Sanders’ Gift – Mutual Destruction!

In a fit of rage, Akainu unleashed his full power.

Both of his fists transformed into magma, and countless magma fists erupted like a volcanic explosion into the sky, targeting both Vista and Marco. The two quickly maneuvered through the air, evading the fiery projectiles.

However, once the magma fists reached their apex, they began to fall like meteors toward the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet.

"Not good!"

Marco's eyes widened as he realized Akainu's true aim. The Marine admiral wasn't just targeting them—he was going after their ships.

Seeing how Whitebeard had decimated the Navy fleet earlier, Akainu now sought to destroy the Whitebeard Pirates' fleet in retaliation. Apart from the flagship, the Moby Dick, there were several other critical ships nearby.

In desperation, Marco focused on protecting the Moby Dick, the heart of their fleet.

"Phoenix Shield!"

Marco conjured a blazing blue shield of flames, positioning it in front of the Moby Dick. However, the flagship was enormous, and Akainu's Meteor Volcano covered a vast area. Marco alone couldn't fully protect the ship.

The other division commanders stepped in, using their unique abilities to intercept the magma fists aimed at the Moby Dick. Thanks to their combined efforts, the flagship remained relatively unscathed.

But the surrounding ships weren't as fortunate.

The fiery projectiles struck the other ships with relentless force, reducing them to wreckage in moments. The intense heat from the magma quickly melted significant portions of the vessels, leaving many pirates no choice but to abandon ship and flee to the Moby Dick.

Despite their best efforts, not everyone could be saved.

Many pirates who fell into the sea met a gruesome fate. Unlike ordinary waters, the ocean's surface was now covered in molten magma from Akainu's attack. Those who dove in were scalded almost instantly, their screams of agony echoing across the battlefield.

The crew aboard the Moby Dick scrambled to rescue their comrades.

Hearing the anguished cries of his "sons," Whitebeard's face darkened with fury. Gripping his Bisento tightly, he prepared to charge directly at Akainu.

"Newgate, you're getting too impatient in your old age!"

Before Whitebeard could advance, Garp intercepted him without hesitation.

Despite his differences with Akainu, Garp couldn't allow Whitebeard to rampage freely.

"We can't let you destroy our fleet without letting Akainu return the favor, now can we?" Garp remarked, his tone a mix of sarcasm and resignation.

Even though Garp wasn't thrilled about Akainu engaging Whitebeard without a proper strategy, the situation left him no choice but to go all out.

The two legendary figures clashed once more, their ferocious battle shaking the battlefield.

Aboard a Nearby Marines Ship

Smoker stood on the deck, his expression grim as he watched the chaos unfold.

While he wanted to assist, he knew the reality of the situation—these battles were far beyond his capabilities. Charging in would only lead to his own death.

The crew aboard his ship, however, were in awe.

"That's Admiral Akainu for you! Incredible!"

"He's showing these pirates what the Navy is all about!"

"Vice Admiral Garp is holding his own against Whitebeard! Truly a hero of the Marines!"

"That's right! Vice Admiral Garp even went toe-to-toe with the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, back in the day!"

Smoker's brows furrowed as he listened to his crew's excited chatter.

Their optimistic assessment of the battlefield was far from accurate.

The Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders hadn't even fully joined the fight yet. Meanwhile, Akainu and Garp were severely outnumbered.

Turning to his subordinate, Smoker asked, "Any word from headquarters?"

"We've reported the situation, but no updates yet," the subordinate replied solemnly.

Smoker was about to speak again when a mocking voice interrupted him.

"Well, well, Smoker. It's been over a year, hasn't it? Got yourself a promotion?"

The familiar tone sent a chill down Smoker's spine. Whipping around, he followed the voice to its source.

There, sitting casually atop the ship's mast, was a man dressed in shorts, a t-shirt, and flip-flops. His expression was one of playful derision as he gazed down at Smoker.

"Sanders!"

Smoker's eyes widened in shock, his voice rising as he exclaimed, "What are you doing here?!"

The man was none other than Sanders, who had seemingly vanished after leaving the battlefield earlier.

Originally, Sanders was planning to take a bath and get a good night's sleep after a fight.

