The dark red three-headed hunting dogs bared their fangs forward, crimson "drool" dripping onto the ground, sizzling against the coral-gray, polished, and fired pavement, sending up wisps of blue smoke.
Sakazuki swung his arm violently, driving the three-headed hellhound to pounce once more at the strongest man in the world.
The magma construct clamped its fangs onto the naginata's surface, while the other two heads snapped at the great pirate's skull from the left and right. The sharp, magma-formed fangs gleamed with a dark reflection—that was the result of Armament Haki being solidified.
Although Whitebeard possessed a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, that did not mean this experienced old pirate knew nothing about Logia users.
The navy brat before him had clearly developed his Logia-type Devil Fruit to a profound level. From the massive magma fists that initially rained down in large areas, mimicking a volcanic eruption at close range, to this finely controlled hellhound—whether in terms of destructive range or fruit manipulation, this navy officer had nearly reached perfection.
A humming vibration suddenly resonated along the naginata. A milky-white halo traveled from the hand of the Tremor-Man down to the blade's surface.
The magma hound's head could no longer maintain its bite—it exploded entirely from the neck up.
Whitebeard's counterattack was simple and brutal: no matter how many tricks you had, he would shake them apart with a single strike.
Earlier, this little navy officer's magma-mimicry attacks, while both offensive and defensive, had entangled him for quite some time, supported by Observation and Armament Haki.
But that was merely Whitebeard probing Sakazuki's strength and capabilities. Now that he had a general grasp of his opponent's power, the old pirate certainly wouldn't let him push his luck any further.
"Gurararara... stalling for time? Are you waiting for reinforcements from headquarters? Or some other backup? Tremor Shock!"
Whitebeard seemed to have noticed something—his opponent, who once engaged him in close-quarters combat with ferocity, now preferred mid-range attacks that required meticulous magma control, which drained both focus and energy.
It wasn't that this iron-headed brat feared hand-to-hand combat, but in a brutal, close-range battle where both sides had to concentrate at the highest level, victory or defeat was often decided in an instant.
The fact that his opponent had shifted tactics from reckless aggression to a more cautious approach was clear proof that he had another plan in mind.
Whitebeard swung his naginata upward, forcing Sakazuki back, and then, from above, sent a ripple of milky-white shockwaves crashing down toward him.
"Damn it," Sakazuki cursed inwardly.
This future Yonko was truly cunning—he had immediately seen through the change in his tactics.
Indeed, Sakazuki was waiting—waiting for the Hundred Beasts on the other side of the Grand Line to launch their diversionary attack, waiting for the reinforcements led by Kuzan.
But clearly, the overlord of this sea was not going to give him that opportunity.
Sakazuki reacted swiftly. Before the incoming shockwave could reach him, he had already fully transformed into magma, allowing the tremor shock to scatter his molten body.
After all, Logia users, with their immunity to physical attacks, depended on their Devil Fruit abilities far more than users of the other two types.
Even so, he was starting to feel the pressure.
Whitebeard's onslaught was relentless, giving him no room to breathe.
To guard flawlessly against every attack was nothing but wishful thinking. His Observation Haki immediately picked up on the massive old pirate's hardened fist, wrapped in advanced Armament Haki, swinging towards him.
The navy admiral twisted his body slightly, transferring his power from his legs through his waist and into his right arm in an instant. A surge of high-temperature gas blasted from his right elbow joint, propelling his punch forward to meet Whitebeard's fist head-on.
"Boom!"
A deep, resonant impact erupted as muscle and bone collided, and the sheer force of the clash sent a powerful shockwave rippling outward, pushing away the surrounding dust and smoke.
Whitebeard frowned ever so slightly.
Even through the advanced Armament Haki covering his left fist, he still felt a faint sting.
Sakazuki fared even worse. The monstrous force of Whitebeard's punch sent him hurtling backward.
