Seaquake!

The sea seemed torn apart by two clashing wills—half thunder, half tremor.

Newgate's mountain-like presence came crashing down, forcibly bending the sea wind and slapping enormous reverse ripples across the ocean.

At the same time—

Lightning exploded around Rock, as though a thunder god had awakened, his ferocious fighting spirit shooting straight into the heavens.

"—Boom!!!"

The instant thunder and tremor force collided across the distance, the entire sea seemed to overturn. The warship rocked like a leaf in a storm, and the recruits clung to the railings with pale faces.

Zephyr's furious roar pierced through the gale. "—All hands, prepare for battle!!!"

As if struck by lightning, the Marines instantly snapped awake and rushed to their stations.

"Prepare the batteries!! Lock onto the target!!"

"Stabilize the keel! Everyone, secure your positions!!"

"Lower the auxiliary sails halfway! Don't let us get capsized!!"

Yet some recruits remained frozen, staring blankly at the pirate ship in the distance, which resembled some colossal beast.

"W-who is that... Why does he feel like a mountain...?"

A seasoned veteran beside him grabbed him hard. "Don't just stand there! That's one of the Rocks Pirates' top officers!!!"

"Edward Newgate, wielder of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!!!"

"Do you want to be shaken into pulp?!!!"

"Tremors... the kind that can split the sea with an earthquake?!"

Everyone aboard the warship went tense.

Zephyr and Rock stood side by side at the bow, facing the crushing pressure head-on.

"Newgate..."

Zephyr frowned. "Why does it feel like he's coming for you?"

Rock grinned as lightning flickered around him. "I didn't get the chance to trade a few blows with him last time. My hands have been itching for it!!!"

Aboard the Rocks Pirates' colossal ship

"Report!!!"

The lookout nearly slid down the mast, his voice trembling.

"Lord Newgate!! A Navy warship lies ahead! Standing at its bow are—"

"Vice Admiral Zephyr!! And... that lightning brat from before!!!"

The moment those words fell, the entire ship went deathly silent.

Then, every pirate uncontrollably recalled the bolt of lightning that had torn apart the heavens several months ago.

But Newgate threw back his head and laughed, his laughter rumbling across the entire deck like thunder.

"Gurararara!!! It's only been a few months, and that brat's presence has become even more terrifying."

"He really went and became a Marine... Interesting!!!"

The next instant, his smile vanished.

Newgate slowly raised his left arm and clenched his fist. Spiderweb cracks spread across the deck beneath his feet.

The air began to tremble, space warping as though crushed beneath an invisible giant hammer.

"Since this is a reunion—"

Newgate's muscles swelled, his entire body like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

"Rock, you brat—!! Accept my welcoming gift!!!"

He roared, "—Shockwave!!!"

His left fist slammed fiercely into the air—

"Crack crack crack crack—!!!"

It was as if the transparent sky had been shattered by a single punch.

The atmosphere ruptured, the air twisted, and the sea was flattened as if struck by a giant palm, sending up terrifying waves!

An invisible shockwave, powerful enough to destroy an island, shot straight toward the warship!

Zephyr's expression darkened aboard the warship. "It's here!!!"

Rock had already charged forward.

Lightning tore across the deck as he transformed into a blue-white bolt and appeared before the bow.

He drew one palm back, gathering Lightning Roar within it.

"Divine Firmament: Palm Lightning—!!!"

Countless bolts swirled in his palm, like frenzied serpentine currents twisting, compressing, spinning, and crackling.

The lightning condensed to its utmost limit, forming a blazing white thunderball as bright as the sun. The compressed air screamed!

"Hah—!!!"

The Palm Lightning blasted forth, colliding head-on with Newgate's Shockwave!

"Boom—!!!"

In an instant, heaven and earth fell silent.

A blinding white light erupted where lightning met the Shockwave. Water walls dozens of meters high burst from the sea, and even the sky was forcibly pushed open into a hollow!

On the sea, the warship tilted violently as Marines screamed and clung to pillars.

"Hold steady! This is a battle between monsters!!!" Zephyr roared.

The recruits had never witnessed anything so horrifying. Their faces turned deathly pale. "Th-this... is this really something humans can do?!"

At the point where sea met sky, thunder and tremor force tore a gigantic gash through the world.

Their presences continued to rise, like two ancient mythical beasts locked across the sea, biting into each other's throats.

