Uchi Xin raised his hand and unleashed the final sword strike.
Whitebeard roared, his naginata carrying a shockwave that shattered the sword energy head-on.
The shattered sword energy grazed his shoulder, leaving a crack dozens of meters long behind him.
Before Whitebeard could even catch his breath, Uchi Xin's body had already vanished from the spot.
"They're here!"
Marco's pupils contracted.
Uchi Xin did not continue to stand at a distance and waste his energy.
He leaped directly towards the Whitebeard.
A thought struck Sengoku.
"Give up the advantage of ranged attacks and proactively engage in close combat?"
In his view, this was undoubtedly Uchi Xin's mistake.
Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit is not suitable for prolonged use, but it excels at close-range bursts of power.
Even Admiral would be seriously injured if struck head-on by the naginata.
"He's too confident."
Sengoku said in a low voice:
" Whitebeard's close-quarters combat is the most dangerous part."
Whitebeard also saw Uchi Xin charging towards him.
He grinned widely.
"Finally stopped hiding?"
The naginata was suddenly raised.
"Then let me see if you can still be so arrogant once you get close!"
Uchi Xin did not answer.
He threw a punch.
Whitebeard also raised his fist to meet the attack.
Two fists, one large and one small, collided in mid-air.
There was no flash of blades.
There was no sword energy.
Only pure power.
Bang!
A shockwave erupted between their fists.
The ground beneath Whitebeard's feet instantly collapsed.
Uchi Xin's body continued to move forward despite the impact.
Whitebeard's eyes changed, and he immediately swung his naginata, the blade sweeping across Uchi Xin's side.
Uchi Xin dodged to the side.
The naginata swept past his clothes, the vibrations sending ripples through the air behind it.
Uchi Xin slapped the back of the knife with his palm.
The naginata was deflected.
Whitebeard twisted his waist and slammed his left fist, carrying a shockwave, toward Uchi Xin's chest.
Uchi Xin raised his arm to block.
boom!
The force of the vibration erupted.
The ground beneath Uchi Xin's feet sank instantly, but Whitebeard used the recoil to swing his sword again.
The blade slashed down from above.
Uchi Xin raised his hand and grabbed the blade.
"Don't touch it!"
Marco couldn't help but shout.
Whitebeard's vibrational force could be transmitted directly into the body along the point of contact.
Even if Uchi Xin's body is strong, taking this blow head-on will not be easy.
But Uchi Xin's five fingers had already gripped the naginata.
The shockwave slammed into his palm.
The surrounding space began to distort.
Uchi Xin's arm did not move back even an inch.
Whitebeard's eyes darkened, and he exerted force with both arms simultaneously.
Uchi Xin raised his knee and slammed it into the Whitebeard's abdomen.
Whitebeard loosened his grip on one end of the naginata and raised his leg to block the attack.
Both of their bodies trembled simultaneously.
The next moment, they threw punches at the same time.
Fists collided repeatedly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each impact generates a shockwave powerful enough to tear the ground apart.
The surrounding navy and pirates couldn't get close at all.
Whitebeard's fists were imbued with the power of vibration, his punches were delivered with ferocious angles, and each punch was stronger than the last.
Uchi Xin didn't use any magic; he fought Whitebeard head-on with only his fists and feet.
The two of them were moving faster and faster.
Whitebeard punched Uchi Xin in the face.
Uchi Xin turned his head to avoid it, and then slapped the Whitebeard in the chest with his backhand.
Whitebeard raised his arm to block, and at the same time, his naginata slashed upwards from below.
Uchi Xin leaned back, the blade grazing his nose.
Before he could even regain his footing, Whitebeard's left fist came crashing down again.
Uchi Xin raised his hand to block it.
The force of the shockwave exploded.
The ground in the square kept cracking beneath their feet.
Sengoku watched the two locked in close combat, and the ease he had felt vanished.
He originally thought that Uchi Xin's initiative in getting close was an abandonment of his own advantages.
But now it seems that Uchi Xin has not lost its advantage at all.
Each of Whitebeard's attacks carried a shockwave.
Uchi Xin, however, was able to forcefully block with his fists, palms, elbows, and knees.
Neither side backed down.
The cheers from the Whitebeard Pirates gradually subsided.
No one in the navy dared to discuss it anymore.
Marco stared at the battlefield, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He had never seen anyone who could go toe-to-toe with his Pops in close combat.
I've never seen anyone block so many of my Pops's attacks in a row.
Uchi Xin punched the Whitebeard in the shoulder.
Whitebeard swayed, and his naginata immediately slashed horizontally.
Uchi Xin raised his arm to block the hilt of the knife, while his other hand reached for the Whitebeard's throat.
Whitebeard released his naginata, clenched his fist, and unleashed a powerful shockwave at close range.
Uchi Xin also clenched his fist to meet the attack.
The two fists collided again.
boom!
The Shockwave sent debris flying everywhere.
Whitebeard took half a step back.
Uchi Xin also remained where he was.
Their gazes sharpened simultaneously.
The next moment, they charged at each other again.
Blades, fists, vibrations, and physical strength clashed repeatedly in the center of the battlefield, and close-quarters combat fully unfolded, making the situation unpredictable and complex.
Uchiha Itsu blocked Whitebeard's punch, but the ground beneath his feet did not continue to sink.
He raised his hand to wipe away non-existent dust from the corner of his mouth and calmly spoke:
"Warm-up complete."
Whitebeard gripped his naginata tightly.
"What did you say?"
"Those sword energies just now were merely a warm-up."
Uchiha Itsu loosened his fingers, and his knuckles cracked softly.
"The battle now begins."
The smile on the Whitebeard's face vanished.
Although he was old and his body had been through a long battle, he still did not gain the upper hand in the continuous clashes with Uchiha Itsu.
This man is incredibly strong.
Not only is Haki, but his physique is also inhumanly strong.
Whitebeard had fought Roger and countless other powerful warriors, but he had never seen anyone directly withstand the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit with their bare body.
But he didn't back down.
This is Marineford.
Behind him was the Whitebeard Pirates.
Ace was also on the Execution Platform.
He cannot back down.
"Since you want to officially start, then I'll fight you to the bitter end!"
Whitebeard gripped his naginata with both hands, his Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki simultaneously coating the blades.
Black and red lightning exploded.
Immediately afterwards, the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit also covered it.
The three forces combined, and the space around the naginata began to distort.
The expressions of the nearby navy and pirates changed simultaneously.
"Retreat immediately!"
" Pops's getting serious!"
"You can't take that blow head-on!"
Marco looked up at the battlefield, his expression turning serious.
He was well aware of Whitebeard's power.
Even though Pops isn't at his peak anymore, very few people who take that blow head-on survive.
" Thunder Emperor, don't underestimate your Pops!"
Marco shouted a reminder.
Uchiha Itsu did not respond.
He stared at the Whitebeard, then suddenly exerted force with his feet.
boom!
The ground exploded.
His body blurred into a blur, and he instantly rushed in front of Whitebeard.
With a low shout, the Whitebeard man slashed down fiercely from above with his naginata.
" Quake Blade!"
Wherever the blade passed, the space cracked as if struck by a giant hammer.
A powerful vibration erupted along the blade.
Before the blow even truly landed, the ground could not withstand the pressure, and large sections of stone slabs shattered simultaneously.
The onlookers, both navy and pirates, retreated.
Akainu stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on the slash.
Whitebeard has already used the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Aokiji frowned.
Why didn't that man dodge?