Check out advanced chapters on P@treon: p@treon.com/CosmicKaminari
----------
At that moment, almost everyone aboard the Moby Dick shared the same reaction as Red-Haired Shanks.
The pirates on the deck, the captains with their heightened perception and formidable strength—all of them froze. Their expressions shifted as their eyes turned upward.
A massive shadow loomed over the sea, blotting out the sun and casting darkness over the area.
It was as if the unpredictable weather of the Grand Line had suddenly taken a sinister turn. The once bright and open sky was now cloaked in shadow, a foreboding presence pressing down on the sea.
"Hey… what's that?"
"What the hell is that huge shadow? Could it be some kind of Sea King… or a bird?"
In the mysterious waters of the New World, such phenomena weren't unheard of. But this time, the truth was far more unsettling.
A sharp-eyed observer called out from above, voice shaking with realization:
"No! No! That's… a gigantic Sky Island!"
The terrified shout echoed across the deck, sending a wave of dread through the crew.
Everyone's faces twisted in shock and alarm.
In today's world, there was only one person capable of lifting entire islands into the sky—a figure who stood as one of the era's twin emperors. A man whose bounty surpassed even Whitebeard's by one million Berries.
Alex! The man they call the strongest of this era!
"The floating islands in the sky—that's the power of the Float-Float Fruit!"
"Dad! The enemy's coming!"
High above, several kilometers in the sky, the islands loomed like massive shadows in the clouds. A colossal floating island, rivaling the size of an island whale, approached steadily, radiating an oppressive, suffocating aura.
Even the most seasoned pirates began to sweat under the pressure.
The Moby Dick, enormous as it was, looked like a mere speck compared to the size of the descending island. And it wasn't just one island—it was an entire archipelago, floating together like a fleet of massive sky whales.
For Alex, creating islands like these was a trivial feat. Even a single one of these islands, if dropped, could obliterate the Moby Dick and every ship surrounding it without leaving a trace.
"This… this is beyond anything humans can fight against!"
The disbelief spread rapidly. Pirates panicked, their faces pale with fear.
"An island of this size… are you kidding me?!"
The weaker members of the crew either collapsed to their knees in shock or scrambled aimlessly, searching for an escape.
"This is hopeless! There's no way to survive something like that!"
The chaos deepened until Marco's sharp voice cut through the panic:
"Don't lose your heads!"
He glared at the frightened crew and roared:
"The enemy hasn't brought their full force! Wanokuni's main army isn't here yet, and this doesn't look like the start of a war!"
"Captain Marco!"
Marco's commanding presence steadied the crew. Slowly, morale began to recover as his words sank in. The pirates looked back to the sky, scanning the islands with more clarity.
Indeed, as Marco had pointed out, there were no signs of Wanokuni's fearsome military fleet around the islands. The skies weren't filled with warships, and the situation didn't feel like an immediate prelude to battle.
But still…
As if mocking Marco's reassurance, the islands hovering above began to move with deliberate intent, seemingly reflecting the will of the Flying Admiral. One of the enormous "island whales" detached from the floating archipelago and descended toward the Moby Dick with terrifying speed.
The sheer velocity and impact of its descent ignited the very air around it, creating a fiery trail as flames erupted from the island's edges. The heat and pressure roared down toward the ship, suffocating all who watched in dread.
"The island is falling!!!"
Panic overtook the crew. Terrified shouts filled the air as even the pirates who had manned the cannons froze in place. Their hands trembled, unable to light the fuses.
Against a weapon of this magnitude, they all knew the truth: cannonballs were meaningless. Compared to the falling island, they were as feeble as fireflies against the radiance of the moon.
"Let me handle this!"
The third division commander, Jozu, roared as his body transformed into unbreakable diamond. With his entire being hardened, he stepped forward to meet the incoming impact.
But a deep, commanding voice cut through the chaos:
"Get out of the way!"
The booming words belonged to their father, Whitebeard.
The crew, even the strongest among them, immediately withdrew at his command, leaving the deck clear for the mightiest man alive.
Standing firm, Whitebeard reached for his massive naginata Murakumogiri. His colossal muscles swelled with power, veins bulging across his arms like coiled dragons. Gripping the weapon tightly, he faced the oncoming island with absolute resolve.
This wasn't just an ordinary swing of a blade.
Whitebeard's weapon radiated a circular aura—a shimmering, white force born from his legendary Quake-Quake Fruit. The terrifying vibrations of his quake powers gathered and focused at the tip of Murakumogiri, creating a shield of destructive energy.
He unleashed his attack.
The vibrations condensed in the air, and the space in front of Whitebeard shattered like fragile glass. A thunderous cracking sound echoed as transparent fissures, glowing faintly, spread outward in a spiderweb pattern. The largest of these cracks stretched tens of meters, a testament to the power unleashed.
The atmosphere itself fractured under Whitebeard's strike.
BOOM!
The shockwave surged forward, slamming directly into the falling island.
And then—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
The collision of two world-shaking forces erupted in a cataclysmic explosion.
The island, massive as it was, couldn't withstand the destructive quake. Cracks spread across its surface, branching outward like veins, before it shattered from the outside in.
CRASH!!!
The once-mighty island burst apart like a firework, breaking into countless fragments that rained down toward the sea.
Debris scattered in every direction, and the air was filled with the deafening sound of boulders crashing into the water. Waves erupted with every impact, creating an endless series of explosions as the fragments splashed down into the ocean.
The attack was stopped. The Moby Dick and its surrounding ships had been spared.
But the clash of strength was a stark reminder of the sheer power of both Whitebeard and Alex.
At the stern of the Moby Dick, a low, sinister laugh broke the tension.
"Zehahahaha…"
The source of the laughter was none other than Marshall D. Teach, standing apart from the crew.
Teach's eyes gleamed with hunger as he watched the aftermath of the clash. His gaze shifted between Whitebeard, standing triumphant on the deck, and Alex, still hovering in the air above.
These were two titans, each possessing power that could reshape the world itself. Power that Teach craved more than anything.
"The old man's Quake-Quake Fruit," Teach murmured to himself, his voice dripping with greed. "Alex's Float-Float Fruit, giving him dominion over the sky… and that More-More Fruit of his, capable of amplifying abilities to absurd levels…"
Teach's grin widened, his ambitions growing even darker.
"If I could claim the Devil Fruits of these two… the Strongest Man and the Strongest Flying Admiral… no one could stop me. The throne of the world's strongest… the treasure of One Piece itself… it'll all be mine!"