Kirk noticed Ash was still talking through the Den Den Mushi and instinctively prepared to move, but Ash casually raised a hand to stop him.
Namur burst forward in the next instant, rushing toward Ash with jaws wide open, trying to tear him apart.
Ash did not even spare him a glance.
With an indifferent expression, he twisted his body and delivered a brutal whip kick straight into Namur's thick neck.
Boom!
The impact nearly tore Namur's body apart.
It was not because Namur's defense was impressive. Ash had simply held back at the last second after realizing how disgusting it would be if blood splattered all over his leg.
Flames erupted instantly.
Namur coughed out blood as the kick landed. Before he could react, Ash's leg ignited with blazing fire and swept across his body again.
In an instant, Namur was consumed by flames.
His massive body crashed into the sea uncontrollably.
What made it even more horrifying was that the fire refused to go out even after he fell into the ocean. The flames continued burning beneath the water until Namur's screams finally vanished along with the fading glow deep below the sea.
The Whitebeard Pirates' Eighth Division Commander was dead.
"What was that sound just now?"
Sengoku's voice came again from the Den Den Mushi.
"What are you talking about?" Ash replied casually.
"The Marines stationed at Sabaody Archipelago reported that you left not long ago."
Sengoku's tone became stern.
"Ash, tell me exactly where you are and what you're doing."
"Oh, I'm on some random island in the New World having a banquet."
Ash answered lazily.
"You know how the Dawn crew is. Every time we arrive at a new island, we throw a feast. We just killed some sea beast too. Want me to save you some barbecue, old man?"
Ash spoke complete nonsense while secretly glancing toward the battlefield.
At that moment, Whitebeard forced Pini and Youki backward with a massive swing of Murakumogiri.
Then the old Emperor froze.
His fierce eyes trembled as he stared toward the sea where Namur had fallen.
Even from a distance, the grief in his expression was obvious.
Ash immediately sensed trouble.
Without wasting another second, he quickly spoke into the Den Den Mushi again.
"The barbecue's ready, so we're starting the banquet now. I heard your warning already. We'll talk later."
Click.
Ash instantly hung up and tossed the Den Den Mushi into his storage ring.
Right afterward, Whitebeard's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki exploded across the battlefield.
"Ash!!!"
The furious roar shook the sea itself.
"What are you yelling for?!"
Ash roared back without hesitation.
Kirk and the others stared at him speechlessly.
Seriously?
Why was he shouting back like he was the victim here?
A massive slash coated in Conqueror's Haki tore across the battlefield alongside Whitebeard's roar.
Immediately afterward, Whitebeard unleashed the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Cracks spread through the air itself as the surrounding space shattered violently.
Ash snorted.
His own Conqueror's Haki erupted outward while he casually drew a Wind Blade, instantly dispersing Whitebeard's slash.
As for the shattered space caused by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, abilities like that barely mattered before Space users like Ash and Kirk.
Ash himself could ignore it completely.
Unfortunately, everyone else nearby could not.
Seeing Ash provoke another disaster again, Kirk sighed helplessly and stepped forward to stabilize the collapsing space.
Whitebeard's eyes became bloodshot after seeing both attacks fail.
Without hesitation, he charged straight toward Ash.
Ash did not mind personally sending Whitebeard off.
Kaido and Shanks were already gone. One more Emperor made little difference.
Still, before making his move, Ash glanced toward the battlefield and shouted loudly:
"Pini! Youki! Can you two handle this or not?!"
"Handle this or not?!"
"Or not?!"
Kirk turned toward Ash with genuine confusion.
"How are you making echoes in the middle of the open sea?"
Ash grinned.
"That wasn't an echo. I used Space abilities to repeat my voice from different positions. I just shortened the sentence each time."
Kirk immediately pressed a hand against his forehead.
Meanwhile, Pini and Youki nearly exploded from rage.
Being questioned by Ash in front of everyone was humiliating enough already.
Without saying another word, the two instantly accelerated and intercepted Whitebeard before he could reach Ash.
Their assault became far fiercer than before.
The current situation was similar to Sali and the others earlier.
Whitebeard's offensive power was terrifying.
Whether it was Murakumogiri's monstrous slashes or the destructive force of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, every attack carried overwhelming power.
But unlike Kaido, Whitebeard's body was still flesh and blood.
His durability was nowhere near the level of Kaido or Charlotte Linlin.
Even Pini, Sali, and Youki possessed stronger physiques than him.
If not for Whitebeard's absurd destructive power forcing everyone to avoid direct clashes, Pini and Youki would have already rushed him head-on long ago, just like during their previous battles.
The fight now resembled their battle against Red-Haired Shanks.
The difference was obvious though.
Shanks relied heavily on speed and evasion, only blocking attacks when absolutely necessary.
Whitebeard was the complete opposite.
The old monster stood his ground like an immovable fortress.
Murakumogiri swept through the battlefield endlessly, blocking every attack launched by the brothers while occasionally using weapon collisions to channel devastating shockwaves from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit directly into their bodies.
It was incredibly troublesome.
Fortunately, their Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits granted them monstrous physiques and elemental abilities.
Combined with partial elementalization similar to Logia users, they could occasionally disperse portions of Whitebeard's shockwaves and reduce the damage.
Otherwise, they truly would not have been able to withstand Whitebeard's attacks.
Originally, the two intended to slowly adapt to Whitebeard's fighting style before increasing their offensive strength to decide the battle.
But Whitebeard completely ruined their rhythm.
They had been fighting perfectly fine when Whitebeard suddenly abandoned them and rushed toward Ash after Namur died.
How could Pini and Youki tolerate that?
Imagine fighting your chosen opponent properly, only for him to shove you aside and charge toward someone else instead.
Anyone would be furious.
Besides, situations like this would only become more common for the Dawn crew in the future.
Compared to the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders, the Dawn crew's upper ranks possessed overwhelming strength.
What then?
Was Whitebeard supposed to scream and charge at Ash every single time one of his men died?
Then what about them?
Did they not have pride too?
As the Dawn crew continued growing stronger and attracting more recruits, Pini and Youki had gradually developed reputations of their own.
Ash spent most of his time wandering around doing whatever he pleased, so among the newer members of the Dawn crew, Sali, Pini, and Youki were viewed as the true pillars of strength.
And now, in front of an entire battlefield, Ash had openly questioned whether they were "up to it" while they fought one of the Four Emperors.
That was unacceptable.
At times like this, they absolutely had to prove themselves worthy.