"Whitebeard!"
Akainu's voice sounded like a demon crawling out of hell, each word dripping with bitter hatred.
"Trash from the Old Era! If I were you, I would have perished along with that pathetic era long ago, not clung to life like this!"
Whitebeard's face darkened abruptly, but immediately erupted with world-shaking laughter.
"Gurararara!" His laughter made the entire sea area tremble. "Who cares about Old Era or New Era? Remember, I am Whitebeard!"
Just as Akainu's fingers tightened, about to crush the test tube and drink its contents in one gulp—
CRACKLE!
A blinding bolt of lightning struck down like divine punishment, precisely hitting the potion in Akainu's hand.
The glass test tube instantly vaporized under the extreme heat, the green liquid inside completely evaporated by the surrounding lightning before it could even drip!
The air filled with the pungent smell of scorched material, a few wisps of smoke slowly rising.
Akainu froze completely in place, his pupils violently contracting, scalp tingling with shock!
'No, this wasn't how it was supposed to go!'
'The old bastard wasn't following the script!'
'By all logic, shouldn't he have waited until after i drink the potion so we could have an earth-shattering showdown?'
'What's happening now? Before I could even drink it, he evaporated it right on the spot! How are we supposed to fight like this?'
"Candle boy," Whitebeard's voice suddenly exploded beside his ear.
Before Akainu could react, a large calloused hand had already clamped around his throat, lifting him completely off the ground.
"Did you really think I'd foolishly wait for you to drink whatever the fuck that is?"
Akainu's legs kicked helplessly in the air.
His magma-fist tried to counterattack, but was blocked by Whitebeard's murakumogiri held in his other hand.
If he made any sudden moves, this arm would likely be severed immediately!
A flicker of panic finally appeared in his eyes.
"Pathetic. Just as Ron said," Whitebeard grinned, "strike when your enemy is vulnerable - that's the way of the sea!"
Before the words faded, the Murakumogiri flashed, and blood immediately gushed from Akainu's arm, streaming down to the ground.
"But don't worry," Whitebeard magically produced that iconic large wooden barrel again, perfectly catching every drop of falling blood.
"I won't kill you. Where would I find such a good blood bag if I killed you?"
All the marines fell into deathly silence.
The marine officers turned pale, yet none dared to take a step forward.
Even the three Seraphim stood frozen in place.
Without receiving commands, they could only watch everything unfold with cold indifference.
The flames of humiliation burned in Akainu's eyes, but continuous fierce battles had exhausted his stamina.
Now he was like a venomous snake pinned at its vital point, without even the strength to struggle.
The shattered Super Green Blood Potion became the final straw that broke him.
His hope for a comeback was gone, leaving him with nothing but being drained of blood.
Drip... drip...
The sound of blood falling into the wooden barrel was particularly piercing in the silent battlefield.
Whitebeard even casually shook the barrel to distribute the blood more evenly, a motion that made Kizaru in the distance instinctively cover his abdomen, his face growing even more grim.
"What a wicked man."
Bullett's gaze remained locked on Whitebeard.
Those perpetually defiant eyes now shone with rare admiration.
His fists unconsciously clenched, knuckles cracking as memories flooded back.
Back in Roger's Pirates, he had challenged this monster known as the "World's Strongest Man" numerous times, each ending in humiliating defeat.
Now witnessing Whitebeard effortlessly suppress the very Akainu who had just defeated him, that overwhelming gap in power made his entire body tremble!
Not from fear, but from excitement!
"Is this... the true peak?" Bullett murmured softly, his voice filled with unconcealed awe.
His gaze swept over the lightning crackling around Whitebeard's body, then fell upon the Murakumogiri stained with Akainu's blood.
His Adam's apple involuntarily bobbed.
Beside him, Redfield was equally stunned.
The self-proclaimed "I'm alone far surpassing the Yonko" now felt an unprecedented pressure.
His Observation Haki could clearly perceive that the aura emanating from Whitebeard far exceeded that of an ordinary Yonko.
The terrifying lightning speed combined with the destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—even at his peak, he would likely struggle to withstand it.
"The times... have truly changed," Redfield murmured to himself, his slender fingers unconsciously rubbing against each other.
His eyes scanned the battlefield, and he suddenly recalled witnessing Charlotte Linlin transforming into a dragon earlier.
The world now felt terrifyingly unfamiliar.
"A dragon-transformed Big Mom, a lightning-clad Whitebeard... Is this still the Great Pirate Era I knew?"
At the center of the battlefield, Whitebeard seemed to sense something and raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd like lightning.
When his eyes fell on Bullett, he laughed heartily, "Gurararara! The brat from Roger's ship, care to challenge this old man again?"
Bullett stiffened, then shook his head with a bitter smile.
This once-fearless warmonger now showed a rare trace of respect.
"Whitebeard, you monster... Even if Captain Roger were resurrected, he probably couldn't defeat you now."
Crocodile's golden hook trembled slightly in the sunlight as he stared fixedly at Whitebeard's towering figure, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Isn't this old man supposed to have one foot in the grave already?" he cursed under his breath, his voice laced with unconcealed shock.
"How is he more vigorous now than some twenty-year-old punk?"
His gaze involuntarily shifted to Ron, only to find the mysterious man calmly observing everything, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on his lips.
Crocodile's pupils constricted sharply—Ron showed no surprise at Whitebeard's astonishing display!
"Ron..." Crocodile tentatively spoke, his voice as dry as desert winds. "Do you know why Whitebeard has become so... extraordinary?"
"Of course." Ron turned his head, his deep eyes shimmering with an unreadable light as the corners of his mouth slowly curved upward.
"Want it? I can give it to you."
These words struck Crocodile's mind like a bolt of lightning.
He shuddered, his eyes darting between Ron and Whitebeard as if he had suddenly understood some terrifying truth.
His golden hook unconsciously tightened, reflecting a cold gleam in the sunlight.
"So that's it..." Crocodile's voice dropped to a near-whisper.
"No wonder Whitebeard dared to storm the Impel down alone... No wonder he's so protective of Ron..."
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