The moment he saw Newgate move, King acted again. The flames on Enma grew even more intense, their heat so great it set the surrounding air ablaze. His black wings spread fully, making him look like a demon from hell.
"Enjoku: Karyū Shoku!"
A massive fire dragon erupted from the blade of Enma, so lifelike that every scale was clearly visible. The colossal dragon first coiled around Newgate, then its great head peered down from on high at the man below, eyes burning with destructive flames before it plunged downward in a furious dive.
Instantly, Newgate was completely enveloped in flames. Seawater for dozens of meters around evaporated from the heat, creating a vacuum zone. The fire dragon coiled around Whitebeard, constricting tighter and tighter, its temperature so high that even the crew members in the distance felt their skin burning.
"Pops!" Some of the crew began to worry again. Especially the still-apprentice Marco, whose concern was plain in his eyes.
BOOM!
The flames detonated with a massive explosion. The shockwave pushed back the surrounding seawater, forming a huge depression. The mushroom cloud from the explosion shot straight into the sky, scattering the very clouds.
But less than a second later, the thick smoke was blown apart by a gale-force wind erupting from the center, revealing Whitebeard Newgate within, completely unharmed.
"Long live Pops!"
"Pops is invincible!"
"I knew Pops was unbeatable!"
The Whitebeard Pirates cheered excitedly at the sight. However, before their cheers could fade, an enormous shadow suddenly fell over the entire battlefield, plunging everything into shade and startling everyone.
A giant over a hundred meters tall had appeared on one of the Beasts Pirates' ships. Its colossal frame was so massive it threatened to crush the entire pirate vessel into the frozen sea below. Only then did everyone realize that, at some point, the surrounding seawater had completely frozen solid.
Before anyone could process this sudden change, Urouge, in his Daidarabotchi form, had already clenched his gigantic fist. The fist was many times larger than Newgate's entire body. With a whooshing sound of wind, it slammed down viciously at the airborne Whitebeard, its shadow completely blocking Newgate's forward view.
"Gurararara, another Mythical Zoan user," Newgate said, not a trace of fear on his face as he faced this fist powerful enough to crush a small mountain. Instead, he looked at his opponent with keen interest. "Where in the world did that Kaido brat find so many precious Devil Fruits?"
It had only been about two years since Kaido escaped from the laboratory and returned to the world. Yet, just from what Newgate could sense, there were already three Mythical Zoan users: Bullet, Queen, and now Urouge. Such a lineup would surprise even the well-traveled Whitebeard.
His thoughts raced, but Newgate's fist was already clenching, meeting the incoming giant fist head-on.
BANG—!
The moment the two fists collided, a deafening roar erupted. Urouge felt an unimaginably immense force transmit through him, pushing him back several staggering steps. Thankfully, the surrounding sea was completely frozen, or he might have plummeted into the deep.
Newgate, using the reaction force, landed steadily back on the ice.
"Gurararara, you kids!" Whitebeard's booming laugh echoed across the battlefield, his iconic crescent-shaped mustache quivering slightly. Faced with these extraordinarily gifted young men before him, Edward Newgate did not conceal his appreciation. "None of you look that old. How about you all become my sons?"
"You're... joking with us!"
Accompanied by an enraged roar, King's figure flickered like a phantom. He spread his black wings, the famed sword Enma gleaming coldly in his hand as he slashed with sharp, murderous intent straight for Whitebeard's head.
Clang!
The crisp sound of metal colliding reverberated across the field.
Newgate, unhurried, covered his right fist with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi and struck the flat of the blade with pinpoint accuracy. The tremendous impact not only neutralized King's attack, but the residual force slammed directly into the chest of Kaido's right-hand man.
King was sent flying backwards like a cannonball, carving a long scar across the ice, blood spurting from his mouth as he did.
"Now! Shadow Spear!"
Gecko "Moonlight" Moria seized this fleeting opportunity, rapidly extending his shadow. The pitch-black shadow morphed into a sharp spear, suddenly thrusting from beneath the ice toward Newgate's abdomen.
Ding!
Surprisingly, the shadow spear struck Newgate's body with a metallic clang, unable to even pierce his skin.
"Almost forgot about you," Newgate said, turning his head toward Moria's position. The Supreme Grade sword Murakumogiri in his hand swung down fiercely. Where the blade pointed, the solid ice shattered. The terrifying shockwave blasted Moria himself off his feet, sending him crashing away.
"Wanryū: Shōgeki!"
Commodore Gavin seized his chance. He transformed directly into his massive Brachiosaurus form and charged toward Newgate at an astonishing speed. His colossal body left deep footprints in the ice with every step, making the frozen surface tremble.
"Oh? An Ancient Zoan too!" Newgate watched the charging Brachiosaurus with interest, his right fist once more gathering the power of the Gura Gura no Mi. The instant the Brachiosaurus was about to hit him, Whitebeard threw a seemingly casual punch.
Boom!
The massive Brachiosaurus was sent flying by the punch, tracing an arc through the air before crashing heavily into the ice.
"Ittōryū: Zanba!"
Nour Morris seized the opening. The longsword in his hand became a silver streak of light, slashing toward Whitebeard with astonishing speed. However, before his blade could reach its target, it was effortlessly parried by the back of Murakumogiri. The massive recoil sent him flying backward.
Cedric and Nixon exchanged a glance and activated their Zoan-type Devil Fruit abilities simultaneously. The former transformed into a ferocious gray wolf, the latter into an elegant white horse. Both wielding their respective weapons, they launched a pincer attack on Newgate from different angles.
"Gurararara, that Kaido kid sure loves his Zoan types, gathering so many of them," Newgate laughed heartily, utterly unfazed by their coordinated assault. He first sidestepped the gray wolf's claws, then punched aside the white horse's charge, followed by a kick that sent the gray wolf flying. His movements were fluid and seamless, perfectly showcasing the composure of the "World's Strongest Man."
"Now! Reiki: Ryūsei Ken!"
The instant Newgate repelled the two, Douglas Bullet suddenly burst through the ice from below. His right fist, coalescing with terrifying cold air, aimed straight for Whitebeard's back.
"Gurararara, kid, I was wondering if you'd fallen asleep down there," Whitebeard laughed, turning to meet the attack with his own fist.
***
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