Banggu entered his fighting stance—
And in that instant, he became terrifying.
The punch he threw carried earth-shaking power, crashing directly into Joz's body!
Even Joz, whose Diamond-Diamond Fruit granted him an immensely strong defense, twisted his face in pain as the blow landed. His massive body was sent flying back across the battlefield!
It wasn't that Joz had been careless, nor that Banggu's age—well past fifty—made him an easy opponent. No, it was simply that Banggu's explosive power was far beyond anything Joz could have imagined!
Like most others, Joz himself had never expected this old man to strike first—and strike so mercilessly!
Staggering backward dozens of steps, Joz finally steadied himself, his expression darkened with shock and fear as he glared at Banggu.
In that moment, Joz realized: in his lifetime, Banggu might be one of the greatest enemies he would ever face.
The surrounding Whitebeard Pirates were in an uproar.
Cries rang out one after another:
"Who is that old man? How did he manage to knock back Captain Joz?!"
"Captain Joz is the commander of our Fourth Division—and a Diamond Fruit user! There's no way some old man should be able to repel him like that!"
"Damn it… these Kamui Pirates really are a crew of monsters. Even their old men are this powerful? I've never even heard of someone like that existing!"
The faces of the Whitebeard Pirates grew darker by the second.
First came Uchiha Madara.
Then Senju Hashirama.
Then Gojo Satoru.
And now—Banggu.
Each one of them was a monster among monsters.
At this point, only the very top five commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates could even hope to stand against them.
Banggu ignored the frightened shouts. His old, weathered eyes locked firmly onto Joz as he spoke in a deep, steady voice:
"Today… either you die, or I do."
When he said this, Banggu seemed to transform entirely. Though he looked like an ordinary old man, the fighting spirit radiating from him was that of a warrior in his prime.
For a moment, everyone watching felt the same illusion—this wasn't an elder past his prime, but a peak martial artist, burning with vitality and strength.
Elsewhere, Bista had found himself in an equally dire situation.
At first, he had intended to assist his comrades against Hashirama and the others. But before he could, a strange swordsman had appeared in his path—a man who introduced himself as Yoriichi Tsugikuni (Jiguo Yuanyi)—and demanded a duel in swordsmanship.
Bista had been furious. He thought the man was simply seeking death by challenging him. The very idea that someone could outmatch his swordsmanship never even crossed his mind.
But after only a few exchanges… Bista realized he had been terribly, terribly wrong.
The one courting death wasn't Yoriichi—
It was him.
Clang!
Clang!
After only five rounds, Bista's body was covered in cuts. Blood streamed down his frame, dripping steadily onto the ground.
Drip…
Drop…
"How… how can his swordsmanship be this powerful?"
Even Bista's soul trembled.
The overwhelming sword aura Yoriichi exuded made him feel as though he were facing Dracule Mihawk himself!
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