"What extraordinary Haki!!"
Rayleigh watched Mihawk, who had rapidly retreated, with a touch of emotion in his heart.
This generation of young people was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.
One must know that even a simple infusion of Conqueror's Haki provides a significantly greater boost to attacks than Armament Haki.
And that young man just now...
If he wasn't mistaken, aside from the initial mental daze and a shallow wound on his chest that barely broke the skin, his combat power hadn't suffered a precipitous drop.
What spirit!
However, he could also see that the Warlords had no intention of risking their lives for the Marines, so he didn't pursue, allowing the young man to retreat.
Just as Rayleigh was sighing with emotion, a heatwave suddenly rushed toward him.
Looking up, he saw a massive number of giant magma fists launching toward him, plummeting like meteors, attacking him at high speed.
[Meteor Volcano]!
"Rayleigh? Are you, an old relic of the past, stepping out to seek death?"
Akainu's face was filled with hostility. Large globs of magma dripped continuously from his fists, which had long since turned into molten rock.
Holes appeared one after another on the hard ice surface, white steam rising constantly before finally dissipating into the air.
"Seems like... I'm facing a troublesome character?"
Red light flashed in Rayleigh's eyes. The whole world seemed to slow down. He raised his longsword, dodging left and right, constantly avoiding the falling magma fists.
And... the magma that occasionally brushed past him.
Rumble—!
Sizzle—!
As the magma landed, the ice around Rayleigh melted rapidly. Large amounts of steam rose, and his footing disappeared quickly, forcing Rayleigh to run toward Akainu.
"Great Eruption!!"
Akainu wouldn't give Rayleigh a chance. With an angry shout, the magma on his arms rapidly detached and combined to form a giant magma fist.
If one were close enough, they would hear a continuous rumbling from within Akainu's body, like the build-up before a volcanic eruption!
Bang—.
With a loud bang, the magma fist, large enough to blot out the sky, shot out rapidly. And its target—
Was Rayleigh, who was constantly rushing toward him!
Akainu knew very well that as a Magma-Magma Fruit user...
He excelled in both close combat and long-range attacks. Rayleigh, however, was a pure physical fighter.
Although his swordsmanship was fierce and his slashes powerful, it couldn't hide his shortcomings in long-range attacks!
Using one's strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses!
On the other side, Aokiji looked calmly at the man in front of him and said belatedly:
"Aren't you going to help your old buddy? No matter how glorious you used to be, the era is always moving forward!"
"No need. As the right and left hands of Roger, our reputations aren't just empty boasts!"
Gaban remained unmoved. His sharp axes glinted coldly under the reflection of the smooth ice.
"In that case, then..."
Hearing this, Aokiji lowered his gaze. He opened his mouth and breathed out a stream of chilling white air. A slender ice blade instantly appeared in his hand.
[Ice Sabre].
...
"Marines ranked Lieutenant Commander and above, break through from the centre and utterly defeat the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Standing on the execution platform, Sengoku watched as the three main forces found their respective opponents. His face was frosty as he calmly issued orders.
Beside him, Blackbeard, kneeling on the ground, had a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He truly hadn't expected people from the Roger Pirates to come and help Pops.
Although there was still a gap in combat power, it at least gave him a sliver of hope.
Thump—!
"You bastard! What bad idea are you cooking up now?"
Garp, who had not yet entered the battlefield, strode forward and gave Blackbeard a punch with his Iron Fist, adding another steaming lump to his already battered head.
Ignoring Garp's antics, Sengoku continued to observe the battle situation, issuing orders methodically:
"The remaining Marines roam the periphery and do their best to harvest the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates!!"
Sengoku's voice was like a great bell, solemn and majestic, echoing clearly in the crescent harbour.
"Charge!!!"
With the order given, a massive number of Marines jumped down from the harbour, a blue and white torrent sweeping forward.
Enel was naturally among them.
"Hm?"
Before Enel could rush to the front lines, a man wearing sunglasses blocked his path.
