The End / Turmoil

"Hahahaha! Brat, you can't break through my defenses!"

Jozu slowly picked himself up off the ground and taunted Atlas, who stood before him bare from the waist up, her body coated in black-and-red Armament Haki.

Atlas was somewhat speechless. Even with the Ox Talisman boosting her strength beyond Jozu's, he was as foul and stubborn as a stone in a cesspit. She simply couldn't break through his diamond defenses.

"Is that so?"

Atlas shaped both hands into finger guns, a mocking smile curling her lips as fire glimmered at her fingertips.

"Flying Finger Pistol: Explosion!"

Under Jozu's utterly horrified gaze, a powerful surge of energy shot from Atlas's fingertips and slammed into his gleaming diamond body!

"Pfft!"

Jozu tasted blood in his throat as he was sent flying backward. Scarlet filled his slightly dry mouth, and the dazzling diamonds covering his body fractured, riddled with countless cracks.

"Hey, hey, hey! What the hell was that?! Did Kizaru possess you or something?"

Jozu was bewildered. They had been happily trading punches, and then this bastard suddenly pulled that on him! Jozu, who considered himself an honest fellow, felt cheated.

In the distance, Whitebeard's Murakumogiri collided with Garp's iron fist once again. Terrifying shock waves kept erupting, occasionally stirring up enormous waves that swept countless fish and shrimp into the air.

"Is Shigan really that powerful?"

Naturally, Garp had noticed Atlas's movements while fighting Whitebeard. Looking at that terrifying explosive power, he began to wonder whether he had failed to truly master Shigan.

"Gurararara... so she's been hiding the fact that she's a devil fruit user!"

The sight of Jozu's miserable state convinced Whitebeard that Atlas had to be a devil fruit user. Pure hand-to-hand combat couldn't possibly inflict that kind of damage!

"Hahahaha! Whitebeard, it looks like your division commanders aren't up to much!"

"What a fine little brat! Too bad she won't become my daughter!" Whitebeard laughed. "Jozu, get Thatch and teach that brat a proper lesson!"

"No need, Pops! I just let my guard down! I definitely won't lose again!" Jozu felt thoroughly embarrassed. He had actually suffered one setback after another at a brat's hands.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure, Jozu~!"

At that moment, Atlas seemed possessed by Kizaru. The corner of her mouth lifted, her mockery dialed all the way up!

"Navy brat! Quit running your mouth!"

"Really? Eight-Span Jewels... oh dear, sorry, wrong show! Flying Finger Pistol: Explosion!"

Atlas leaped into the air, her hands shaped like guns, and countless bursts of explosive flame shot toward Jozu.

The Dragon Talisman really was handy. It was somewhat similar to Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit ability, except it produced flames rather than lasers. Its powerful explosive properties gave Atlas a wide-range AOE attack. Although she had only recently activated it, its power was already nothing to scoff at.

Breaking through Jozu's defenses had been pure chance, however. For one thing, he hadn't expected Atlas to suddenly pull something like that. For another, his Armament Haki hadn't fully covered him, so she had caught him off guard.

"You think I'm scared of you, Navy brat?!"

While throwing out threats, Jozu added another layer of diamond defense and hardened it with Armament Haki. Only then did he feel reassured.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rang incessantly in Jozu's ears. In the end, he chose not to take them all head-on, instead using Observation Haki to evade most of the explosive flames and relying on his powerful defenses to withstand the few that hit.

"Oh dear, how terrifying, Jozu!" Atlas taunted, imitating Kizaru's drawl.

A vein immediately throbbed on Jozu's forehead. He could barely contain his fury. He wanted nothing more than to flatten that brat's punchable face.

"Brat! I've had enough of you! Die!"

Looking utterly tormented, Jozu instantly turned half his body into diamond and charged at Atlas like a tiger barreling down a mountain, shouting that he would kill her. Kizaru's taunting skills truly were top-tier!

Dressed in a yellow-and-white striped suit, Kizaru lounged in his office chair, holding a pair of nail clippers and studying his fingernails intently. Every so often, he looked up at the clock hanging on the nearby wall.

"Achoo!"

Suddenly, the sleazy-looking Kizaru sneezed violently. He rubbed his itchy nose and muttered to himself, "Honestly, who's thinking about me now... how frightening..."

"Perfect! Take my Iron Fist!"

Watching Jozu charge straight at her, Atlas gave a savage grin and raised her Armament Haki-hardened fist, meeting him head-on!

