Chapter 382: One Piece Exists!

Boom!

A red lotus instantly exploded across Whitebeard's chest, the intense heat searing flesh and emitting a charred smell.

Facing Akainu's extremely vicious, extremely evil, and extremely violent punch, even the body of the World's Strongest Man was shaken at this moment, uncontrollably blasted back hundreds of meters before barely landing on his feet.

"Gah—!"

Whitebeard propped himself up with his blade in one hand, his face flushing red as he coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

The hand gripping his blade trembled continuously; clearly, this body had reached its limit. The cape on his shoulders was already in tatters, and his chest was covered with dense, countless scars.

Freezing, burning, and even slashes, spears, and cannon fire...

Standing alone against the entire Marine force came with an undeniably huge price.

Such injuries would be enough to kill an ordinary person dozens of times, yet they could not make Whitebeard bow; this will moved even the Marines, his opponents, profoundly!

What was even more critical was that the enhancement from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was constantly dissipating; not only were the wounds on his body's surface worsening, but the illness Whitebeard had almost forgotten surged forth once again, making him feel the scent of decay spreading from every part of his body.

It made one want to vomit!

He raised his eyes to gaze into the distance, where three figures—Red, Blue, and Yellow—pressed forward with overwhelming momentum, followed closely by countless Marine officers.

Even for the World's Strongest Man, defeating the three Marine Admirals simultaneously was nearly impossible, let alone facing so many other Marines.

This was a hunt targeting the world's strongest, and Whitebeard seemed to be a lamb awaiting slaughter on the platter!

Even though Whitebeard was at the end of his rope, Akainu, leading the charge, did not dare relax in the slightest:

"This battle has reached its final moment."

"Whitebeard's counterattack will be incredibly fierce, like a mountain collapse and a tsunami; if we are even slightly careless, we will suffer heavy injuries!"

"Be careful!"

"Be careful!"

"Be extra careful!"

Three consecutive emphatic warnings made Aokiji and Kizaru's expressions turn solemn as they roused themselves to twelve parts alertness.

In truth, there was no need for Akainu to remind them; fighting to this point, they likewise did not dare to be even slightly negligent.

This was solely because the one they faced was the World's Strongest, who had roamed the seas for decades!

"Gura-lah-lah-lah-lah...!"

Whitebeard swung his blade with one hand, blowing away the surrounding cold air; although his body suffered heavy injuries, the aura emanating from his entire being remained unbreakable!

The manic Conqueror's Haki roared, ravaging the battlefield!

Even the steps of the three Marine Admirals halted for a moment, yet in the next instant, they killed their way toward Whitebeard!

Death is imminent!

The World's Strongest ultimately could not withstand the Marines' wolves and tigers!

At this very moment.

Such thoughts arose in the hearts of those watching this war!

"Facing the Marines' highest combat strength, the three Admirals, plus countless Marine officers alone; perhaps even Lox or Luo Jie back in the day could not achieve such a feat!"

"The World's Strongest... Whitebeard truly deserves this title!"

"It's just that the moment for the curtain to fall has finally arrived."

Kid, looking at the projected image, couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.

Killer beside him nodded; his mask covered his entire face, making his expression unreadable, yet only his slightly trembling voice exposed the turmoil within his heart:

"In this battle, Whitebeard's strategy has already succeeded."

"Fire Fist Ace escaping is an undeniable fact; the Marines are now powerless to stop the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates from leaving."

"Whitebeard actually won, it's just that the price was his own life."

"Speaking of which..."

Killer paused, and seeing Kid glance his way, continued:

"As someone who competed with Luo Jie for many years, do you think Whitebeard might know something..."

Kid naturally understood what Killer meant; he couldn't help but look at the projected image, his gaze complex.

Back when they set sail, they took One Piece as their goal and walked this path to where they are now.

Along the way, they encountered many people.

