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"Pop!"
A spherical halo appeared on the blade of Whitebeard's naginata, a shockwave rippling outward and rapidly expanding to about a meter wide.
Immediately after, a surge of vibration burst from under his feet.
"Whoosh!"
With the recoil of the shockwave, Whitebeard's massive form vanished almost instantly.
When he reappeared, he was right in front of Kaido, gripping the naginata tightly and swinging it down with tremendous force.
"So fast!" Kaido's eyes widened in shock. Whitebeard's size was enormous, towering at six meters and sixty-six centimetres.
What made him even more fearsome was the blood of the Giant race running through his veins.
His natural strength and stamina were astounding, and his overwhelming physique had built his legend across the seas.
Yet, despite his massive frame, his incredible speed was utterly astonishing.
"Kaido!!" Whitebeard roared, bringing down his naginata in a simple, direct, mountain-splitting strike. Kaido raised his kanabo, blocking above his head.
"Boom!"
The very air exploded, and under the terrifying force, Kaido instantly coughed up blood, his body plummeting downward.
"This old man's explosive power is insane! And that Tremor-Tremor Fruit... It's shock even bypassed my tough skin, damaging my internal organs!"
Wind howled past Kaido's ears as his expression shifted. If it weren't for his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit awakening—giving him superhuman stamina and recovery—anyone else would have been crushed by such devastating power.
"But as long as the fight continues, the final victor will be me! Because time is already on my side!"
A cold gleam flashed through Kaido's eyes as he plunged toward the sea below. "Old Man Whitebeard has completely crushed Kaido!"
"That's amazing! As expected of the Old Man! Kaido's lost! He's falling straight down into the sea!"
"That strike shattered the entire sky. Even Kaido couldn't endure it!"
On the decks of Whitebeard's fleet, countless pirates looked up with excitement and awe.
Since the start of the battle, Whitebeard hadn't taken a single hit, while Kaido had suffered repeated injuries.
To everyone watching, the gap between them was unmistakably clear.
Aboard the Red Force, Shanks looked up at Whitebeard in the sky, then at Kaido falling downward, a glint flashing through his eyes.
"This battle should end now," Shanks said. "We don't have time to waste here," Benn Beckman added, withdrawing his gaze from Whitebeard and nodding.
If they kept fighting, it would be pointless. Besides, they noticed that Whitebeard's aura had become slightly disordered.
At that moment, just ten meters from the ocean, Kaido's body suddenly stretched and expanded, transforming into a massive dragon.
His whiskers floated majestically, and his vast, lantern-sized pupils swept across the pirates below, making countless hearts tremble.
Then, his colossal dragon body rose into the sky. "The real fight is just beginning, Whitebeard!" Kaido's mighty voice roared through the heavens and earth.
His dragon mouth opened wide, releasing a crimson energy beam into the sky. "Blast Breath!"
Whitebeard took a deep breath, his gaze sharp. He gripped his naginata tightly, ready to dive down and continue the battle.
But just then, a figure shot up at incredible speed, instantly appearing between him and Kaido.
A rapier was drawn from the figure's waist—
"Slash!"
The blade tore through the sky, creating a blinding arc of light. The crimson energy beam split in two, slipping past both sides of Whitebeard and Kaido before vanishing into nothingness.
"That's enough, Kaido!!!" Shanks stared down coldly, pointing the tip of his rapier at the dragon halted in midair.
"If you insist on fighting further," he warned, "Then from this moment on, I will be your opponent!"
Kaido froze, anger igniting in his eyes.
"Red-Haired!!" He had been confident of taking Whitebeard's head today and stepping into a new era of glory. But now, this meddlesome man had intervened.
"The great battle against the Marines is just ahead. We don't have time to waste on you!"
"Next, you'll face the full might of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red-Haired Pirates!" Shanks said coldly.
His Conqueror's Haki erupted violently, crashing down upon the massive dragon.
"What?!" Kaido's pupils shrank sharply. Looking down, he saw the crew aboard the Red Force, including Benn Beckman, drawing their weapons with icy gazes fixed on him.
On the Moby Dick, Marco's phoenix flames spread into wings behind him.
Diamond Jozu, Flower Sword Vista, and others all glared with fierce intent.
Clearly, under Shanks's command, they were ready to act.
Kaido's heart sank. He had the confidence to defeat the ageing Whitebeard one-on-one.
