Summit War: The Pinnacle

Turning around and walking a few steps forward, Whitebeard's voice grew louder as he issued his final command to the Whitebeard Pirates, clearly intending to have everyone retreat while he alone held back the entire Marine force.

As his voice faded, he unleashed a devastating punch toward Marine Headquarters. The very space seemed to shatter, and the immense shockwave directly collapsed the Marine Headquarters base standing before him!

"Pops!"

"Pops, don't do this!"

"We won't listen to this order! If we leave, we leave together!"

All the pirates who heard Whitebeard's words shouted back, their faces streaming with tears.

"Set sail! My sons!"

Yet, Whitebeard turned a deaf ear to their cries. After throwing that punch, he shouted once more.

Faced with Whitebeard's command, his crew members, though filled with reluctance, had no choice but to follow their Pops' instructions and retreat.

"Are we retreating? Ace!"

At this moment, Luffy, who was surrounded by Marines, looked toward Ace in front of him.

"Yeah!~~"

Ace's voice was choked with sobs, but he still took one last look at the tall figure standing ahead, blocking the Marines. He knelt and kowtowed to the man, then stood up and followed Luffy as they retreated, his face covered in tears.

"You guys go ahead! I have something to do, I'll catch up in a while!"

Since the decision to retreat was made, Luffy went to Chen Qiang, who had turned into an ice sculpture, intending to take him along. It was at this moment that the ice encasing Chen Qiang shattered into pieces.

Flexing his stiffened limbs, Chen Qiang stopped Luffy. He looked at the scarred Whitebeard standing ahead and spoke with a grave expression.

"What else do you want to do?"

Luffy and the newly arrived Ace looked at the solemn Chen Qiang, completely bewildered.

"Since it's already decided, all I can do is make this farewell battle a bit more spectacular! Consider it a sign of respect for the strongest man in this world!"

Hearing their question, Chen Qiang turned back with a smile, then stepped forward toward Whitebeard.

"Fine! I don't know what you're planning, but I advise you to catch up quickly. If you're late, you won't be able to get out! Luffy, let's go!"

Seeing the direction Chen Qiang was heading—straight toward Whitebeard—Ace, despite his confusion, gave a stern warning.

Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed Luffy's arm and charged toward the rear.

"Hey! Kid! What are you trying to do?"

Chen Qiang soon arrived behind Whitebeard. Whitebeard sensed his presence immediately and asked without turning his head.

"Pops Whitebeard! Since you want your life to mark the end of the old era and the beginning of the new one, the least I can do is make this final stand of the old era a bit fairer!"

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Whitebeard turned his head with curiosity to look at Chen Qiang, who had reached his side.

"Pops Whitebeard! In a moment, I will heal all the wounds on your body! At the same time, I will do my best to stimulate your vitality and restore you to your peak strength. Of course, this is only temporary; the state will only last for half an hour. Once the time is up, you will die. So, Pops Whitebeard, are you willing to accept my help?"

"Gurararara! What an interesting kid. If I had met you sooner, I would have definitely taken you as my son. Go ahead and do it! Half an hour is enough; it's been a long time since I've felt my peak power!"

After hearing Chen Qiang, Whitebeard looked at him for a moment and then burst into loud laughter.

"I'm truly lucky to have earned your appreciation, Pops Whitebeard. However, after using this technique, I might be unable to move for a while. I'll have to trouble you to toss me toward the retreat point when the time comes!"

Hearing Whitebeard's words, a smile appeared on Chen Qiang's face. After all, the man before him was Whitebeard, the man known as the strongest in the world. In his past life, Chen Qiang had always loved this character, and being acknowledged by him now made him genuinely happy.

"Come on! I can hardly wait! Gurararara!"

"As you wish!"

Hearing Whitebeard's laughter again, Chen Qiang smiled as well. Since his current strength couldn't prevent Whitebeard's death, he would let the man unleash his legendary power one last time before the end.

Without hesitation, as his words fell, Chen Qiang raised the long blade in his hand and sliced a deep gash across his palm.

He controlled the blood throughout his body to surge toward his palm. When his powerful recovery ability began to falter and he felt a wave of dizziness, he finally stopped.

Injecting his potent spiritual energy into the large mass of blood in his hand, Chen Qiang threw the blood onto Whitebeard just a second before losing consciousness.

"Blood Anthem! Let the final fireworks of this old era be even more brilliant!"

After delivering the strike, Chen Qiang fell backward, pale as a sheet, while the blood imprinted on Whitebeard rapidly seeped into his body.

In that very instant, a surge of immense power erupted within Whitebeard, rapidly knitting his wounds shut and even repairing the heart condition that had plagued him due to his age!

"Oh no! Whitebeard's wounds are healing!"

"What exactly did that kid do!"

"Fire the cannons! Don't let Whitebeard fully recover!"

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...

The sound of cannons erupted once more, and all the shells flew rapidly toward Whitebeard's position!

"What a long-lost power this is!"

Over here, Whitebeard didn't bother with the cannonballs flying toward him. Instead, he simply grabbed Chen Qiang, who had collapsed at his feet, and tossed him toward the rear, sending Chen Qiang flying away.

Next, Whitebeard gripped his Guan Dao with one hand and swept it toward the incoming shells. Following a sound of shattering space, the cannonballs were sent flying back at high speed.

"Whitebeard! Even if you have recovered from your injuries, you won't be able to escape!"

Seeing all the wounds on Whitebeard's body heal in an instant, Sengoku could no longer sit still. He cast off the cape behind him and began walking toward Whitebeard, transforming into a massive Golden Great Buddha as he moved.

"Gurararara! This old man has no intention of leaving. Just as that kid said, I only want to properly bid farewell to the old era!"