As the Moby Dick drew closer to Jozu's ship, Gion gave a final reminder.
"Don't forget, our journey isn't over yet."
Without waiting for Ortoren's reply, she turned and left the warship.
Ortoren's gaze stayed fixed on the Moby Dick. Gradually, he saw the figure of the man known as the strongest in the world—Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
This time was different from their last encounter. Back then, even from a great distance, Ortoren had felt the crushing pressure radiating from that man, a feeling that had made him tense. Now, he felt no tension at all—only excitement, even exhilaration.
For a brief moment, he understood how Kozuki Oden must have felt when facing him. When standing before a mighty beast, how could one possibly suppress the urge to draw their weapon?
The Moby Dick showed no intention of ramming them. Soon, it came to a steady stop nearby, and Newgate's gaze met Ortoren's.
He looked Ortoren up and down in silence, then shifted his eyes to Kozuki Oden lying at Ortoren's feet. Seeing Oden's battered and bloodied state, a trace of helplessness flickered across Newgate's face.
Ortoren, in turn, studied Whitebeard closely. It was his first time observing the strongest man at such close range. Whitebeard's long, wild blond hair flowed with the sea breeze, and his crescent-shaped white mustache, clearly well cared for, gleamed smooth and pristine. His towering, broad-shouldered frame radiated raw strength.
Their eyes met again. Neither spoke. Marco and the others dared not interrupt.
After a silent exchange, a faint smile curved Ortoren's lips. He reached down, lifted Kozuki Oden from the deck, and without saying a word, hurled him toward Newgate.
He could have used Oden as leverage—demanded ransom, issued threats, forced Newgate's hand. At this range, given Oden's condition, even Whitebeard couldn't have stopped him.
But Ortoren didn't. He might be greedy and shrewd in daily life, fond of small gains, but when standing before a man like Whitebeard, even as an opponent, he chose to show respect.
Besides, he wanted to measure the true distance between himself and the strongest man alive. To do that, he couldn't allow anything to interfere. If he held Oden hostage, how could Newgate possibly fight at full strength?
Catching the gravely injured Oden, Newgate handed him to Marco without so much as a glance. His eyes never left Ortoren, but now, a glimmer of appreciation could be seen within them.
Decisive. Not a word wasted. He handed Oden over without hesitation—not out of submission, but out of resolve. Newgate could see it clearly in his eyes.
That wasn't surrender. It was spirit.
On this sea, strength alone wasn't enough. Only those with courage and presence worthy of heroes earned true respect.
Even without speaking, Newgate understood what kind of respect Ortoren sought—Whitebeard's full strength.
Silence lingered. Ortoren rolled his shoulders, then unhooked the warhammer from his back and set it aside. The deck creaked under its weight.
The warhammer was his favored weapon, but Ortoren knew his true strength lay in his bare hands. Bringing it into this fight wouldn't help—it might even throw off his balance. Against someone like Kozuki Oden, it hadn't mattered. But facing Newgate, he needed complete focus and his full power.
Watching Ortoren's movements, Newgate raised a hand. Marco and the others immediately withdrew, leaving the space clear for their father.
At the same time, Ortoren drew a deep breath. As the air filled his lungs, his already imposing chest swelled even further. Then, he slowly exhaled.
With that breath, a surge of thunderous energy began to manifest, swiftly enveloping Ortoren's entire body like armor. It was completely different from the Lightning Release Armour Kozuki Oden had once used. Ortoren's hair stood on end, radiating an aura of pure aggression. His already firm, powerful muscles expanded further under the stimulation of that thunderous force.
The skin exposed beyond his clothes glowed faintly red. His eyes gradually became infused with lightning, and moments later, his pupils blazed with a dazzling thunderlight.
Newgate watched calmly as Ortoren entered a state of full power. Yet despite his composure, the moment Ortoren's eyes erupted with that electric glow, even the world's strongest man felt the weight of that pressure.
To feel such force before a single blow was exchanged—just that alone convinced Newgate that Benn Ortoren was worthy of being his opponent.
"That guy… he might have already crossed the threshold into the level of an Admiral," Newgate thought to himself.
Out of respect for Ortoren, Newgate made no move to test him. He simply raised his Murakumogiri, his eyes sharpening as an overwhelming aura burst from his body.
It was the power of Conqueror's Haki—but only for a moment. Since he didn't intend to test his opponent's will, there was no need to counter it.
That immense willpower flickered briefly before coiling around Murakumogiri at incredible speed.
As Newgate's gaze grew heavier, the air around him trembled. Anyone close enough would have seen a faint, transparent shimmer ripple across his skin—the power of the Gura Gura no Mi gathering and building toward eruption.
Both men had entered their battle-ready states, yet neither struck first. Their gazes locked, their auras swelling with unspoken challenge. Even without intent to clash Haki, the air itself grew charged, humming with power.
Within that silence, dark lightning crackled faintly through the air, and the space between them quivered.
A sea breeze swept past. The "Justice" cloak behind Ortoren fluttered violently, while Newgate's captain's coat billowed with equal force.
And in that instant—Ortoren moved.
A deep thunderclap exploded through the air, drilling into everyone's ears. For a split second, it felt as though lightning had struck directly inside their skulls.
As the sound echoed, Jozu's massive warship suddenly tilted forward, its bow plunging toward the sea as if forced down by an invisible hand.
In that same moment, Ortoren was gone from the ship.
His lightning-fast figure was impossible to track with the naked eye. But for someone like Newgate, sight was unnecessary.
Without hesitation, Newgate swung his Murakumogiri.
It was perfectly timed, almost as if rehearsed. The massive blade, infused with the tremor's power, tore through space itself, carving a flawless crescent arc in the air—one that mirrored Newgate's own mustache.
And right before that blade—Ortoren appeared.
There was no surprise on his face, as if he had predicted this exact moment. His fist clenched tight, shrouded in powerful Conqueror's Haki, and he drove it straight toward the oncoming slash.
The greatest sound is silence; the greatest form is formlessness.
Everyone could see the collision—Murakumogiri's edge meeting Ortoren's iron fist. The instant their powers met, the air exploded, and the space around them shattered. The mighty Moby Dick itself trembled beneath Newgate's feet.
Waves overturned, and Jozu's ship was hurled backward. Lightning howled in the skies behind Ortoren like a raging storm—yet in that moment, the world went utterly still. No sound could be heard.
The deadlock lasted only a heartbeat. Then, the muscles in Newgate's arm bulged as he shifted his stance, forced half a step back. That single step shattered the deck beneath him. The fragments didn't even fall in large pieces—they disintegrated into dust the instant they left the surface.
"What immense power!"
That was Newgate's first thought.
An instant later, the tremor force erupted from his blade, sending Ortoren flying. His body streaked through the air like lightning before coming to a halt dozens of meters away.
Steadying himself midair, Ortoren glanced down at his fist. The Haki surrounding it had been shattered, and the flesh over his knuckles was torn open, exposing stark white bone.
"The strongest man… truly lives up to his name."
A flicker of excitement shone in Ortoren's eyes.
...
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