"Hmph! That damned magma brat only knows how to do pointless things."
"Men! Prepare to go ashore!"
After dealing with all the volcanic projectiles, Whitebeard spat in the direction the Marines had departed, clearly irritated.
Just as the Moby Dick reached the shore,
A blood-red figure suddenly appeared on the coastline.
"Pops, is that Vista?"
"Why is he red?!"
Marco looked as if he had discovered some rare species. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
The rest of the crew reacted similarly.
It wasn't really their fault.
Vista's appearance was genuinely bizarre.
His skin was red.
His eyes were red.
Yet when he opened his mouth, all that showed was a set of gleaming white teeth.
Anyone would be shocked.
"Mm, that really is Vista."
"As for why he looks like that, it's probably because of the sword in his right hand."
Although Whitebeard was surprised by his son's transformation, his attention quickly shifted to the Demonic Blade Muramasa in Vista's hand.
The blade glowed crimson.
A dense smell of blood spread through the air, reaching even the crew aboard the Moby Dick.
Everyone stared at Vista with grave expressions.
"Pops, I'll go check it out first!"
"I'm coming too!"
Marco pushed off from the bow of the ship and leaped toward Vista.
The second person to volunteer was a dark-skinned giant of a man, Jozu.
Whitebeard made no move to stop them.
Among the Whitebeard Pirates, if anyone could take a beating, it was definitely Jozu and Marco.
Jozu possessed the Paramecia-type Diamond Fruit, allowing him to transform his body into diamond and granting him unparalleled defensive power.
Marco possessed the Mythical Zoan Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix, which granted him extraordinary regenerative abilities.
One couldn't be hurt.
The other couldn't be killed.
Together, they were known as the Whitebeard Pirates' strongest shield duo.
Even Whitebeard himself might not surpass them by much in terms of durability.
"Jozu, let me go first!"
The moment Marco leapt from the ship, he activated his ability.
Two wings of azure flame erupted from his back, and he shot toward Vista at incredible speed.
Already agitated after losing his previous target, Vista was delighted to see Marco.
Muramasa immediately swung.
A crimson slash flew through the air.
"Damn! It's red!"
The sudden red slash startled Marco.
After all, Vista's attacks had never looked like this before.
"Phoenix Shield!"
Marco reacted instantly.
A large amount of blue flame formed a circular shield before him.
The crimson slash collided with the azure flames.
The flames rapidly dissipated.
Before Marco could react, the massive slash was already right in front of him.
"Damn it!"
With no other choice, Marco crossed his arms and coated them with Armament Haki to block.
At that very moment, Jozu's enormous body burst forward with unimaginable speed and appeared in front of Marco.
Ding!
A crisp sound rang out as Jozu's body transformed.
His entire body became covered in diamond.
Clang!
No matter how fierce the crimson slash was, it could not break through the hardest diamond.
"Hah!"
Jozu let out a low shout and slammed his fist into the attack.
The tremendous force shattered the slash instantly.
"Thanks, Jozu."
"Marco, be careful."
"Vista's strength is terrifying right now."
Feeling the ominous blood energy, Jozu's expression grew serious.
Marco nodded.
Just from the fact that a single slash had broken through his Phoenix Shield, he could tell that Vista's strength had been amplified several times over by that sword.
"Marco, Jozu, stand down."
Just as the two prepared to attack again, Whitebeard appeared behind them, Murakumogiri in hand.
"Pops, be careful."
Knowing Whitebeard intended to act personally, Marco could only offer a warning.
"Gurarararara!"
"You damn brat, Marco!"
"I'm Whitebeard!"
"Watch how I bring your brother back!"
Laughing loudly, Whitebeard strode toward Vista.
At the same time, Conqueror's Haki burst from his body.
Red lightning crackled around him.
Sensing Whitebeard's world-shaking presence, Vista slowly raised Muramasa and assumed a battle stance.
It was the first time the Demonic Blade had reacted this way.
That alone showed just how terrifying Whitebeard's strength truly was.
"Gurarararara!"
"You foolish son!"
"To let yourself be controlled by a sword, your training still isn't enough!"
A trace of pity flashed through Whitebeard's eyes.
Then he raised Murakumogiri.
His massive body erupted with terrifying strength, cracking the ground beneath his feet.
"Quake Blade!"
A white sphere of energy appeared around Murakumogiri before Whitebeard swung it forward.
Before the demon-controlled Vista could react, the combined force of vibration and blade intent had already reached him.
The Demonic Blade panicked.
It immediately retreated while unleashing three crimson slashes.
BOOM!
But against Whitebeard's fully charged strike, the three slashes shattered instantly.
The quake force continued forward unabated.
"ROAR!"
The blade-controlled Vista let out a furious roar.
An overwhelming sea of blood-red energy surged forward like a crimson storm cloud, attempting to suppress the quake force.
The two powers collided in midair.
Taking advantage of the moment, Vista unleashed three more slashes.
Whitebeard merely snorted disdainfully.
"Hmph!"
"You foolish son!"
"Air Quake!"
The next instant, Whitebeard's left fist smashed forward.
The atmosphere shattered once again.
The quake force obliterated the slashes immediately.
Then Whitebeard moved.
His feet exploded off the ground.
His gigantic body soared into the air.
Murakumogiri rose high overhead.
Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki erupted simultaneously.
A devastating overhead strike descended from the heavens.
"ROAR!"
Repeatedly driven back, the Demonic Blade roared once more.
Without the slightest fear, Muramasa swung upward from Vista's hand to meet the attack head-on.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion erupted.
Dust billowed everywhere.
Whitebeard's strike knocked Vista unconscious instantly.
Even the Demonic Blade could not protect him.
Realizing its host had lost all combat capability, Muramasa immediately recognized the terrifying strength of the man before it.
Without hesitation, it abandoned Vista.
The crimson blade shot out of the dust cloud and flew toward the horizon.
Concerned for Vista's safety, Whitebeard did not pursue it.
He merely glanced at the fleeing sword before walking over to the unconscious Vista.
Lifting him with one hand, Whitebeard turned back toward his crew.
"Marco, check on Vista."
"Make sure I didn't knock him stupid."
"Gurarararara!"