Whitebeard received the news two days ago. An anonymous source informed him that CP0 agents were frequently appearing on his home island, Sphinx. Though he hadn't lived there for long, Whitebeard was a man of immense loyalty. Even if no one he knew remained, he insisted on sending all his treasures there to support the poor. Learning that the World Government might move against his home, he set sail immediately.
He had intended to go alone, viewing it as a private matter rather than a crew affair, but his "sons" insisted on coming. To them, Whitebeard's home was their home. Upon arriving at the Sphinx sea region, they found it completely encircled by the Navy.
Whitebeard's expression darkened. As a survivor of the God Valley Incident, he remembered the Navy surrounding an island while Celestial Dragons conducted a slaughter. He wouldn't allow history to repeat itself on Sphinx.
Gripping Murakumogiri, Whitebeard stood at the prow, ready to trigger the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, but his pupils suddenly dilated. Through his Observation Haki, he sensed an explosion of power from the center of the island.
It was a Haki so immense it defied his decades of experience. Not even Rocks D. Xebec—not even the maddened Rocks at God Valley—possessed such terrifying pressure.
"You lot!" Whitebeard broke into a cold sweat. He realized this might be his final journey. "Go deal with the perimeter Navy!" he commanded his sons. Compared to the monster on the island, the tens of thousands of Marines were the lesser threat.
Whitebeard leaped, crossing a vast distance to crash onto a Marine warship, using it as a stepping stone to bound toward the island's center.
On the island, an astounding Haki erupted. After devouring the Five Elders, Liltotto's power had surged to a level she could barely contain. Black lightning shot into the sky as raw energy spilled from her body.
Using the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, she had transformed into a generic Celestial Dragon. This was the Government's plan: to show the world that despite recent setbacks, they possessed unknown, overwhelming "muscles."
When Whitebeard arrived, he saw a stranger, but her power was undeniable. Without a word, he swung Murakumogiri, coating it in both Armament and Conqueror's Haki. The strike carried enough force to shatter the world, momentarily parting the black lightning surrounding Liltotto.
Liltotto didn't use her Quincy bow or her Gluttony stomach—she was already full. Instead, she drew a Supreme Grade blade: the Shodai Kitetsu, originally the sword of Saint Nusjuro.
Quincies were masters of the blade as much as the bow. Liltotto's fundamental swordsmanship was among the best in the Sternritter.
Clang!
The chill of death—the power of Bakotsu—wreathed her blade as she met Whitebeard's strike. The two blades clashed in mid-air without touching, a testament to their supreme Haki. Whitebeard felt a monstrous force. Despite his full strength, he was blasted backward, crashing through a mountain peak.
"Jihahahaha!"
A laugh echoed from the sky. Shiki the Golden Lion descended. "Oi, Newgate! How embarrassing! Getting knocked around by a woman like that?"
Whitebeard was stunned. He had been so focused on Liltotto that he hadn't sensed Shiki's arrival. Liltotto was also surprised; Beltz had told her to go all out, but Shiki's presence changed the math.
"Another one?" Liltotto smirked. She wasn't a battle maniac, but the sheer volume of power flowing through her made her crave the conflict.
Liltotto swung the Kitetsu. Black lightning distorted into a thread, carrying the freezing frost of Bakotsu and the scorching flames of Itsumade. These two opposing elements lashed out simultaneously at both Shiki and Whitebeard.
"Hey!" Shiki shouted, forced into a full-power defense.
BOOM!
The impact of the ice-and-fire strike sent both legends flying. Then... the sky split.
The sheer pressure of the Haki lanced into the stratosphere, carving a massive rift through the thick clouds. The atmosphere itself seemed to tear open, allowing cosmic rays to shine through the pitch-black crack.
In the clouds, Erensig watched in awe. This Liltotto was likely stronger than the demonized Rocks or the Holy Knight-form Harald. This was the level of Garp and Roger vs. Rocks at God Valley.
In the North Blue, Beltz didn't wait at the Red Line. Using his Subconscious powers, he scanned the minds of everyone in the region until he located the transport ship.
"There's a tough fight ahead," Beltz told Rukia. "If it gets too dangerous, I'll teleport you to Hueco Mundo."
"Don't worry about me," Rukia replied. "I can help."
Beltz, hidden in the clouds in his dragon form, unleashed a massive Bolo Breath. The pillar of fire roared toward the Marine ship, capable of vaporizing a mountain.
Suddenly, a figure leaped from the deck. Wearing a Marine coat, the man threw a punch, dispersing the flames with raw air pressure. It was Vice Admiral Garp.
"So someone actually dared to come!" Garp shouted. "You must be Beltz. The one who killed Kong?!"
Garp was there, and another massive presence—Sengoku—stepped out beside him. Both men shed their Marine coats, revealing black suits beneath.
"Just in time to remove a great evil for Justice!" Sengoku declared.
Beltz didn't dare hold back. His stamina was low from constant flying and maintaining his Schrift, so he immediately entered his hybrid form and activated Quincy: Vollständig—Rebirth of God!
Rukia stood beside him, her blade ready.
"Rukia," Beltz commanded, "just stall Sengoku for a while. Garp is mine!"