Earth-Shattering Collision: Sengoku's Pursuit

In the midst of the Marine's grand fleet, Sengoku's expression was terrifyingly grim. The surrounding officers remained silent, heads bowed, their faces ashen.

By now, they had received news of two warships losing contact, and the Vivre Cards of two Vice Admirals were continuously burning until they vanished completely. Both Vice Admirals were dead. What about the remaining six thousand Marines?

"They sacrificed themselves with Rona, and only fifteen minutes have passed," Sengoku gritted out, slamming his palm onto the table, leaving a deep imprint.

"Sengoku, calm down," Vice Admiral Tsuru, standing beside him, advised. Although she was also shocked by such losses, it was precisely in moments like these that one needed to remain calm.

Sengoku's face turned bright red. He took a deep breath, trying his best to compose himself. "These were three Vice Admirals and ten thousand Marines! They held out for twenty minutes before being completely sacrificed. Did Whitebeard himself do this? Or did the Whitebeard Pirates go all out?"

"This is the first time in over a decade that the Marines have suffered such heavy casualties all at once. We failed to stall them, essentially handing them the meat to devour." It was a complete slap in the face. Three warships led by Vice Admirals facing the full might of the Whitebeard Pirates – it was imaginable that they were utterly defenseless, their deaths utterly meaningless.

"Regardless, our plan must have been exposed to the Whitebeard Pirates, which is why this happened," Tsuru sighed. "Although I don't know where the leak came from, we now face a question: do we still attack the Whitebeard Pirates? Facing a prepared Whitebeard Pirates, with his abilities, it will be difficult for us to even get close."

At this point, only Kong could speak to Sengoku like this. "We must attack! We must!" Sengoku declared decisively. "To mobilize such a large force and return without any achievements, with such heavy losses, the Marines will become a laughingstock."

As Sengoku said, an attack was necessary. "However, order the other two warships to retreat to G1 Branch. Otherwise, they will become targets for Whitebeard, and it will only be a futile sacrifice." At this crucial moment, Sengoku did not completely abandon himself to reckless revenge but calmly analyzed the current situation, aiming to minimize unnecessary casualties. Tsuru nodded in satisfaction. "I will inform Marine Headquarters of your decision."

Tsuru's wisdom was not to be underestimated. Sengoku was the commander of this war, and Tsuru was his chief of staff, assisting him and also serving as a supervisor to prevent the commander from acting irrationally.

"Inform Sengoku that Headquarters agrees with his decision. We must display the power of the Marines." At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Kong issued the order. This plan was largely his brainchild, and the loss of the three warships was, in essence, his responsibility. He suppressed the anger in his heart. It was a disastrous start. Who leaked the plan?

"Investigate thoroughly. Everyone who knew the details of this operation must be investigated." The exposure of this operation had brought immense losses to the Marines. In Kong's view, there was a problem within the Marines. However, he never imagined that the problem stemmed from Teach, who, with his highly advanced Observation Haki, had overheard their conversation.

"Ouch, gently," Teach took a deep breath as alcohol was poured onto his wound. The intense, burning pain was excruciating.

The war was about to begin, and Teach couldn't afford to hide and nurse his injuries. He applied a specially prepared ointment. The medicinal industry in this world was highly developed, likely due to global customs. People often got injured at sea, leading to the development of various wound treatments with potent effects. Combined with Teach's astonishing vitality, his wound quickly scabbed over. These medications aided in healing, but such a severe injury would normally require several days of rest.

The ship's doctor was accustomed to such injuries, skillfully stitching the wound, applying ointment, and wrapping it with bandages. Within minutes, Teach reappeared outside, his wound seemingly healed. Although it still hurt, it didn't impede his actions at all.

He emerged at the opportune moment. From a distance, they could see a massive warship approaching. His crewmates stared intently at the approaching vessel, ready for battle.

It wasn't the expected fleet, only a single warship. "It seems the Marines know about Pops' abilities. The remaining warships have retreated," one of the pirates chuckled.

The warship drew closer, eventually stopping about a hundred meters from the Moby Dick.

"Gurararara! Sengoku, long time no see. I've been waiting here for you for a long time," Whitebeard said, walking to the ship's prow with his Murakumogiri, laughing heartily.

