Whitebeard vs. Saint Saturn: The Limit of Tremors
On the white jade steps Room of Authority, the aftershocks of clashing blades lingered for a long time.
Edward Newgate, in his thirties, was in his prime, his body as imposing as a mountain, his tight-fitting robe outlining his full, muscular physique. His giant Naginata, Murakumogiri, hovered in mid-air, the Tremor-Tremor white light emanating from its blade retracting slowly like receding waves, finally settling into the cold metal body.
The layers of white jade steps beneath his feet suddenly shattered, large slabs of stone tumbling down the steps and crashing into the next layer, shattering into dust. Five steps ahead, Saint Saturn stood with a cold and stern expression, his right arm hanging naturally at his sides, his entire arm enveloped in a thick, dark golden Armament Haki. But now, the seemingly indestructible surface of his Haki was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, three deep fissures tearing from his fist down the back of his hand and then extending to his wrist, as if ice had been crushed by immense force.
With just three strikes, he had already torn through the defensive barrier of the Celestial Dragons' strongest fighting force.
The first strike shattered the Haki on the fist, cracks creeping up the finger bones to the back of the hand; the second horizontal slash expanded the damage, cracks running across the back of the hand and eroding all the way to the forearm joint; the third charged slash fell, crisscrossing cracks covering the entire right arm, blasting a fatal weak point into the originally impenetrable Armament Haki.
Just then, two figures surrounded them from the left and right.
On the left, Ash spread his wings, and the cyan-gold Phoenix flames exploded, the fire waves surging forward along the cracks in the stone steps, completely blocking Saint Saturn's space to dodge to the left; on the right, Huijin rose into the air, and the gray-black infernal flames soared into the sky, turning into a wall of fire to block the retreat, completely sealing off all of Saint Saturn's retreat routes.
With everything in front, behind, left, and right blocked, Saint Saturn was trapped in a deadly predicament.
Whitebeard raised his hand again, gripping the heavy Murakumogiri. This time, he completely changed his previous fighting style, which involved shaking mountains and rivers on a large scale. In the past, when he swung the blade, the power of the shockwave would spread out in all directions, causing the earth to tremble within a thousand miles; but now he compressed the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit layer by layer, gathering all the shockwaves onto the thin blade.
A dense, blinding white light gathered wildly at the blade's edge, its halo spreading along the blade's body. The air within a radius of several meters twisted violently, and countless fine lines appeared on the hard white jade ground. The invisible vibrations compressed the surrounding air currents, causing them to hum.
Even at his peak, the continuous compression of the Devil Fruit's power still placed a tremendous burden on Whitebeard. His chest heaved violently, each breath heavy and thunderous, his blood churning within him. His hands gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, the hard wooden handle chafing his thumbs and forefingers, crimson blood dripping down the wood grain and onto the broken stone steps, spreading into a small patch of dark bloodstain.
Saint Saturn raised his right arm, attempting to repair the damaged Armament Haki. The cracks slowly healed under the nourishment of the Haki, but the repair speed was three times slower than before the battle. The crack on his fist barely closed, but the healed area was as thin as a cicada's wing, more than twice as fragile as the original thick armor, and could not withstand the next powerful slash.
He stared intently at the blade of Whitebeard's sword, his gaze grave. "Your Tremor-Tremor Fruit has changed its development method. In the past, you recklessly unleashed tremors, destroying everything on a large scale. Now, you compress the power into a single point, each strike refined to its extreme. Edward Newgate, have you deliberately changed your tactics?"
Whitebeard grinned, his rough face bearing the arrogance unique to pirates, the veins bulging on his arm gripping the hilt of his sword. "I'm in my prime, and certainly have the capacity to expend my strength, but against your layered defenses, wild swings are useless. Every strike must land on the same wound."
Before he could finish speaking, the Whitebeard suddenly swung his sword.
The first horizontal slash tore through the air, the shockwave trapped on the surface of the blade, transforming into a shock membrane barely perceptible to the naked eye. Saint Saturn raised his arm without hesitation to block it, the blade and Armament Haki colliding violently, the compressed vibrations exploding instantly.
Boom!
The white jade steps beneath their feet shattered simultaneously, sending shards of stone flying into the sky. Saint Saturn's steps faltered, and he involuntarily took half a step back. The domineering Haki that had just been barely repaired cracked again, and new wounds appeared on top of the old ones. The armor on his entire right arm could no longer be completely closed.
Before his opponent could regain his footing, Whitebeard leaped into the air, Murakumogiri slashed down from above. Saint Saturn slid to the side at lightning speed, barely avoiding the fatal blow. The blade slammed into the stone steps, blasting a deep crater into the boulder. Flying shards of rock lashed Saint Saturn's calves, tearing open several wounds in his flesh.
The brief respite was fleeting, and the third strike followed immediately, the blade slashing horizontally, aimed straight for Saint Saturn's waist and abdomen.
Saint Saturn couldn't dodge in time and could only barely twist his body. The sharp blade grazed the magnificent Celestial Dragons's robe, tearing the brocade fabric with a snap. Although it didn't injure his physical body, the enormous impact still caused him to lose his balance, and his upper body tilted uncontrollably backward.
Whitebeard sheathed his sword, stood still, and gasped for breath. The surging power within him caused his muscles to tremble slightly.
Saint Saturn straightened up, looked down at his torn robes, and his face grew increasingly grim. He clenched his right fist and tried his best to use Armament Haki to repair the cracks, but the healing speed of the damaged Haki was getting slower and slower, and the tattered armor could no longer provide the highest level of defense.
"Encircle them!"
The Whitebeard gave a low shout.
Ashes and Huijin charged forward simultaneously, their golden and gray flames rapidly converging, instantly shrinking the encirclement by half. Saint Saturn hurriedly dodged to the right, only to be forced back to his original position by the golden flames spewed from Ashes; he then tried to break through to the left, only to be met head-on by the wall of fire erected by Huijin.
Retreat? The escape route had already been completely blocked by the sea of fire.
Ahead lay the Whitebeard poised to strike, while flames soared to the sky from the left, right, and rear. His space for maneuver was being squeezed out bit by bit, like a cage being slowly closed, leaving him no room to maneuver whatsoever.
Whitebeard held Murakumogiri high above his head.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was compressed to its limit, and the dazzling white light condensed into a thin wisp of light, clinging tightly to the blade. An invisible tremor spread outwards, and the stone bricks underfoot rippled continuously. The stone frame of the side door of the Room of Authority was the first to crack, and fine cracks spread all the way, taking deep root in the wall behind.
This was the ultimate strike, a powerful compression and vibration from a middle-aged Whitebeard.
Saint Saturn had no choice but to grit his teeth, channel all his Haki into his right arm, and do his utmost to support the tattered armor.
The next instant, Murakumogiri crashed down.
The blade didn't fall very fast, but the trajectory it left completely shattered the air, and visible shockwaves rolled and spread in all directions. Walls, stone steps, and door frames cracked and splintered one after another.
Bang--!
The blade struck Saint Saturn's right arm squarely.
The already tattered dark gold Armament Haki instantly crumbled, cracks bursting open in seven places simultaneously: the fist, the back of the hand, the wrist, the forearm, the elbow, the upper arm, and even the shoulder joint. The Haki defense of the entire arm shattered on the spot.
Before the armor fragments even hit the ground, a terrifying shockwave propelled Saint Saturn backward.
A deafening roar!
He crashed violently through the solid wood side door of the Room of Authority, the thick door panel shattering into three large pieces of wood chips. His body became heavily embedded in the stone wall behind the door, the hard wall caved inward to form a deep, human-shaped pit, and spiderweb-like cracks spread across the entire wall centered on his body.
As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated, Saint Saturn was embedded in the stone wall, unable to move. The Armament Haki on his right arm had vanished, and his entire arm hung limply, clearly indicating that he had lost his ability to fight.
King folded his wings, extinguishing the flames around him, and slowly walked to Whitebeard's side. His gaze was fixed on the Celestial Dragons high-ranking officer inside the stone wall, and he calmly made a judgment. "His right arm's Armament Haki has been completely shattered, and his entire defensive system has collapsed. Without a complete Haki armor, he can no longer withstand high-intensity attacks; this arm will be unable to fight for the foreseeable future."
As the Huijin beside him extinguished their flames, Captain Newgate gazed at the lingering shockwaves on the ground, his eyes filled with astonishment. "That attack just now transcended the simple shockwave explosion of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Captain Newgate completely locked the power of the shockwave onto the blade, transforming the shockwave into a sharp slash that could even cut through Armament Haki."
The repeated compression of the Devil Fruit's power to its limit exhausted most of the young Whitebeard's strength.
He could no longer hold on, collapsing heavily to one knee amidst the rubble, plunging the Murakumogiri deep into the ground to steady himself, his hands gripping the hilt tightly. Dust and gravel clung to the hem of his white robe, his chest heaving with surging blood, a trickle of dark red blood escaping from the corner of his mouth. The internal energy Saint Saturn had unleashed during their clash had accumulated in his chest, which he had been forcibly suppressing, but now, with his strength depleted, the internal injuries could no longer be contained. The wound on his hand continued to bleed, staining most of the hilt of the sword crimson.
Whitebeard, leaning on his sword, panted for a long time before slowly standing up.
He drew the Murakumogiri, all the white light on the blade fading away, leaving only the cold, unadorned color of steel. His gaze swept over the immobile Saint Saturn, embedded in the wall, confirming that the other was completely incapacitated before he steadily hoisted the giant Naginata onto his shoulder.
"One of the five Celestial Dragons has been dealt with, leaving four. Continue advancing."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ember and Huijin quickly passed by him on the left and right, rushing towards the rest of the battlefield inside Mary Geoise to provide support.
On the distant sea, at the bow of the Pluton, Lin Yuan could clearly see the tall and imposing figure on the steps across most of Mary Geoise's forecourt. Even with his internal injuries, Whitebeard's steps remained steady, showing no intention of halting his advance. He nodded silently, the main force of the allied forces' assault line remaining secure.
A brief moment of tranquility descended upon the top of the white jade steps. On one side stood the Whitebeard, leaning on his sword, his imposing presence still palpable; on the other, Saint Saturn lay trapped deep within the stone wall, unable to move.
From all directions, the sounds of fighting from other battlefields rose and fell.
From afar came Kaido's earth-shattering dragon roar, the collision of Dragon Breath and Haki stirring up a gale; Roger wielded the Supreme Grade Great Grade Sword, unleashing a series of sharp sword energies; Bullet clashed his fists together, each strike causing the earth to shake violently; Charlotte Big Mom swung Napoleon's Greatsword, the torrent of souls and Saint Shepherd Ju Peter's spatial slash tearing each other apart, twisting and creating a large vacuum zone.
With four fronts engaged simultaneously, the Holy Knights were firmly tied down on the flanks and unable to spare any manpower to support the main gate of Mary Geoise. The Celestial Dragons' defenses had been torn to pieces by the Allied Forces.
Whitebeard took a deep breath, suppressing the surging blood in his chest, and stepped onto the main road deep within Mary Geoise.
The tip of Murakumo -Murakumogiri dragged on the stone steps, its sharp edge slicing through the rock, leaving a long, grating mark.
The sound of the blade scraping against the bluestone echoed as it moved forward, much like the future maritime overlord using his blade to cleave through all obstacles in his path.