A scruffy brute, black bandana tied tight around his head, beard a tangled mess, and a mouthful of crooked, yellowed teeth, glared at the blazing pillar of fire with naked envy.
If Kai were here, he'd recognize him instantly:
Marshall D. Teach—Blackbeard.
For more than twenty years, Blackbeard had hidden among Whitebeard's crew, waiting for his chance at the Dark-Dark Fruit. He'd betrayed friends without a second thought. Ruthless, relentless, and greedy—his reputation was well-earned.
"Soon… so soon… the Dark-Dark Fruit… Once I get it, I'll be stronger than all of them! Hmph… just wait and see!" Blackbeard's lips curled into a savage grin.
On the island, the battle between Whitebeard and Kai had reached its fever pitch.
Whitebeard was engulfed by the inferno of Blazing Hell. Suddenly, from the heart of the flames, his furious roar rang out:
"Break apart for me!!!"
Cracks erupted across the entire battlefield, densest near Whitebeard. In a heartbeat, they snaked up the towering pillar of fire, shattering it with a deafening roar.
"Shatter!!!"
As Whitebeard's voice thundered, the cracks widened, revealing pitch-black voids—vacuum zones.
Just like Kai's own Planetary Devastation, Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, in its second awakening, could tear apart space itself.
Kai couldn't help but marvel. No wonder they called him the "Strongest Man in the World."
Maybe Whitebeard's Haki training couldn't match legends like Roger, Garp, or Rayleigh—those who'd never tasted a Devil Fruit. But when it came to Devil Fruit mastery, Whitebeard had reached heights no one else could dream of.
Compared to Sengoku or the three Admirals, Whitebeard was simply on another level.
The fire pillar shattered, fragments dissolving into the air, revealing Whitebeard at the center.
He looked battered—body scorched, burns covering his skin, even his crescent mustache half-charred away.
Whitebeard gulped air, eyes locked on Kai. Then, after a moment, he broke into booming laughter: "Guhahahaha… Marine brat, you're good! You actually pushed me this far!"
Suddenly, his tone shifted, voice dropping low and deadly. "But… this is where it ends. Marine brat… now I'll show you the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's ultimate technique… even that bastard Roger never saw this…"
"Tremor-Tremor—Heaven and Earth Shaking!!!"
With a guttural roar, veins bulged across Whitebeard's massive frame.
He clenched both fists, slamming them down on either side of his body.
Instantly, the space around him shattered like glass, spiderweb cracks racing outward.
Kai felt the ground beneath his feet tremble—no, not just tremble. It was breaking apart.
Deep, bottomless fissures split open beneath him.
The sky.
The earth.
The ocean.
Anything within Whitebeard's Tremor Domain was subject to the same fate.
Shattered. Ravaged. Reduced to ruins.
Everywhere Kai looked, nothing remained intact.
He couldn't help but recall the legendary Marineford War—but this was even more insane than anything he'd ever imagined.
Each crack was barely a few meters apart.
Offshore, the sea boiled, towering waves hundreds of meters high rising up. Even the mighty Moby Dick looked like a toy boat in the face of such devastation.
…
"How… how is this possible? Pops can only use this power after the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's second awakening… With his condition, how can he still do it?" Jozu and Vista locked eyes, terror mirrored in their gazes.
They'd joined the Whitebeard Pirates twenty years ago. They'd seen Whitebeard use these powers to defeat legends like Roger and Golden Lion, earning his title as the "World's Strongest Man."
"This is bad! Back up, quick—don't get any closer!"
"What's Pops doing?!"
"This is insane!"
"That Marine… he's actually lasted this long against Pops?!"
Chaos exploded aboard the Moby Dick. A monstrous wave slammed into the ship, tossing the entire vessel skyward.
Against this force of nature, the Moby Dick was helpless. What was truly terrifying—this disaster was Whitebeard's doing, alone.
"To think… he could push the Tremor-Tremor Fruit this far. Whitebeard really is something else," Kai breathed.
"But… with my current power, if I don't use Conqueror's Haki, I might not be able to beat him." Kai frowned, troubled.
After five years of study, Kai knew exactly what Conqueror's Haki meant—using it was like poking the World Government and the Celestial Dragons right in the eye.
So unless absolutely necessary, he'd rather not use it.
"System, how much reputation do I have left?" Kai asked mentally.
"Thirteen million, eight hundred seventy thousand points," the system replied.
"Synchronize Wood Release power for me!" Kai decided after a moment's thought.
"Yes, Host. Synchronizing Wood Release will consume eight million reputation points. Shall I proceed?" the system asked.
"Obviously! Hurry up," Kai snapped.
"Synchronizing… five, four, three, two, one… Synchronization complete!"
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
🔥 Want to read the next 60 chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on Patreon - patreon.com/DarkGolds]