"Hmph!" Sengoku remained silent. The two men locked eyes. Suddenly, Whitebeard's eyes narrowed. Simultaneously, both sides unleashed their powerful auras. With a "boom," arcs of electricity appeared in the air. This was a clash of Conqueror's Haki. The sea began to churn, waves surging violently. Air currents flowed rapidly, impacting each other. The sea and sky seemed to split in two, no, into two worlds. The ocean current surged towards the enemy, the atmosphere rushed towards the enemy, and the sky seemed to be cleaved in half.

Teach leaned against the wall, steadying himself, his eyes wide as he watched the scene. Compared to these two men, who stood at the pinnacle of the world, his own aura was utterly weak. However, he now had a goal. One day, he would reach this level, or even surpass them. Teach firmly believed this.

But he understood that he was still in the accumulation phase, not yet truly grown.

Sengoku's Conqueror's Haki was also terrifying. The constant clashes were, in essence, evenly matched. This was his "justice that reigns over the world."

The clash of Conqueror's Haki continued, with Sengoku's gradually being suppressed by Whitebeard's, beginning to weaken. Constrained by the Marines and the World Government at every turn, how could his Conqueror's Haki compare to Whitebeard's?

However, the duel of the strong was not solely determined by Conqueror's Haki. The clash lasted only half a minute, but for the Marines and pirates present, it felt like an eternity. The mental pressure was agonizing. For the true powerhouses, however, it had little effect.

As if by agreement, they stopped simultaneously. Admiral Sengoku unleashed his abilities, his body continuously growing larger, turning golden, finally resembling a giant Buddha.

This was the Mythical Zoan, Human-Human Fruit, Model: Great Buddha, possessing terrifying defensive power and capable of unleashing devastating shockwaves.

Maintaining his Great Buddha form, Sengoku extended his massive palm forward, concentrating immense power within it. Whitebeard set Murakumogiri aside, raised his right hand, spread his legs, bent his right arm backward, and clenched his fist. A transparent, silvery-white aura appeared around his fist, compressing the ultimate power of vibration.

"Great Buddha Impact!" "Quake Punch!" Sengoku and Whitebeard shouted in unison.

Heaven and earth lost their color. A powerful shockwave erupted from the Great Buddha's body, colliding with the vibrating force that also blasted forward in the space between the two ships.

The light was so blinding that they couldn't open their eyes. Everyone scrambled to secure themselves. The pirate ship swayed violently, tilting on the sea. Their ears buzzed, as if about to burst.

Witnessing such a close-range collision of world-class power, "Too terrifying!" they exclaimed. Once they recovered, they looked ahead. The sea had caved in, forming a hemispherical void with a diameter of a hundred meters under the force of the attack.

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard roared with laughter. He stomped his right foot downwards and threw another punch, "Quake Punch!"

"Children, we're withdrawing. I'm done playing with them," Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Understood, Pops." Hearing their father's words, the crew members on the ship immediately sprang into action, returning to their posts. The Moby Dick turned, sailing away into the distance.

Another "Great Buddha Impact" strike canceled out Whitebeard's Quake Punch. Immediately afterward, the sea level began to rise. "Damn it, it's a tsunami!" In a short span, a hundred-meter-high tsunami formed, surging towards the warship, obscuring the sky. In the face of such a natural disaster, one could only feel their own insignificance.

"To unleash such an attack? This is terrifying." Kizaru, who was usually nonchalant, wore a serious expression. As a Devil Fruit user, he possessed a natural reverence for the sea, especially in the face of such a terrifying tsunami. However, he wasn't worried; with his abilities, he could easily evade it. But what about the others?

"What do we do? The warship will be crushed."

"Are we going to die at sea?"

"Don't worry, Admiral Sengoku is here!" Seeing the Marines' morale waver, Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke. Human strength was no match for natural disasters. Apart from those monsters, how could anyone not feel fear in the face of such a calamity? She understood their feelings.

"Great Buddha Impact." Sengoku faced the tsunami with an unperturbed expression. With a "boom," the colossal tsunami was split in two from a distance, a circular cavity appearing in the middle, forcefully blasted open by Sengoku.