But facing an army of over a hundred thousand elite pirates alone?
Even he would have no choice but to flee.
No matter how strong a Yonko was, facing another Yonko crew required extreme caution.
One-on-one, perhaps none of Whitebeard's commanders could beat him. But if they attacked together, even Kaido would struggle to withstand it.
Not to mention the Red-Haired Pirates, famed for their unbreakable defence.
For a moment, Kaido's eyes flickered with hesitation. After a long silence, he suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"A great war with the Marines, huh? What a ridiculous scene. Risking the entire Whitebeard Pirates for a foolish little Ace."
"And a so-called legendary pirate of the previous era! How laughable!!"
Marco shouted angrily, "Ace is not foolish!!" Kaido sneered, turning his massive dragon head away.
"I don't have time to play with you all here! Hopefully, when news comes in a few days," he said with a smirk, "it won't be the total annihilation of Whitebeard's forces."
With that, his enormous dragon body slithered through the sky, disappearing into the clouds. The pirates below watched the giant creature vanish and finally let out a breath of relief.
Whitebeard descended from the sky, landing heavily on the Moby Dick. "Old Man!!" Marco and the others called out excitedly but with concern.
Seeing their worry, Whitebeard chuckled, "Don't underestimate me. A battle of this level won't cause me any real problems."
Marco and the others relaxed, carefully observing him. Besides some heavy breathing, Whitebeard showed no other injuries.
"Instead of worrying about whether I was hurt fighting Kaido, you should be thinking about how we're going to win the real war ahead," Whitebeard said gravely.
The clash with Kaido had been a mere skirmish. The coming battle at Marineford would be an actual fight to the death!
The massive fleet continued forward, the time left before Ace's execution growing dangerously short.
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters—
"Latest news! Whitebeard and Kaido clashed in battle! Their fight devastated an area of ten thousand meters and split the sky in half! In the end, Kaido retreated!"
"And according to reliable sources, Red-Haired Shanks appeared during the battle!"
The intelligence reached Marine HQ almost instantly. In his office, Sengoku narrowed his eyes, his expression grave.
"Red-Haired... He made contact with Whitebeard not long ago, and now he appears again. Have they allied with Whitebeard?"
Shaking his head, Sengoku muttered, "No, it's unlikely. This war brings no benefit to Shanks or his crew, and convincing Whitebeard to cooperate with others is no simple task."
Meanwhile, Arashi furrowed his brow slightly. "Things are already diverging from the original story..."
The New World news that caught Arashi's attention was the battle between Whitebeard and Kaido.
Unexpectedly, many twists had already unfolded even before the main war began.
"But this only makes it more interesting!" An unexplainable sense of anticipation grew in Arashi's heart.
Time flowed by.
In the blink of an eye, only ten days remained until the public execution.
Whitebeard's fleet returned daily updates, though nothing as shocking as the previous days.
Marine Headquarters continued with orderly rehearsals and drills across all departments.
Standing by the window, Arashi looked up at the sky. Today, Marineford's weather was clear and cloudless, the bright blue sky stretching endlessly.
A flock of seagulls flapped their wings overhead, and a voice echoed through the office on this very day.
"Admiral Akainu has returned!" The Marine who spoke sounded excited and tense, glancing subconsciously at Arashi standing by the window.
"The great battle is near, so he has returned just in time." Sengoku nodded calmly.
Borsalino, slumped over his desk, lifted his head with mild surprise when he heard this, then quickly returned to his bored daze.
Kuzan, who was fast asleep with his legs propped up on the table, didn't react at all to the news. Arashi also showed little reaction.
His gaze, which had been resting on the sky, shifted down to the plaza of Marineford.
The next instant, his eyes locked onto a figure striding toward the Marine Headquarters building.
Almost immediately, that figure sensed his presence as well and lifted his head.
It was a chiselled, square-shaped face with a cold, imposing aura, topped with a Marine cap.
At first glance, he gave off an overwhelming, absolute sense of power. He was none other than Marine Admiral Akainu.
"Arashi?" Akainu paused and then sneered coldly, his eyes growing even icier.
The animosity between the two had existed ever since they became Marines and continued unabated to this day.
For years, Sakazuki had always been on the losing end of their clashes, and this gnawed at him bitterly.