However, his Observation Haki detected that Whitebeard was preparing to confront Akainu, so he decided to stay and observe Whitebeard's battle. Watching how Devil Fruit users utilized their powers was one of the ways Sanders accelerated his ability to develop new techniques. Since it wouldn't take much time, he didn't mind staying for a little while longer.

"Why can't I be here?"

"After all, didn't you come here because of my battle with Whitebeard in the first place?" Sanders sat perched high up, looking down at Smoker with a playful smile.

"Sanders? He's Thunder God Sanders!

Upon hearing Smoker refer to the man in front of them as Sanders and seeing his appearance clearly, the Marines aboard the ship turned pale and hastily raised their weapons.

"Stand down! Didn't you hear my order not to attack?" Smoker quickly stopped his subordinates.

While he had some personal connection with Sanders, his subordinates did not. If any of them provoked Sanders, it would mean death for everyone!

"You're quite sensible, Smoker!"

"I thought I'd have to kill a few of my former colleagues."

Sanders pulled out a bottle of beer, bit off the cap, and took a swig as he spoke.

A bead of sweat rolled down Smoker's forehead, but he felt a little relieved. Fortunately, he had reacted quickly. If anyone had attacked Sanders, he wouldn't have been able to stop Sanders from retaliating against his men.

"What are you doing here?" Smoker asked coldly.

"Nothing much. This spot has a good view of the battle," Sanders replied, glancing toward the distant battlefield.

Then he added, "And I thought I'd catch up with you while I'm at it."

"We have nothing to catch up on! Leave this place!"

Smoker's expression changed, and he shouted angrily.

It wasn't a problem to secretly have a drink with Sanders in private, but with so many people watching, how could he lead his crew if they thought he had ties to a major pirate?

"You've hurt my feelings, old Smokey!"

"At least back when I was in the Marines, I used to help you get stronger." Sanders spoke with a theatrically hurt expression, though a playful smile remained on his face.

Smoker's face twitched with frustration, and veins bulged on his forehead.

Help him get stronger? Was he joking? That was just beating him up! Though, to be fair, Smoker had been the one challenging Sanders back then.

The Marines aboard the ship looked at Sanders, then at Smoker, with odd expressions.

Still, their fear of Sanders lessened somewhat.

Sanders was undeniably powerful and an enemy of the Marines, but their commanding officer seemed to have some sort of relationship with him. Surely, Sanders wouldn't harm them, right?

Even though they upheld justice, they weren't oblivious to the situation. People had to be realistic. Especially after their recent clash with Crocodile, which left many injured Marines recovering in the ship's infirmary.

Noticing the way his subordinates were looking at him, Smoker scowled, his face dark as thunder.

However, his curiosity about the outcome of the battle between Whitebeard and Sanders remained.

Both were legendary pirates. One was a veteran who had dominated the seas for decades, standing as a contemporary of the Pirate King, Roger. The other was an up-and-coming prodigy renowned for his extraordinary talent.

Even the Marines aboard the ship couldn't help but wonder about the result of such a clash.

"So, who won between you and Whitebeard?" After some hesitation, Smoker decided to ask.

Hearing this, every Marine aboard pricked up their ears, their faces full of curiosity.

"Of course, I won. Whitebeard is getting old," Sanders replied casually.

"You… won?!"

Smoker's eyes widened in disbelief.

The other Marines were just as shocked. That was Whitebeard!

One of the Four Emperors of the Sea! A pirate known as the most powerful in the world, possessing the power to destroy the very world itself! And yet, he lost?!

"Then why doesn't he look injured?" Smoker blurted out his confusion.

From what they could see, even after battling Akainu and clashing repeatedly with Marine Hero Garp, Whitebeard didn't seem like someone who had been defeated.

After fighting for more than a day, surely he should show some signs of injury?

"I didn't want Akainu to take advantage of him, so I healed him a bit."

Sanders spoke calmly.

Smoker wanted to ask Sanders how he had the ability to heal, but one of his subordinates interrupted him.

"Rear Admiral Smoker, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is on the line." As he spoke, the subordinate handed over a Den Den Mushi.

Hearing it was Sengoku, Sanders raised an eyebrow. He turned into a bolt of lightning and disappeared from his spot.

In the blink of an eye, Sanders was back, sitting on the mast again, now holding the Den Den Mushi in his hand.

