Black Winged Great Demon

Spiritual Pressure rained down. A pair of enormous black wings spread from behind Cifer, who stood in midair, and in Ace's eyes, it was as if the entire sky had been obscured!

In just a few moments, once the rain of Spiritual Pressure ceased, Cifer's appearance underwent a certain degree of change. The helmet that had originally possessed only half of a single horn became a complete double-horned helm.

The tear streaks on his face became darker and thicker, while his black nails turned into long claws. His dark green eyes now filled Ace with an immense sense of pressure, as well as a long-lost thrill!

Ever since joining the Whitebeard Pirates, this was the first time he had encountered someone who seemed utterly unbeatable at a single glance!

"Great Flame Ring: Fire Emperor!"

Ace stopped holding back. Drawing upon every ounce of his strength, he raised his right hand, and an enormous fireball materialized in the air above it. The power contained within was enough to instantly level an entire mountain!

"Take this, Cifer!"

Ace shot into the air and exerted force with both hands, violently blasting Fire Emperor toward Cifer in the sky.

"Moonlight Sword."

With a casual grab, Cifer seized a glowing longsword from thin air. Pointing its tip downward, he thrust it fiercely into the enormous fireball before him!

In the blink of an eye, Fire Emperor was shattered by the Moonlight Sword. The remaining force scattered over Cifer's body, but it could not harm the Steel Skin of Cifer in his first-stage Resurrección.

"Cero Oscuras!" Cifer merely flicked a finger, and a streak of light flashed past at extreme speed. Ace was then blasted from the sky and smashed into the ground, gouging out a massive crater over ten meters wide. Ace was embedded in the earth, blood already spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Meanwhile, Cifer in the air revealed an expression that said he had expected as much. Even before activating Resurrección, he had noticed that although his Cero had failed to hit Ace, it was because the Spiritual Pressure within the Cero he fired in that state seemed to leak outward considerably.

Although Cero Oscuras was less powerful than Cero, its Spiritual Pressure was extremely stable and did not leak outward. Its speed was also far greater than Cero's. However, if he had fired that Cero in his Resurrección state, Ace likely would not have been able to get back up now.

It seemed that although he did not possess the Three Types of Haki unique to the world of the Pirate King, the abilities he possessed were enough to rival them.

Neural Scan could be used like Observation Haki, while the controlled, concentrated release of Spiritual Pressure could be regarded as Armament Haki. Then there was the outward release of Spiritual Pressure as an aura, which could be understood as Conqueror's Haki.

"Want to go again, Ace?"

Cifer slowly descended to the ground and extended a hand, signaling Ace to grab it and get up.

"Of course! Cifer may be strong, but I'm not the kind of man who gets knocked down so easily!" Ace naturally grabbed Cifer's outstretched right hand and forcefully pulled himself free from the ground where he had been embedded.

"If you submit to strength, then you're no man at all!"

Ace wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth and looked at Cifer with resolute eyes. Cifer saw excitement, unwillingness, stubbornness, and all sorts of other emotions on his face—everything except fear.

Although Ace knew he could no longer be a match for Cifer in this form, surrendering when faced with a stronger opponent was not his style, nor was it the style of the Whitebeard Pirates!

"Gurararara~ Stop, Ace." Whitebeard vigorously shook his wine jug, only to discover that there truly was not a single drop left. He shouted, "You're no match for the brat Cifer. I can't let my beloved son keep getting hurt."

With that, he drew Tenguyama, one of the 12 Supreme Grade Swords, from behind his chair and abruptly rose to his feet. Conqueror's Haki began faintly leaking from his body.

"Old Man!" Only then did Marco suddenly realize that Whitebeard had secretly finished another jug of wine. He immediately began cursing, "You already drank a lot at yesterday's banquet, and you dare sneak more today? Can't you just listen to me for once?!"

After Marco's scolding, the previously imposing Whitebeard suddenly looked somewhat aggrieved. After all, his beloved son was scolding him out of concern for his health, so there was truly no way for him to argue back.

"Honestly, the brat Cifer is still here. Can't Marco give this Old Man a little face?" Whitebeard could not help rubbing his head.

"Mr. Whitebeard, you should still drink less. At your age, you need to take care of your health," Cifer reminded him, naturally aware that Whitebeard's current physical condition was poor.

"Gurararara~ I'm Whitebeard!"

With that, Whitebeard leapt down from the Moby Dick, swinging Tenguyama directly at Cifer.

"Wait, Old Man! I'm still here!" Seeing Whitebeard descend with Tenguyama in hand, Ace immediately transformed into flames and fled the battlefield at top speed.

Cifer did not choose to dodge Whitebeard's incoming attack. Instead, he met it with the Moonlight Sword in hand. The instant the Moonlight Sword collided with Tenguyama, an immense impact crashed into him, making even Cifer's sword-gripping hands tremble slightly.

