Chapter 367: One-on-One with Whitebeard!
"Hellhound!"
"Secret Art: Divine Slash—Void Cleave!"
Akainu and Wright's devastating attacks tore into Whitebeard's godlike form, leaving massive wounds in their wake!
A gaping, charred hole pierced straight through his chest! A deep, near-fatal slash carved across his side!
Whitebeard spat out a mouthful of blood, yet his body remained unshaken. The seismic energy surging from his fists sent violent tremors through the very air itself!
"HRAAAH!"
With a deafening roar, Whitebeard's bulging, veined arms swung forward, slamming his fists into a weakened section of the encircling wall—
The very spot he had struck from within the bay before charging into the plaza!
"BOOM!"
The force of the quake sent everything nearby flying, the brutal shockwave nearly shattering half of Oris Plaza!
"Holy Light Wall!"
A massive, golden, semi-transparent barrier materialized, shielding the plaza from further destruction and blocking the devastation from reaching the Justice Fortress and the surrounding town—but it was too late to save the encircling wall!
"BOOOOM—CRACK!"
A deafening explosion rang across the battlefield as Whitebeard, despite his grievous injuries, managed to punch a breach into the encircling wall!
"So, even as a Marine Admiral, your first priority is defense, huh..."
Whitebeard swung his naginata, blasting Akainu away and reducing his form to a splatter of molten magma. Yet, his piercing gaze remained locked onto the golden light radiating from Wright.
The path is open...
Now then...
"Whitebeard! Time and again, you try to destroy this city... You deserve death!"
Wright flashed forward, appearing directly before Whitebeard, his golden aura of retribution blazing with intensity. His radiant eyes, shining with Holy Light, saw clearly into the future—how could he not know Whitebeard's next move?
"If we let you raze Marineford to the ground, everything we stand for—our very justice—would be nothing but a joke!"
"Gurararara... Kid! Then try and stop me!"
Whitebeard, resolved to his fate, abandoned all defense, unleashing a relentless storm of attacks. But Wright's defense was every bit as formidable as his offense!
"Sakazuki-senpai! Whitebeard has opened a path for the pirates!"
"Leave this to me! We must not let them escape!"
"....."
Akainu's form reconstituted from magma. He glanced at Whitebeard, and though unyielding as ever, even he had to admit—Wright, with his ability to foresee the future, was the best possible opponent to hold Whitebeard at bay.
"I will not let them escape!"
With an eruption like a volcanic detonation, Akainu launched himself over Whitebeard, soaring towards the breach.
Transforming into a massive boulder of molten rock, he plummeted like a meteor, crashing into the breach with an earth-shattering impact. The very ground beneath him shattered, turning into a searing lava pit!
"Thinking you can just waltz out of here? Filthy pirate scum, don't even dream of it!"
Damn...
Whitebeard knew that even with the breach, escaping past an Admiral was nearly impossible. However—
"Wright, brat! Facing me alone—you sure you're not overestimating yourself?!"
"Why don't you find out for yourself?!"
A smirk curled Wright's lips. With a thunderous shout, the golden radiance of his blade, Ashes, flared to an unprecedented brilliance—its once golden-metallic blade now turning completely translucent!
"....."
Whitebeard's instincts sharpened. His Supreme Grade Blade, Murakumogiri, reacted, sensing something—
At the same moment, Dracule Mihawk, who had already pushed Vista to his limits, lifted his gaze towards the battlefield.
His Supreme Grade Blade, Yoru, was... excited.
"It's finally reached this stage..."
Mihawk murmured, before breaking into an eager grin:
"This trip has been well worth it."
"Kid! Your blade... not bad!"
Whitebeard gritted his teeth. The sensation from Murakumogiri—it was the thrill of encountering an equal!
"Of course it is!"
Wright raised Ashes in both hands. In mere moments, the blade had fully transformed—no longer forged of metal, but entirely "Lightforged" by Holy Light!
A Supreme Grade Blade—Ashes, reborn!
"Come, Whitebeard!"
The sheer force of his Conqueror's Haki threatened to rend the heavens. If a Black Blade's defining trait was its unbreakable resilience, then the Golden Blade, Ashes, possessed not only that but something even greater—
Unparalleled majesty!
Golden lightning crackled through the surrounding air, radiating from Ashes in all its newfound glory!
A blade capable of channeling its wielder's Haki to the absolute limit—
A true Supreme Grade Blade!
"Interesting!"
Whitebeard's eyes burned with intensity. "Brat, competing in Haki?! You think I've ever feared anyone?!"
"Everyone, clear the area! Move away from Wright and Whitebeard, now!"
Sengoku's urgent command snapped the Marines out of their stunned daze at Ashes' evolution. The pirates, though equally bewildered, quickly began retreating as well.
"No way...!"
"That Marine Admiral..."
"BOOOOM!"
A storm of black and golden lightning engulfed the battlefield. Those caught too close—pirates and Marines alike—collapsed, foaming at the mouth from sheer overwhelming force.
Only the Marines under Wright's aura remained barely conscious, their bodies trembling but their minds still clinging to awareness—
"Admiral Wright!"
"That's... that's... Conqueror's Haki!"
"Admiral Wright's Conqueror's Haki is equal to Whitebeard's!"
The revelation sent shockwaves through the Marines. And then—
A roar of triumph erupted across Marineford:
"Admiral Wright!"
"Justice will prevail!"
...
Whitebeard's overwhelming Conqueror's Haki was well known.
But among the Marines, only the highest-ranking officers knew that even Sengoku possessed it.
Now, with Wright revealing his own undeniable Conqueror's Haki, the flames of morale blazed fiercely within the Marine ranks!
"That bastard Wright..."
Doflamingo could no longer muster a smile. No matter how much stronger Wright was than him, he always had a small point of pride—
I have Conqueror's Haki, and you don't!
But now... Heh.
The other Warlords of the Sea displayed varying reactions. Aside from Hancock, who had known all along, even Enel and Mihawk looked genuinely surprised.
Crocodile clicked his tongue.
"Well now... this just got interesting."
Sabo, locked in a fierce clash with Ace, turned in shock toward Wright's direction.
"As expected of— Oof!"
Lost in thought, Sabo was sent flying by a punch to the face from Ace. The freckled pirate glanced at the stunned Garp and Sabo, shrugging.
"What, you guys didn't know? No wonder... Sensei told me not to—hmm."
Garp turned to Ace, then shifted his gaze to Sengoku, who was calmly stroking his braided beard with a knowing smile. The Vice Admiral exploded in fury.
"Huh?! How could an old man like me not know about something like this?!"
"You little brat! You're getting too full of yourself!"
Sengoku shot Garp a look that practically screamed You're an outsider, making the latter grit his teeth in frustration. But there was no time to argue.
"All forces! Annihilate every last fighting force of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Fire the encirclement wall cannons! Sink every pirate ship that made it into the inner bay! Cut off all their escape routes!"
"Whitebeard Pirates... you have nowhere left to run!"
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