Akainu's throat tightened slightly, a bead of cold sweat forming on his forehead and tracing a path down his resolute face.
The force of that slash far exceeded his expectations.
If he hadn't intervened at the critical moment to shield the flagship with his magma, this ship would likely have been cleanly severed in two like the other warships!
"Ron... this guy's strength has grown again."
Akainu's eyes darkened like cooling iron, his inner shock forcibly suppressed.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through the billowing smoke to lock onto the distant figure standing with a blade.
Ron's White Moon remained brilliantly white, as if that world-shattering strike had been nothing more than a casual swing.
"Hmph..."
A cold smirk tugged at Akainu's lips as his magma-infused right arm began boiling once more, searing lava churning and roaring.
"So what if you've grown stronger?"
His voice was low and firm, carrying unwavering determination.
"Justice will never retreat before a mere pirate!"
"The Eternal Divine Kingdom—must be destroyed!"
Just as the auras of Ron and Akainu were about to clash—
CRACK—!!!
Its not the sound of thunder.
But it was the sound of the atmosphere shattering!
The air itself cracked like a mirror, spiderweb fractures appearing in the void.
A terrifying vibration tore through the heavens, striking the center of the battlefield like divine wrath!
Violent shockwaves exploded across the ground, instantly hurling the remaining Marine soldiers aside like leaves in a gale.
From within the dust and smoke, a mountainous figure slowly emerged.
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate!
The entire battlefield suddenly fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone's movements froze.
Pirates held their raised blades suspended mid-air, while Marines' trigger fingers trembled slightly.
Akainu and the other Vice Admirals halted their assaults in unison, all eyes converging on the figure emerging from the dust.
"That... that's..."
A Marine Rear Admiral's cap was blown away by the fierce wind, his lips trembling uncontrollably as his telescope clattered onto the deck.
"Whitebeard! Edward Newgate!!!"
This exclamation was like a massive rock thrown into calm waters, instantly stirring waves across the battlefield.
Commotion erupted within the Marine ranks, many soldiers' legs beginning to shake uncontrollably.
Several young Marines even collapsed onto the ground, their weapons scattering around them.
"You've got to be kidding me... wasn't Whitebeard supposed to be fighting Kaido?!"
"It's over... we're finished..."
"How can we possibly face two Yonko-level monsters at once..."
The pirate side erupted with earth-shaking cheers.
"It's Pops! Pops is here!"
"Hahaha, Marines! Your doom has arrived!"
"The Strongest Man in the World has come!"
Doflamingo's sunglasses reflected the chaos, his lips twitching involuntarily.
"Fufufu... this is getting more and more interesting..."
Shiki floated mid-air, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "That old bastard Newgate, why is he only arriving now?"
Ron narrowed his eyes slightly, his White Moon blade trembling gently—not from fear, but resonance, responding to Whitebeard's terrifying Conqueror's Haki.
At the center of the battlefield, Akainu's expression turned extremely grave.
He could feel it—the moment Whitebeard appeared, the entire battlefield's "momentum" had completely shifted in favor of the pirates.
This was the deterrence of a Yonko—merely by showing up, he could alter the course of the entire war!
Whitebeard strode forward slowly, each step causing the ground to tremble beneath him.
His crescent-shaped mustache fluttered in the wind, the tip of his supreme blade, Murakumogiri, dragging along the ground, carving a deep furrow.
His white captain's coat flapped wildly in the fierce gale.
His sharp eyes swept across the devastated Eternal Divine Kingdom, taking in the sight of the island Ron had painstakingly built now ravaged by cannon fire.
Rage swelled in his chest, nearly erupting!
"Gurarararara…"
Whitebeard suddenly let out a low chuckle, his gaze turning to Ron. "Kid, that slash of yours earlier nearly sent me tumbling down from the Sky Island!"
Though his tone was teasing, the chilling glint in his eyes sent shivers down one's spine.
The next moment, Whitebeard's smile vanished abruptly, and a terrifying Conqueror's Haki erupted like a tsunami!
"You little candle-lighter…"
He stared at Akainu, enunciating each word slowly. "You really have a death wish!"
BOOM—!
Whitebeard took a sudden step forward, and the ground instantly cracked!
His right fist glowed with the white halo of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, poised to strike Akainu—
"WAIT! POPS!"
Marco, flying overhead as a Phoenix, suddenly shouted.
Whitebeard's movement froze abruptly.
Because at that moment, Akainu's lips curled into a cruel, cold smile as he slowly pulled out a figure bound in Seastone chains from behind him.
"JOZU…?!"
Whitebeard's pupils contracted violently!
SIZZLE...
Akainu's magma-covered hand clamped tightly around Jozu's throat, the scorching lava sizzling against his skin with a piercing sound.
Jozu's once-proud Diamond body was now powerless, rendered mere flesh and blood by the Seastone shackles.
His skin emitted a sickening sizzle under the Fleet Admiral's grip. Charred shadows spread from where Akainu's fingers dug in.
"STOP!!!"
Whitebeard's roar shook the entire island.
His massive frame ground to a halt, Murakumogiri plunging deep into the ground and carving a trench dozens of meters long.
His fluttering captain's coat slowly settled, unable to conceal the bulging veins and his heaving chest.
"Po... Pops..."
Jozu's skin was already charred black, revealing a face streaked with blood and grime.
The scalding magma burned his neck, but his bloodshot eyes remained fixed on Whitebeard, tears mingling with blood as they streamed down.
"It's all my fault… I failed to protect Ace…" His voice was hoarse and broken. "Kaido… that bastard Kaido… took advantage of the chaos and… captured Ace!!!"
Whitebeard's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
This Emperor of the Seas, who had dominated the New World for decades, was momentarily dazed.
The news of Ace being captured by Kaido struck his heart like a heavy hammer, ringing in his ears.
Ace captured by Kaido? Jozu captured by Akainu?
Before his eyes, one son was a hostage, and the other was in the clutches of a beast.
Whitebeard's fists clenched until his knuckles cracked.
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit flickered uncertainly around them, yet he could not bring himself to strike.
"Gu... ra... ra... ra..."
A chilling laugh suddenly forced its way from Whitebeard's throat.
His gaze swept back and forth between Akainu and the direction of Wano Country, an unprecedented killing intent swirling around him like a tangible substance.
---------
Read 50 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator