This time, Edward Newgate used even greater force than before. Veins bulged across his body as his strength surged.
In a contest of pure physical combat, Madara Uchiha had no intention of backing down. He swung his scythe upward from below.
"BANG!"
The scythe and naginata clashed once more. First came a sharp metallic ring—then a world-shaking shockwave followed.
The clouds that had just begun to gather in the sky were instantly blown apart. Beneath Madara's feet, the ground split into dozens of cracks before collapsing entirely.
After a stalemate lasting several seconds—
Both were blasted apart by the impact.
Whitebeard and Madara each used their weapons to brace against the ground, stabilizing themselves as quickly as possible.
Madara recovered first.
A grin spread across his face as he gripped his scythe and charged forward again.
Whitebeard regained his balance a moment later. His brows furrowed as he released his grip on his weapon—
And swung both fists forward.
"Crack…"
The air itself fractured.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit erupted, sending a devastating shockwave crashing toward Madara.
Everything in its path—
Collapsed.
Madara's eyes narrowed slightly as he abruptly halted.
"BOOM!"
A massive cloud of dust exploded outward.
In the next instant, without hesitation, Whitebeard yanked his naginata from the ground and sprinted straight into the smoke.
Breaking through the dense haze—
He reached the center—
"CLANG!"
A sharp impact rang out.
The next moment—
Whitebeard was sent flying backward.
He tumbled across the ground before finally regaining control.
Dropping to one knee, he planted his naginata into the ground, his gaze locked forward.
Within the dust—
A faint blue glow flickered.
There was no need to guess.
It was the Uchiha clan's power—
Susanoo.
"What… what is this thing?"
Whitebeard's face showed clear astonishment.
He turned his head slightly, glancing at another Susanoo in the distance, his brow lifting.
"Two identical giants…"
"Edward Newgate—take this! Hahahaha!"
Madara stood atop the Susanoo, arms crossed over his chest, looking down at Whitebeard as he shouted.
As his voice fell—
A massive blue blade formed in the Susanoo's hand.
Then, to Whitebeard's surprise—
Madara coated it with Armament Haki.
The glowing blade darkened, radiating a terrifying black sheen.
Without delay—
The Susanoo swung down.
Seeing this, Whitebeard chose not to block head-on without understanding its power.
He moved instantly, dodging to the side.
"SHING—!"
The colossal blade cut down.
A massive wave of blue sword energy erupted, slicing through the earth as if it were tofu—spreading outward at a visible speed.
Moments later—
When the chaos settled—
That single strike had carved off a section of the island entirely.
Even Whitebeard was shaken.
"To think a single attack could have this kind of power… Is this a Devil Fruit ability? But if it is, why is there another one over there?"
"Or… is this some kind of physical technique?"
One thought after another flashed through his mind—
But he couldn't figure out the answer.
At the same time—
On the vast, endless sea—
Dozens of warships sped forward at full speed.
At the center, on the fastest ship—
Stood the current Fleet Admiral, alongside Kong, two Admirals, and Sengoku.
From this lineup alone, it was clear just how seriously the Marines were taking the Rocks Pirates and the Roger Pirates.
"Kong… do you think Garp and the others have already reached the battlefield?" the Fleet Admiral asked, gazing out over the calm sea.
Kong's serious expression softened slightly as he replied,
"You're asking me? I've never ridden a flying ship before either. But from what we saw earlier, its speed was incredible—definitely faster than any ship sailing at sea."
"Hahahaha—!"
The Fleet Admiral burst into laughter.
"Now that you mention it, after all my years in the Marines, I've never been on a flying ship either."
"Well, this time Garp got lucky," Kong said calmly.
"The appearance of that Celestial Dragon probably fulfilled his wish. I saw him earlier—he could barely contain himself. If whoever was ready first got to leave first, we probably wouldn't even see the back of his ship," Sengoku added from the side.
"Yeah… when he heard he could depart first, he was practically gloating," Kong said, recalling the scene with a chuckle.
The atmosphere had just begun to lighten—
When the Fleet Admiral suddenly spoke again, freezing the mood.
"Do you think… there's some ulterior motive behind a Celestial Dragon joining this battle?"
Silence fell.
They exchanged glances.
"A Celestial Dragon fighting alongside the Marines… that's unprecedented. But I suppose it should be a good thing," one of the Admirals said.
"I can't figure it out… I really can't see through what that Aurelius D. Virel ·Is is planning," Kong sighed deeply.
"It'd be one thing if he were just acting on impulse—but the Five Elders approved it. That's what makes it so strange. You can say a young man is reckless—but the Five Elders shouldn't be," the Fleet Admiral said.
Kong nodded.
"You're right. The Five Elders treat Aurelius D. Virel ·Is as someone important. And this battle is extremely dangerous. Letting him come… it's hard to understand."
Just then—
A Marine soldier hurried over, holding a Den Den Mushi.
"Fleet Admiral! The call is connected!"
"Give it here!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Fleet Admiral took the Den Den Mushi.
"Get Garp on the line," he ordered.
"Apologies, Fleet Admiral… Vice Admiral Garp and Saint Aurelius D. Virel ·Is have already entered the battle. They can't take the call right now. But… it looks like it won't be long before it's over," the Marine on the other end reported.
"Won't be long before it's over?! Are you joking?! The enemy is the Rocks Pirates!!!"
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