The moment the tremor's aftershock faded, Newgate's colossal figure was already right in front of Diarmuid.
"That's a good fighting spirit, brat!" Newgate said, a grin on his face, praising him. As his words landed, he brought his great blade, Murakumogiri, down in a powerful slash.
It was a visible attack, but there was no luminous energy. Instead, it was coated in a formless and invisible layer of Haki.
Diarmuid had no time to dodge, or rather, he had no intention of dodging. He had just used Douglas Bullet to prove that his strength had already entered the ranks of the top-tier. Now, he had the perfect opportunity to see just how far he still was from the undisputed strongest man in the world.
He shifted his grip on Kokorowatari from one hand to two, and a cloud-like layer of Armament Haki enveloped the blade. He brought it up to meet Newgate's strike.
RUMBLE~!
The blades didn't make contact. The two forces of Haki clashed in mid-air. The shattered ground beneath Diarmuid's feet instantly turned to dust, and his feet sank into the earth under Newgate's overwhelming pressure.
The "Justice" coat on his back whipped violently in the air. The veins on Diarmuid's arms bulged, his muscles were taut, and his eyes were bloodshot. The veins on his forehead were throbbing.
"Hraaagh!" Diarmuid roared. His already straining arm muscles bulged even more, and the ground beneath him exploded outward in a cloud of dust, as if an immense force had been released. Black lightning from the clash of Haki crackled and flashed between Diarmuid and Newgate.
In the distance, the Whitebeard Pirates' top fighters were all shocked. This scene looked familiar; it reminded them of the time their Pops clashed with Roger years ago.
But they quickly noticed a difference. Back then, their Pops and Roger were evenly matched. Now, while Diarmuid was holding his own against their Pops, it was clear that Pops still had some power in reserve, while Diarmuid was already using everything he had.
Even so, they were stunned. In their daily sparring with Pops, they always went all out, but no one, not a single one, had ever been able to do what Diarmuid was doing! In other words, Diarmuid was far stronger than any of them.
"That Marine..." Jozu started to say something, but he stopped himself.
"He's so strong!" Marco admitted his shock openly. However, out of respect for Newgate, Marco and the others had no intention of interfering in the fight.
Just then, Newgate, who had been in a stalemate with Diarmuid, grinned and laughed loudly. "Gurarararara! Brat, your strength is much more than I expected. The Marines' ranks are truly full of endless talent... But you're still too young..."
As he said that, a crimson glow flashed in Newgate's eyes, and his already immense aura became even more overwhelming. At the same time, the Haki he was using underwent a qualitative change.
"Haah!" Newgate roared. Diarmuid felt the force coming from Newgate suddenly intensify to another level.
"Gah!" Diarmuid gritted his teeth, and the ground beneath him began to shake again. It seemed to be at its limit, unable to absorb any more of the force Diarmuid was constantly channeling into it.
At that moment, Diarmuid's cloud-like Armament Haki shattered. Then, Newgate's Murakumogiri slammed into Kokorowatari. The force vibrated through Diarmuid's hands, making his arms go numb.
In that instant, he instinctively compared it to his previous fight with Charlotte Linlin and confirmed that Newgate's power was stronger! Or rather, his attack was more powerful!
When he thought about it, while Charlotte Linlin's monstrous strength was unmatched, Newgate was also the monster who, in his seventies, had single-handedly stopped the gigantic Moby Dick. His physical strength was also monstrous!
Diarmuid was glad he had obtained Kokorowatari. If he had still been using the Nagasone Kotetsu, he had no doubt that Newgate's blade would have sliced it in two as easily as a hot knife through butter.
The cursed sword, Kokorowatari, truly lived up to its name as one of the world's finest blades. It had held its ground against Newgate's Murakumogiri without a single scratch or chip on its razor-sharp edge.
But that was as far as it would go. The ground beneath Diarmuid could no longer withstand the pressure. It suddenly erupted, and Diarmuid was unable to resist Newgate's terrifying attack. He was sent flying.
He flew back dozens of meters, digging his fingers into the ground to create deep furrows. He kept sliding for another dozen meters before he finally stopped himself. His arms were trembling, not from fear, but from the muscle tremors caused by the overexertion of his power.
"My Haki was shattered..." Diarmuid murmured to himself. He looked at Newgate, who was standing in the distance and not pressing his advantage. "Did that shift in your last attack change the Haki you were using to Conqueror's Haki?"
