"Arrogance isn't stupidity. What I want is nothing more than Conqueror's Haki Infusion."
Ren gripped the hilt of his blade with one hand, his crimson eyes fixed on Whitebeard.
"You punched me just now, didn't you?"
"Ye—"
Boom—!
Before Whitebeard could even finish saying "yes," a heavy fist that shattered the sound barrier came flying straight at him!
Murakumogiri blocked it, and heavy white waves exploded outward as the phenomenon of an airburst was just about to occur.
But then Ren's fist flashed, and an incomparably violent force erupted from it.
Meteor Burst: Galaxy!
Blinding light surged forth, drowning everything within several meters.
Unstoppable high-heat energy continued to pour out, viciously carving a straight line across the earth!
"What kind of monster is he?!"
Marco's expression changed drastically. Blue flames ignited over his body, and he transformed into a firebird, flying away from the battlefield.
In the very next instant, a beam of light from afar mercilessly plowed across the ground!
Looking down from above, he saw the straight beam that had burst out from the point of collision spreading outward in a radiant state, releasing terrifying thermal energy.
It was dense and dazzling, like a galaxy falling from the heavens. Each flicker was a horrifying eruption of energy.
Wherever that galaxy passed, the metallic ground melted into inferior molten iron, forming a river of magma over a thousand meters long and dozens of meters wide!
So this is the Fiend God Ren's true strength? Looks like he really can't be underestimated.
Marco beat his wings and pulled himself higher, his heart filled with shock.
He had once exchanged blows with Kaido and even wounded him, though he had not left behind any permanent scar.
Adding in the unusual circumstances when they first met, he had held somewhat negative impressions of Ren.
But now, after witnessing this strike, his thoughts changed swiftly and violently.
This man… would inevitably surpass him!
Even if he did not understand Ren as a person, nor know what Ren's intentions were.
With this strength, and an age that could only be described as beyond imagination, the man named Ren truly deserved such an evaluation!
But the Old Man is different now!
At the initial point swallowed by the beam of light…
Vibrations were occurring every single moment. Even matter too small for the naked eye to see was trembling in unison, producing wave after wave of kinetic energy.
Those vibrations accumulated, were controlled, and formed a white circular barrier.
The massive energy was "shaken" away, unable to set foot within the domain inside the circle.
"Gurararara. Petty tricks aren't very nice, brat."
Whitebeard looked helplessly at his bare, reddened upper body.
That was the result of intense heat and high temperature. Even his upper garment and great cloak had been vaporized.
If he had not reacted quickly just now and used both Armament Haki and his Devil Fruit ability, it might not have ended with merely losing his clothes.
"I had to gain some advantage somehow."
Ren withdrew his fist, pulled back at extreme speed, and then said,
"Can you feel it? The difference in this power.
"With me possessing this strength, I should be qualified to witness the Conqueror's Haki Infusion technique of a Yonko, right?"
"Brat, I've repeated myself several times already. That level is no joke.
"I don't want to kill someone who's done me a favor and is still useful. I could just fight you with Armament Haki—that was what I was going to say."
Whitebeard deliberately paused for breath. Then the smoke-like aura raging around him seemed to come alive, coiling toward Murakumogiri in his hand.
"But you are a strong one. Even for me, I can't subdue this power of yours without getting serious.
"If I keep being careless, I might even lose my life. In that case, I'll grant your wish!"
Woooo—!
A mournful gale suddenly swept up from the earth. Though Whitebeard had not moved, a wild storm surged outward with him as the center.
The oppressive atmosphere was like a mountain pressing down, but even more dazzling was the two-colored Haki wrapped around Murakumogiri!
The highest level of advanced Armament Haki!
And likewise, the highest level of Conqueror's Haki!
Two kinds of Haki coiled around Murakumogiri, while a white circular coating also appeared over the blade.
That was not some aura barrier.
It was a white veil formed by vibrations!
"I am a quake man who ate the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. My ability allows me to trigger vibrations at any time.
"So I can control the range and depth of those vibrations to cause earthquakes, tsunamis, or crush islands.
"Sounds just like a natural disaster, doesn't it? But it isn't limited to large-scale destruction. I can do the same on a smaller scale too.
"After a Devil Fruit Awakens, a Paramecia can affect its surroundings. That is something I can do as well."
As Whitebeard spoke, he began walking forward.
Excellent.
His condition was excellent.
It was as though the illness, weakness, and even death that had plagued him for years no longer existed.
Boundless vitality surged continuously from within his body.
Even if one truly examined his body, those things were still there. It was only as if they had been isolated by something.
But—
That was enough!
For an old man who had watched himself weaken step by step, that was already more than enough!
This power, this long-lost strength, made him feel absolute confidence that he could take Ace away from the Marineford War.
But… it still was not stable enough. It still was not safe enough.
Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji—none of those three brats were easy to deal with.
If the three of them joined forces, even Edward Newgate could not be certain.
Therefore, he did not want to truly kill his opponent.
At the end of his explanation, Whitebeard took one step, and his massive body charged out like a war chariot.
"This is the bit of information I'll give you. Don't die on me!"
The blade swept down!
Where Murakumogiri passed, a wild storm rose, and a crescent-shaped slash burst forth with a terrifying sonic boom!
