The sea churned violently as shattered ice hung suspended in the air. The clash between Rosen and Edward Newgate had split the sky and turned the ocean into towering peaks. The very atmosphere trembled, tilting left and right under the weight of their Haki collision.
Splash!
Marines clad in combat suits fell like broken birds, plunging into the depths. But their advanced gear saved them—seconds after hitting the water, they erupted back to the surface, rejoining the fray. The Whitebeard Pirates weren't so fortunate. With every foothold shattered and the battlefield fragmented, most pirates tumbled helplessly into the sea. Even those who landed on larger ice blocks found themselves scattered across a broken battlefield.
Rosen and Newgate locked eyes, the air between them crackling with black and red lightning. Conqueror's Haki surged, creating a pillar of light that tore through the heavens.
BOOM!
The collision shot skyward like an inverted mountain, shredding the sea of clouds. For a moment, the sky cleared—until their Haki churned the atmosphere once more, spawning a new storm that plunged the world into darkness, thunder, and howling wind.
Less than ten seconds had passed since their fists met.
The deadlock finally broke.
CRACK!
A deafening explosion shattered the air. A pillar of black lightning erupted, sweeping away everything within a kilometer radius. The sea itself rose in endless waves, threatening to swallow the sky.
"Pfft!"
Edward Newgate coughed crimson blood. The Murakumogiri—his supreme-grade blade—slipped from his grip, blown away by the shockwave. Defenseless, he took the full force of Rosen's Susanoo-enhanced uppercut.
BOOM!
The blow sent him flying thousands of meters, tearing through the storm clouds like paper. A comet of destruction screamed across the sky.
"DAD!"
The Whitebeard Pirates screamed in horror. That punch had warped reality itself. No one could imagine a man surviving such devastation.
Rosen vanished, stepping through space like a ghost.
Marco, wings blazing blue flames, shot after him like an arrow—only to be intercepted by golden light. Borsalino and his clones materialized, cutting off all pursuit.
"This path is blocked," the Admiral stated coldly.
Elsewhere, every Whitebeard commander found themselves similarly stalled, forced to watch in despair as Rosen vanished.
---
Rosen materialized on a shattered ice plateau at the base of a collapsed iceberg.
Edward Newgate stood there, towering and defiant, blood streaming down his face. Despite the catastrophic damage, his will hadn't cracked. His stance remained offensive, his eyes burning with undimmed fire.
"Remarkable," Rosen said, genuine surprise in his voice. "Of all my opponents, you're the strongest in both power and will."
Among Yonko-level foes—Barolok Redfield, the former Devil's heir, even Kaido and Ochoku—their spirits had shattered under Rosen's fists. Only Newgate's will remained unbroken, even as his body failed.
Newgate remained silent, conserving every ounce of strength.
"Give up, Whitebeard." Rosen's voice cut through the wind. "Willpower alone cannot bridge this gap. On the Grand Line, Haki is power—and yours is breaking."
A dark figure descended, landing beside Newgate with a metallic clang.
Murakumogiri.
The supreme-grade sword stood upright where it fell, hilt touching the ice like a defiant monument.
"See?" Rosen's gaze was cold. "Your blade is broken."
CRACK!
As if summoned by his words, fine fractures spiderwebbed across Murakumogiri's steel. The blade that had dominated the Grand Line for decades split in two. The falling shards struck the ice at Newgate's feet.
The memory of their recent exchange burned in Newgate's mind:
"I am Whitebeard. I will not allow anyone to harm my son. Every member of the Whitebeard Pirates is my son. If you want their lives, you'll break Murakumogiri first!"
Rosen's reply echoed back:
"Very well. I will break you, the strongest man in the world, along with your blade."
Each word rang like thunder. Newgate remained motionless—not by choice, but necessity. Standing took everything he had left. Every movement was beyond his limits, beyond life and death, sustained only by raw will.
Watching his lifelong companion shatter delivered a fatal blow to that will.
PFFT!
A fountain of thick blood erupted from his mouth. The mountain that was Edward Newgate trembled. His legs gave out.
The world's strongest man knelt.
One knee on the ice, the shattered remnants of his blade at his feet, Edward Newgate surrendered his pride before Rosen.
"Your era is over."
Rosen looked down at the kneeling legend. The first true peak of piracy since the Great Pirate Era began had crumbled to ice.## C
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