Pirates: A Family Slaughtered, Every Celestial Dragon Must Die!

"Damn you! What did you say? I'll beat you to death!"

"Come on, then! You think I'm scared?"

By now, almost every pirate on Jaya Island had gathered.

The pirate underlings formed a circle, talking among themselves.

After all, in Paradise, it was rare to see a pirate with a bounty over 300 million, let alone two men with bounties of 500 million and nearly one billion!

For these underlings in Paradise, seeing figures like them in person was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Fighting Whitebeard: A Clash of Top-Tier Conqueror's Haki

"Will Lord Rono accept Whitebeard's invitation?"

Every pirate there held his breath.

Even Whitebeard was a little nervous.

He didn't want to miss out on a crewmate of this caliber.

"Hahaha! If you want me aboard, you'll have to show me what you can do. What do you say, Whitebeard?"

Rono thought for a moment before speaking.

Whitebeard had yet to reach his peak, but he wasn't far from it. At the very least, he was as strong as an Admiral.

Rono had come all this way. Wouldn't it be a shame not to fight?

"Gurararara! Good lad. If you want a fight, I'm ready anytime!"

Whitebeard froze for an instant, then burst out laughing.

A fight was exactly what he wanted.

Hum!

The moment he finished speaking, Whitebeard unleashed a terrifying surge of Conqueror's Haki!

A violent wind suddenly whipped through the streets of Mock Town.

Then a dark-red wave of crushing pressure surged from Whitebeard.

It raced straight toward Rono!

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired Conqueror's Haki (advanced). Current progress: 69%.]

"Now this is getting interesting!"

As the system's voice rang out, a sharp gleam flashed in Rono's eyes.

He didn't rush.

Boom!

Rono unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki at full force!

A matching dark-red wave burst forth and slammed into Whitebeard's!

The instant the two powerful waves met, a gale like a typhoon tore through the space around them. The violent surge of energy

exploded outward!

Crackle! Crackle!

Electricity snapped through the air, and dark-red lightning flashed everywhere!

"It's too dangerous! Get out of here!"

"Don't get caught in their fight!"

"My God! So this is a clash of advanced Conqueror's Haki!"

The quicker pirates immediately found safe places to hide.

The slower ones dropped to the ground one after another, their eyes rolling back as they passed out!

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired Conqueror's Haki (advanced). Current progress: 79%.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired Conqueror's Haki (advanced). Current progress: 82%.]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired Conqueror's Haki (advanced). Current progress: 97%.]

Their clash of Conqueror's Haki lasted several minutes, and system notifications kept sounding in Rono's mind.

Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki was extraordinary. Rono's progress was soaring.

[Ding! Congratulations, host. You have acquired Conqueror's Haki (advanced). Current progress: 100%!]

[Ding! Congratulations, host. Your Conqueror's Haki has successfully advanced!]

As the progress reached its limit, Rono felt an immense rush of energy pour into him!

His Conqueror's Haki had reached the top tier, just one step from the divine tier!

What was more, by Rono's estimate, top-tier Conqueror's Haki was at least three times as powerful as the advanced tier!

"You really are the captain of the Rocks Pirates' First Division. But if you think that's enough to get me aboard, you've got a long way to go!"

Rono smiled and drove both feet forward!

Boom!

Conqueror's Haki erupted from him again, and the dark-red wave around him grew denser!

Crack! Crack!

At the same time, the delicate balance between their powers suddenly broke!

Rono's dark-red wave gained the upper hand, steadily devouring Whitebeard's!

Whitebeard was forced back step by step!

For a moment, Rono's Conqueror's Haki actually overwhelmed Whitebeard's!

"Lord Rono's Conqueror's Haki... it's overpowering Whitebeard's!"

"My God! How is that possible?"

"That's terrifying!"

The watching pirates were stunned!

Whitebeard was a long-established Great Pirate, the Rocks Pirates' second-in-command, with a bounty of 995 million Beli!

And now Rono was overpowering him!

Rono had only just set sail. He'd been famous for less than a month.

"No wonder his first bounty was 500 million. Looks like I misjudged him!"

Whitebeard's expression grew serious.

He had held back for fear of injuring Rono.

Now it seemed he had been careless. He'd underestimated the young man.

He would have to go all out!

Losing to a lad fresh out at sea in front of this many people would be humiliating!

With that thought, Whitebeard exerted himself and drew on every bit of his Conqueror's Haki.

The dark-red Haki surged skyward like a giant dragon, restoring the balance Rono had broken!

Whitebeard was no longer holding back. He was giving it everything he had!

Yet even so, their Conqueror's Haki remained evenly matched!

Crash! Crash!

As both men's power reached its peak, dazzling black sparks flickered through the waves of energy at the center of their clash!

The immense force swept outward like a bulldozer.

The ground, trees, houses, and boulders might as well have been made of paper. The energy ground them effortlessly to dust!

"Gurararara! Gurararara!"

"Interesting. Now this is interesting!"

Whitebeard's grin widened!

He had to reassess Rono entirely.

He had never imagined Rono's Conqueror's Haki would rival his own!

The lad wasn't even twenty!

What on earth had he been eating growing up?

Whitebeard resolved then and there to win Rono over and bring him into his division!

He could not let a talent like this slip away!

A smile was spreading across Rono's face, too!

This feels incredible!

So damn good!

It's been ages since I had a fight this satisfying!

In one stroke, his Conqueror's Haki had risen a whole tier, from advanced to top-tier!

That meant his Conqueror's Haki had reached the level of an Admiral or one of the Four Emperors!

No wonder he'll one day rule an era as the World's Strongest Man!

One move is all it takes to spot the real thing!

"Look! What... what's that?"

Just then, one of the watching pirates pointed at the sky!

The other pirate underlings looked up!

Their jaws dropped, and for a long moment, none of them could speak!

Directly above the point where Rono's and Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki collided,

the clouds had split!

A clean divide ran through them, as though someone had cut them with a blade!

The sky had split in two!

"So... this is what happens when top-tier Conqueror's Haki collides?"

The pirates exchanged stunned looks, grateful they had witnessed it in person!

At the center of the storm, a cold glint flashed through both men's eyes!

Then, as if by unspoken agreement, they withdrew their power at the same instant!

The watching pirates couldn't understand it!

What happened? Neither of them has won yet. Why did they suddenly stop?

Joining the Rocks Pirates: "Iron Fist" Garp Arrives

Jaya Island, Mock Town.

The houses, roads, and trees along Mock Town's streets had been utterly destroyed.

It looked as though a nuclear bomb had swept through.

The two "culprits" responsible had now reined in their power.

The pirate underlings watching them froze!

Whitebeard and Rono's contest had been a feast for their eyes. Why had they stopped so suddenly?

They were nowhere near settling the fight.