Boom!
Aeridar's whip kick heavily struck Whitebeard's raised arm, and a fierce, swirling gale immediately spread outward.
Even Whitebeard couldn't help but feel an enormous force surge from his arm.
Retreating several steps, Whitebeard forcefully plunged his naginata into the ground before he could barely stop.
"This is outrageous!" Sakazuki growled in a low voice. "Whitebeard, once we kill you, the victory is ours!"
"Two Marine Admirals, plus a Warlord…" Borsalino stood up, pouting, and spoke languidly. "Whitebeard, how will you handle this?"
"Though it might seem less than honorable, I want to see what kind of change that flood named 'Pirates' will bring to the world without you as the dam!" A startling flash of killing intent crossed Aeridar's eyes.
He bore no grudge against Whitebeard, and in fact, they had an indirect beneficial relationship. He simply killed for the sake of killing!
Two Marine Admirals, plus a Warlord with Admiral-level strength—it was the equivalent of three Admirals teaming up. Even Whitebeard at his peak and in his prime would likely be unable to defeat them.
Whitebeard glanced at Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Aeridar, finally letting his gaze rest on Aeridar. Looking at the young yet somewhat sinister face, he asked, "Golden Ring brat, how do you kill without fear?"
Aeridar was momentarily stunned.
Then his expression turned savage, and a bloodthirsty grin stretched across his lips. "By transferring the fear to the person being killed, isn't that enough?"
"Gurarararara! You truly are a cold-hearted brat!" Whitebeard laughed heartily with a booming voice.
"However..." But changing his tone, Whitebeard said chillingly, "You are far too dangerous. It would be better to kill you right here!"
"Heh heh heh heh! Hahahahaha!" Aeridar laughed manically. "If you can do it, come on then!"
"Impact Cannon!!!"
He threw a punch, and a terrifying shockwave suddenly slammed into the air. The highly condensed white air column attacked in an instant, leaving fine cracks on the ground in its wake.
"Whitebeard, today is your death day! Great Eruption!!!"
Sakazuki's body melted into magma. Droplets of lava dripped off as a gigantic magma fist, as large as a house, hammered down toward Whitebeard's head.
"Gurarararara!"
Whitebeard continued his booming laugh. A faint white pressure sphere appeared on the blade of his bisento, and he swept it out directly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The powerful attacks collided instantly, causing a deafening roar that shook the earth violently. The terrifying air current formed a hurricane-like wind pressure that ravaged half the island. The shattered giant magma fist turned into volcanic bombs that splashed everywhere, affecting countless Marines and pirates, causing untold casualties in a short time.
Suddenly, a dazzling light flared in the air. A figure materialized within the light, appearing in mid-air on Whitebeard's flank.
"Speed is weight. Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light, Whitebeard?"
Borsalino's voice rang out. A long, shimmering leg of light solidified and was delivered at the speed of light.
Clang!
The kick struck the naginata, causing it to vibrate incessantly. The resulting clash of energy erupted into a fierce air current that whipped out in all directions.
"Damn it. At this rate, it looks like this will drag on for a while!" Aeridar curled his lips, tugged at the glove on his right hand, and muttered to himself, "Looks like I have to reveal a bit of my hand. Let the world see the power of the Floating Gloves' Aelry!"
He pulled down with his right hand, as if tugging on something.
"Gurarararara! Golden Ring brat, have you gone mad?" Whitebeard looked up at the sky, mocking him.
"Huh? Is that..."
Just as he finished speaking, Whitebeard noticed a shadow in the clouds that seemed to block the sunlight, making the sky grow dim.
"What is that?"
"A m-meteorite?!"
"No, it's not a meteorite... it's an island!"
"A-are you kidding me? How is that possible?"
Countless Marines and pirates in Marineford felt the shadow overhead and couldn't help but look up. Before their stunned eyes, a gigantic meteorite, at least one or two kilometers in size, broke through the clouds and began to descend, seemingly blotting out the sky above Marineford.
"Hey, hey, what the hell is going on?" Whitebeard opened his mouth, unsure what to say for a moment.
"Why does this feel so familiar?"
Sengoku on the execution platform and Garp, who was preparing to intercept Luffy, were both utterly bewildered.
"What is that?" Luffy, running on the stone bridge, couldn't help but stop and stare open-mouthed at the island falling from the sky.
"Now, what's all this about?" Borsalino scratched his head.
"Arara~ I have a bad feeling about this!" Kuzan frowned.
"Fuffuffuffufu~ That feeling... It's Shiki the Golden Lion!" Doflamingo grinned, laughing manically. "Aeridar, that bastard, really does have some tricks up his sleeve!"
Seeing this, Sakazuki immediately felt something was wrong. He had also seen Aeridar's previous action and quickly demanded, "Aeridar! What did you do?!"
"Didn't you see it?" Aeridar turned his head, staring at Sakazuki with a sinister smile. "Heh heh heh heh~ The ability of the legendary Sky Pirate, Shiki the Golden Lion!"
"Lion's Threat: Earth Bind!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The island overhead shook violently and then shattered with a crash. The soil, rocks, and trees on it surged upwards like a giant wave, as if kneaded by an unseen force, forming a gigantic, continuous lion's head.
"Heh heh heh heh! After all these years, taste the ability of your old rival again!" Aeridar laughed wickedly, violently swinging his arm down.
"Roar!!!"
Five or six colossal lion heads roared incessantly, swarming down to bite at Whitebeard below.
"That lunatic!"
Countless people were panic-stricken. This was Marineford, where hundreds of thousands of people were gathered. Had the world gone mad?!
"I don't know why you have Shiki's ability, but I am Whitebeard!" Whitebeard's morale was soaring. Ignoring the explanation, he gripped his naginata and swung a powerful slash.
Crack!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The atmosphere split open, and the air intensely vibrated. Powerful shockwaves traveled through the air in continuous bursts. Moments later, the five or six massive lion heads shattered into pieces with a loud crash, sending up a hurricane-like terror-blast that ravaged the sky.
Soon, large chunks of rock and earthen plates, along with broken, towering trees, rained down from the sky, pummeling Marineford and the surrounding sea. The ground shook incessantly, and the sea churned violently, creating a scene like the end of the world.
"They're falling!"
"R-run!"
"No…"
"It's an illusion! It must be an illusion!"
Even though Marineford had gathered numerous strong fighters, many Marines and pirates were still crushed or severely injured by the falling rocks, earth slabs, and gigantic trees.