No one enjoys being trampled underfoot. Sakazuki, who believed in absolute justice, was no different.
Repeated defeats at Arashi's hands never made him despair — instead, they fueled his fighting spirit even more fiercely.
More than ten years ago, after a fierce battle, Arashi had been imprisoned in Impel Down, while Sakazuki spent the years sharpening his strength, training relentlessly to become stronger.
Without even realising it, he had grown powerful enough to confidently call himself the most potent force at Headquarters, ready to face any crisis.
"Arashi," he muttered coldly. "Heh, sooner or later, the grudge between us will be settled," Sakazuki said, withdrawing his gaze, his face expressionless.
With Sengoku soon to retire, the position of Fleet Admiral would soon be vacant, and in Sakazuki's eyes, he was the natural successor.
He believed the other candidates were too soft on justice and unfit to survive in this chaotic era.
The Marines weren't a charity, and there was no place for mercy — the weak should be eliminated.
Sakazuki entered the Marine Headquarters building and quickly approached the Fleet Admiral's office.
Pushing the door open with his right hand, his sharp eyes instantly locked onto Arashi.
Despite the memories of previous defeats, Sakazuki showed no fear — only a restless eagerness in his gaze.
Over the past decade, he had grown immensely stronger. Compared to that battle years ago, he now believed he had the power to emerge victorious.
This was his most significant source of confidence. Meanwhile, Arashi had already returned to his desk. Sakazuki's arrival didn't even warrant a glance from him.
"You're back just in time. The intelligence about the Whitebeard Pirates in the New World changes by the minute. You should review it first," Sengoku said.
"No need," Sakazuki replied coldly. "I just returned from there. I have all the information about the Whitebeard Pirates under control."
Sweeping his gaze across the others in the room, he continued with a smirk, "In fact, I've discovered a way to significantly increase our chances of victory."
Sengoku raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What method?"
"By exploiting Fire Fist Ace's true identity," Sakazuki said with a slight smile.
"Before the battle even begins, we can create chaos within the Whitebeard Pirates — planting a ticking time bomb inside the crew of the world's strongest man."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed. "You want to turn someone within the Whitebeard Pirates? That's no easy feat."
Regarding loyalty and cohesion, the Whitebeard Pirates were second to none.
"But I'm confident," Sakazuki answered. Sengoku frowned slightly.
This approach wasn't very honourable, and even if they won the war, using such tactics would leave a blemish on their victory.
However, if it could increase their chances of success, he was willing to consider it.
At that moment, Arashi spoke up from the side. "Only the weak, who lack confidence, would resort to underhanded schemes to defeat their enemies."
Sakazuki's gaze turned icy as he snapped his head around. "Fool! In war, there is only life and death — victory or defeat! There's no such thing as good or evil!"
"Even without your pathetic schemes, we can still win this war!" Arashi sneered.
"At what cost?!" Sakazuki's voice was frigid.
"I will hold the enemy back," Arashi replied coolly.
"As for you — if you're already so terrified that you're willing to use disgraceful methods before the battle even begins, then you'd better stay somewhere safe and avoid getting crushed by falling debris."
Arashi mocked him mercilessly. Sakazuki's face darkened, his fists clenching tightly as he glared at him.
The two men's views of justice were fundamentally opposed. Sakazuki believed in absolute justice — that any means were acceptable as long as the goal was achieved.
On the other hand, Arashi believed in equal justice, fairness, and honour, even in a war that would shake the entire world.
"Ridiculous!" Sakazuki roared.
Sengoku frowned deeply, feeling helpless. He had expected this. Putting these two together could only end in conflict.
The earlier calm had only been the prelude to an inevitable explosion.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Sengoku rapped his desk sharply with his fist and swept his stern gaze across the two men.
"Enough! Quiet!"
"If we're going to discuss strategy, we should do it calmly! Your hostility is suffocating!"
If not for the imminent battle and his authority suppressing them, Sengoku had no doubt they would have come to blows.
"I don't agree with using such tactics against the enemy," Arashi said evenly.
"With the strength the Marines possess today, we can win this war honorably and showcase our might to the entire world!"
"If we resort to schemes, even if we win, the world will only say the Marines were too afraid of Whitebeard's power to face him fairly."
Sengoku fell into deep thought at those words. He agreed with Arashi.
A righteous victory was preferable for an organisation that upheld justice as its banner.
