Summit War: Teach

"Damn it! Good thing my reflexes are fast, or my pants would've been burned off!"

Just as Whitebeard intercepted Akainu and clashed once more with Sengoku and the others who had pursued them, Chen Qiang climbed up from the magma. However, his long trousers were now missing the lower half, reduced to ragged shorts, which left him feeling somewhat helpless.

If he hadn't reacted immediately when his sword was melted while blocking the magma, and instead channeled all his strength into defending his pants, he might not even have had those shorts left. The thought sent a shiver down his spine; after all, that mythical beast known as the River Crab would never allow such a situation to occur, and would simply erase anything that crossed the line.

Having nearly been "humanely destroyed" by Akainu, Chen Qiang was furious as he climbed to his feet, eager to find Akainu and settle the score. Yet, after scanning the battlefield, he couldn't find a trace of the admiral. Instead, he spotted Whitebeard in the distance, single-handedly holding off all the top-tier combatants of the Navy.

"Truly worthy of being the strongest man in this world! But his time must be running out."

Chen Qiang remarked with a sigh.

With that, Chen Qiang stopped watching the battle and crossed the chasm Whitebeard had carved into the earth, racing after Ace and the others.

After all, the battle had reached a point where as long as they covered Ace and Luffy's escape to the ship, the war would effectively be over.

More importantly, Chen Qiang hadn't spotted Akainu, which worried him. He didn't believe for a second that Akainu was dead; even if Whitebeard had struck, it was impossible to kill an admiral—the pinnacle of Navy strength—in such a short time.

If they were that easy to kill, they wouldn't deserve the title of Admiral. Chen Qiang needed to catch up to Ace and Luffy quickly to protect them from a surprise attack by Akainu. Rescuing Ace was a promise he had made to Luffy, and he wasn't about to give up halfway.

Besides, Chen Qiang didn't want to see Ace die like this, so chasing after them to help was the best course of action.

Soon, just as Chen Qiang was about to catch up to them, a massive surge of magma erupted from beneath the ground, blocking Jinbe's path.

The magma slowly solidified, and a blood-soaked Akainu appeared before them. Most striking was the massive gash on his chest, running from his shoulder down to his waist. Had he not reacted in time to force his body into an elemental state, he likely would have been killed outright by Whitebeard's blade.

"I said, I would never let you escape!"

"Hellhound!"

Without hesitation, Akainu threw a punch toward Jinbe. A massive amount of magma swirled around his fist, carrying immense heat and terrifying force, striking Jinbe squarely in the chest.

However, this time he didn't punch through Jinbe. It wasn't because Jinbe's defense was stronger than Whitebeard's, but because Chen Qiang had arrived just in time to pull Jinbe aside. Jinbe only suffered a graze, while the brunt of the force hit Chen Qiang, piercing his body once again.

"You brat, again! Go to hell!"

Seeing his attack blocked by Chen Qiang once more, Akainu was incensed. Taking advantage of his fist being embedded in Chen Qiang's body, he pulled him closer and brought his other fist down onto Chen Qiang's head, blowing it apart.

But it didn't end there. After shattering the head, Akainu exerted more force, tearing Chen Qiang's body into pieces that scattered across the ground. To prevent Chen Qiang from regenerating, Akainu specifically covered each fragment in thick magma, which solidified upon leaving his body, intending to seal Chen Qiang inside and make resurrection impossible.

Having done all this, Akainu turned and continued his pursuit of the fleeing Jinbe and the others.

After Akainu left, the magma stones sealing Chen Qiang's fragments began to tremble. Soon, tiny, naked versions of Chen Qiang broke through the magma and crawled out.

Once they emerged, one small Chen Qiang picked up a pair of shorts, while the others quickly converged on him. Within minutes, a complete Chen Qiang, wearing his shorts, stood once again on the plaza.

"That was close! Almost got sealed for good!"

A recovered Chen Qiang pulled up his shorts, still feeling a lingering sense of dread.

"I never realized my golden finger could be used like this. I'll have to study it more in the future!"

Tugging at his shorts, Chen Qiang tore a finger off his own hand. The finger rapidly transformed into a miniature Chen Qiang, which began hopping around in his palm.

Looking at the tiny version of himself, Chen Qiang sighed with emotion.

During the few minutes it took for Chen Qiang to recover, Whitebeard's remaining time had dwindled, and the wounds that had previously healed began to rupture once more.

Seeing this, Sengoku and Garp stopped their assault. They stood at a distance, watching the man who had been dyed red with his own blood, remaining silent.

They had finally guessed what Chen Qiang had done to Whitebeard earlier. He had indeed restored Whitebeard to his peak, but it came at a price—a fatal one.

Realizing this, Sengoku, Garp, and the two admirals ceased their attacks. They stood in a circle around Whitebeard, watching him without making another move.

"Gurararara! Truly exhilarating. To think that in these final moments, I could still cross blades with you all—it's been a pleasure!"

Whitebeard understood his own condition. As his old wounds reopened, he knew his time had come. Yet, after such a battle, he had no regrets, though his heart still ached for his sons.

"Ze-hahahaha! I thought you had truly returned to your peak, Old Man. You almost scared me out of coming out at all!"

Just as Whitebeard prepared to wait for his end, a familiar laugh echoed from the ruined execution platform.

"Teach! You bastard!"

Whitebeard, who had been calm and had already closed his eyes, snapped them open at the sound. He glared in fury toward the platform, where Blackbeard stood arrogantly, surrounded by the prisoners he had released from Impel Down.

"Teach!"