"If you don't learn Haki, don't even think about getting past!"
"Boom!"
The bat came down hard.
Wrapped in Armament Haki, it smashed into Luffy's head. Skin split. Blood sprayed.
Luffy was sent flying dozens of meters. For a moment, his vision went white. He almost lost consciousness.
But the thought of Ace being executed forced him to stay awake.
He lay there for several seconds, dizzy and trembling. Then, gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stand.
He didn't stop. He staggered to the side and tried to rush forward again.
"I already told you," Xiao's cold voice sounded from behind him. "If you can't learn Haki, you're not going anywhere."
Luffy's body reacted before his mind did. He twisted to the side instinctively.
The bat swept past where his head had just been.
Luffy glared at him.
"Shut up! I don't need you teaching me anything! I'm going to save Ace!"
"Heh."
Xiao smiled faintly.
"You sensed that one. Looks like your Observation Haki is starting to wake up."
He tightened his grip on the bat.
"But that's still not enough."
The Armament Haki coating the bat deepened in color.
"This time, it's twice as strong. If you can't block it, your head will burst."
"Second base."
He swung again.
"Boom!"
The impact created a visible shockwave in the air.
Luffy had no time to defend. He was hit cleanly and launched backward again.
This time, he flew straight toward Whitebeard.
"Teach!"
Whitebeard roared.
He caught Luffy with one hand and steadied him. Luffy was barely conscious, his body limp.
Whitebeard lowered him to the ground behind him.
Then he looked at Xiao.
Xiao stood there, bat resting on his shoulder, blocking the path to the execution platform.
He wasn't looking at Whitebeard.
He was still watching Luffy.
He wanted to see what fate would do next.
As long as Luffy's will hadn't broken, he would stand up again. That was how it always worked.
"Teach…"
This time, it was Whitebeard who moved.
Dragging Murakumogiri, he charged forward.
White vibration waves wrapped around the blade as he swung down with full force.
Xiao didn't even turn his head at first.
Only when the blade was about to fall did he raise two fingers and catch it.
At the same time, the vibration energy was drawn into the darkness in his palm.
The battlefield went quiet for a split second.
Whitebeard's blade had been stopped.
But in the next instant—
A violent vibration burst outward.
"Boom!"
The shockwave exploded between them.
Xiao was blasted backward like a cannonball, crashing deep into the Marine ranks.
Darkness swallowed his figure as he disappeared from sight.
Whitebeard lowered his blade slightly.
The surrounding pirates let out breaths they hadn't realized they were holding.
"So that's it…"
Even Whitebeard himself felt a trace of relief.
For a moment, he had thought Teach had completely neutralized his attack.
Now it seemed the Dark-Dark Fruit could absorb energy, but not without limits. What couldn't be digested was released in an explosion.
There was no time to think further.
Whitebeard raised Murakumogiri again and charged toward the execution platform.
Each swing of his blade released violent shockwaves, sending Marines flying.
"Gurararara! If you're not afraid of death, then come!"
The vibration waves gathered again around his weapon.
Marines instinctively stepped back.
But before the next strike could land—
A foot made of magma came down.
It crushed the vibration wave beneath it.
"If I let you keep this up, this island will be destroyed."
Akainu stood there, his body radiating heat.
His foot pinned Murakumogiri in place. His other arm turned into magma, forming a massive lava fist.
"Magma brat…"
Whitebeard didn't retreat.
He punched forward, shattering the air itself.
Vibration waves collided head-on with magma.
The two forces met.
Red and white energies clashed violently. The air screamed. The ground cracked further.
The shock alone forced nearby Marines and pirates to retreat again and again.
This was a battle between true top-tier fighters.
No one else had the right to interfere.
The war had officially entered its climax.
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