Looking at the white radiance covering Whitebeard's bisento, Rosinante's expression became extremely serious.
"Sage Mode!"
Rosinante raised his head as Sage Mode activated instantly.
At the same time, purple energy gathered in his hand and condensed into a long blade.
"Severing Extinction!"
Rosinante swung his sword.
"Clang!"
The two blades collided.
A gentle breeze passed by.
Other than the sound of the clash, there was nothing else.
No shockwaves. No tremors. No leaking force.
Everything was eerily calm.
"…Hm?" Whitebeard raised his brows slightly in surprise as he looked toward Rosinante.
Meanwhile, aboard the distant Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates were equally confused.
Just moments ago, the battle had been shaking the heavens, but suddenly all movement had ceased.
That silence itself was abnormal.
Whether it was Whitebeard or Rosinante, their battle should have been earth-shattering. The only reason for such complete stillness would be if the battle had already ended.
But that made no sense.
Anyone who had seen Whitebeard fight knew that what happened earlier had only been a warm-up. There was no way the victor had already been decided.
At that moment, the pirate captains under Whitebeard suddenly changed expressions.
Could it be—
Had Rosinante tampered with the alcohol earlier?
Thinking of this possibility, the captains' expressions turned ugly as they surrounded Katakuri and the others, ready to attack at any moment.
"Don't jump to conclusions," Marco said calmly. "This is the Dragon King's power. He can erase all force itself. If all force is extinguished, naturally there won't be any aftershocks. Looks like they've finally started fighting seriously."
"The Power of Annihilation," Katakuri said quietly.
At the same time, he secretly relaxed.
As long as Rosinante could still use the Power of Annihilation, there was no need to worry too much.
That terrifying power capable of erasing all force was enough to let Rosinante stand against anyone in the world.
"So this is the power you obtained in that other world?" Whitebeard asked while continuously using the Tremor-Tremor Fruit to resist Rosinante's annihilation power.
Whitebeard wasn't surprised by Rosinante's annihilation ability itself. He had already seen it over ten years ago, though Rosinante clearly wielded it much more skillfully now.
Nor was he surprised that Rosinante had become a Great Swordsman. With Rosinante's talent, reaching that realm was only natural.
What truly interested Whitebeard was the strange energy radiating from Rosinante's body.
Not only could it enhance physical abilities, it could also serve as fuel for Devil Fruit powers.
"You mean Sage Power?" Rosinante replied calmly. "Yes, this is one of the powers I obtained in that world. You could say it's a fairly advanced form of energy."
"It really is an incredible power," Whitebeard said seriously. "To think it can substitute for stamina when using Devil Fruit abilities… Can others obtain this power as well?"
After all, no matter how powerful a Devil Fruit was, using it always consumed stamina. The stronger the fruit, the greater the drain.
Take Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit for example.
Although it could create earthquakes, tsunamis, and even shatter space in his hands, another person using it might only be able to make the ground tremble slightly.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was an absolute monster when it came to energy consumption.
Just imagine how much power was needed to shake the earth's crust itself.
And every tremor also damaged the user's own body at the same time.
In a sense, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was almost a "trash-tier" fruit.
But if someone could truly master it—
Its power would become heaven-defying.
And the foundation for all of that was overwhelming stamina.
If there existed another source of energy that could fuel Devil Fruit powers alongside physical stamina, then the weakness of exhaustion could be greatly alleviated.
Whitebeard himself didn't need such a thing because of his monstrous physique.
But his sons did.
If they possessed this kind of power, Marco and the others could grow far stronger.
Then even after Whitebeard eventually died, they would still possess enough strength to protect themselves.
Truthfully, Whitebeard understood his own body better than anyone.
He knew he was getting old.
And what worried him most was what would happen to his children once he was gone.
That was why he had accepted Marco's constant medical treatment and injections to maintain his health.
If not for his concern over his sons' safety, Whitebeard would never have relied on medicine to delay aging.
After all—
He was Whitebeard.
"Well…" Rosinante said casually, "Sage Mode is extremely difficult to learn, and the training process is very dangerous. I don't think anyone in this world could successfully master it."
"But you misunderstand one thing."
"It's not only Sage Power that can fuel Devil Fruits. Any cultivated energy source can serve as a power supply."
"Even if Sage Power is impossible here, Chakra can still be cultivated."
"And Chakra alone is already enough to act as a fuel source for Devil Fruit abilities."
"But Whitebeard old man," Rosinante suddenly grinned, "you really don't take me seriously enough. We're in the middle of a battle right now, yet you're still thinking about your sons."
"I'm actually getting pretty excited about this fight."
As he spoke, Rosinante gripped his blade with both hands and suddenly slashed downward with tremendous force.
Whitebeard's expression changed instantly.
"Not good!"