At the very moment the mushroom cloud rose into the sky, the viewers in the live-streaming chat were stunned.
Even Fubuki from the One Punch Man world and Xiao Mei from the Battle Through the Heavens world, who had never heard of nuclear weapons, were shocked by the sheer destructive power of the nuclear bomb.
---
[Kobayashi]: "Waaaaaah! That... that wasn't an atomic bomb, was it?!"
[Ai Haibara]: "A... a mushroom cloud?!"
[Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: "Holy sh*t! This doesn't make sense! Why the hell are there nukes in the One Piece world?!"
[Orochimaru]: "Such an astonishing level of destruction… Even among all known forbidden jutsus, very few could rival this."
[Tony Stark]: "According to J.A.R.V.I.S.'s calculations, this nuke's yield is relatively low—approximately 6,000 to 8,000 tons of TNT. This would classify it as a first-generation nuclear weapon."
[Tony Stark]: "@Kizaru, as my best friend, if you need it, Stark Industries can sell you blueprints for first-gen nuclear weapons, along with the necessary materials."
[Fubuki]: "Your world is terrifying… Suddenly, monsters don't seem that bad in comparison."
[Xiao Mei]: "So scary… Everyone from other worlds is terrifying…"
---
Even the chatroom members were frightened by the secret weapon revealed by the Revolutionary Army.
Let alone the countless people worldwide watching the live broadcast.
However—
Since Lindbergh, the commander of the Revolutionary Army's Southern Army, never appeared in the footage—
Most people assumed that the nuclear weapon was launched by the Whitebeard Pirates.
---
"The Whitebeard Pirates! They're attacking the Navy!"
"Terrifying! Where did they attack?! What was that explosion?!"
"The Navy cannot lose! If they do, this world is doomed!"
Even civilians who normally harbored resentment toward the Marines—
Now found themselves praying for their victory.
Because when faced with the monstrous terror that was Whitebeard,
Even the worst of the Navy didn't seem so bad.
---
"Wahaha! Incredible! Blow those Marines to pieces, Whitebeard!"
"As expected of the world's strongest man! I'm joining the Whitebeard Pirates too!"
"You gotta win, Whitebeard! I've had enough of those damn Marines!"
At the same time—
Countless pirates roared in excitement, eagerly awaiting the climax of this war—
A war that would determine the fate of the seas—
And the future of the entire world.
If the Marines successfully annihilated the Whitebeard Pirates,
Then nothing would change.
But if Whitebeard gained the upper hand—
Or even won outright—
The world would enter a true Great Pirate Era!
---
Marineford
"Damn that Dragon!"
Standing atop the execution platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku cursed under his breath.
Though he usually wore glasses, he still recognized the figure on the aircraft—
Lindbergh.
He had personally requested reinforcements from the Five Elders to deal with Dragon—
Yet, Dragon still had another hidden card up his sleeve.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! The Gates of Justice have suddenly lost contact!"
Before Sengoku could even finish cursing Dragon,
His adjutant rushed up to the platform with a grim report.
"What?! Has the surveillance fleet located the Whitebeard Pirates yet?!"
Sengoku's expression hardened as he urgently questioned his adjutant.
Even though there was no Sun Tzu's Art of War in the One Piece world,
It was still basic military strategy to locate the enemy before battle.
The problem was—
To ensure Marineford's overwhelming strength,
Sengoku had been forced to pull elite troops from various Marine bases, consolidating them at HQ.
With the regional fleets stretched thin,
Most of them were barely able to secure their own waters—
Let alone track the movements of the Whitebeard Pirates.
With no other options,
Sengoku had dispatched a surveillance fleet to tail Whitebeard's forces,
Hoping to pinpoint their location before the war began.
"Report! The surveillance fleet has failed to detect Whitebeard's movements!"
"Additionally, a significant number of our surveillance ships have gone missing!"
The adjutant's voice trembled,
He knew exactly what this meant.
"No need to look anymore…"
Sengoku's gaze was cold as he stared at the ocean beyond Marineford.
Through the thick mist covering the sea—
A fleet of ships bearing skull flags emerged.
