A phoenix wreathed in azure flames descended from the sky, landing on the deck and transforming back into human form.
Marco's face was ashen.
"This is the Whitebeard Pirates' private affair!"
Behind him, several division commanders drew their weapons one after another.
So what if it was many against few?
When someone had already climbed onto your neck and taken a dump, who still cared about so-called pirate honor?
"Heh—so we're doing a group brawl now?"
Yamato, who had been silent all this time, let her eyes light up with excitement.
Threads of blue lightning danced around her body, and the kanabo in her hands was practically starving for action.
"Hold it."
Shanks didn't retreat. He remained firmly planted between them, his gaze locked onto the two women before him.
"Since Tenma didn't bring his main force, doesn't that mean he has no intention of starting a full-scale war?"
"That's hard to say." Yamato slung her kanabo over her shoulder and grinned.
"Though I do think this feels more like coming to witness who's really number one in the world."
"Old man will never lose!"
The hot-tempered "Diamond" Jozu finally snapped.
His entire body transformed into a massive diamond projectile, coated in Armament Haki as he slammed forward.
"Perfect!"
Not only did Yamato not dodge—she shouted in delight.
Conqueror's Haki instantly wrapped around her kanabo as she swung a brutal Thunder Bagua straight at him.
Clang—!
At the very moment their monstrous force were about to collide, a Western-style sword suddenly cut in between them.
Shanks held his blade one-handed, forcibly blocking both attacks.
The immense impact shoved him backward several steps across the deck before he finally stopped.
"Red-Hair! Whose side are you on?!" Jozu roared.
Shanks acted as if he hadn't heard, standing resolutely in the middle with his crew—right between the three forces.
"If this is only to witness the birth of the strongest, then there's no need to add pointless casualties."
"Don't joke with me!" Marco exploded as well.
"That woman nearly killed our brothers just now! They're enemies!"
"I was merely cleaning up trash."
Hancock brushed her hair behind her ear, her tone arrogant to the extreme.
"In this world, only that great lord is worthy of admiring my beauty."
As she spoke, her haughty expression instantly shifted into the shy look of a maiden in love.
The whiplash was lethal.
Several pirates who had just barely struggled back to their feet immediately sprayed nosebleeds again, their souls ascending on the spot.
"You wicked witch!"
The division commanders were furious enough to explode.
Facing the Whitebeard crew's rage, Shanks remained completely unfazed.
"If you insist on fighting, then you'll have to get past me first," he said gravely.
"Whether it's the Whitebeard Pirates—or Wano's trump cards."
Those words infuriated the Whitebeard Pirates, and even Yamato scratched her head, utterly confused about what this red-haired uncle was trying to do.
But Shanks knew very well.
The battle above was what truly mattered.
If the deck turned into a bloodbath first, then no matter who won up there, the hatred would be irreversible—and full-scale war would still be inevitable.
That was the last thing he wanted to see.
"Of course, I won't let you casually use your abilities to hurt people either."
Shanks turned to Hancock, his gaze sharp.
Hancock's temper flared instantly. Who did this man think he was, lecturing her?
"What an irritating tone. Who do you think you are, ordering me around?"
"Wendy! Salome! Anubis!"
At Hancock's three sharp calls, the giant serpent Salome coiled around her erupted in crimson light.
Its body swelled several times over, transforming into a massive flame serpent that spiraled through the air.
At the same time, a visible green whirlwind condensed beneath her feet. Within the wind, a delicate human face appeared.
"Empress, I'm here!"
That was Wendy, a wind-element Homie imbued with a soul.
Behind Hancock, pitch-black matter surged wildly, finally forming a terrifying, black-hole-like monster.
Within that darkness, a ferocious human face emerged.
"Anubis" licked its lips greedily, staring at the pirates below.
"Hehehe… so many delicious souls!"
The pirates' faces turned green on the spot.
Wasn't this Big Mom's signature technique?
Homies!
And judging by this presence, they were clearly high-grade creations forged from powerful souls!
That's right—after obtaining the Soul-Soul Fruit, Hancock had put in serious work developing it.
Salome handled defense and flames.
Wendy handled flight and mobility.
And Anubis—was pure slaughter.
Once it touched you, your soul would be ripped away by force.
Shanks tightened his grip on Gryphon, his expression grave.
The aura radiating from that creature called Anubis made even him feel a trace of danger.
This woman was far more troublesome than he'd imagined.
He'd thought he could hold things down with reputation alone.
Now it seemed not only would this be a hard fight—there was a real chance it would blow up in his face.
"Since you insist on meddling, don't blame me for being rude!" Hancock declared coldly.