Newgate's grin widened, and his eyes showed even more appreciation. He didn't hide anything. As if he were giving him a lesson, he said, "That's right. You've got a good eye, brat. You were taught well by Sengoku and the others... You can coat an attack with Conqueror's Haki. It's a power that only a very few people can use. I could feel a similar power stirring inside you the moment I used my Conqueror's Haki. You also have the qualities of a king, don't you?"
Diarmuid slowly stopped his arms from shaking, swung his Kokorowatari, and nodded. "That's right."
"Conqueror's Haki can't be trained. It comes from the heart and is a reflection of everything the heart has experienced. While it's said that only one in a million people possess this quality, there are more people with it than you'd think on this sea. However, some people's Conqueror's Haki becomes weaker, while others' becomes stronger. Why do you think that is?" Newgate suddenly asked.
Diarmuid was stunned. He didn't expect Newgate to be in the mood to give him a lesson. He was a little surprised. But Diarmuid wasn't going to be dramatic just because Newgate was a pirate. The advice of the World's Strongest Man, even just a single sentence, was priceless.
So, Diarmuid replied in a serious tone, "Because there are strong kings and weak kings. Since it comes from the heart, it should be guided by it. The more courageous one is, the stronger it will be! After all, this sea only favors the brave. Those who are fearful and hesitate, even if they have the qualities of a king, won't have the capacity to be one, and their power will naturally weaken!"
Newgate's eyes lit up, and he laughed heartily. "Gurararararara! You're right. I like you more and more. You're wasting your kingly qualities by staying in a place like the Marines. Diarmuid... no, Rodriguez Diarmuid, how about you become my son?!"
'What?!' Diarmuid was completely taken aback. 'I'm a Marine, and I still get to hear those words from you!'
While he was grateful for Newgate's advice, becoming a pirate was not an option. So, Diarmuid swung Kokorowatari, and the evil aura around him surged. He answered without a moment's hesitation. "I refuse!"
"Just as I thought," Newgate said, not disappointed, a smile still on his face. He never expected Diarmuid to be so easily swayed. He was just so impressed with Diarmuid's bold statement that "the sea only favors the brave" that he felt compelled to offer.
What was the harm in asking? He had nothing to lose. What if Diarmuid had lost his mind and said yes? Then he would've profited immensely!
Without any regret, Newgate raised his Murakumogiri and said, "The sea always favors the brave. I really like that saying. Diarmuid, you're still young, and it's a time for pride. It's not so surprising that you would say that. But this sea also likes to bury the brave. I hope you can always maintain that brave heart and become stronger with every battle. One day, your heart will guide your capacity and you will become a true king!"
As his words faded, a crimson light flashed in Newgate's eyes again. He stomped his foot, lunging toward Diarmuid and bringing his blade down.
Diarmuid had already understood in their previous clash that he was a step below Newgate. In their tier, being one step behind was a world of difference, like an insurmountable chasm.
Look at Douglas Bullet; he was only one step below Diarmuid, but in a real fight, the gap in power could be magnified infinitely by various circumstances.
The same applied to Diarmuid facing Newgate. That one step was the difference between earth and the sky!
So, Diarmuid didn't try to block Newgate's attack with all his might as he had before. Instead, he activated his ability, making himself weightless. He used Soru to quickly put distance between himself and Newgate.
As soon as he found his footing, Diarmuid placed his hand on the ground and shouted, "Gravity Field: Hell's Rite!"
The moment Diarmuid's move was activated, an invisible force of gravity surged from his body and poured into the shattered ground. The next second, the broken ground, under the immense gravity, was compressed. It actually started to solidify the fragmented land!
The powerful gravitational pressure also covered Newgate. He had just finished his attack, and as he stood on the ground, the force of his attack created a giant crater.
At the same time, Newgate felt an immense gravitational pressure pulling at him, as if it were trying to drag him to hell and offer him as a sacrifice to the Ruler of the Underworld. But as the World's Strongest Man, he straightened his back and resisted the gravitational pressure. At the same time, he plunged Murakumogiri into the ground.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest. A thick, transparent aura of destruction-filled tremors gathered on his two large fists. He then looked at Diarmuid, his iconic mustache twitching, and a slight smile on his face. He said in a low voice, "Kūshin!" [Airquake]
Then, with his arms still crossed, he pushed through the immense gravitational pressure, and with a mighty roar, he slammed his two fists into the air on either side of him.
The next moment, a powerful tremor erupted, and cracks appeared in the very air, as if he had just shattered space with a single punch.
The powerful gravitational pressure that had been covering the area instantly shattered. The ground that Diarmuid had so painstakingly re-solidified was once again shattered into pieces by this force!
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