This was the strongest man in the world! This pressure and overwhelming strength were something Ace could not compare to at all!

Cifer could not imagine how terrifying it would have been if Whitebeard had been able to fight in this condition throughout the Summit War! Sinking Marineford truly would not have been a joke!

After their brief clash, Whitebeard swung his weapon forcefully, separating their blades. Yet Cifer, who had been standing firm, was driven backward again and again by that immense force. Only after retreating a full five or six meters did he stop. Looking at the two deep trails his feet had carved into the ground, Cifer felt the gap between himself and Whitebeard in terms of raw strength.

However, Cifer was not discouraged. His true power was not measured by close combat or physical strength. The fact that he could now contend with Whitebeard even slightly through sheer strength alone was enough to make him proud. After all, his opponent was a monster who, even while injured, could stop a giant Pirate Ship with one hand.

"Gurararara~" Whitebeard planted Tenguyama into the ground and laughed as he looked at Cifer. "Brat Cifer, don't tell me this is all you've got?"

"Of course not." Cifer knew that Whitebeard's aged body could not sustain battle for long, so he had no intention of dragging things out. "Mr. Whitebeard, please strike me with your full power next."

"Ah!!!"

A unanimous cry rose from the Whitebeard Pirates. Marco asked in disbelief, "Cifer, are you sure? Old Man's full-powered attack is enough to destroy this entire island! You'll die!"

Whitebeard said nothing and quietly waited for Cifer's answer.

"Of course."

Cifer looked at Whitebeard firmly. In his perception, Whitebeard was indeed immensely powerful, but the full force of his first-stage Resurrección's Garganta and Moonlight Sword was equally terrifying.

"Gurararara~ Don't die, brat!"

Whitebeard retreated several dozen meters, then raised Tenguyama high overhead. Black Armament Haki wrapped around the blade, followed by a nearly transparent glow that covered its edge. Everyone held their breath at the sight. Only Blackbeard swallowed, because this was undoubtedly one of the powers he desired most—the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!

Suddenly, Whitebeard's arm tensed continuously as streaks of lightning coiled and flashed around Tenguyama. This was the Conqueror's Haki coating of the very strongest!

At this moment, Whitebeard's power continued to rise in Cifer's perception, its intensity nearly exceeding the limits of Cifer's first-stage Resurrección.

"As expected of the strongest man in the world!"

An incomparably powerful aura began gathering in Cifer's hand. Everyone assumed it would be the Cero he had used earlier, but unexpectedly, this time it was a Garganta several times more powerful than before, wrapped in Spiritual Pressure that Cifer had compressed and stabilized once again.

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes and simply swung Tenguyama forward, unleashing a hurricane. The atmosphere before him shattered like glass, and a massive transparent radiance surged toward Cifer with unstoppable force, splitting apart the earth everywhere it passed.

At that moment, the Garganta at Cifer's fingertips was ready as well, shooting straight toward that beam of light!

The instant the transparent light collided with the Garganta, an incomparably destructive force burst forth. Whitebeard planted Tenguyama into the ground and slammed both fists toward the overflowing power, preventing his beloved sons from being caught up in it.

Cifer, meanwhile, raised the Moonlight Sword and pointed it ahead. His immense Spiritual Pressure formed a barrier against that force.

In mere moments, the two powers had exhausted each other. Cifer, who had initially been only a few dozen meters away, had been forced back several hundred meters. The blood spilling from his mouth and the partially destroyed coat proved without question that he had been completely at a disadvantage in this clash.

As for the entire island, after this spar between Cifer and Whitebeard, everything except the area where Whitebeard stood and the area behind Cifer had been reduced to ruins. The ground had completely collapsed, while the forests and mountains had vanished entirely!

"No way... Cifer actually took Old Man's full-power strike!" Every member of the Whitebeard Pirates, including the commanders, stared wide-eyed in utter disbelief.

"Damn it!" Blackbeard felt even more uneasy. Cifer's immense power set every alarm in his mind blaring!

"Gurararara~ I really am getting old. My full-power attack was actually taken so easily by a brat like you." Whitebeard appeared to be mocking himself, yet he showed no sign whatsoever of admitting defeat to age.

Cifer had also gained an accurate assessment of his own strength. In his First Resurrección, facing the current Whitebeard at his peak was still somewhat difficult. But in his Second Resurrección, he was likely considerably stronger than Whitebeard—meaning he stood above the Yonko.

But when he thought of the legendary Im, Cifer put aside any notion of being invincible. After all, he had no intention of testing the power of Im's ability to inflict devastating damage from afar.

"Mr. Whitebeard, don't say that. If I'd really taken it so easily, I wouldn't be in this state." Cifer wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Under the terrifying restorative power of High-Speed Regeneration, the injuries he had just sustained were rapidly healing. After all, as long as they were not fatal, they were merely minor wounds to him.

Meanwhile, Sengoku, who was at Marineford, received news from the New World.