A quiet voice echoed across the vast deck.
Marco and the others, who had just been smiling, froze.
The once-lively atmosphere turned into a suffocating silence.
Every eye turned to Atmos.
Even Shanks and his crew looked stunned.
A Marine Admiral being brought to a Yonko summit as a prisoner wasn't unheard of.
It just meant he lost.
But walking in of his own accord?
That was suicide.
And to bring it up now, in front of Whitebeard?
That was like handing him your neck and asking for a clean cut.
"Atmos, explain yourself. Now!" Whitebeard's voice thundered, his face darkening.
Atmos, usually mild-mannered, now felt the crushing weight of every gaze.
He swallowed hard and said:
"Pops… I underestimated him. He beat me in two moves and knocked me into the sea."
"You always taught us to value honor. He spared me and had his men fish me out. I owed him that much. But I warned him—his life is his own."
Two moves?
The crowd's expressions shifted.
Atmos wasn't one to lie or exaggerate.
If he said he lost in two moves, he meant it.
A division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, taken down in two strikes?
By the same "paper tiger" they'd just mocked?
"You saved Atmos?" Whitebeard's voice dropped to a growl.
His Conqueror's Haki erupted like a hurricane.
BOOM!
The shockwave swept across the deck.
Pirates who had already backed away from Shanks' earlier display were knocked unconscious.
Only the strongest remained standing.
Whitebeard sat tall, radiating power.
The pirates looked on with pride.
"That's our Pops," Vista said. "Maybe not quite as monstrous as Red-Haired's, but still enough to remind the world what it means to be a Yonko."
He glanced at Luoyu, who stood motionless in the storm of Haki.
"What's wrong, brat? Frozen in fear?" Vista sneered. "They say you've got Conqueror's Haki too, but there's a gulf between kings. Don't take it personally."
"No one dares show off in front of Pops—except maybe Red-Haired."
Luoyu adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses.
"You're right, Vista. I've seen plenty of ordinary Conqueror's Haki."
"But mine's… a little less ordinary."
"I've got it too."
BOOM!
Luoyu's own Conqueror's Haki exploded outward like a volcanic eruption.
It collided with Whitebeard's in midair, the two forces clashing like titans.
But Luoyu's was different.
Guided by his psychic control, his Haki wasn't just raw power—it was precision.
If Whitebeard's control was a five, Luoyu's was a ten.
He didn't have the same years of experience.
But he didn't need them.
He used what he had like a scalpel.
And it worked.
His Haki tore through Whitebeard's like a tidal wave through a sandcastle.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The deck beneath Luoyu shattered.
The shockwave ripped through the ship like an invisible blade, carving a trench straight toward Whitebeard.
Everyone's eyes went wide.
This wasn't just Haki.
This was destruction.
Vista's jaw dropped. He wanted to slap himself.
Why did he have to open his big mouth?
"Pops! Watch out!" Atmos shouted. "His Haki—it's not just spiritual. It hits like a shockwave. That's how I lost!"
Marco and the others finally understood.
This wasn't just strong Haki.
It was weaponized.
And it might even surpass Red-Haired's.
Vista's earlier flattery now hung in the air like a bad joke.
Shanks looked… awkward.
"Tangible Conqueror's Haki?" Whitebeard muttered, eyes narrowing.
He'd only seen that once before.
And now, here it was again.
He looked at Luoyu—still standing, still sipping his drink.
For the first time, Whitebeard's interest was piqued.
His muscles tensed.
He grabbed his massive naginata and stood.
"Let's see what gives you the guts to stand on my ship and speak to me like that."
BOOM!
Whitebeard rose, tearing out the IVs from his body.
He took a step forward, weapon in hand.
And then he charged.
The man known as the strongest in the world—Edward Newgate, Whitebeard—was making the first move.