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power was applied to the path of the slash, and that proper coordination made its destructive force even more terrifying.
Wherever the slash passed,
The metallic earth split open like the gaping mouth of an abyss, and the island itself let out a trembling wail.
This was power that towered above all else.
Destruction that absolutely could not be resisted!
Boom—!
The moment Ren raised his hand, the slash wave cut him open.
Whitebeard followed immediately behind it. His eyes shifted, revealing a trace of surprise, while his heavy fist came smashing down!
The air over the ground cracked like a mirror. Then unstoppable quake force spread outward, crushing Ren into powder amid an explosive roar!
Arcs of lightning leapt, accompanied by a surge of air that shot into the sky!
The earth trembled. The air distorted.
Under that violent power, the ground within several hundred meters sank heavily, dropping more than ten meters out of thin air. Around the depression, spiderweb-like cracks radiated outward for over a thousand meters.
Whitebeard frowned faintly, slowly withdrew his fist, and muttered,
"A Logia… no, it looks the same, but Armament Haki didn't catch him. Some kind of special ability?
"His presence weakened a tiny bit. Looks like I'll only count as defeating you if I crush you over and over again until this energy is exhausted?"
"Old Man! Don't go killing him!" Marco suddenly shouted from the sky.
Clearly, Whitebeard's display of true strength just now had made an onlooker feel it was somewhat excessive.
From the sky, he had seen it very clearly. The Old Man's strike had made Raijin Island tremble, and had left behind such marks.
This was Raijin Island, which had already been tempered over countless years. Its ground was far sturdier than that of ordinary islands.
And yet it had still been smashed into this state with one blow!
His current thought was to persuade the Old Man not to kill this Ren.
After all, they still had many things to discuss.
"Gurararara! Don't underestimate this guy, Marco!"
Whitebeard laughed loudly as he tightened his grip on Murakumogiri, while expanding the reach of his Devil Fruit ability.
"His methods are different from ours. No… they're the same as ours too.
"They're just a little special. The scale of his energy is too enormous. But it can also be considered a fusion of Haki and Devil Fruit ability.
"At this level, he has gone further than others of his generation. You are not his match, Marco.
"Among all the people I've seen over the years…
"Even Roger and Rocks didn't reach this point at his age.
"For someone like him, this is still probing. It hasn't reached the stage where he needs to reveal his trump cards and fight to the death."
This still hasn't reached that stage?
Marco froze in astonishment, then turned his head to look into the distance.
At the end of his line of sight, countless particles of lightning converged and formed Ren once again. Along with them came a slightly helpless voice.
"…You saw through it after just one exchange?"
"I'm seventy-two this year. I've seen more Devil Fruit users than I can count."
"Is that so? What a pain."
"What are you going to do next? You can't keep dodging my attacks by elementalizing forever, can you?
"You can think it over carefully. I'm not in a hurry to end this battle."
Whitebeard's expression became delighted, as though he were enjoying this rare fight.
"Of course not."
Ren revealed an extremely aggressive, savage grin.
"Taking hits without hitting back isn't my style!"
Designated Immunity—Quake Force!
He lowered his stance, tightened his grip on his hilt, charged forward—
And drew his blade!
His six wings vibrated, matched with his current, terrifying explosive power.
First Form: Godspeed: Thunderclap and Flash!
A slash as fast as light crossed several thousand meters and struck the blade of Murakumogiri.
The moment the explosion rang out, Whitebeard raised his hand and punched Ren in the face.
However, the quake force that had always swept aside everything seemed to land on empty space.
A fierce light flashed in Ren's eyes. Heavenly Might unleashed a chaotic storm of pure white blade light.
Thunderflame Greatblade: Like a Dream Bubble!
Even with the protection of two-colored Haki, Whitebeard's chest was cut open with crisscrossing, bloody scorch marks.
"Ah!"
Amid a furious roar, Murakumogiri struck the ground fiercely, and violent quake force raised a storm.
However, Ren did not fall for that at all. With a slight release of his tyrannical energy, he directly crushed the shockwave.
He turned into a streak of light and tangled with Whitebeard, who had momentarily suffered a setback. The latter endured the pain and swung Murakumogiri to block and clash.
A gale swept across the flat ground. The earth trembled without end.
It was as if two prehistoric giants were fighting to the death here. Spiderweb cracks and massive pits rapidly spread several kilometers outward.
However, Marco, who was watching from the side, had no attention to spare for any of that. His shocked expression froze on the instant when the Old Man had been wounded.
He was cut?
He bled?
And that was the Old Man in this state?!
Abruptly, Marco realized just how truthful Whitebeard's words—"You are not his match, Marco"—had been.
It was also at this moment that his expression truly became grave.
It was not the kind of change that meant, I need to take him seriously.
It was the kind that meant, The Old Man can win, right?
Boom—!
Another explosive roar rang out. Violent force, like blades, cut the earth apart.
The metallic ground that had endured lightning strikes for centuries was as fragile as tofu before the two people fighting.
Whitebeard stomped forward, then swung his blade from where he stood, unleashing a dense web of vertical and horizontal slash waves. Everything along their path was cleanly plowed open.
Gaseous state.
Ren slashed horizontally.
However, there was no blade light.
The high-temperature gas "blade" that had dispersed into vapor erased the swarm of slash waves.
(End of Chapter)