Whitebeard's eye twitched. He had never imagined a rookie pirate would dare declare, right to his face, that he would become King of the Pirates.
Whitebeard slammed his Naginata against the deck. A shockwave spread outward, laced with a trace of his Conqueror's Haki.
But Luffy didn't react at all. He just glared at Whitebeard, cheeks puffed out.
Seeing that, Whitebeard couldn't help laughing.
"You've got some nerve. If you hold us back, I won't forgive you, snot-nosed brat."
"I'll do things my way."
With that, Luffy planted his hands on his knees and fixed his bright eyes on Ace.
Everyone on the battlefield was stunned by what Luffy had said.
"Heh. What a blockhead."
Werther had barely spoken when a mass of pirates charged toward him. Jozu's earlier blow had sent him near the harbor, right into their path.
"Get out of the way, Thunder Swordsman Werther!"
"Brothers, kill him! He killed Oars!"
As the pirates shouted, they surrounded Werther, and he plunged back into the fight.
The pirates under Whitebeard's command were formidable. Some could even block Werther's sword, to his surprise. But once he intensified the lightning coating Intent Blood, that stopped happening.
Before long, Werther stood atop a mound of pirate corpses.
He had fought long enough and decided to rest. There might be another fierce battle ahead, so he sat down on the mound, activated his Electromagnetic Barrier, and pulled out a bottle of liquor. He drank heartily amid the fighting while he caught his breath.
By then, Luffy had told Whitebeard that Ace's execution had been moved up. With a roar, he jumped off Whitebeard's ship and charged toward Ace.
"What a strangely confident guy. Hey, Doffy, how much longer are you going to toy with him? He looks about ready to burst into