Actually, Akainu realized the moment Lone Red appeared that he meant trouble; there was no need for Sengoku to remind him.
His legs transformed into magma, and he charged toward Whitebeard with the powerful force of a volcanic eruption.
Whitebeard was naturally not the indecisive type. Once he had made up his mind, he immediately said, "I'll remember this favor!"
"Don't overthink it. I'm merely completing our previous transaction while I'm at it. Besides, I don't believe someone like you will have a future!" Redfield chuckled lightly as he leaped forward at incredible speed.
The distance between Redfield and Whitebeard was shorter, and Redfield himself was faster, so Akainu could only watch helplessly as the other man drove his sharp claws into Whitebeard's neck.
"Old Man..."
The pirates of the Whitebeard Pirates cried out in alarm, but those worried voices then caught in their throats and could not get out.
That was because Whitebeard's body was changing at a speed visible to the naked eye. First, the wrinkles on his face gradually receded. Then his graying beard and hair changed color. Finally, even his sagging muscles began to regain their elasticity.
Seeing Old Man grow younger, a strange thought suddenly flashed through the minds of Whitebeard's sons. Could it be that they really would have to start calling him Big Brother in the future, just as Redfield had said?
Boom!
Akainu, who was a moment too late, was sent flying by a punch from the rejuvenated Whitebeard. He skidded across the frozen plain and only stopped after crashing headfirst into an iceberg.
"Gurarara, I like this feeling!"
Only then did the people in front of the screen and on the battlefield come back to their senses from their shock at the sudden turn of events.
"W, W, Whitebeard has become