With loose, greenish-grey hair, wearing a white shirt, and a red dragon tattoo on the right side of his neck, he looked fierce.
"Tch—! Who the hell are you?"
Enel curled his lip disdainfully.
After years of training, not only was his physique vastly different from when he first joined the Marines, but his strength had also undergone a complete transformation.
Otherwise, Building Snake wouldn't have noticed Enel so easily in the crowd.
That life aura was quite eye-catching even among a group of officers.
"..."
Without a word, Snake held his fingers together, assuming a snake-style kung fu stance. His wrists bent, and his two arms crossed, aiming at Enel.
"Dragon Fist—! Prepare yourself!"
"...You call that a Dragon Fist?!"
The corner of Enel's mouth twitched. No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't see a single trace of a "dragon" in the opponent's form.
By the way, how does this guy manage to be funny with such a straight face?
"30 Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!!!"
With a loud shout, a massive amount of lightning appeared out of thin air, quickly intertwining to form a lifelike thunder dragon, winding and coiling around Enel.
"Go! Show this guy what a real [Dragon] looks like!"
At the command, the thunder dragon moved, opening its fanged maw to bite Snake.
On the other side.
Issho leaned on his cane-sword, his eyes closed tight. Opposite him was Marco, covered in cold sweat and burning with the blue flames of the phoenix.
Clearly, he had activated his hybrid form.
"How can a guy like you just appear in the Marines?!" Marco's voice trembled slightly. It wasn't that he was afraid.
But this man's life aura was like a beast lying in wait. The intense pressure rivalled that of their Pops, Whitebeard!
Especially with his blue flames of resurrection, he was particularly sensitive to life auras.
Even without using Observation Haki, that horrifyingly powerful aura terrified him.
"Hehe~ I was merely lucky enough to be swept up in this war. I am here for the... justice in my heart!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the cane-sword was unsheathed, and purple gravity waves enveloped Marco.
Crack—!
The ice shattered instantly. Marco was startled.
A pair of beautiful wings quickly spread behind his back, flapping rapidly as he attempted to escape the range of Issho's ability.
"Hell's Journey!!"
"Whitebeard, you should know very well that you won't be leaving Marineford today!!"
Atlas was expressionless, his Justice coat flapping in the sea breeze.
"Gurararara! Just you, brat? I am Whitebeard!"
Whitebeard bent his left arm, tremor power gathering on his massive fist.
In an instant, the heavens tilted, and the earth overturned. The air cracked, and the sea poured in reverse!
Vwoom—!
Before it even touched Atlas's body, the terrifying tremor power spread toward him along the air, which had turned mirror-like!
"Flame Pillar: Blast!!"
Atlas formed a gun shape with his hand. A scorching pillar of fire, completely disproportionate to his size, spewed out. Its power was no less than Akainu's [Great Eruption]!
Rumble—!
A massive roar echoed across the entire battlefield. The flame pillar, carrying terrifying explosive power, was instantly repelled, scattering into a sky full of sparks.
But the fundamental explosive power of the Dragon Talisman didn't dissipate. Instead, it formed layers of overlapping shockwaves that spread in all directions of the battlefield!
"Gurarara! You brat, you have quite a few tricks!"
Whitebeard laughed loudly, leapt into the air, and flipped his Murakumogiri.
The surrounding air exploded abruptly, a terrifying whistling sound rang out, and he smashed down toward Atlas's head!
Bang!!!
Stepping back, Atlas's already clenched fist was quickly covered in black-and-red Haki. Wrapped in flowing Armament Haki, he punched out fiercely!
Tremor power and Armament Haki deadlocked. Violent vibrations constantly pressured the surrounding space and simultaneously washed over Atlas's body through the air.
"Oh? Your Armament Haki training is pretty good, little brat!"
A flash of surprise appeared in Whitebeard's eyes, but the force in his hand didn't diminish. Instead, the tremors increased in frequency, constantly wearing down Atlas's physique.
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit... really is nice."
Withstanding the tremor power raging inside his body, Atlas was not alarmed but delighted.
