Silence fell.
Everyone stared at the fallen Whitebeard and Mobius standing not far away.
Whether they could accept it or not, the result was undeniable.
Whitebeard had lost. Even at the height of his strength, he had been defeated.
As the battle progressed, many had prepared themselves for this outcome.
But seeing it happen still left them shaken.
Mobius was only twenty-nine.
Whitebeard was already fifty-six.
Mobius was roughly half his age.
Yet Whitebeard had been defeated before everyone's eyes.
The sky was darkening. Evening had arrived.
Only eight hours had passed from the start of the battle to its end.
Not even half a day.
That was what made it so frightening.
Mobius had needed less than half a day to defeat Whitebeard.
For fighters of this caliber, battles lasting days and nights were perfectly normal. The world had long accepted that.
True monsters possessed the stamina and will for it.
Endurance was even considered a measure of strength.
At Marine Headquarters,
Sengoku drew a deep breath, his expression complicated. No one knew what he was thinking.
He had never imagined his old rival would fall like this.
Nor had he expected Mobius to grow so powerful so quickly.
Ever since Ten Thousand Serpents began its Voyage of the Four Seas, Mobius had been under the Marines' watch almost constantly.
They had even met a year or two ago.
Sengoku had thought he was taking Mobius seriously enough. Clearly, he had underestimated him.
Mobius was far stronger in battle than any figures on paper suggested.
More shocking still were his age and his identity.
"Has even Hades's son reached the point where he can stand alongside us?"
Sengoku could hardly believe it.
The past seemed to unfold vividly before his eyes.
Hades belonged to their era.
By age, though,