"We're saved!" The Marines, who had narrowly escaped death, smiled. "Full speed ahead! Chase them! Don't let the Whitebeard Pirates escape!" Sengoku roared.

Upon closer inspection, the Whitebeard Pirates had already fled, heading further into the distance. Sengoku's anger remained unvented. How could he let the Whitebeard Pirates escape so easily? If the Marines didn't demonstrate their strength, with such heavy losses, where would their reputation be?

Three days later, Sengoku's warship was still pursuing the Moby Dick.

Meanwhile, various powers in the New World had already set their sights on the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines. The truth behind this operation and what happened during the war, along with the Marines' losses, were all exposed.

Because the Whitebeard Pirates' whereabouts were discovered, three warships and three Vice Admirals were dispatched to stall for time while G1 Branch advanced at full speed, launching a lightning-fast attack that caught everyone and every power off guard.

If this operation had succeeded, even if the Whitebeard Pirates weren't annihilated, they would have suffered heavy losses, and the consequences would have reshaped the entire New World order.

But undoubtedly, it had failed. The Whitebeard Pirates were still quite amicable and wouldn't provoke the Marines unless provoked. When encountering the Marines, they would either flee or let their subordinates gain experience. Whitebeard himself wouldn't act unless necessary; killing a Marine Vice Admiral would mean completely offending the Marines.

With the operation exposed, the Whitebeard Pirates had no reason to hold back. With everyone targeting them, why should they show restraint? Before Sengoku arrived, they annihilated the three warships sent to stall for time. Following this news, Fleet Admiral Kong furiously purged the Marine ranks, and needless to say, several spies were indeed apprehended.

Various powers in the New World mocked the Marines, and their reputation in the New World plummeted. The frequency of Marine branches being attacked by pirates significantly increased.

However, in secret, they were vigorously cultivating spies and doing their best to infiltrate the Marines. If they hadn't known about this operation, and the Whitebeard Pirates had continued with their usual behavior, the outcome would have been predictable. With his "sons" engaging the Marines, they would have been hesitant to unleash the full power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. With Whitebeard himself occupied by Sengoku, how could the remaining "sons" withstand the Marine's grand fleet?

This undoubtedly struck a chord within them, increasing their focus on information warfare. Large numbers of spies infiltrated the Marines, leaving them in disarray.

Because it was so sudden, no reporters were present during the battle where the three Vice Admirals died, and Teach was not exposed. Afterward, a few photos of the clash between Whitebeard and Sengoku leaked out.

Compared to the confrontation between two world-class powerhouses, the deaths of those three Vice Admirals were completely ignored.

Meanwhile, on the sea, "Meteor Volcano!" Rocks of magma shot down from the sky like meteors, aimed at the Whitebeard Pirates' Moby Dick. "Yasakani no Magatama!" Borsalino crossed his hands over his chest, firing wave after wave of light bullets, hundreds, even thousands of them. "Ice Bird." A great bird formed of ice charged straight toward them.

Within the Whitebeard Pirates, strong individuals leaped out one after another, blocking these attacks. Sengoku's warships continuously pursued the Moby Dick, engaging them sporadically. Several times, they managed to shake off their pursuers, only for the Marines to catch up again not long after.

Overall, the Marines were on the offensive, while the Whitebeard Pirates were on the defensive.

Teach hid in a corner, not engaging much. He left such matters to his comrades. Two swords were tucked into his waist, along with two handguns. These were two lead-bullet guns, whose fired bullets inflict immense pain. In the original story, they appeared in Doflamingo's hands, killing his father and brother.

One of these guns was gold, the other silver. These were two high-grade handguns, exquisitely crafted and with an excellent feel. They were said to have been taken from a noble.

Teach took a liking to them the moment he saw them. A comrade who used swords took a liking to his spoils of war, that **Famous Sword. Teach exchanged it with him. As for swords, Teach had no shortage of them, including the Famous Sword: Purgatory and the Famous Sword: Thunder Fang, both among the twenty-one Great Grade Swords. There was also the Sword of Kingship, which was no weaker than the previous two swords.

Teach was a bit surprised to discover that the Famous Sword: Thunder Fang, which he had stolen, was also a Great Grade Sword. After a careful check, he found it was indeed among the twenty-one Great Grade Swords.