Some also took One Piece as their goal; although they were competitors, they would not mock each other's dreams.

But more people...

Kid turned his head to look at the burning town, his gaze icy cold.

... treated One Piece as a lie.

Along this journey, he had already acted, killing countless such people, yet he still felt a rage in his heart that he could not vent.

This was solely because violence could only destroy the bodies of those who doubted, but it could not prove that he was right!

Even his own repeated loss of control and attacks might be because his conviction regarding One Piece was not firm enough, at least not as firm as he thought it was.

"Once we reach Laugh Tale, everything will have an answer!"

"That's true!"

The two looked at each other in silence, then turned their heads once again to look at the projected image.

With old injuries recurring and the effect of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit failing, Whitebeard, all alone, faced the three Marine Admirals; the situation was perilous.

In just a few short seconds, he was hit consecutively by the three men's attacks; several shocking wounds were added to his chest, and furthermore, one arm was directly frozen solid!

"Whitebeard..."

Sengoku stood in the distance, watching this scene, and couldn't help but feel a touch of sorrow for one of his own kind in his heart.

An opponent he had clashed with for many years was about to meet his end; how far away was his own?

The once-glorious era was finally drawing to a close; whether the World's Strongest or the Navy's Number One, all would become things of the past.

As for the future...

Sengoku lifted his head, glancing toward the limit of his vision where Ace and the Flying Brothers had already boarded their ship and were fighting their way out of the encirclement, then casually shifted his attention to Gao Wen, who was hunting Crocodile with the leisurely air of a cat playing with a mouse.

Compared to the potential hidden within his bloodline...

Gao Wen, who had already crushed the former World's Strongest, whose combat power was unfathomably deep, who commanded vast armies and generals, and who hoarded elite forces that even the Navy found terrifying, was the future of the new era!

"Our age is destined to fade away."

Sengoku murmured softly:

"But people like us still have things we must do."

"You should understand that point, shouldn't you?!"

"Whitebeard!"

"Facing almost the entire combat strength of Navy Headquarters alone; for a man like you, such an ending could be considered complete, couldn't it?!"

"The task you set out to accomplish has already been achieved; next..."

"It is my turn!"

As long as he slew Whitebeard here, before the eyes of the entire world, there would still be room to salvage everything!

And Whitebeard, now at the end of his rope, posed no significant threat to the Navy, which was as fierce as tigers and wolves.

In that moment, Sengoku's heart finally settled slightly.

Rayleigh Jia Ba, who had been entangled with him, saw that Ace had already withdrawn; naturally, there was no need for him to continue tangling with Sengoku.

They had no reason to fight the Navy to the death here; they had more important matters to attend to—at least until the man Luo Jie anticipated arrived, they could not die!

Swish! Swish!

Two explosive sounds rang out in the air as Rayleigh Jia Ba disengaged and retreated violently, sweeping hundreds of meters away in the blink of an eye.

Sengoku wished to pursue, but his feet felt suddenly heavy, and an overwhelming exhaustion surged into his heart.

Facing two legends simultaneously was exhausting even for him; now utterly powerless to give chase, he could only let the two depart at their leisure.

"Hoo~!"

Sengoku exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, and after recovering slightly, turned his gaze toward the distant battlefield!

Fresh wounds had appeared on Whitebeard's body.

He was nearly powerless to fight on, even struck by the blades of countless Navy Vice Admirals, his body covered in streaming blood!

"I am... the World's Strongest!"

Gritting his teeth, Whitebeard swung his hand and unleashed a vibration fist, knocking back all the enemies before him, yet it lacked the earth-shattering momentum of before!

"Tch—!"

"Is this my limit?!"

Whitebeard lowered his head, looking at the dense network of wounds covering his chest; at this moment, he could no longer even feel the pain.

"Truly unwilling to accept this!"

"However..."

Whitebeard turned his head, meeting Sengoku's gaze, a mocking smile curling the corners of his mouth: