On the massive deck of the Moby Dick, spacious enough to be called a plaza, an informal yet thrilling "spar" had just concluded.
The Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, Knight of the Sea Jinbe, was kneeling on one knee, breathing heavily.
Sweat dripped from his deep blue skin, leaving wet marks on the deck below.
A piercing pain shot through his shoulder blade, making Jinbe grimace. "That hurts... Beria, you went too hard!"
Griffin casually shook his wrist. "I only used Body Technique and nothing else. How is that going hard?"
"You're just too weak, Jinbe."
Jinbe curled his lips in dissatisfaction. "How about we fight in the sea then!"
"Have you no shame? Asking a Devil Fruit User to fight you, a Fish-Man, in the sea?"
...
"Gurararara! Not bad, Jinbe! You lasted quite a while against Beria!" Whitebeard's booming laughter echoed across the deck, his eyes filled with undisguised appreciation.
Jinbe immediately stood up and bowed. "Father! I hope you are well!"
The connection between Knight of the Sea Jinbe and the Whitebeard Pirates began with Fish-Man Island.
Since the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, Fish-Man Island had descended into chaos, with countless Pirates and slave traders capturing mermaids for sale.
It was Whitebeard who stepped in to protect the island and declared it under his territory, restoring peace to Fish-Man Island.
Jinbe never forgot this debt of gratitude. Even as one of the World Government's Seven Warlords of the Sea, he maintained close ties with the Whitebeard Pirates.
...
Afternoon.
On a deserted island.
Griffin moved like a phantom, weaving through Vista's dazzling petal-like sword flashes. The short swords extending from the center struck with venomous precision, each thrust aimed for the throat.
At first, Vista could still parry, but as the battle progressed, he gradually couldn't keep up with Griffin's reaction speed.
"Give me a hand!" Vista shouted.
Whoosh—
The meteor hammer of Rakuyo, Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' Seventh Division, came whistling through the air.
Griffin retreated to avoid the meteor hammer. "Giving up already? Weren't you aiming for the title of World's Greatest Swordsman?"
Vista grinned, gripping his twin swords. "Can't help it, I'm just not the type to get fired up against comrades."
"If it were an opponent, I could go all out!"
...
"Is that so? I heard you've already been eliminated from the competition. That Hawkeye has been challenging various Great Swordsmen lately, getting close to the top."
"Hasn't he come for you?"
Vista closed in while flourishing his swords. "I've seen him... Though I hate to admit it, that young man is indeed closer to the pinnacle of swordsmanship than I am."
"Actually... if I had to say, I think if he comes, he's more likely to challenge you than me."
"Your famous battle was when you sliced nine pirate ships with a single sword strike!!"
Clang—
Griffin raised his hand to block Vista's twin swords while his other hand caught Rakuyo's meteor hammer.
"I'm a Devil Fruit User, so I'm naturally excluded from the competition..."
Crack—
Griffin's arm coated in black Armament Haki, his fingers clenched and nearly deformed the meteor hammer.
"And yet..."
"I have no need for the mere title of World's Greatest Swordsman."
"What I want... is to be the strongest with no prefix whatsoever!!"
...
...
"This kid really loves fighting, doesn't he."
The Moby Dick was docked by the deserted island, with Marco resting his chin on his hand, his dead fish eyes watching the various captains engaged in fierce combat.
"Heh, if you don't work harder, your position as First Division Captain might become unstable," Thatch said as he approached.
"Though not as exaggerated as Beria's progress, Vista and the others have grown significantly stronger over these past two years."
Marco glanced at him and curled his lip. "You're a swordsman too, aren't you? Why not join the fun?"
"I'm a chef. I need to prepare the banquet. What would you all do if I got injured and couldn't cook?"
Marco crossed his arms and smiled. "Exactly. I'm not First Division Captain because of my strength, but because I'm the ship's doctor!"
"On the seas, the positions of doctor and chef are unshakable!"
The two looked at each other and laughed in unison.
...
...
Whitebeard watched his children's playful antics with a smile.
His body was deteriorating day by day, old wounds continuously eating away at him, but mere physical damage couldn't shake this man.
Things like competing for dominance over the seas or searching for the ultimate One Piece held no interest for him.
His dream had already been fulfilled.
Suddenly,
Whitebeard's expression changed, frowning slightly as he looked into the distance.
...
On the deserted island, Griffin raised his hand to signal the surrounding attackers to stop.
Jozu held his head. "No way! You can't end it after just punching me once. Let me hit back!"
Griffin ignored him, looking in the same direction as Whitebeard on the ship.
The other captains also sensed something was wrong, each deploying their Observation Haki toward the direction he was looking.
...
...
"Whitebeard!! I've come to challenge you!!"
Before the Red Force's bow appeared, the man's voice that could shake the seas arrived first.
With a bounty of 2,676,000,000 berries, having challenged both Kaido and Charlotte Linlin and retreated unscathed, hailed as the man most likely to become the fourth Pirate Emperor.
His entire crew consisted of elites, called the most balanced iron-wall pirate crew...
The Red Hair Pirates!!
This man had finally come to challenge the strongest pirate!!
...
...
"Tch... troublesome guy..."
Marco transformed into the Phoenix and flew into the air, watching the approaching Red Hair Pirates.
Shanks was an old acquaintance - the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates had held several joint gatherings.
But even Marco hadn't expected that former apprentice to grow to such heights!
Shanks hadn't charged straight toward the Emperor's position without setbacks - he had failed in his attack on Wano Country, driven back by Kaido.
He also hadn't managed to defeat Charlotte Linlin.
But being able to retreat unscathed from both of them already spoke volumes.
...
"A guy who got chased around by Kaido and Linlin dares to challenge Pops?!"
"Shanks, you've seen Pops' power before. Aren't you being too arrogant!"
Marco shouted loudly. If possible, he didn't want to fight the Red Hair Pirates.
Pops' victory was unquestionable, but Shanks wasn't an ordinary pirate. If Pops fought him, his injuries would likely worsen.
Whoosh————
A bullet cut through the wind, piercing through Marco's shoulder before he could dodge.
Fortunately, his Phoenix Fruit possessed a Logia-like elementalization ability, allowing him to avoid injury from this bullet lacking Armament Haki.
At the bow of the Red Hair Pirates' ship, Yasopp loaded his sniper rifle.
"The first shot was just a greeting. The next one will carry Armament Haki! Be careful!"
Damn it...
Marco snorted coldly: "Then I'll return the greeting!"
"Azure Flame Goose!!"
A blue flame fireball shot from the Phoenix's wings, heading straight for the Red Hair Pirates.
——
——
Sizzle—
Without any resistance, like a hot knife cutting through butter, the fireball was split in two by a pitch-black sword aura.
...
Shanks stood at the bow, gazing across at Whitebeard on the Moby Dick, smiling faintly.
"As the strongest man, you wouldn't refuse a challenge, right?"
...
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard stood proudly at the bow, laughing heartily: "Of course not, you brat!!"
Right at that moment—
A figure wrapped in blazing flames crossed the sea at a speed invisible to the naked eye, appearing before Shanks' ship as if teleporting.
Using his hand as a blade, Griffin's eyes were icy and merciless, contrasting with the scorching flames.
Swinging down—
"Godly Fire."
Heaven-scorching flames descended, submerging everything!!
Shanks' pupils contracted sharply, his Conqueror's Haki erupting at full power.
"Divine Departure!!"
A black-red slash burst forth, electric arcs tearing through the air!!
——
——
On the twilight sea, light brighter than midday erupted.
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