He had assumed that while Whitebeard's Armament Haki might surpass his own and Kuzan's, the difference would only be slight. After all, Sakazuki himself had already reached the level of a seasoned master in Armament Haki.
But the sheer strength of Whitebeard's Armament Haki had exceeded his expectations.
Not only that—the punch carried more than just overwhelming physical power. As it struck, an eerie vibration spread instantly through his entire body.
"!?"
Sakazuki felt as though his entire being—inside and out—had been rattled by an invasive tremor. His internal organs and bones ached faintly from the shock.
His refined Armament Haki had successfully mitigated the brute force of the attack, yet the tremor's residual impact had still managed to seep into his body.
Before he could stabilize himself, Edward Newgate refused to let up.
His broad naginata spun above his head, another shockwave sweeping forth.
Sakazuki could do nothing but continue retreating, using his Observation Haki and Elementalization to constantly deflect and evade the force of the tremor attacks while dodging Whitebeard's relentless close-range strikes.
Magma rained down on the streets like a fiery drizzle, while the localized tremor waves shattered the ground behind him, making it unstable and prone to collapse.
Unknowingly, their battle had drawn close to the border of the Sea Kings' controlled zone—a final containment perimeter set by the navy to minimize collateral damage.
Any further, and the heart of Fish-Man Island's economy and its densely populated residential areas would suffer the brunt of the conflict.
Sakazuki's expression remained unreadable, his face betraying no emotion. Yet internally, he felt an immense strain—he had been forced to retreat nearly three miles from the main entrance of Fish-Man Island to this point.
In the distance, under the joint protection of the navy and the Sea Kings' forces, the civilians of Fish-Man Island could now be seen.
A shockwave swept in from the left, grazing along the naginata's blade as it roared toward him again.
The Vice Admiral let out a wry smile.
Through his Observation Haki, he sensed the tightly packed crowd behind him—onlookers who had gathered at the edge of the safe zone, drawn by the spectacle of Whitebeard clashing with the navy.
This was a bustling commercial district. Even if all civilians had been evacuated to the far end of Fish-Man Island, if this area was caught in the crossfire, the economic losses would be catastrophic.
Sometimes, it wasn't a matter of whether one wanted to retreat—it was simply impossible to do so.
At this moment, there was no distinction between generals and soldiers.
Right now, he was just a soldier.
Sakazuki no longer relied on Elementalization, even though it was the easiest way to absorb and disperse impact while avoiding damage. If his magma-clad form were sent flying by the shockwave, the consequences for Fish-Man Island's inhabitants would be disastrous.
The marine crossed his arms in front of his chest—taking the impact of the naginata's shockwave head-on with his own flesh and blood.
"!"
The violent tremor was purer and more ferocious than the previous clash of fists, directly penetrating Sakazuki's robust body.
His internal organs felt as if they had been rammed by a colossal beast mustering all its brute strength. It seemed that neither his Armament Haki nor his hardened muscles provided any form of protection, allowing the shockwave to pass through unimpeded.
The worst part was the resonance induced in his bones by the shockwave's vibration. Sakazuki could feel a sour, numbing sensation from his teeth down to his fingertips.
He forcibly took a breath, then fiercely struck with his elbow, deflecting the waning light.
Sakazuki staggered backward three steps before finally planting his feet firmly on the ground.
Whitebeard lifted his head and glanced at the unharmed crowd in the distance. Then, he slightly lowered his gaze to look at the somewhat wooden-faced middle-aged man standing not far away. His eyes held no intention of concealing his admiration as he softly asked, "Not retreating?"
Sakazuki turned his head toward the group of residents behind him, who were still shaken from the encounter. The residual shockwave that had passed through his body had sent quite a few of them tumbling, but fortunately, no one had died.
"Not retreating."
It was not a hoarse shout, nor a furious roar, but a tone that was unexpectedly calm—simply stating an already determined fact.
That seemingly reckless soldier stood alone in place, casually reaching a hand to his philtrum, wiping away the blood trickling from his nose.
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