Chapter 374: The Might of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
One after another, several warships rose from the seabed; the sound of their plating shattering merged into a single roar, like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of every marine soldier!
Furthermore, dozens of pirate crews broke through from the perimeter, slashed through the marine defensive lines, and charged straight into the harbor!
Within the crowd.
Koby, with his pink hair, could not help but swallow hard; looking at the flags emerging from the seabed within the harbor, he suddenly realized that this battle was unlike any he had participated in before!
"Four flagship vessels of the Whitebeard Pirates have arrived!"
Helmeppo, standing nearby, trembled all over; merely taking one glance, he was awestruck by the Whitebeard Pirates in the distance:
"Third Division Commander Diamond Jozu, Fifth Division Commander Flower Sword Vista, First Division Commander Phoenix Ma Erke... each one is a figure significant enough to warrant the Marines' attention and the deployment of an Admiral!"
"Even the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates are already capable of rivaling the Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters!"
On the Moby Dick, the hundred division commanders stood shoulder to shoulder, facing off against the powerhouses of the Marine side from afar, holding their ground without falling short.
Every single one of them radiated an aura no weaker than that of a Marine Vice Admiral, while the three leading them possessed formidable combat power capable of briefly contending with opponents at the Admiral level!
And located at the center of the Moby Dick was an old man of exceptionally tall stature.
A greatcoat draped over his shoulders, he held an exaggeratedly shaped naginata in his hand; his eyes revealed an air of dominance, and the Haki emanating from his entire body swept across the entire battlefield like a wild wind!
This unobstructed kingly combat power blew the marine flags within the harbor until they snapped loudly, the flagpoles nearly toppling over.
Some marines with slightly weaker strength could not even maintain consciousness in front of this man!
"This is... the World's Strongest?!"
Helmeppo gaped, his face pale, stumbling back several steps before barely managing to stand firm.
Had he not undergone corresponding training beforehand under Garp, neither he nor Koby beside him would absolutely have been able to remain conscious in front of this man.
Even so, his legs felt weak, and before the battle had even begun, his combat strength had already diminished by seventy percent!
"This is... Whitebeard?!"
At the same time.
Within Marineford, such thoughts simultaneously surged in the hearts of countless new-generation marine soldiers.
Yet at this very moment.
Click—!
A crisp sound rang out, spreading across the entire battlefield.
Everyone turned their heads one after another, looking toward the execution platform behind them, the very place from which the sound had originated.
Sengoku slowly put away his pocket watch, his gaze calm as he looked toward Whitebeard in the distance.
An equally powerful Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, sweeping across the battlefield in an instant, clashing with Whitebeard's Conqueror's Haki, only to dissipate completely the very next moment!
The impact, tangible as a physical force, spread in all directions; countless marine soldiers lost their balance and fell to the ground, yet they avoided the crisis of losing consciousness.
That stimulating sensation, like thorns pricking one's back, had already vanished!
As everyone exhaled a long breath, several points of confidence inevitably appeared in their eyes, and the hands gripping their swords became more powerful!
"Whitebeard is a legend of the previous era, but the Marines also have legends!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp have fought Whitebeard countless times without ever suffering defeat; this time will be no different!"
"That's right!"
"The Marine Headquarters' top three fighting forces, the Three Admirals, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea are all gathered here!"
"We will be the ones to win this battle!"
While everyone cheered, Sengoku on the execution platform narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the figure standing on the deck of the Moby Dick, unable to help but feel a bit dazed.
It was completely different from the image he had anticipated: racked by severe illness, old and senile.
At this very moment, Whitebeard, even merely standing there, made him feel a powerful sense of oppression rushing toward his face.
It even felt like facing the World's Strongest from twenty years ago, the one who clashed with Roger and vied for supremacy with Jin Shizi!
"You have grown old!"
"Sengoku!"
Whitebeard's low voice entered Sengoku's ears, making him feel a piercing irritation.
But what Sengoku understood even more clearly was that, apart from the Five Elders sitting high upon their thrones in Mary Geoise, no one in this world could resist the mighty power of time.
Aging is inevitable.
Jin Shizi had grown old and frail; although his old injuries had healed, he ultimately could not return to his peak.
Garp's spirit remained formidable, but judging from their sparring match not long ago, his strength had inevitably begun to decline.
Perhaps in a few years, perhaps in a dozen years, they would ultimately be defeated by time.
Being the strongest is ultimately only temporary; one will become a stepping stone for even stronger individuals to ascend to the top!
Just like Rocks in those years, just like Ryufield in those years, and just like Whitebeard before my eyes at this moment.
"How much better off can you be?!"
Sengoku sighed softly.
Without him needing to speak, Kizaru, guarding the front of the execution platform, could no longer restrain himself and stood up, looking lazily toward Whitebeard in the distance:
"If I had a choice, I really wouldn't want to fight against this kind of monster~"
Whoosh—!
Jin Guang flashed before the execution platform; the moment everyone saw the brilliance, Kizaru had already killed his way to Whitebeard's front.
His fingertips thrust out a blinding Jin Guang, illuminating the entire battlefield, as if an even more brilliant sun had risen in the sky!
Yet anyone could perceive that the killing move accumulating at his fingertips was surely beyond imagination!
Such a technique was enough to stir any powerhouse upon the seas!
Whitebeard merely offered a faint smile, his tone as if joking:
"It's a little dazzling~"
"Brat!"
The instant Whitebeard spoke, Ma Erke beside him had already acted; his body erupted in pale blue flames, transforming into a phoenix in an instant as he flew to block before Whitebeard, fully absorbing every laser Kizaru fired!
Boom, boom, boom—!
Lasers dense as raindrops struck Ma Erke; the pale blue flames burning across his body rippled with wave after wave, flesh and blood constantly melting only to reassemble in an instant!
Ma Erke endured Kizaru's assault, kicking the latter down and sending him crashing heavily into the Marine Headquarters building.
Boom—!
The roar echoed through the clouds, leaving everyone present with nothing but indescribable shock.
"Zoan-Type: Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Model: Phoenix Form!"
"An ability rarer than a Logia, a body nearing immortality, pale blue hellfire that heals any wound!"
"Isn't that practically an immortal body?!"
"How can such an opponent be defeated?!"
……
The murmurs within the Marine ranks gradually rose.
Akainu, seated before the execution platform, glanced toward where Kizaru had landed; ultimately, he did not speak, merely closing his eyes to continue feigning sleep, only to open them again the next instant and gaze at Whitebeard in the distance!
The very atmosphere stirred in that moment, as if something slumbering was gradually awakening, poised to overturn the seas.
The air across the entire battlefield grew thick in that instant, as though born from the seawater itself!
On the execution platform, Sengoku's pupils contracted sharply; with not a hair's breadth of time to spare, he could only let out a hoarse, desperate roar:
End of Chapter
