The light of Destruction atop Whitebeard's right fist compressed from dazzling brilliance into a pure singularity that seemed capable of swallowing all light.
A nearly frenzied exhilaration appeared on Whitebeard's weathered face. It was the sheer exhilaration only the strong, only a King who reigned over the seas, could feel upon finding an opponent worthy of matching him!
It had been far, far too long since he had felt this way!
"Gurarararara!"
"Chen Ye!!"
"Take this attack—and survive!"
With an earth-shaking roar, the frozen time was shattered in an instant!
Whitebeard's world-destroying punch shot straight toward Chen Ye!
There was no shockwave.
There was no excess sound.
There was only a pure white light and ever-spreading cracks!
Crack—!
Space shattered!
Chen Ye's Observation Haki had become useless at this moment, because everything before him had surpassed the scope of "foresight" and become inevitable "Destruction"!
He did not retreat.
Nor did he have anywhere to retreat to!
At the exact instant Whitebeard threw his punch, Chen Ye wrung out every last trace of strength in his body. Crossing his arms, he met that white crack capable of tearing apart the world with Armament Haki so dense and black it resembled a black hole!
What he intended was not to defend.
He intended to use his body to meet it, absorb it, and analyze this final—and most crucial—"data"!
"Come on!"
A hoarse roar burst from the depths of Chen Ye's throat.
The next second.
White and black collided.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only utter silence.
The instant that white crack touched Chen Ye's arms, his figure vanished from where he stood as silently as a pencil mark erased by rubber.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—!!!
Only a full second after he vanished did the destruction suppressed to its limit finally erupt!
The entire Deserted Island, along with the sea for several thousand meters around it, was violently pressed downward by an invisible force!
A colossal bowl-shaped depression more than a kilometer across appeared on the surface of the sea!
The Seawater was frantically pushed aside, exposing the pitch-black seabed!
Then, the force erupted in reverse!
Towering waves were hurled into the clouds, forming a horrifying wall of water that connected heaven and earth!
On the Moby Dick, every crew member who had rushed to the railings was terrified out of their wits by the apocalyptic sight. One after another, they collapsed to the deck, unable even to cry out.
Diamond Jozu instinctively turned both arms into diamond and raised them before the ship, but the terrifying aftershock made his arms go numb and shoved the entire vessel several hundred meters away!
"Chen Ye!!"
Marco let out a shrill howl. Transforming into the Phoenix, he charged toward the center of the explosion without regard for his life!
He could see nothing.
There was only chaotic mist and violent torrents of energy.
Just as he thought Chen Ye had been reduced to nothing but bones and dust, a blood-soaked figure was hurled out of the vast white steam like a kite with a broken string!
It was Chen Ye!
With a beat of his wings, Marco pushed his speed to the limit and caught him steadily in midair.
What met his hands was scalding blood and bones on the verge of shattering.
Chen Ye's arms were twisted at a bizarre angle. Not a single patch of skin on his body remained intact, and his breath was so weak it seemed as though it could extinguish at any moment.
But he was still alive!
Just before his consciousness sank into boundless darkness, a series of icy notification tones that sounded like heavenly music rang madly through his mind!
[Warning! Warning! Sustained an ultra-high-intensity "vibration" energy impact!] [Individual life signs are rapidly declining!] ["Edward Newgate" Power Data is being forcibly infused...] [Analysis progress... 95%...] [Analysis progress... 98%...] [Warning! Energy overload! Analysis Module is about to collapse!] [Analysis progress... 99.99%...] [Ding!]
A crisp sound, as though announcing the birth of a New World, drowned out every warning!
[Congratulations, Host! Ultimate trump card [SSR Whitebeard] has been fully analyzed and charged!] [Host detected to be on the verge of death. As a reward for successfully unlocking an Ultimate trump card for the first time, the system will extract 50% of [Peak Whitebeard]'s power to permanently strengthen the Host!] [Strengthening begins!]
Boom!
A vast power beyond words, as immense as a sea of stars, appeared within Chen Ye's body out of nowhere!
Carrying the domineering might to Reign Over the World and the wildness to shatter all things, that power instantly swept through his entire body!
His nearly shattered bones began to reshape at a visible rate under the wash of that power!
His almost depleted life force surged wildly, like drought-stricken land receiving long-awaited rain!
Marco, who was holding him, felt this unbelievable change most directly.
He could feel that the body in his arms, which had been like a dying candle in the wind, was now erupting with terrifying vitality like an awakening volcano!
A horrifying aura that even made his heart tremble spread uncontrollably from Chen Ye's body!
"This... this is..."
Marco was completely stunned. He could not comprehend what was happening before him.
Chen Ye slowly opened his eyes.
The world looked different in his eyes.
He could clearly "see" the flow of air, "hear" the sound of distant fish flicking their tails, and "feel" the immense, ocean-like power within Whitebeard's body, along with a trace of decline.
[Strengthening complete!] [Assessing Host's current overall strength...] [Assessment result: Mid-tier Admiral!][At the level of Fujitora or Ryokugyu]
Chen Ye's lips curled upward uncontrollably.
A standard Admiral!
Merely absorbing half of Whitebeard's power during his peak period had allowed him to leap from someone who could barely protect himself in the New World into a powerhouse capable of influencing the world's balance!
This was the power of the World's Strongest Man!
He broke free from Marco's arms and hovered steadily in midair.
In the distance, Whitebeard's massive figure approached using Geppo. He landed on the sea and stared at Chen Ye, who was completely uninjured and whose aura was even dozens of times stronger than before. His eyes, too, were filled with utmost shock.
He knew better than anyone how much force he had used in that strike.
It had been a full-powered blow capable of completely erasing a large island from the map!
Yet this kid had not only survived, but had even... grown stronger?
The battle was over.
The sea gradually calmed.
Whitebeard stared at Chen Ye, floating before him, drenched in blood yet wearing an incomparably brilliant and wild smile. He was momentarily stunned, then an irrepressible surge of pride burst from his chest.
"Gurarara... Gurarararararara!"
He threw back his head and laughed. His laughter was filled with gratification, pride, and boundless anticipation for Chen Ye's future!
Chen Ye smiled as well. He raised a hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Then he slowly rose to his feet!
Afterward, his gaze fell upon Whitebeard.
Before you continue