The atmosphere instantly became taut as a drawn bowstring.
The Red-Haired Pirates were now under immense pressure—facing Hancock and Yamato in front, while also guarding against the bloodthirsty Whitebeard commanders behind them.
The stress meter spiked straight to max.
"Wait!"
Just then, Marco suddenly shouted, stopping Jozu and the others from attacking.
He stared at Shanks' back, as if reading something in this former apprentice of Roger.
Old man's physical condition… truly couldn't withstand the strain of a full-scale war.
"Marco! What are you hesitating for?!"
"They're already on our heads!"
The commanders were frantic.
Marco was just about to explain when suddenly—
RUMBLE—!!!
A world-shaking explosion thundered from above.
The entire sky trembled.
Everyone instinctively froze and looked up at the same time.
Something had gone terribly wrong in the battle above!
Shrill tearing sounds split the air.
The atmosphere vibrated as massive booms echoed through the heavens.
Under the insane collision of those two forces, the enormous floating island beneath them finally reached its limit.
With a teeth-grinding crack, it split cleanly down the middle.
Within the rolling dust cloud, two figures continued to bombard each other tirelessly.
All eyes were locked onto them—no one dared even breathe.
Because what those two decided… was the future of the world.
The once evenly matched battle seemed to tilt ever so slightly.
—Clang!
A deafening metallic crash rang out.
On the shattered, still-falling remains of the floating island, both figures slid backward several steps.
Whitebeard spun the naginata in his palm once and slammed it to a halt.
Without pausing for even a heartbeat, he twisted his waist with monstrous power and unleashed a devastating, mountain-splitting cleave, centrifugal force roaring along with it!
Before the blade even arrived, the signature shock ripples had already burst outward.
BOOM!!!
The already fragile sky instantly filled with white, mirror-like cracks.
The area of effect was absurdly large—there was almost nowhere to dodge.
Yet Tenma showed no panic whatsoever.
The More-More Fruit activated. His sword momentum surged like a rainbow, forcibly carving open a gap in the oncoming shock wave.
In the next instant, his speed exploded a hundredfold.
So fast he became a bolt of lightning ripping through the night, he flashed directly behind Whitebeard.
Whitebeard's Observation Haki was fully active, but just as he tried to react, he was shocked to find—
Tenma's position information vanished from his senses.
In a clash between masters, the distance between life and death often lies in a single moment of stagnation.
Less than the time it takes to blink.
—Shhk!
The sound of steel entering flesh made scalps crawl.
Under layers of buffs, Shidarezura was terrifyingly sharp—so sharp that even someone with Charlotte Linlin's steel-balloon physique wouldn't dare take it head-on.
Whitebeard's proud back muscles and high-grade Armament Haki were as fragile as paper before this blade.
A horrifying wound instantly exploded across his back, blood spraying wildly.
"Ugh…"
Even a titan like Whitebeard couldn't help letting out a muffled groan from deep in his throat.
He didn't need to look back.
The sensation of blade cutting muscle and grinding bone told him exactly how deep the wound was.
But he had no time to care.
Battle instinct took over the moment his Observation failed.
The shock energy he'd already stored in his hand was released without hesitation, smashed violently backward!
Crack-crack-crack—!
The sharp sound of air shattering rang out continuously.
Rampaging shock energy poured out, forming a fan-shaped shock field behind him.
This move was both a desperate counterattack—and an ironclad defense.
Rumble—!
Within a hundred meters behind him, the ground looked as if countless invisible hands were kneading it violently, instantly pulverizing it into a sky full of dust.
The power was like an enraged tsunami, capable of devouring everything.
Unfortunately—
Tenma had already predicted his prediction.
With the More-More Fruit amplifying his speed, he seemed to perform spatial jumps.
In the instant before the shock wave erupted, Tenma's figure flickered outside its range.
The spreading aftershocks were casually neutralized as he drew a sword flourish with Shidarezura.
Then, Tenma raised one hand slightly.
A powerful will instantly blanketed the battlefield.
The shattered boulders around them responded as if summoned.
Several earth-and-stone tornadoes tore themselves up from the ground, emitting eerie howls as they spiraled skyward.
—Whoosh!
With a gentle hook of Tenma's finger, the earth tornadoes smashed down toward Whitebeard with annihilating force.
—Boom!
Whitebeard didn't dodge.
He straightened his body and threw a single punch.
That punch met the incoming tornadoes head-on.
Crack… crack…
White cracks spread rapidly across the air like a plague.
The terrifying shock force erupted instantly, and the fearsome earth tornadoes—along with the massive rocks within them—were blasted straight into powder!
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