Marineford, Oris Plaza. Amidst the cacophony of battle cries, Marines and Pirates alike instinctively cleared a wide berth around the two figures radiating overwhelming power. Whitebeard and Sengoku, two titans of their respective factions, clashed with earth-shattering force. The ground cracked beneath them, dark red lightning tore through the air, and their immense auras collided in a relentless storm of energy.
Yet, as the battle dragged on, Sengoku's strength began to wane. Aokiji and Kizaru moved to assist, but Jozu and Marco intercepted them, preventing any intervention. "Sengoku," Whitebeard said coldly, his gaze piercing as he faced his bloodied opponent, "I've wasted enough time on you. Let's end this."
Standing in his radiant Great Buddha form, Sengoku wiped the blood from his mouth, his expression hardening. He couldn't fathom how Whitebeard remained so formidable. According to Marine intelligence, Whitebeard, now seventy-two, was riddled with old injuries and illnesses. He relied on daily IV treatments and even carried an oxygen tank. Yet, here he was, fighting with the same terrifying power he'd wielded in his prime.
Sengoku, on the other hand, despite his disciplined physical upkeep and the advantages of his Mythical Zoan ability, felt his strength slipping. The prolonged battle had taken its toll, and defeat seemed inevitable. The Marines, despite Sephiroth's devastating attack that had wiped out fifty thousand Pirates, were still at a disadvantage. If they couldn't turn the tide soon, the morale boost provided by Kong would fade, and the Marines would fall.
Knowing this, Sengoku resolved to fight with everything he had, even if it cost him his life. The Whitebeard Pirates relied entirely on their captain's leadership. If Whitebeard fell, their cohesion would crumble. "Whitebeard," Sengoku declared, his voice resolute, "even if it kills me, I'll make sure you die here." Golden light surged in his palms, blinding in its intensity.
He poured all his Haki—Armament and Haoshoku—into his hands, forsaking defense to maximize his attack power. "Great Light Palm!" he roared. Countless golden palm strikes erupted, targeting Whitebeard's vital points. Whitebeard didn't retreat. Gripping Murakumogiri, he channeled the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power, Haoshoku, and Armament Haki into a relentless barrage of sword strikes, overwhelming Sengoku with sheer force.
The clash of their powers sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, creating a maelstrom of wind and energy that kept everyone at bay for a hundred meters. Boom! Boom! Boom! The titanic forces collided again and again, each impact shaking the very foundations of Marineford. Then, amidst the chaos, Sengoku faltered. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power surged through him, and he could no longer suppress the blood and qi churning within his body.
With a loud "Waa!", he opened his mouth and spat out a large mouthful of blood. Seeing this scene, Whitebeard immediately pursued the victory. He swung both arms in a circle, raised Murakumogiri, and with a whistling sound cutting through the air, he brought it down towards Sengoku's head, intending to split him in two. The crisis of death descended, and Sengoku had nowhere to evade!
In desperation, he quickly raised his hands, performing a bare-handed block, and forcefully blocked the blade of Murakumogiri. Immediately, an unparalleled powerful force poured out from the blade, passing through Sengoku's body and transferring to the ground beneath his feet. Rumble-! In an instant, the ground violently caved in, forming a shocking large pit.
Spiderweb-like cracks continuously spread out from beneath Sengoku's feet. "Gurararara-! Sengoku, it's all over!" Seeing this situation, Whitebeard immediately burst into laughter. He released his left hand from the hilt, clenched it into a fist, and tightened his arm back as if pulling a bowstring. The next moment.
A milky white translucent sphere instantly condensed on his left fist, and the surging Haoshoku and Haki of Armament quickly wrapped around it. He was preparing to use all his strength to deliver a fatal blow to Sengoku. However... Precisely at this moment. Rumble-!
On the cracked ground, shattered rocks suddenly flew up as Akainu, filled with crimson light, broke through the rocky ground and leaped out from underground. "Dark Hound!" Akainu, three meters tall, suddenly extended his hand into a claw, swinging his lava-transformed right arm wrapped in Armament Haki.
He rapidly extended it and slammed it towards Whitebeard, who was six meters six tall, directly piercing through the center of the latter's chest. Waa-! A large mouthful of blood was spat out from Whitebeard's mouth. His vision went black, black smoke billowed from his chest, and organs like his liver were directly charred and carbonized by the high temperature.
The air filled with the burnt smell of roasted meat. "Whitebeard!" ×N
Seeing this scene, the Whitebeard Pirates members who were fighting fiercely around Whitebeard immediately shouted anxiously. "Whitebeard, die in peace!" Akainu said with a cold laugh. Because he had been too careless and underestimated Whitebeard's strength when they first met.
As a result, he was sent deep underground by a single punch from Whitebeard, almost falling into the seabed through the cracks and drowning in the seawater. Fortunately, at the critical moment, he managed to regain half a breath and used his lava-emitting hand to corrode a gap in the rock layer, forcefully supporting his body. Akainu waited until he could gradually exert force.
Only then did he blast a cave with lava and lay there like a corpse for a while, before using Life Return to barely repair several broken ribs and ruptured bleeding internal organs that Whitebeard had injured. By then, Sengoku had already fallen into a continuous fierce battle with Whitebeard, causing huge commotions on the ground.
After clearly realizing the gap in strength between himself and Whitebeard, Akainu abandoned the idea of going up to clash head-on with Whitebeard again and instead started thinking about a sneak attack... Yes, a sneak attack! Akainu had always been unscrupulous in killing Pirates. Whether it was a conspiracy or an open scheme, he would use any means necessary.
Even if a sneak attack seemed despicable and shameless, as long as he could kill the Pirates, he simply didn't care! Thus, Akainu lay hidden underground for a long time, finally waiting for this opportunity to heavily injure Whitebeard, or even kill him with one blow. However...
Before Akainu could be happy for more than two seconds, Whitebeard, who had already recovered, immediately turned his long-prepared left fist into a hook punch and heavily struck his chin, causing him to bleed from all seven orifices, his head ringing incessantly.
The force sent him hurtling backward, his body smashing through the Navy Headquarters Building with bone-crushing impact. A section of the structure crumpled under the collision. "Damn it... Whitebeard!" Akainu clutched his throbbing head with his right hand, teeth gritted. He tried to push himself up, but his body refused to obey.
In the end, he could only lie helplessly on the ground, focusing every ounce of willpower on Life Return to keep his body functioning and accelerate his recovery.