"The Whitebeard Pirates have arrived."
"Bohemian Knight" Doma!
"Thunder Lord" McGuy!
"Maelstrom Spider" Squard!
"Ice Witch" Whitey Bay!
And many more—
The entire fleet of 43 pirate crews under Whitebeard's banner had assembled—
Charging straight for Marineford.
But most shocking of all—
Was the fleet sailing alongside them—
A fleet composed of the Revolutionary Army's flagship, the Wind Granma,
And three stolen Marine warships.
"Fufufufufu~! So the Revolutionary Army has joined forces with the Whitebeard Pirates?!"
A twisted grin stretched across Doflamingo's face.
"The world's most notorious criminal…"
"And the world's strongest man…"
"Have teamed up?!"
Doflamingo's smile grew even more excited.
Rather than seeing the Navy crush the Whitebeard Pirates with their overwhelming military strength, he would much rather witness a mutual bloodbath between the Navy, Whitebeard Pirates, and Revolutionary Army.
Although Doflamingo had never directly clashed with the Revolutionary Army before, he knew one thing for sure—
Anyone bold enough to challenge the World Government and still be alive couldn't possibly be some weak nobody.
And with Dragon, the world's most wanted criminal, in the mix,
Doflamingo was already anticipating the Navy's defeat.-
"Hee-hee-hee-hee! Corpses! Corpses! So many wonderful corpses!"
Moriah was so excited he nearly jumped on the spot.
To him, those massive pirate ships weren't just war vessels—
They were floating transports full of powerful dead bodies waiting to be collected.
He could already imagine the aftermath of this war—
Not only would he replenish the stock he lost on Thriller Bark,
But he could also replace his weak, useless zombies with ones made from the corpses of true warriors.
"Even the Whitebeard Pirates… won't be a match for Lord Kizaru!"
Hancock snorted in disdain.
In her mind, Kizaru was far stronger than Whitebeard.
Even if you added Dragon to the mix, it wouldn't make a difference.
"..."
Staring at the Revolutionary Army's flagship, the Wind Granma,
Kuma's usually lifeless eyes seemed to flicker for a brief moment.
But within seconds, he returned to his previous rigid, emotionless state.
Meanwhile—
"Moby Dick is missing from Whitebeard's fleet! Stay on high alert! The honor of the Navy's Absolute Justice must not be sullied!"
Vice Admiral John Giant, one of the Navy's giant officers, bellowed across the battlefield.
His voice rallied the Marine troops, raising their morale significantly.
Everyone knew Whitebeard was the strongest man in the world,
But those who had never seen him fight firsthand couldn't truly grasp the fearsome power he wielded.
After all—
Marineford was fortified with 100,000 elite Marines.
The upper brass of the Navy—countless Vice Admirals, the three Admirals, and even Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself—were all present.
Not to mention—the legendary Marine hero, Garp, stood among them.
How could they possibly lose?!
"Oooohhh!!!"
The Marines roared in unison, their voices shaking the air.
But the very moment they shouted,
The calm waters within the bay suddenly began bubbling—
The once still surface started to rise ominously.
Almost instantly,
The Marines were reminded of the horrifying mushroom cloud from earlier.
Those stationed farther away were less panicked,
But the Marines at the front lines began staggering backward, their faces pale.
No one wanted to be caught in another explosion like that.
Even officers who had mastered the Six Powers wouldn't stand a chance.
Fortunately—
The rising waters were much slower than before,
And nowhere near as large as the previous underwater nuke.
As a massive, white, whale-shaped ship surfaced from below,
The Navy immediately realized what had happened.
"It's the Moby Dick!"
"Whitebeard's ship infiltrated the bay using coated hulls!"
"Damn it! Now our outer artillery and fleet can't target them!"
From the depths of the ocean,
Four colossal white pirate ships burst through the water's surface.
The Navy soldiers, who had been on the verge of retreat,
Finally breathed a sigh of relief—
At least it wasn't another nuclear bomb.
"Gurararara! Ace! Are you okay?!"
A towering, muscular figure stood at the Moby Dick's bow.