He could feel his organs and bones being rapidly destroyed, but large amounts of green light roamed and repaired them.
In this cycle, his internal organs, membranes, and toughness became increasingly robust.
If bathing in lightning tempered his skin, flesh, and fascia... Then Whitebeard's tremor power was tempering his internal organs!
One internal, one external, complementing each other perfectly!
"You brat?!"
Whitebeard's eyes suddenly widened, looking at this brat who was clearly struggling, yet whose aura was steadily rising.
"Flashy tricks—!!"
He suddenly let go of Murakumogiri, flipped the naginata, and swept out with the thick handle, coated in Armament Haki.
Clang—!
A fist covered in deep Haki met it head-on. Even with Whitebeard's terrifying strength, it didn't budge an inch.
Whoosh—!
Wind and waves swept out as two powerful forces collided head-on. Atlas endured the tremors in his body and grinned.
"Flashy tricks? Enough to defeat you is all that matters!"
Atlas suddenly looked up, giving Whitebeard a sinister smile. His arm swelled abruptly, divine strength pouring out, forcibly beating Whitebeard back several steps!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Retreating three steps in a row, Whitebeard finally steadied himself. The look he gave Atlas no longer held any contempt.
This brat who had threatened to challenge him years ago...
Now... perhaps really possessed that strength! At the very least, in a contest of absolute strength, he had undoubtedly lost.
"Buzz—!!!"
"No way?!"
"That guy actually pushed Pops back!"
The battle between Whitebeard and Atlas was the focus of almost the entire field. The whole battlefield noticed any new development.
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates clearly found this scene hardest to accept. Their Pops was the World's Strongest Man!
Even if the opposing Marine was also the strongest monster the Marines had seen in 800 years, he was only in his twenties.
But today, Atlas used his fists to tell them! Monsters are meant to break common sense! And he, Atlas, was a monster among monsters!
"Th... Is this the power of Sir Atlas? Actually—"
"Forcing Whitebeard back!!!"
The Marines watching this were also dumbfounded. What followed was overwhelming joy and excitement. That was the World's Strongest Man!
"Gurararara! What a surprising brat! To think you could achieve this level. But this is where it ends!"
Whitebeard's expression became serious. His aura was profound, like an abyss or a prison. Terrifying power built up within him, ready to be unleashed.
...
Impel Down, Eternal Hell Level 1.
Inside the Warden's office.
A tall old man wearing the black uniform unique to Impel Down, with white hair and beard, clearly didn't have many years left to live.
Opposite him was a respectful Magellan.
As the next Warden, Magellan had to accept the old Warden's teachings here whenever he wasn't in the bathroom.
It was considered a kind of inheritance within Impel Down.
"After you take over as Warden, you must increase the patrols and inspections of the prison, especially Eternal Hell. You should know very well what kind of criminals are locked up there."
"If even one gets out, the turmoil on the seas will be unprecedented."
"Mhm, rest assured, Warden."
Magellan nodded solemnly.
It wasn't that he hadn't been to the underground Level 6.
Many pirates imprisoned there existed only in legends; some, even Magellan, hadn't seen them with his own eyes. The Warden personally inspected them every day.
"By the way, what about that kid Hannyabal? He's a good young man, too, has a few small flaws."
"Him?"
At the mention of Hannyabal, a smile appeared on Magellan's lips.
He, Hannyabal, and Shiryu were all part of the next batch of successors cultivated by Impel Down.
It was just that Shiryu was too bloodthirsty, so the Warden intended to temper his character, placing his position below Hannyabal's.
After all, in terms of sheer strength, Hannyabal was the weakest of the three.
"There seemed to be some disturbance in Freezing Hell. I sent Hannyabal to check the situation first..."
Before he could finish, Magellan's expression changed drastically. He shot up from his chair.
His gaze was fixed on a Vivre Card hanging on the wall, of which only a small piece remained.
He remembered very clearly.
—That Vivre Card belonged to Hannyabal!
"This is bad, Warden! Something must have happened to Hannyabal! His Vivre Card is burning!"