The Whitebeard Pirates Intervene!
Battlefield in the Center of the Deserted Island
The smoke of battle still lingers on the Scorched Earth.
The crimson sunset cast its glow across the desolate plains, the air still thick with the stench of charred remains and the scent of blood.
Ace walked slowly forward through the embers, a shocking bloodstain piercing his shoulder. The blood dripped onto the scorching rock surface, sizzling and evaporating rapidly.
He glanced down at the black wooden box clutched tightly in his arms, his brows furrowed.
What secret does this fruit hold?
He had just finished cremating the last, still breathing Pirate and was heading to the small boat on the shore.
"Buzz!!"
An intense sense of crisis, like a thunderbolt, suddenly exploded from my spine!
Observation Haki bursts forth!!
Ace suddenly turned around--
Not far away, amidst the ruins, a bloated figure, almost charred by flames, slowly rose to its feet!
"Hehe..." The laughter was low and eerie, like the whispers of a demon from the depths of hell.
His entire body was charred black and his skin was cracked, yet he still grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth and a crazed smile.
Her eyes seemed to be pierced by flames, yet she still stared intently at him—
Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach!
The madness, greed, resentment, and twisted light in his eyes almost burst the blood vessels!
"Give me the fruit...!"
The next second!
Blackbeard stomped through the Scorched Earth, his right arm suddenly thrusting out! His entire arm was enveloped in intense Armament Haki, his five knuckles twisted black like eagle hooks, tearing the air around him!
"Five Claws - Heart Devouring!!"
The target is straight for Ace's heart!
Too fast!!
Too close!!
Before the flames had even fully compressed, Ace already felt the deathly pressure that threatened to burst through his body!
"Damn it!!" Ace's pupils dilated violently, flames erupting from behind his shoulders as he attempted to force his way forward!
But it was too late!
At this critical moment—
"Whoosh!"
The void twisted violently, like a mirror shattering, and a slender, calm hand emerged from the crack!
--It precisely blocked Blackbeard's tearing claws!
"Ace..."
That calm yet authoritative voice rang out like a stabilizing force. "Shouldn't I have taught you?"
Flames flowed and spread from the void, and Roy's figure appeared silently between the two, his expression indifferent, his eyes reflecting Teach's distorted face.
He clenched his five fingers, and the space suddenly collapsed!
"Dealing with the enemy--"
"It has to be burned to ashes."
"Bang!!"
The terrifying spatial tremor was like a meteorite impacting the earth! Blackbeard was instantly struck in the chest by an invisible force, suffering excruciating pain in his internal organs and bleeding from his mouth and nose!
"Click-clack!!"
He was thrown back a hundred meters by the shockwave, crashing into the rock wall behind him and shattering it. Dust and rocks filled the sky, and a huge hole was smashed into the entire mountain ridge!
His shattered bloodstains and twisted claw marks remained on the Scorched Earth!
"Ace--!"
Blackbeard's roar, as if tearing his throat apart, echoed for a long time, like a ghostly howl.
Ace was panting heavily, cold sweat dripping down his forehead, his gaze fixed on the back of the figure blocking his way.
"Roy..." he murmured, his heart filled with regret.
"I... I'm sorry..."
Roy didn't turn around, but slowly raised his arm and gently swung it.
"There must be no next time..."
Before the words had even finished --
"Boom!!"
The heavens and earth trembled as a bluish-green fiery meteor plummeted from the sky, the air distorted by the intense heat of the fire!
"What did you do to my partner?!"
A figure as swift as a shooting star, radiating rage, swooped down like a phoenix spreading its wings!
It was Phoenix Marco the Phoenix, the first division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!!
"Phoenix Brand!!"
His right leg was wrapped in a high concentration of Armament Haki, which merged with the Phoenix Flames, transforming into a cyan-gold phoenix claw shadow that struck Roy like Inazuma!
A strike that cleaved through the air, like Meteor streaking across the sky, tore the Battlefield apart!
The target is Roy's face!
But Roy didn't move an inch; he simply slowly extended one finger.
"Clang--!"
With a deafening roar, the entire air froze instantly!
Marco was horrified to discover that the attack, powerful enough to shatter sea monsters, had actually—
Roy blocked it so casually with just one finger...?!
The aftershocks exploded, and flames surged back.
When he saw that calm, expressionless face, he was suddenly shocked!
"... Roy?!!"
Deep within his consciousness, the memory of being "punched in the head" on the Battlefield suddenly throbbed with intense pain!
The crack in my forehead seemed to crackle faintly again, and a deafening roar shook my head!
He retreated at lightning speed and stopped abruptly in mid-air, his fiery wings trembling slightly.
Just as the phoenix flames had not completely dissipated, Marco stood frozen in mid-air, his expression one of astonishment—
"Ro--Yi--!"
A roar as fierce as the heavens and earth suddenly exploded from the depths of the jungle!