Bang!

Another fierce explosion erupted from Atlas's hand. Her immense strength, the explosive force, and the impact they generated together nearly overwhelmed Jozu. His diamond-transformed body was instantly blackened, and a clear imprint of Atlas's fist remained on his broad right arm.

Fortunately, Jozu's Armament Haki was well trained. His defenses hadn't been broken outright; only a few cracks had appeared on the surface, and his devil fruit ability instantly restored it to its original state.

Jozu couldn't help feeling frustrated. This Navy brat had apparently developed her devil fruit ability to quite a high level, enough to inflict such heavy damage on his diamond body. Without Armament Haki to resist that terrifying explosive force, anyone would have been in trouble!

"Hey, Thatch! Come help me keep this Navy brat occupied!"

In the end, Jozu had to eat his words. Wary of Atlas's explosive ability, he could only ask his fellow division commander Thatch for help.

Thatch, who was looking after Blackbeard nearby, hesitated upon hearing Jozu's call. After leaving Blackbeard with a word of caution, he hurried straight over.

Although the Whitebeard Pirates' divisions weren't ranked by strength, Thatch was indeed considerably weaker than Jozu.

"Hey, Navy brat! Don't underestimate the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders!"

Thatch was a cook aboard Whitebeard's ship. His weapons were two swords, though whether he was a Two-Sword Style swordsman was unclear. He wore his hair in a pompadour and was dressed in a pure white chef's uniform, his build not particularly imposing.

"Hey, Thatch! I'll keep her tied up. Look for a chance to slash her!"

After giving Thatch instructions, Jozu charged into close combat with Atlas. His appreciation of how troublesome she was had risen another notch. Although her raw defense fell short of his, her attacks, strength, and physique all seemed to have a slight edge over his!

The end

Jozu put almost everything he had into teaching Atlas a lesson. His enormous diamond body loomed over her as he moved to give her a decidedly "warm" embrace.

Atlas wasn't into that sort of thing. She ducked down, hardened her head with Armament Haki, and readied the Dragon Talisman.

Tekkai: Armament: Explosion!

Take that, you bastard! Her Armament Haki-hardened head rammed straight into Jozu's abdomen. The tremendous explosive force made him grimace, but he endured the pain and forcibly restrained Atlas!

Seeing this, Thatch knew he couldn't let the opportunity slip away. He raised both swords and slashed at Atlas!

Tekkai: Armament: Steel!

Atlas didn't dare take a blade with her unprotected flesh. Even with the Horse Talisman's powerful healing ability backing her up, she still wasn't immune to pain.

Clang!

Metal rang against metal, and a string of crackling sparks flashed along Thatch's blades!

"Well? Am I hard enough for you?" Atlas grinned at the stunned Thatch. "Explosion!"

Boom!

Explosive flames struck Thatch head-on. The tremendous impact nearly knocked him unconscious. Even though he remained conscious, he was left unable to fight, with extensive burns covering his body.

"Thatch!!"

Alarmed and furious, Jozu swelled the muscles in his arms, trying to crush Atlas between them. But he truly hadn't grasped the gulf between their raw strength.

In mere moments, Atlas broke free of his hold. She stepped back, turned, and punched in one fluid motion. Her explosive fist smashed squarely into Jozu's face, sending him flying into the distance like a kite...

Bang!

Another violent crash rang out, kicking up a great cloud of dust. Blood seeped from the corner of Jozu's mouth, and shattered diamond fragments clung to one side of his face. He looked utterly miserable.

"Commodore Atlas really lives up to her name as our Navy Supernova! What incredible strength..."

"Hey, so what if they're the Whitebeard Pirates? Commodore Atlas never lets us down..."

"Looks like our Navy has another genius after the three monsters..."

"Pirates! Have you witnessed our Navy's justice now?!"

The sight sent the Marines' morale soaring, and excited chatter broke out among them. The Whitebeard Pirates, meanwhile, felt as though none of it could be real.

Those were two division commanders, after all! She had defeated Thatch almost instantly, and "Diamond" Jozu was even more formidable.

He had sailed the seas with Pops Whitebeard since childhood, yet this young Marine had beaten him into such a wretched state.

"What a terrifying rate of improvement..."

Sakazuki, farther away, had also noticed Atlas's battle. Having fought her not long ago, he was better qualified than anyone to judge her strength.

