Summit War · Teach

"Damn! Good thing I reacted fast, or my pants would've burned right off!"

While Whitebeard held Akainu back and clashed once more with Sengoku and the others who had caught up to him, Chen Qiang climbed out of the magma. By then, his pants, which had originally been full-length, had lost half their legs and turned into a tattered pair of shorts. Chen Qiang couldn't help feeling a little helpless.

When he'd been fending off the magma just now, the long sword in his hand had borne the brunt of it and melted. He'd reacted immediately, channeling all his strength into defending his pants. Otherwise, he might not even have had a pair of shorts left. The thought alone sent a shiver through him. After all, the divine beast called River Crab wouldn't allow that sort of thing to happen. Anything like that would be erased on the spot.

So, after nearly being obliterated by Akainu, Chen Qiang climbed to his feet, furious and eager to find him and settle things once and for all. But after looking around, he couldn't spot Akainu anywhere on the battlefield. Instead, he saw Whitebeard nearby, fighting every one of the Navy's top forces by himself.

"As expected of the World's Strongest Man! But he probably doesn't have much time left!"

Chen Qiang said with a sigh.

After that, Chen Qiang stopped watching the battle and leaped over the ravine Whitebeard had carved into the ground, chasing after Ace and the others.

After all, now that the fighting had reached this point, the war would be over as soon as they escorted Ace and Luffy onto a ship and got them out of there.

More importantly, Chen Qiang couldn't find Akainu anywhere, and that worried him. He wouldn't believe it if someone said Akainu was dead. Even Whitebeard couldn't have killed him in such a short time. After all, Akainu was one of the Three Admirals, representing the Navy's publicly recognized pinnacle of combat strength.

If he could be killed that easily, he wouldn't deserve the title of Admiral. Chen Qiang needed to catch up with Ace and Luffy quickly and help them guard against Akainu suddenly showing up. He'd promised Luffy he would help rescue Ace, and once he'd given his word, he couldn't just give up halfway.

Besides, Chen Qiang didn't want to see Ace die like this either, so it was best to catch up and help.

Just as Chen Qiang was about to catch up with Ace and the others, a torrent of magma erupted from beneath the ground, blocking Jinbe's path.

The magma that had burst out gradually solidified, and Akainu appeared before them, covered in blood. The most striking sight was the huge slash across his chest, running from his shoulder down to his waist. If he hadn't reacted in time and forcibly turned his body into magma, Whitebeard's strike might have killed him outright.

"I told you, I won't let you escape!"

"Hellhound!"

The moment Akainu appeared, he didn't hesitate. He swung a fist toward Jinbe, magma coiling around it and radiating tremendous heat and force. The blow landed squarely on Jinbe's chest.

This time, though, he didn't punch straight through Jinbe. It wasn't because Jinbe's body was tougher than Whitebeard's. Chen Qiang had arrived and yanked Jinbe out of the way, leaving him with only a minor graze. Most of the force hit Chen Qiang behind him instead, punching right through his body again.

"You again! You little brat! Die!"

Seeing Chen Qiang block his attack once more, Akainu flew into a rage. Taking advantage of having already punched through Chen Qiang, he pulled him closer, then brought his other fist down on Chen Qiang's head, blowing it apart.

But he didn't stop there. After smashing Chen Qiang's head, Akainu struck again and tore his body to pieces, scattering the chunks all around. To keep Chen Qiang from reviving, Akainu deliberately coated each piece in a huge amount of magma. As soon as the pieces left his body, the magma solidified, sealing Chen Qiang inside and leaving him no way to come back to life.

Only after finishing all that did Akainu resume his pursuit of Jinbe and the others, who had fled farther ahead.

After Akainu left, the magma rocks sealing Chen Qiang's body parts began to shake. Before long, several much smaller, completely naked versions of Chen Qiang broke through the magma and crawled out.

Once they were out, one tiny Chen Qiang held a pair of shorts while the others hurried over to him. Within minutes, a whole Chen Qiang wearing shorts stood once again in the plaza.

"That was close! I nearly got sealed away!"

The recovered Chen Qiang tugged nervously at his shorts.

"But why didn't I think of using my cheat like that before? I'll have to study it more carefully from now on!"

After tugging at his shorts, Chen Qiang pulled a finger off his hand. It quickly transformed into a tiny version of Chen Qiang, bouncing around in his palm.

Looking down at the much smaller version of himself in his hand, Chen Qiang sighed.

In the few minutes it took Chen Qiang to recover, Whitebeard's remaining time had nearly run out. The wounds that had healed on his body burst open once more.

Seeing this, Sengoku and Garp stopped fighting. They stood in the distance, silently watching Whitebeard, now drenched in blood again.

They'd also figured out what Chen Qiang had done to Whitebeard earlier. He really had restored Whitebeard to his peak, but not without a price. The price was a certain death.

Once Sengoku, Garp, and the two Admirals understood this, they all stopped attacking. They stood around Whitebeard, watching him without making another move.

"Gurararara! What a thrill! I never thought I'd get to fight you all at the very end. What a thrill!"

Whitebeard understood his own condition. When the old wounds on his body split open again, he knew his time had come. But after that fierce battle, he had no regrets. Still, deep down, he couldn't bear to leave his sons behind.

"Zehahahaha! I thought Pops had gotten back to his peak again. I was so scared, I almost didn't dare come out!"

Just as Whitebeard was preparing to wait quietly for death, a familiar laugh rang out from the battered execution platform.

"Teach! You bastard!"

Whitebeard had been wearing a calm expression, his eyes already closed. But when he heard that voice, he opened them at once and glared furiously toward the execution platform. There stood Blackbeard, brazenly accompanied by the prisoners he had released from Impel Down.

"Teach!"