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Chapter 173: Imperial Sand Mausoleum, Gaara's Desperate Gambit
Cough! Cough!
Gaara, blood gushing from his mouth, struggled to open his eyes. He stared at Whitebeard, who held him effortlessly by the neck, cutting off his air supply.
"Brat, your abilities are still too weak," Whitebeard rumbled. "Remember, being able to fly doesn't make you invincible. You never expected the old man to strike you directly out of the sky, did you?"
Listening to Whitebeard, Gaara had to admit his carelessness. He had assumed altitude granted him advantages. He hadn't bothered with defense, and the enemy had seized that single flaw to inflict critical damage instantly.
If he lost here, the Ninja World would lose two matches in a row.
No! I cannot end it here.
Gaara's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, his gaze becoming icy and resolute.
Whitebeard, sensing victory, felt the sudden shift in Gaara's demeanor.
Even now... you want to struggle? I won't give you the chance!
Boom!
The hand gripping Gaara's throat tightened, and the terrifying power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit began to flare.
The light curtain displayed the strange fluctuations again. Seeing this, the Ninja World watchers went pale. They recalled the power that had cracked the air; at this point-blank range, such force would obliterate Gaara completely. Not just his bones—his flesh and blood would be torn to shreds.
Hearts clenched across the nations. Was this the end? The second battle was concluding so quickly? Were the people from the other world truly this invincible?
At that moment, a massive shadow loomed behind Whitebeard.
Before Whitebeard could detonate the quake bubble, he sensed the anomaly and looked up. A tidal wave of sand, large enough to blot out the sun, was crashing down, accompanied by a deafening roar.
Whitebeard was momentarily confused. What is this kid doing? Burying himself along with me? Does he want to die together?
"I... will not admit defeat so easily..." Gaara choked out.
BOOM!
The sand collapsed, swallowing both figures instantly. Even as he was buried, Whitebeard didn't release his grip on Gaara.
However, the Chakra within Gaara's body surged violently. Whitebeard could feel a majestic force erupting.
"Imperial Sand Mausoleum..."
As Gaara whispered the name of the technique, the surrounding sand began to compress with insane intensity.
The pressure coming from all directions was incredible, shocking even Whitebeard. Caught in the center of the vortex, he couldn't generate leverage to push back. He couldn't even move his body freely.
Forced to defend, Whitebeard immediately coated his entire body in Armament Haki, hardening his skin to resist the crushing weight. Without it, his bones would have snapped.
Simultaneously, the vibration power gathered in his right hand detonated.
A low-frequency roar echoed from within the mound. Gaara, still held in Whitebeard's grip, took the full brunt of the quake point-blank.
His internal organs ruptured. Every bone in his body shattered instantly.
Gaara's breathing ceased.
With his collapse, the frantically squeezing sand lost its driving force and dispersed.
Relieved of the external pressure, Whitebeard exhaled sharply. He struggled out of the sand pile and took a few deep breaths. He looked down at his own arm, which was now exposed. It was bloody—not from the Devil Fruit recoil, but from the sheer crushing force of the sand warping his bones.
"What a crazy brat... actually trying to take this old man down with him," Whitebeard muttered, flexing his arm. "That sand... the squeezing force is no joke."
If he hadn't recovered from his illness, escaping that trap would have been incredibly difficult.
I'll consider this a lesson, boy. Ninjas... I really can't underestimate you.
Whitebeard appeared victorious, but he wasn't unharmed. To the spectators, it looked like an easy win, but he had consumed a significant amount of Haki to survive the burial.
[End of the Second Battle]
[Pirate World : Ninja World]
[2 : 0]
The result flashed on the screen. Two beams of light descended, removing Whitebeard and Gaara from the arena.
Winning two out of five battles easily sent the Pirate World into a frenzy. They only needed one more victory to claim the entire war. With the momentum on their side, they felt invincible. The previous war's disastrous defeat was all but forgotten.
After all, the remaining fighters included the other Emperors. If Kaido and Whitebeard could dominate, surely Big Mom or Red-Haired Shanks could do the same. And there was Yuichi, the newest Emperor, whose past performances had been legendary.
The Pirate World was brimming with confidence.
The Ninja World, however, was in despair. Losing two consecutive matches was a nightmare scenario. If they lost the next one, it was all over.
"The next round... Let Tobirama-sama take the field! We cannot lose again!"
.....
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