The group returned to the Moby Dick.
Marco quickly stepped forward, steadying Jozu by the shoulder, his brow furrowed. "What happened? Who the hell was that guy?"
Jozu shook his head, his voice hoarse. "Hashirama Senju… his strength is unfathomable."
"He's the Hashirama Senju who caused a ruckus at the Holy Land a while back."
Ace clenched his fists, fighting spirit blazing in his eyes. "Even Commander Jozu lost? I want to see just how strong he really is!"
Marshall D. Teach stood at the back of the crowd, a flicker of shock in his eyes, but soon the corners of his mouth curled into a barely noticeable smirk.
His gaze swept over the crowd and finally settled on the captain of the Fourth Division, Thatch.
"This is a godsend opportunity…" Teach thought to himself with delight. Not long ago, he had accidentally discovered that Thatch had found the Dark-Dark Fruit, the very fruit he had been dreaming of.
And now, Jozu's defeat had thrown the entire Whitebeard Pirates into chaos. This was the perfect moment for him to strike.
"With all this confusion, I can take the chance to kill Thatch and steal the Dark-Dark Fruit."
Teach schemed in his mind, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes.
Just then, Whitebeard's hearty laugh echoed from the cabin: "Kulalalala! Even Jozu lost. Looks like this Hashirama Senju is interesting indeed."
Whitebeard's towering figure appeared on the deck, wielding his massive bisento, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
It had been a long time since he had encountered an opponent that intrigued him.
"Old man, let me go!" Ace stepped forward, his eyes burning with battle lust.
Whitebeard waved a hand and chuckled. "No, I'll go meet him myself this time. Kulalalala! It's been a while since I've stretched my legs. Let me see just how strong this fool who dares provoke the Whitebeard Pirates really is!"
Marco frowned, a hint of concern in his voice. "Old man, your body…"
Whitebeard let out a booming laugh, cutting Marco off. "Don't worry, Marco. A mere Hashirama Senju isn't enough to bring me down."
The atmosphere on the ship instantly heated up, the crew cheering excitedly at Whitebeard's decision.
Only Teach stood in the corner, a shadow of gloom in his eyes.
"It looks like I'll have to move up the plan…" Teach muttered to himself, his gaze again sliding toward Thatch, his resolve hardening.
…
The Moby Dick raced across the azure sea, its massive hull cutting through the waves at an astonishing speed.
Marco, Ace, and the other commanders stood ready, their morale high.
Soon, Hashirama Senju's figure appeared in view.
He stood on a small boat, arms crossed, his long black hair fluttering in the wind, his red armor gleaming under the sunlight.
Seeing the Moby Dick approach, Hashirama sighed in resignation. "These guys just don't quit, do they? Send the small fry, then the big one."
Marco spread his blue flame wings and charged ahead: "If you dare provoke the Whitebeard Pirates, you'll pay the price!"
Ace followed close behind, his hands ablaze: "Fire Fist!"
Hashirama shook his head and pressed his palms together: "Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique!"
Two enormous wooden dragons burst from the ground, their serpentine bodies coiling, heads raised high as they let out deafening roars.
The dragons opened their massive jaws and lunged straight at Marco and Ace.
Marco's flame wings collided with the wooden dragons, erupting in searing flames. Though his attacks were fierce, the dragons' regenerative abilities were formidable, reforming instantly after being broken. Ace's Fire Fist slammed into the dragons, sending flames scattering, but still failed to destroy them completely.
"This guy's ability is too weird!" Marco frowned, realizing how difficult the wooden dragons were to handle.
Ace gritted his teeth, flames reigniting in his hands: "Dai Enkai: Entei!"
A massive fireball coalesced in the sky and slammed into the wooden dragons. The dragons were consumed by flames, letting out pained roars, but soon their bodies reformed once more, their eyes gleaming with an eerie green light.
Hashirama stood in the distance, arms folded, speaking calmly: "It's no use. Unless you destroy the dragons' cores at the same time, they'll keep regenerating endlessly."
Marco and Ace exchanged glances, their expressions growing serious.
The two continued unleashing their abilities and finally managed to shatter the two wooden dragons.
But by the time they did, their stamina had already taken a considerable hit.
Yet Hashirama Senju remained composed in the distance, standing at the edge of a small island, his hands clasped together as several more wooden dragons emerged.
"Is this guy a monster?" Ace wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes full of shock.
He had never faced such a troublesome opponent. The sheer number of wooden dragons was overwhelming.
Marco spread his blue flame wings, his gaze grave. "We can't drag this out any longer. We have to finish this quickly."
"I'll hold off the dragons. You go after him!"
Marco let out a low shout, his wings sweeping forward as he charged straight at the newly appeared wooden dragons.
His flame wings clashed with the dragons, unleashing blazing flames as their bodies shattered and reformed over and over.
Ace, meanwhile, headed straight for Hashirama Senju, his hands bursting into flames: "Fire Fist!"
Hashirama watched Ace rush toward him and shook his head with a helpless sigh. "Man, these young guys sure have a lot of fire in them."
He pressed his palms together again, chakra surging wildly through his body: "Wood Release: Wood Golem Technique!"
With his low command, a colossal wooden golem that blotted out the sky burst from the earth.
The golem stood a hundred meters tall, every grain of wood clearly visible, its overwhelming presence causing the entire island to tremble.
The golem swung its massive fist straight at Ace's Fire Fist.
"Boom—!"
Flame and wooden fist collided, creating an earth-shattering explosion. Ace's Fire Fist was shattered by the golem's punch, and he was sent flying dozens of meters back, crashing hard onto the ground.
"What… what kind of monster is this?!" Ace struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with awe.
He had never seen such a massive wooden golem. The pressure it exerted was suffocating.
Marco was also stunned by the golem's appearance, his flame wings seeming feeble against the swarm of wooden dragons.
The dragons' regeneration was too powerful. Even as he smashed them repeatedly, they quickly reformed.
"We can't keep this up!" Marco gritted his teeth, spreading his wings wide to create a massive wall of blue flames that briefly halted the dragons' advance.
Just then, Whitebeard's hearty laughter rang out from the Moby Dick: "Kulalalala! Marco, Ace, stand down!"
Whitebeard's towering figure appeared at the bow, gripping his massive bisento, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
It had been a long time since he had encountered an opponent that interested him.
Hashirama looked up at Whitebeard, a gleam of appreciation in his eyes. "Finally, a worthy opponent."
He could sense it—this man's strength was far beyond that of the two before him.
The sheer pressure made even him feel a flicker of excitement.
"If Madara met this guy, he'd probably be thrilled too."
He found himself thinking of his good friend again.
---
Please, send power stones!