Seeing the lightning withstand his Shockwave head-on, Newgate was not angered in the least. Instead, excitement made his entire body tremble.

He grinned broadly. "Gurararara!!! Not bad—brat!!!"

Lightning burst beneath Rock's feet. His justice cape whipped wildly in the thunderstorm, and the fighting spirit in his eyes surged toward the heavens almost tangibly.

"Newgate—!"

He licked the corner of his lips, revealing a feverish and dangerous smile. "Come fight!!!"

The next moment, lightning exploded.

Rock transformed into a straight bolt of lightning, piercing the sky and charging straight toward Whitebeard's—

Colossal ship!

Newgate froze for a moment before his pupils abruptly contracted.

"...Guh?"

The next instant, his furious roar shattered the sea wind.

"You bastard brat! If you want to fight, then fight properly!! Don't wreck my ship—!!!"

Murakumogiri slammed into the massive timber at the bow with a boom, and Newgate tore at the air with both hands!

The air seemed sliced apart by blades, letting out piercing bursts of cracking noise.

The surrounding pirates clutched their heads in terror. "The captain's getting serious!!!"

"Hold on tight!!!"

Newgate roared, "Seaquake—!!!"

He drove both arms downward.

The air cracked!

The atmosphere twisted!

The sea was forcibly raised!!

The next second, an entire stretch of ocean was heaved up as if stirred by divine wrath, and a colossal hundred-meter tsunami rose from the sea!!!

It blotted out the sky, raging waves roaring as it smashed toward Rock like a warhammer wielded by the god of the sea.

The pressure of the hundred-meter tsunami forced Rock out of his lightning-speed form and back into human shape.

But rather than weakening, his fighting spirit surged higher. Pillars of violent lightning shot from his body into the sky, while his hair and cape were thrown into wild disarray by the thunder!

Just before the hundred-meter tsunami swallowed the sky and crashed down, Rock thrust his right arm toward the heavens like a celestial needle piercing a thundercloud!

A roar like divine fury erupted from the depths of his chest. "Myriad Thunder: Sky Roar—!!!"

"Rumble rumble rumble—!!!"

The entire sky was drowned in white-gold lightning.

The next instant—

Hundreds of enormous lightning pillars descended from the heavens!!!

Each was three meters thick, spiraling arcs roaring like furious dragons as they illuminated the sea and sky.

The foremost lightning pillars directly vaporized the immense mass of water at the tsunami's front—

"Hiss!!!"

White mist exploded across the sea!

The middle wave of lightning pillars plunged into the tsunami's interior, setting off chained Lightning Bursts!

"Boom! Boom! Boom boom boom—!!!"

The entire tsunami seemed packed with explosives!

The final lightning pillars struck directly into the sea floor at its base!!

"Crack—!!!"

The entire "sea mountain" was pierced through from below. Lightning scattered along the patterns of the water, and the tsunami was completely torn into countless broken waves!!

"Rumble rumble rumble—!!!"

Heaven and earth trembled for ten seconds as the sea was completely engulfed by white light and shockwaves!

The tsunami vanished without a trace, leaving only boiling seawater, rising white mist, and billowing steam.

Sunlight pierced through the remnants of the clouds and fell upon the lightning around Rock.

He slowly withdrew his fist, arcs of electricity still dancing between his fingers.

Rock stood high in the sky, lightning draped around him like a war god's cape.

Newgate stood upon the bow, the white cloak over his shoulders billowing like a banner. His golden hair and crescent-shaped white beard gleamed beneath the sunlight.

The two stared across the sea at one another, visible sparks flashing through the air—

The lingering echoes of thunder and tremors continued shaking the surrounding atmosphere.

Marines and pirates alike stood dumbstruck.

They were not watching two people.

They were watching two walking natural disasters.

Newgate grinned broadly, fighting spirit erupting from his body. "Gurararara!!!"

"Brat, let me see how much you've grown!!!"

Lightning exploded beneath Rock's feet, as though he intended to tear open the sky.

"I've waited a long time for this day!!!"

In that instant when heaven and earth seemed still, the sea was so quiet that even the birds did not dare cry out.

The wind stopped.

The waves froze.

The air was like a string pulled to its limit.

Then, the two broke into nearly synchronized wild laughter.

Lightning and tremors echoed through the air.

They shouted at the same time—

"Find a deserted island—let's fight to our hearts' content!!!"