitting upright beside the bed.
His wounds were still severe.
Yet his expression remained calm.
Only…
His eyes carried deep concern.
"I wasn't defeated because I was weaker."
"I was careless."
He lowered his head.
"But…"
"That's not what worries me."
The surrounding doctors looked at one another.
Marco slowly continued.
"This battle…"
"Will shake the balance of the New World."
He clenched his fist.
"People only feared Whitebeard because they believed no one could challenge us."
"Now…"
"They've witnessed a Marine Rear Admiral fighting Pops to a standstill."
"Those ambitious pirates hiding throughout the New World…"
"They'll start believing Whitebeard can be defeated."
"They'll begin moving."
"The peaceful days we've enjoyed…"
"May soon come to an end."
The room fell silent.
No one could refute Marco's words.
The psychological impact of this battle would spread much faster than the battle itself.
Whitebeard slowly entered the room.
He raised his sake jug.
"Gurarararara!"
"If anyone wants our territory…"
"Then let them come."
"We'll simply beat them back."
His voice remained as confident as ever.
However…
Only Whitebeard himself knew the truth.
A dull pain continued spreading through his chest.
The final exchange with Seraphina had left injuries even he could not immediately ignore.
Still…
He smiled confidently before his sons.
A father never revealed weakness before his family.
Besides…
His greatest concern wasn't Big Mom.
Nor Kaido.
Charlotte Linlin remained occupied governing Whole Cake Island.
Kaido was stationed far away in Wano Country.
Launching a full invasion across such a distance would be costly even for him.
Neither Emperor concerned Whitebeard greatly.
Instead…
His thoughts remained fixed upon a single person.
Saint Roselith Seraphina.
That young Marine…
Had genuinely shocked him.
Not merely because of her strength.
Nor because of that mysterious black armor.
But because of her overwhelming potential.
Her Conqueror's Haki (Haoshoku Haki).
Her swordsmanship.
Her determination.
Her talent.
For one brief moment…
Whitebeard had seen the shadow of another legendary figure.
Gol D. Roger.
No…
Perhaps…
Her future potential surpassed even Roger's at the same age.
Originally…
Whitebeard had intended to capture her.
Such a terrifying Marine could never be allowed to continue growing.
Unfortunately…
Garp arrived.
With Garp protecting her…
Continuing the battle would have been meaningless.
Whitebeard might still have won.
But victory would have cost the lives of many of his sons.
That…
Was a price he would never accept.
Family always came first.
…
Several days later
The entire world exploded with shock.
Newspapers spread across every sea.
Editors stared at the reports in disbelief before rushing them to print.
One headline after another appeared.
The battle could no longer be hidden.
One of the Four Emperors…
Edward Newgate.
Whitebeard.
Had fought a fierce battle upon a frozen sea against the Marines.
More astonishing still…
According to eyewitness reports…
The Whitebeard Pirates had faced only a single primary Marine combatant.
The headlines became increasingly sensational.
"A Mysterious Marine Warrior Battles the Whitebeard Pirates Alone!"
"The Black Knight Challenges Whitebeard!"
"The World's Strongest Man Meets an Unprecedented Opponent!"
"Who Is the Silver-Haired Marine Swordswoman?"
"The Identity of the Black-Armored Marine Remains Unknown!"
Across the New World…
Every major newspaper devoted its front page to the battle.
No one ignored the news.
No one could.
The clash had shaken the seas.
One combatant had been Whitebeard himself.
The other…
A mysterious silver-haired Marine.
Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office.
Vice Admiral Tsuru slowly placed several newspapers onto Sengoku's desk.
Each carried a different headline.
Yet all described the same battle.
Tsuru sighed.
"We can't suppress public opinion anymore."
"This has spread far beyond Marine control."
She looked toward Sengoku.
"Even I didn't expect Seraphina to accomplish something like this."
"She has grown far faster than we anticipated."
Sengoku rubbed his forehead.
His expression showed complete exhaustion.
"This situation is completely beyond my expectations."
"We can no longer conceal her existence."
He sighed deeply.
"The entire world now knows that someone within the Marines challenged Whitebeard."
"Keeping her identity secret from the major powers will become increasingly difficult."
After a brief pause…
He continued.
"According to every report…"
"Her normal combat ability hasn't quite reached Whitebeard's level."
"What truly changed everything…"
"Was that mysterious black armor."
"It amplified her strength tremendously."
"Without it…"
"She wouldn't have been able to contend with Whitebeard for so long."
Tsuru nodded thoughtfully.
"That armor…"
"Is also part of her strength."
She picked up another report.
"This is Admiral Kizaru's previous assessment."
"He already warned us."
"He believed Seraphina possessed an extraordinary power she couldn't fully control."
"At the time…"
"She could only draw upon a fraction of it."
Tsuru slowly lowered the document.
"But during her battle against Whitebeard…"
"She demonstrated remarkable control over that power."
"It no longer appeared unstable."
"If that's truly the case…"
"Then we must officially recognize the armor as part of her combat capability."
Sengoku remained silent for a long time.
Finally…
He leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"A twenty-year-old Rear Admiral…"
"With the ability to stand against Whitebeard…"
"The future of the Marines…"
"May truly belong to Saint Roselith Seraphina."