Clutching his massive bisento, Murakumogiri,
He exuded a dominant aura that weighed down on everyone present.
The Strongest Man in the World!
Whitebeard—Edward Newgate!
"P-Pops…!"
Ace, who had just been publicly exposed by Sengoku,
Had been overwhelmed with guilt and despair.
Even the nuclear strike launched by the Revolutionary Army hadn't shaken him.
But the moment he saw Whitebeard's towering figure—
His eyes widened in shock, and he nearly jumped to his feet.
Unfortunately—
The Seastone cuffs around his wrists locked him in place,
Draining his strength, rendering him powerless against his executioners.
"Don't worry, Ace! We'll have you out in no time!"
"Hang in there a little longer!"
"We're gonna smash these Marines to pieces!"
Even in the face of 100,000 elite Marines,
Even with countless Vice Admirals, the Three Admirals, and the Fleet Admiral himself,
The Whitebeard Pirates showed not a single shred of fear.
They simply laughed loudly, shouting towards Ace.
"Everyone…"
Ace bit his lip, trying to hold back his emotions.
Even though he was on the verge of tears,
He stubbornly refused to let his comrades risk their lives for him.
"Gurararara! Let's start with a little greeting!"
Whitebeard let out a booming laugh,
Then suddenly swung his right fist,
Punching the very air itself!
"SEAQUAKE!"
The sheer shockwave rippled through the air and into the ocean,
A massive tsunami, hundreds of meters tall,
Erupted into the sky—
Like a giant, gaping maw,
Ready to devour all of Marineford.
"As expected of Whitebeard…"
Borsalino's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had once fought Whitebeard in the past—
Back then, even though he had been holding back,
He still wasn't a match for Whitebeard at all.
But that was nearly twenty years ago.
Since then, he had grown stronger, far beyond his past self.
And now, with the enhancements from his Stand ability,
He was on a whole different level.
If Whitebeard were still in his prime,
Borsalino estimated he would need to use 30% of his power—maybe 40%, just to be safe.
But now?
Now, Whitebeard was old and sick.
At most, forcing out even 20% of Borsalino's strength would already be impressive.
BOOM!
As the massive tsunami came crashing down like a world-ending catastrophe,
The youngest Admiral, Kuzan, was the first to react.
He leaped high into the air, extending his hand toward the incoming wave.
A sharp, icy spear extended from his palm,
Its frigid aura spreading rapidly across the towering tsunami.
In the blink of an eye,
The hundreds-of-meters-high tsunami froze solid.
Somewhere in another world—
In the Akame Ga Kill universe,
Esdeath, who was watching the live broadcast,
Immediately stood up, her beautiful face lighting up with excitement.
"A guy as tall as my dear Borsalino…
And he also fights using ice?
Hah! I must challenge him!
Let's see who's truly worthy of commanding the power of ice and snow!"
Meanwhile, the chatroom was in chaos.
[Kobayashi: W-Whoa! He froze a tsunami!]
[Fubuki: So strong! That guy with the big blade must be at least Dragon-level, maybe even stronger! Just one casual attack, and he created a tsunami this massive! That's ridiculous!]
[Fubuki: And the one who froze it is just as terrifying! Even among S-Class Heroes, only Blast and my sister could stand a chance! Is Borsalino's world filled with nothing but monsters like this?!]
[Random Viewer Trying to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Hmph, of course! Whitebeard is the strongest man in the Pirate World! Even if Aokiji isn't as strong as him, he's not far behind. This is a battle of titans!]
[Xiao Mei: Just how strong are they? Are they at the Dou King level? Dou Emperor? Or even Dou Ancestor?!]
[Haibara Ai: I… I've lost all hope in understanding this completely unscientific world…]
[Random Viewer Trying to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh: Ah, little Xiao Mei, you're seriously underestimating those two monsters. They may not be able to fly, but even a Dou Ancestor wouldn't be able to beat them.]
[Orochimaru: The speed, the strength, the destructive power… How fascinating…]
[Tony Stark: Whoa. I think it's time to upgrade Iron Man suit again. If I ever get caught up in a fight like this, I'd at least want a chance to escape…]
°°°
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