The naginata in Whitebeard's hands swept with tremendous force. Half of Aokiji's body in front of him had shattered into fragments of ice that fell to the ground, while Kizaru's expression remained unchanged.
It was already incredibly brave for Whitebeard to face two admirals at once. Blood seeped from the finger-thick hole in his chest, where Kizaru's photon beam had pierced him.
Waves of pain came from within Whitebeard's chest. Su Xiao had told him before that his illness had not been cured, only suppressed and alleviated. To recover fully, he needed a long period of rest along with Su Xiao's medication. Unfortunately, Whitebeard had no time to complete the treatment. Only a few days after his illness had been suppressed, he had come to battle the Marines.
Whitebeard's breathing grew labored. That familiar stabbing pain appeared in his chest. If he continued fighting at such intensity, his heart would eventually give out.
A bright light flashed before Whitebeard. As he leaned aside to dodge, he swung his fist sideways. With a boom, the air cracked beneath his punch, and Kizaru, who had reverted from his elemental form, staggered back several steps.
Aokiji and Kizaru exchanged a glance. They had both noticed that Whitebeard's breathing was growing heavier.
Whitebeard also knew that he could not maintain his current combat strength for long. Fighting three admirals at once earlier had triggered a relapse of his old illness. Now that Ace had suddenly escaped, as long as someone could rush over, they had a chance to rescue Ace. After that, they only needed to consider how to retreat.
Whitebeard's peripheral vision swept toward the enormous ice walls on both sides of the battlefield. They were waves frozen by Aokiji at the beginning, and they would clearly hinder the pirates' retreat.
Thinking of