Clang. Clang. Clang.
Murakumogiri struck the ground again and again. Whitebeard Newgate stood there like a king surveying the world, radiating a suffocating pressure like some primeval beast.
With overwhelming presence, he declared, "Samurai, state your name!"
"I am Shimotsuki Ushimaru." Ushimaru tightened his grip on his katana. The immense pressure pressing down on him made his whole body tense.
He knew very well just how much rested on his shoulders.
He absolutely could not lose this battle!
Buzz, buzz.
Flowing Armament Haki surged down his arm and poured into his blade. The sword burst into a roaring blaze.
Whitebeard's towering body stood in the arena like a small mountain. He grinned and said, "Gurarara... Shimotsuki Ushimaru, come at me!"
"As you wish!"
Whoosh!
Flames of aura erupted all over Ushimaru's body. He turned into a streak of dazzling light that tore through the night sky.
The glow trailed like a meteor as he charged forward with the black blade Shusui in hand.
Whitebeard spun Murakumogiri in his grip, his expression turning serious.
"What an incredible samurai."
"I already promised Ares I'd win this duel..."
As he stood there in full command, black-red lightning crackled along the naginata's blade.
He bent his legs, and the bulging muscles in his thighs pressed tightly against his trousers, stretching them to the limit.
The instant before that stream of light reached him, Whitebeard swung Murakumogiri with all his might.
Clang!
The clash of weapons burst with blinding radiance, lighting the night sky as though it were broad daylight.
Chaotic shockwaves raged like vicious beasts, wrecking everything around the two fighters.
After a brief stalemate, Murakumogiri's massive blade completely forced down the Shusui in Ushimaru's hands.
"What?!"
Ushimaru's face changed. His heart sank.
"This guy's strength is a monster, just like Ares!"
The terrifying force from the naginata's blade made his body buckle. Then he was blasted backward.
Boom!
In that instant, the entire scene fell into eerie silence.
Everyone stared in stunned silence at Newgate, the man with the crescent-shaped mustache.
The moment he made his move, he stole the entire stage.
Sukiyaki's face turned dark as ink. Fine beads of sweat formed across his forehead, and his expression nearly collapsed.
"That man's strength... Where did Ares even find a monster like this? He's even stronger than Kaido and Chinjao!"
With only one blow, he had completely overpowered Shimotsuki Ushimaru, who wielded Wano's national treasure, Shusui.
Even Kaido and Chinjao...
could never have suppressed Shimotsuki Ushimaru this effortlessly.
Shimotsuki Yasuie looked utterly dejected and murmured, "Wano's strongest samurai was blown away in a single strike. At this rate, we may not win even one of the three duels. Could it be that Wano's samurai..."
"have really fallen that far behind the sea?"
For all of them, being a samurai had always been a source of pride and honor.
But ever since Ares arrived with his subordinates, that pride and glory had been smashed to pieces, utterly shattered.
"So strong... so strong. From him, I can feel the same terrifying power as Ares." Kozuki Oden sat cross-legged on the ground, not caring at all about the dirt. His eyes shone brightly.
He slapped his thigh in excitement and said, "I really want to fight this guy!"
Beside him, Kin'emon's eyes widened. "Oden-sama, your injuries! We just finished rewrapping your bandages!"
"Hahaha!" Oden laughed loudly. "Don't mind that. The strong people outside Wano really are fascinating..."
Raizo asked nervously, "Oden-sama, if you join Ares, then what about us?"
Oden grinned. "Wouldn't you just join too? If we lose this match, Ares becomes Wano's shogun. At that point, all of you become his subjects anyway."
"You unfilial brat!"
Sukiyaki was so furious that smoke nearly rose from his head. He smacked Oden on the back of the head.
"How did I end up with a damned troublemaker like you? The Kozuki family's foundation, built over centuries, is going to be ruined in my hands..."