The Den Den Mushi wore square glasses, resembling Sengoku himself.

"This is Sengoku. Smoker, I order you to immediately inform Akainu and Garp to withdraw and stop engaging with the Whitebeard Pirates!" Sengoku's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.

Earlier, Smoker had already reported the clash between Akainu and the Whitebeard Pirates to headquarters.

Seeing that Sanders had taken the Den Den Mushi, Smoker's expression changed slightly. He wanted to say something but held back after some thought.

After all, he couldn't defeat Sanders, and it wasn't likely the Fleet Admiral would blame him for this.

"Smoker, are you listening?" The Den Den Mushi frowned, speaking again.

"Long time no see, Sengoku!"

Sanders held the Den Den Mushi, a slight smirk on his lips as he spoke.

The Den Den Mushi's expression shifted, and Sengoku's voice came through with a cautious tone:

"Who are you?"

"Has it been so long that you've forgotten my voice, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"

"Sanders?!!"

"Why do you have the Den Den Mushi? Where is Smoker?"

On the other end, Sengoku thought for a moment before recognizing Sanders' voice. His face darkened instantly.

"Heh, Sengoku, what do you think would happen if I teamed up with the Whitebeard Pirates right now? Could we take down both Garp and Sakazuki?" Sanders didn't answer Sengoku's questions, instead speaking with deliberate malice.

"Don't you dare!"

Sengoku's tone turned sharp, his expression grim.

If Sanders joined forces with the Whitebeard Pirates, the chances of capturing or killing Akainu and Garp would be dangerously high—especially with Sanders' incredible speed.

If it came to a fight, there was no way for Garp and Akainu to escape, unlike the earlier clash between Garp, Aokiji, and the Thunder God Pirates.

The Whitebeard Pirates were full of strong fighters, and Garp and Akainu had no reinforcements. Even though they were powerful, they could very well die in the New World.

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Sanders sneered.

"By the way, I've prepared a little gift for the Marines and the World Government. I hope you like it!"

With that, Sanders hung up and tossed the Den Den Mushi back to Smoker.

Of course, the idea of teaming up with Whitebeard was just to scare Sengoku.

After all, he had just fought Whitebeard and taken one-fifth of his territory. There was no way the Whitebeard Pirates would join forces with him.

Besides, this battle was Whitebeard's way of asserting dominance. Once it reached a certain point, Whitebeard would stop fighting. He wouldn't risk going all out against the Marines.

If they did team up, Sanders would end up facing the full force of the Marines alone.

And who's to say Whitebeard wouldn't stab him in the back? After all, Sanders had just beaten him up.

Whitebeard himself might be a man of his word, willing to accept defeat gracefully, but the same couldn't be said for his sons.

At the end of the day, they were all pirates—there was no honor among thieves.

After tossing the Den Den Mushi to Smoker, Sanders floated away. With the battle over and no more spectacle to watch, he wasn't planning to stick around. There were still plenty of things he needed to do.

Smoker watched Sanders' retreating figure, his expression grim and uncertain. However, seeing that Sanders wasn't going to seek out Whitebeard, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

At that moment, Sengoku called back.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is Smoker!"

"Sanders didn't team up with Whitebeard. He's already left! I'm heading out to inform Vice Admiral Garp and Admiral Akainu to retreat now!"

Knowing what Sengoku wanted to hear, Smoker reported everything at once.

Sengoku was silent for a moment before responding:

"Understood. Go inform Garp and Akainu immediately."

With that, the call ended.

Smoker quickly put away the Den Den Mushi and headed toward the battlefield to deliver the orders.

Garp complied easily, laughing as he withdrew from the fight.

Akainu, on the other hand, looked reluctant, but he couldn't disobey orders from headquarters. With a grim expression, he left the battlefield.

The Whitebeard Pirates weren't too happy about it.

"You think you can fight when you want and leave when you want?!"

The two sides skirmished for a while longer before finally disengaging and retreating.

The battle left both the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates battered.

The Marines lost an entire fleet and many elite soldiers.

The Whitebeard Pirates also suffered casualties, though most of the dead were weaker members who hadn't made it to the Moby Dick in time. The core strength of the crew remained largely intact.

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T/N:

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