On the deck of the Moby Dick, the air seemed to have frozen solid.
Standing beside Whitebeard, Marco's pupils shrank violently. His throat tightened, and the words were forced out between clenched teeth.
"Oden… lost?"
At the railing, the "Ice Witch" Whitey Bay dug her fingers deep into the wooden rail, knuckles turning white.Her gaze was locked onto the distant barren island—onto the figure pinned to the ground in an "X" by two swords. Her breathing came fast and shallow, as if someone were choking her.
"Don't joke with me…" Her voice trembled. In her mind flashed the memory of Oden in Wano, laughing wildly as he crossed blades with Whitebeard."That monster of a samurai… how could he possibly…?"
Jozu's expression was just as grim. He slammed a fist into the ship's side—boom! The thick planks exploded apart.
"That Marine bastard!"
Vista's hand was already resting on the hilts of his twin blades. The smile that never left his face was gone, his eyes cold as ice.
"Pops, we—"
On the barren island, Gern Reginald Sigmar planted his foot squarely on Kozuki Oden's face.
Rain slid down from Gern's hair, mixing with blood as it seeped into the scorched earth.His gaze did not retreat in the slightest as it met Whitebeard's from afar. On the blade of Black Sword · Eight Desolations, the dark-purple arcs of Conqueror's Haki still crackled, not yet fully faded.
"Whitebeard." His voice was hoarse, yet cold as steel. "If you want to take him… fine."
He slowly lifted his foot—
—and in the next instant stomped down again.
BOOM!
Oden's head was crushed straight into the charred ground, mud and sludge splashing outward.
On the Moby Dick, every breath caught at once.
"Pops, give the order!"
"Pops!!" Thatch stared at the foot grinding into Oden's face. With a sharp click, he drew his long blade."That bastard… he's provoking all of us!"
"Enough!!!"
Whitebeard's roar silenced his sons.
His eyes remained fixed on Gern—especially on Gern's right shoulder, which was nearly ruined beyond use.
The sea wind whipped his golden hair, his white captain's coat snapping loudly as it billowed.Then, with a powerful push, he leapt from the ship's bow and landed directly in front of Gern.
"Gurarararara…" His laughter was low and heavy. "Marine brat, it's only been a few years, and you've grown quite capable."
His gaze shifted to Black Sword · Eight Desolations.
"Not bad at all—for the second man ever to be acknowledged by that thing."
"So," Gern asked calmly, not even blinking under Whitebeard's pressure, "are you here to get payback for him?"
"No."
Whitebeard glanced at Oden and shook his head.
In truth, the Whitebeard Pirates had been watching this entire battle from nearby.
This duel had been initiated by Oden himself.He had stubbornly pursued Gern, determined to fight him to the end.
From beginning to finish, no one had interfered.
It was a pure deathmatch—victory and defeat decided solely by strength.
And now, Oden had lost.
Lost completely.
The fact that Gern had not taken his life was already a courtesy—an immense one.
As for Whitebeard stepping in for Oden?That was absolutely impossible given Whitebeard's character.
Oden was not his son, but a comrade who stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
To attack Gern now would be the greatest insult to Oden—denying his resolve and trampling his pride.
And most importantly, Whitebeard understood better than anyone:
A true strong man must bear the consequences of his own choices.
...
As the two faced each other, the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders all landed on the island.
Marco, Whitey Bay, Jozu, Vista, Thatch—they lined up at Whitebeard's sides, forming a wall of pressure opposite Gern, who stood alone, gravely wounded.
Behind them, Toki Amatsuki covered her mouth, tears silently slipping through her fingers.
The man who had always laughed boldly, full of pride and spirit, was now trampled on the ground like a dog—crushed beneath another's foot.
"Lord Oden…" Her voice was barely more than a whisper, yet it cut into everyone's heart like a blade.
"Bastard, lift your foot!!"
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi could no longer restrain themselves, their eyes blazing red with fury.
Shing! Inuarashi's claws snapped out.Nekomamushi's fur bristled violently, every hair standing on end.
"Let go of Lord Oden!!!"
With a thunderous roar, Inuarashi kicked off—the deck beneath him exploding as his body shot forward like a cannonball.
Nekomamushi followed close behind, his claws gleaming with cold light.
"I'll tear you apart!!!"
But just as the two were about to leap—
BOOM!
Whitebeard slammed Murakumogiri into the ground. A terrifying shockwave burst outward.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were forced back by the sheer power, sent tumbling across the ground.
...
The air over the barren island hardened like iron.
Rain washed over scorched earth, the stench of blood drifting through the wind.
Gern stood alone at the center of the battlefield.Black Sword · Eight Desolations pointed diagonally toward the ground. His right shoulder was mangled and grotesque, blood dripping from his fingers—
yet his spine remained straight as he faced the Whitebeard Pirates alone.
At that critical moment—
A slender white figure suddenly flashed in front of Gern.
"I'm here."
Lipo's voice was soft, yet sharp enough to pierce the silence like a blade.
She raised both hands high and snapped open a brand-new Marine justice coat.The snow-white kanji for "Justice" roared in the storm.
At the sound of her voice, Gern's pupils shrank.
"Lipo?! When did you—"
The coat settled firmly over Gern's blood-soaked shoulders.
Across from them, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi froze when they saw her face.
"Sister Lipo?! Why are you here?!"
Their voices made her fingers tremble for an instant—
then her gaze turned completely cold.
"Sister Lipo?! Why are you a Marine? Weren't you supposed to—"Inuarashi's voice died mid-sentence.
Because he saw her eyes.
There was no joy of reunion in them—only naked disgust.
"Shut up."
Lipo's voice was sharp and icy.
She clenched her fists, her ears bristling slightly with anger.
"You two still have the nerve to say my name?"
Nekomamushi's tail stiffened. He stared at her in disbelief.
"Sister Lipo, what do you mean by that?!"
"What do I mean?" She let out a cold laugh. "On my way here, I've seen villages slaughtered by pirates. I've seen corpses used as toys…"
Her voice dropped lower and lower, until it became a curse squeezed from between clenched teeth.
"And you—once warriors who swore to protect Zou—have become part of these so-called pirates?!"
Inuarashi's ears drooped.
"We followed Lord Oden! Not all pirates are—"
"Shut up!!"
Lipo suddenly roared, her voice tearing through the rain.
"Pedro admired you two like leaders. And yet—you disgust me."
Nekomamushi's claws pierced deep into the ground, but he couldn't utter a single rebuttal.
"Rather than living on as pirates…"
Lipo turned her back on them, the justice coat snapping violently in the wind.
"You'd have been better off dying the day you left Zou on that adventure."
Her words struck them like lightning.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi went pale, mouths opening—but no sound came out.
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze lingering on Lipo—the fellow Mink—for a moment before returning to Gern.
"Marine brat. Hand him over."
At the same time, the commanders of the Moby Dick stepped forward in unison, an invisible pressure surging like a tidal wave.
"Heh… you—" Gern hadn't even finished speaking when a furious roar split the sky.
"WHITEBEARD!!!"
A figure crashed down like a meteor, shattering the ground and sending debris flying.
Kong the Steel Bone, clad in a Fleet Admiral's coat, stood with arms crossed, eyes sharp as blades.
Immediately after, Sakazuki descended from above, his magma-coated right fist dripping searing lava, killing intent boiling in his eyes.
The one who had been holding Whitebeard in check—Sengoku—landed next.The phantom image of a golden Buddha loomed faintly behind him, Armament Haki coating his entire body.
The Navy's monsters lined up beside Gern.What had been a solitary stand of justice instantly became an unbreakable bulwark against the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Fleet Admiral…" Gern muttered hoarsely, glancing sideways.
Kong snorted.
"We'll settle accounts when you get back."
Sakazuki's eyes swept over the wound in Gern's chest, then to Oden pinned to the ground.
"What happened?" he asked flatly.
"Nothing much," Gern replied with a faint smile. "Just happened to run into a… perfectly ordinary pirate."
The moment the words left his mouth, his strength finally gave out.He slumped against Lipo.
Sengoku stared at Whitebeard, his voice low and heavy.
"Newgate. The Navy will not allow you to act recklessly here."
"Gurarararara!!"
Whitebeard burst into laughter, the sound rolling through the clouds.
"So the Navy's come out in full force?"
His gaze swept across Kong, Sengoku, Sakazuki—then settled on Gern.
"Brat… looks like you've got one hell of a backing."
He slowly raised Murakumogiri and smashed it into the ground.
"Marines. That's enough for today."
"Don't underestimate justice, Whitebeard!!!!"
There was no hesitation.
Whitebeard's answer was met only by the fluttering banner of justice—
—and the first strike of Hell Hound.
...
No one knows what truly happened in the battle that followed.
Only that when the island was completely erased from the sea,the Moby Dick, scarred and battered, sailed away slowly.
That clash of legends ended with the Whitebeard Pirates grievously wounded,and Whitebeard himself suffering severe injuries.
In the end, Kong had no intention of waging war simultaneously against the Whitebeard Pirates and another legendary pirate force.
As part of the ceasefire, Whitebeard was allowed to take Kozuki Oden with him—and the battle came to an end with his retreat.