The sound shook the mountains and the heavens!
The next moment, the jungle collapsed as if crushed by a giant dragon, and dozens of ancient trees exploded at the same time!
The ground cracked open, revealing a towering figure, majestic as a mountain, carrying the domineering Haki and pressure of a tsunami, shattering the ground as it arrived!
--Edward Newgate with Whitebeard!
His body was wreathed in vibrational energy, his eyes were wide open in anger, the veins on his forehead were bulging, and his Right Hand was tightly Murakumogiri. A Spiral energy from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was spinning endlessly, like a harbinger of the world's collapse!
"How dare you lay a hand on my son, Roy!!"
With a furious roar, Murakumogiri seemed to Sky Splitter as it slashed down from the sky, its target— Roy!
"Roy!!" Ace's pupils constricted, and he cried out in alarm, trying to rush forward!
Roy's expression remained unchanged, calm as ever, he simply waved his left hand slightly—
"Whoosh--!"
A spatial ripple spread out like a folded mirror, Ace vanished instantly, teleported to the top of a rock pillar hundreds of meters away, where he stood in a safe position.
At the same time, Roy slowly gathered power in his right fist. On the tip of his fist, Conqueror's Haki surged and swept out like a raging sea, and the world suddenly darkened!
"Boom--!"
Fist and knife—explosion before even touching!
The convergence of two terrifying forces in the air triggered a deafening roar that shook the heavens and the earth! The entire Deserted Island was thrown into chaos, with storms raging and shockwaves spreading for miles!
"Click-clack!!"
Black cracks appeared in the sky, like torn spider webs, piercing through the clouds! The sea churned, the mountains roared, and the Scorched Earth trembled!
The ground caved in, creating a massive crater hundreds of meters deep!
Ace exclaimed in horror, "This is... the ultimate clash of Conqueror's Haki?!"
The Whitebeard frowned, and the Murakumogiri in his hand trembled as he felt the overwhelming power of the young man for the first time!
"This kid's Conqueror's Haki... even stronger than it was on the Battlefield before?!"
Whitebeard roared, his voice like thunder, shaking the heavens. "How dare you lay a hand on my child!!"
Roy stared coldly at him, his voice like a blade piercing everyone's ears. "Your crew... attacked my brother, attempting to steal the fruit he brought back."
"As the captain, you drew your sword against me without even asking what happened?"
Roy took a small step forward, raising his right fist high.
"Whitebeard —you've gotten old and senile."
"You actually dare to attack me?!"
The words had barely left his mouth!
"Boom!!"
His fist slammed out again, his Conqueror's Haki erupting like subterranean fire and a volcanic eruption!
The earth and sky shook again!
"Looks like you guys... aren't planning on leaving today!!"
Whitebeard was shocked. "Teach did it?!"
This momentary lapse in concentration created a slight opening in his power—
"Thump--!"
A surge of violent energy shot forward, causing the Whitebeard giant arm to tremble and his tiger's mouth to explode. The shockwave was abruptly dissipated, and the ground beneath his feet cracked open. He was forced back three steps!
This sea tyrant, who had dominated the New World for decades, was forced to a disadvantage in a clash of power for the first time!
"Pops!!"
High in the sky, Marco witnessed Whitebeard being forced back three steps, his temple veins throbbing!
His eyes turned cold, flames instantly surged, and his entire body transformed into a streak of azure-gold comet light, plummeting abruptly from the sky!
"Presumptuous!"
"Crane Claws!"
With a furious roar, he launched himself into a rapid dive in phoenix form, his legs snapping together in mid-air like blades, before stomping forward!
With spiraling blue flames and a high concentration of Armament Haki wrapped around his toes, this attack, propelled by inertia, transformed into a blade-claw that could pierce through clouds and split the earth!
The air was instantly torn apart, and the spiraling waves crashed down like a hurricane.
The target is Roy's chest!
Faced with the deadly attack that seemed to fall from the sky, Roy's expression remained unchanged, and he stood calmly.
He simply raised his Right Hand slowly, palm slightly open, fingers gently waving.
It looked as if they were chasing away flying insects.
"Don't get in my way."
"Click!!"
A strange spatial rift instantly distorted the void, as if the air itself had been crumpled!
"Bang--!"
Marco's thunderous "Crane Claw" attack was sent flying at an angle by the palm strike before it could even hit its target, and the spatial wave sent him flying sideways!
Boom!!
His body flew backwards like a meteor, crashing through three rocky peaks!
Debris collapsed, and dust and fog obscured the sky!
The trail of blue flame remaining high in the sky still traced a broken mark in the air, lingering for a long time.
The scene was silent; everyone felt as if they were in a nightmare.
He withdrew his hand, his gaze falling on the old Sea Emperor, Whitebeard Newgate, who was still gripping the hilt of his sword and frowning.
His voice, like a stone thrown into a well, shattered the silence:
"You--"
"Want to leave?"