Back at Marine Headquarters, Atlas had been just a little stronger than an ordinary headquarters vice admiral.

Now, however, her strength rivaled that of an elite headquarters vice admiral, perhaps even surpassing it. Those explosive flames of hers, in particular, left even Akainu puzzled.

He wasn't quite sure whether Atlas was a devil fruit user or whether she simply wasn't fully human. But the Navy had never made a habit of prying into its soldiers' secrets, and Akainu wouldn't investigate too deeply either. As long as she upheld justice, he didn't care about anything else.

"Gurararara... let's end this fight here, Garp!" Whitebeard had noticed that his side seemed to be falling behind.

Akainu's battle with Marco and Vista had been fierce, but they had also caused that magma-wielding brat considerable trouble. One engaged him at close range while the other harassed him from a distance, leaving Akainu thoroughly irritated.

Although Vista hadn't yet reached the level of a great swordsman, his swordsmanship was already that of a top-tier swordsman. Paired with an ability user as absurdly durable as Marco, they left Akainu feeling as though his Hell Hound had struck empty air.

"Hahahaha! Whitebeard, you can't stop a war just because you feel like it!"

Garp was no fool. With Atlas emerging as an unexpected factor, this was the perfect chance to strike at the Whitebeard Pirates. Their goal today had been to weaken the crew in the first place. How could they withdraw so easily now?

"Gurararara... then there's nothing for it!"

Upon hearing Garp's answer, Whitebeard decisively pulled back. Just as Garp began wondering what he intended to do, he made his move.

Whitebeard straightened his body and raised his bent right arm high, a ball of white light appearing around his fist.

"Seaquake!"

Countless cracks slowly spread through space as though it were a smooth mirror. Terrifying vibrations traveled down through the air, and a huge wave, a hundred meters taller than the last, instantly roared toward the Marines!

"Gurararara... I don't suppose you want every Marine here wiped out, do you, Garp?"

Whitebeard could only force an end to the battle this way. He didn't want his beloved children getting hurt here!

"Damn it! Sakazuki, stop that wave!"

Faced with this, Garp had no choice but to call Akainu out of the battle with him. Akainu was reluctant. In his view, if they could weaken the Whitebeard Pirates, these soldiers' deaths would count as sacrifices for justice.

But Garp was the commander of this battle. He couldn't disobey his superior's orders.

"What terrifying power..." Hidden among the crowd, Blackbeard felt envious, a greedy gleam slipping involuntarily into his eyes.

"Of course! Pops's ability is on the level of a natural disaster!" Thatch said proudly beside him, failing to notice Blackbeard's expression. Even when his words aggravated the injuries Atlas had just inflicted, his expression didn't change.

Before long, Garp led the Marines back to the G-5 base. Although they hadn't inflicted particularly severe losses on the Whitebeard Pirates, they hadn't expected to accomplish their goal in one attempt. After all... they still had plenty of time.

Aboard the Moby Dick.

"Gurararara! Marco, let's have a party!"

Having just escaped the Marines unscathed, Whitebeard laughed as though he had won a great victory.

"Pops, you just want another drink, don't you...?"

Marco felt rather helpless. Although he enjoyed parties too, their pockets had been painfully empty lately.

"Jozu, are you all right?"

Whitebeard gave a sheepish smile at Marco's words, then changed the subject to Jozu's injuries. He had watched the entire fight. That Navy brat had beaten Jozu pretty badly.

"I'm fine. That Navy brat really is strong, both in hand-to-hand combat and with her devil fruit ability." Jozu looked gloomy, then added, "No wonder Crocodile lost to her."

"So this is the Marine who defeated that sand-playing brat?" Whitebeard asked.

"Yeah. His name is Kanos Atlas. From what those Marines said, I think his rank is commodore."

Marco picked up the conversation. He had been the first member of the Whitebeard Pirates to notice the guy in the newspaper.

Gathering clouds

"Gurararara! The Navy really is lucky. After those three monsters, they've raised another newcomer like this!"

Whitebeard looked around at the carefree faces aboard his ship and couldn't help worrying. In recent years, he had felt his physical condition begin to decline slightly. He didn't know whether Marco and the others could keep living so easily after he died. He... would grow old in the end!

Whitebeard had considered training a successor to lead the Whitebeard Pirates, but Marco was laid-back and had little drive to pursue greater strength. He was still a little short of what it would take to hold the Whitebeard Pirates together after Whitebeard's death!

"Pops..."