King Neptune's near-pleading shout caused the battlefield to fall into a brief silence.
Whitebeard, who had a close relationship with him, could understand his friend's feelings well.
Orin, however, had more on his mind.
One consideration was the late Captain Roger's connection with Whitebeard, and the other was what Rayleigh and the rest would think.
If he insisted on fighting here and ended up destroying Fishman Island… and the former members of Roger's crew found out…
They would probably hold it against him.
Especially Sunbell-san.
"There's really no helping it…"
Orin shook his head helplessly, brushing the strands of hair from his forehead back as his eyes slowly opened. He looked at Whitebeard with a serious expression.
"Then… let's settle this above the sea. The victor takes Fishman Island."
"What do you say, Whitebeard?"
Hearing this brazen declaration of war, Whitebeard's lips curved upward, his eyes brimming with battle intent.
"Gu-ra-ra-ra-ra! That's just what I was hoping for!!!"
And so—
Under Neptune's gaze, along with the soldiers of the Ryugu Kingdom, two massive ships slowly departed from Fishman Island, heading toward the ocean surface.
"Neptune…"
King Neptune gripped his trident tightly, his complex gaze fixed on the two familiar ships sailing away—the Oro Jackson and the Moby Dick—until a voice beside him pulled his thoughts back.
"Otōhime…"
Standing next to him was Queen Otōhime, the great queen devoted to the dream of peaceful coexistence between Fishmen and humans.
"Otōhime, you often keep an eye on the human world… who do you think would be better suited to protect Fishman Island?"
Neptune asked his wife softly, though deep down, he already had an answer in mind.
He still leaned toward the veteran powerhouse of the seas, the man he was familiar with—the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard.
Otōhime, sensing Neptune's emotions with her Kenbunshoku Haki, had a good idea of who he was leaning toward, but she still spoke up:
"If you ask me… I'd prefer Fishman Island's protector to be…Black Emperor Orin!"
"Nani?"
Neptune frowned, unable to understand why Otōhime thought so.
But clearly, when it came to information about the human world, Neptune wasn't as well-informed as his wife.
"Neptune, I admit Whitebeard's strength and reputation hold tremendous weight in this world… but the problem is—Orin is younger!!!"
The moment those words left her lips, Neptune's pupils contracted sharply, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
Right…
He hadn't considered something so important!
"Not only that," Otōhime continued, "according to reports and intelligence, Orin has very close ties with the World Government. There are even rumors claiming that Orin himself is a Celestial Dragon. For those of us who wish to peacefully coexist with humans and one day leave the depths of the sea, having Orin as our protector would be far more suitable!"
"Not to mention, those who threaten Fishman Island's safety might be deterred by Whitebeard's name, but that would only treat the symptoms, not the cause. Compared to Whitebeard, Orin's name carries far more absolute weight!"
"That's the level of control he has over the sea!!!"
Otōhime carefully analyzed the pros and cons of having Whitebeard or Orin as Fishman Island's protector. What she didn't voice aloud was that, if she could meet Orin in person, she would want to request his help in using his influence to change the prejudices and discrimination against Fishmen and merfolk.
That was the true way to save Fishman Island!!!
But unfortunately—
The king and queen's hopes and dreams were noble, yet the final decision didn't rest with them.
It rested on the battlefield above the sea!
...
"Breaking news!!! Big, big news!!!"
Inside a secret newsroom, papers fluttered wildly as Morgans, in his hybrid human-bird form, danced around excitedly, barking orders to his subordinates.
"Where's News Coo???"
"What?! Breeding??"
"Cancel the breeding!!!"
"Get him to grab the camera right now and fly to the deserted island next to the Red Line! Coordinates—!"
...
Holy Land Mary Geoise,
Pangaea Castle.
"What's going on? This overwhelming aura…"
Since Fishman Island lay directly below the Red Line, the immense surge of two Conqueror's Haki clashing at its base was naturally detected by the Elders.
However, after CP0 brought back the intelligence, the Elders relaxed their previously furrowed brows.
"I see…"
"Orin and Whitebeard, is it?"
"Do we need to intervene?"
"Better not. If Orin needs our help, he'll ask for it. Forcing ourselves in could easily provoke both sides' displeasure."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
...
"This deserted island is big enough… shouldn't sink, right?"
Before long, both crews found a sufficiently large uninhabited island, and the two ships slowly dropped anchor near the shore.
Watching Orin's figure stepping onto the island, two pairs of eyes glimmered with frustration.
They wanted to fight Whitebeard too.
For Crocodile, it was personal—Whitebeard had once cut off one of her hands.
For Mihawk, it was pure challenge—he longed to cross blades with the strongest. Whitebeard might not be a swordsman, but he wielded one of the Supreme Grade Blades, after all.
But unfortunately, this wasn't their battle.
On the distant slope, radiating the same overwhelming pressure as when he once clashed with Roger, Whitebeard raised his Murakumogiri, now overflowing with Haki, and swung down a devastating vertical slash toward Orin.
Orin could have dodged, but at their level, he refused to act like a lesser pirate.
...
"Though I said I'd stop shouting out technique names, there are still a few I just can't resist yelling!!!"
Staring at the massive Whitebeard approaching, towering even higher than himself, Orin's blood boiled with excitement.
He tilted Ace slightly back, and in that instant, a storm of black-and-red Conqueror's Haki lightning erupted around him. The pitch-black blade suddenly swung forward:
"Divine Departure!!!"
The earth cracked apart. Clouds above churned and shattered. Even from a distance, the sheer shockwave whipped Crocodile's coat into a wild dance.
"Brute strength versus brute strength… Conqueror's Haki Infusion versus Conqueror's Haki Infusion, huh?"
Squinting, the crew members aboard both ships focused intently on the duel, watching the two monsters clash head-on—pure power against pure power, infused with raw will.
Orin's Conqueror's Haki was slightly inferior, but his raw strength… seemed to be suppressing Whitebeard's.
For a brief moment, they were deadlocked.
After breaking apart from the clash, Whitebeard instantly stabilized his stance, spinning Murakumogiri with both hands before delivering a series of heavy, earth-shaking slashes toward Orin.
But none of it escaped Orin's scarlet-glowing eyes.
Bang—!
Clang—!
He met every strike with pinpoint precision, staring intently at Whitebeard.
Then, with a steady breath, Whitebeard clenched one fist and slowly drew it back—white shockwaves beginning to condense around it.
Orin's lips curled into a wild grin, excitement flashing in his eyes.
Perfect!!!
He mirrored the motion, clenching his own fist as spatial distortion gathered around it, and thrust forward to meet Whitebeard's quake punch head-on!!!
Space and tremor collided—though their target wasn't the ground—
Crack, crack, crack—!!!
The heavens quaked and the earth shuddered. The shockwaves spread into the surrounding ocean, rocking it violently as if a tsunami had struck.
It felt as though the very sky was collapsing!!!
This was it—
The ultimate clash between the strongest Paramecia abilities!!!
...
I recommend checking out my new fanfic about the Dying System (Getting Killed Makes You Stronger)!