The Marines had the strength. There was no need for underhanded tricks.
"The victors write justice!" Sakazuki retorted coldly. "If victory can be secured, what's wrong with using a few tricks?"
Arashi sneered, a flash of mockery in his eyes. "Just like how you and the Five Elders schemed against me over a decade ago?"
Sakazuki's pupils shrank, his fists clenching with audible creaks. That was a truth he was unwilling to admit — a stain on his pride.
"Enough!" Sengoku barked, seeing the tension rise again. "Sakazuki's suggestion will be set aside for now!"
"Our primary task is to prepare fully for the upcoming war and to achieve an honorable victory!"
A shadow flashed across Sakazuki's eyes. The word 'honourable' had rejected his plan, and Sengoku's attitude showed his support for Arashi.
"Hmph!" Sakazuki snorted coldly and turned, storming out of the room.
Arashi said nothing more, calmly lowering his gaze to the documents on his desk. One report from Headquarters soon caught his attention.
"Jewelery Bonney, one of the Eleven Supernovas, has been spotted near Marine Headquarters."
During the battle at Sabaody Archipelago, most of the Eleven Supernovas fell into his hands and are now imprisoned at Headquarters.
A few lucky ones had escaped, and Bonney was one of them, mainly because of Bartholomew Kuma's intervention.
"Near Headquarters? What is she doing here?" Arashi wondered aloud.
Then, thinking she might want to see Kuma, he stopped worrying about it.
Besides, the report was already ten days old when the Shichibukai meeting was held. Since then, there have been no further sightings.
With a glimmer in his eyes, Arashi stood up slowly, took a few steps, and turned his gaze to the massive model of Marineford in the centre of the office.
Models of Marine battleships and flags bearing the names of elite forces were arranged in precise order, occupying every strategic position.
"Everything is ready. Now we wait for Whitebeard's arrival. Let the world witness this ultimate battle!"
Meanwhile, at the training ground—
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The violent clashing of blades echoed endlessly, sparks flying with every strike as several figures moved swiftly across the field.
"Kishishishi! Fighting you, master swordsmen sure gets my blood pumping!"
Moria laughed boisterously as he brandished his longsword.
Rob Lucci, expressionless as always, still showed excitement and fighting spirit gleaming in his eyes.
Roronoa Zoro, holding two swords in his hands and one clamped between his teeth, was facing the two directly.
His expression was solemn. It had been nearly half a month since he arrived here.
From initially being overwhelmed and frequently injured, he had grown strong enough to barely hold his ground against these opponents.
His improvement was tremendous. The only regret was not getting the chance to see Arashi again.
Even Kuina has disappeared over the past few days. This alone made it clear how immense the pressure Marineford was about to face in the coming war.
"Luffy's brother is going to be executed! He'll come for him, won't he?"
"Then I'll do everything I can before the war starts, to grow even stronger. I must help him in this war!!"
A glint of red flashed in Zoro's eyes, madness rising on his face.
Time was short—he had to get stronger. In a burst of motion, he lunged at the opponents before him. "Luffy!! I won't let you face this overwhelming war alone!!"
At the same time, in Impel Down—
"Heh, never expected an old man like you to still pack that kind of strength."
Two figures moved forward in the dark, damp, and silent corridors, one behind the other, cautiously watching the sides and glancing behind.
"Age catches up with all of us. But the future belongs to your generation," Rayleigh said with a smile.
On his back was Luffy, his entire body now a different colour from the venom.
Luffy learned about Ace's capture not long ago and begged Hancock to bring him to Marineford.
On the way, they encountered Jewellery Bonney, whom the Marines were pursuing.
When she heard that Luffy and Rayleigh were heading for Impel Down, Bonney immediately insisted on going too.
The three managed to sneak into the prison, but Luffy got separated and ran into Magellan.
In a desperate moment, Rayleigh saved Luffy while Magellan was momentarily distracted. The trio was hiding on Level 4, avoiding the guards' pursuit.
"After being poisoned by Magellan, there's probably no saving this kid, huh?" Bonney said regretfully.
"I believe he'll pull through," Rayleigh said firmly. "After all, he's a miracle boy with limitless potential."
A figure suddenly emerged from a dark, hidden corner ahead as he spoke, cautiously waving at them.
Judging from their clothing, they weren't a Marine or a prison guard.
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