Fugetsu Omusubi hurriedly said, "Sukiyaki-sama, Ushimaru... Ushimaru hasn't lost yet!"
On the field, Ushimaru emerged from the smoke. There was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, and his eyes burned with fierce battle intent.
"Outsider, it has been a very long time since I tasted defeat."
"Even if I lose, I will not lose so pathetically!"
Clack, clack, clack.
His wooden sandals pounded against the ground as he charged like a tiger. Dust and blood stained his muscular body, and his frame swelled as if filled with air.
Veins bulged along his arms. The flames flowing on his blade fused with the flames around his body.
"Gurarara..." Whitebeard held Murakumogiri in one hand while clenching the other into a fist.
The moment Ares saw that, a smile of complete confidence appeared on his lips.
A white sphere of energy formed around Whitebeard's fist. When he threw that punch, he blocked Shimotsuki Ushimaru's attack with nothing but his bare hand.
Then, all of a sudden...
the air split apart in cracks like a spiderweb.
Ushimaru's face changed drastically. Shusui could no longer withstand the unstoppable vibration force wrapped around Whitebeard's fist.
The Haki coating on the blade shattered instantly.
Whitebeard's fist slammed into Ushimaru's chest, distorting his entire body at once, almost as if...
he were a bedsheet caught in a gale, and even the space around him had been twisted and compressed.
"Puh!"
Ushimaru shot into the sky like a launched rocket.
"Pops is amazing!"
Marco cupped his hands around his mouth like a horn and shouted excitedly.
Kaido threw back his head and laughed. "Worororo... With Whitebeard taking the field, there was never any chance for them to win. Wano belongs to our War God Pirates now!"
Chinjao smiled and said, "As expected of the famous Whitebeard. He defeated Shimotsuki Ushimaru so easily. I can't even imagine how terrifying the Rocks Pirates must have been at the height of their power..."
As Ushimaru's body finally hit the ground and the black blade Shusui stabbed into the earth nearby, Sukiyaki's heart sank completely to the bottom.
"We lost... We've completely lost." Sukiyaki muttered in a daze.
For a moment, the thought of going back on his word surfaced in his mind.
But the spirit of the samurai, along with the terrifying strength of Ares and his people, smothered that thought immediately.
Hyogoro, the yakuza boss of Wano, looked at Ares and thought to himself, "Now that he's becoming Wano's shogun, I just hope he doesn't come after me..."
"I need to go back and tell my men to stay in line. At least for the next few decades, Wano will belong completely to Ares."
With Ares around, the samurai likely would not be able to stir up any trouble. And besides, he had defeated Wano's samurai fair and square, in front of everyone.
Whitebeard returned with Murakumogiri in hand and laughed boldly. "Ares, shouldn't you reward me with some good booze?"
"As much as you want!"
Ares smiled. "As long as you can drink it, there's no limit."
Marco ran up to Whitebeard's side and praised him excitedly. "Pops, that punch just now was unbelievably cool!"
Whitebeard set a hand on Marco's pineapple-like head and laughed. "Gurarara..."
Everyone was in high spirits.
Ares strode toward Sukiyaki, grinning as he said, "Sukiyaki, we won the duel. I hope the handover ceremony for the shogun position can be arranged as soon as possible."
He then turned to the other daimyo of Wano.
"When the time comes, I hope all of you will be there as well."
Sukiyaki's pupils slowly regained focus. In a dispirited voice, he said, "Ares... I hope you will treat Wano's people kindly. And also..."
"As for opening the country, I still hope you will consider it very carefully."
"Opening the country is non-negotiable. I can slow down the pace a little, but when it comes to governing Wano afterward, I hope you can help me." Ares's expression was serious.
Sukiyaki gave a bitter smile. "I... Having lost the position of shogun, all I want now is some peace and quiet..."
At that moment, Kozuki Oden dragged his injured body forward. His eyes were filled with yearning as he said,
"Ares, I want to join you!"
"Take me out to sea with you!"
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