"Whitebeard has breached Marine Headquarters!"
"Whitebeard is storming the Red Line!"
"Whitebeard has annihilated the World Government!"
Terrified shrieks echoed across the training grounds of the headquarters, spreading rapidly outward.
Witnessing the sudden appearance of "Whitebeard" and subjected to the ear-piercing demonic sound of the onlookers, Kujaku was momentarily startled.
But when she got a clear look at the so-called "Whitebeard," she was utterly speechless.
A round head, a belly like a balloon.
The entire figure was an unrefined, pale mess.
To put it bluntly—
It looked like a shoddy clay doll haphazardly crafted in some back-alley workshop.
Aside from the signature white crescent mustache,
there wasn't a shred of the aura or majesty befitting the world's strongest man in this "Whitebeard" before her.
'This Whitebeard… is just Storm playing tricks, isn't it?!'
Inheriting Vice Admiral Tsuru's sharp mind, Kujaku quickly assessed the situation.
'This ability… must be the [Clay-Clay Fruit] Admiral Kuzan mentioned earlier?!'
Storm had no time to spare for the reactions of the surrounding Marines.
All his focus was on controlling "Whitebeard."
Back when he had first created the "Clay White Dragon," Storm had already realized the issue.
The [Devil Ring] allowed him to use Devil Fruit powers without cost—
but it didn't instantly elevate his mastery of the fruit.
A nine-star [Devil Ring] didn't equate to nine-star Devil Fruit proficiency!
As for his actual skill with the [Clay-Clay Fruit], the [Grand Prize Trophy] had long since made its judgment clear.
[Devil Fruit·Clay-Clay Fruit: ☆]
A "☆"-ranked ability, in practical combat, manifested as this shoddy imitation of "Whitebeard."
To be fair,
even Storm himself recognized how crude this "Whitebeard Clay Doll" of his was.
There was a certain tragic beauty to it—"Imitate Whitebeard, become Whitebeard, only to fall short of Whitebeard II."
But in the heat of battle, he couldn't afford to meticulously refine this "Whitebeard III."
Time to move!
Kujaku's earlier whip strikes hadn't left a single mark on "Whitebeard III."
Instead, the whip had become deeply embedded in its left arm.
Storm manipulated "Whitebeard III," making it grip the whip tightly with its left hand and yank hard.
Kujaku immediately felt an overwhelming force—her whip nearly torn from her grasp.
Gritting her teeth, she deactivated her ability.
The elongated whip shrank back to its original form.
A gleaming sword now rested in Kujaku's hand.
Just as Storm had guessed,
Kujaku had joined the SWORD Unit shortly after him and consumed the [Whip-Whip Fruit].
But as a new user with underdeveloped mastery, she couldn't fully utilize the fruit's control capabilities.
By reverting the "whip" into a "sword," she managed to reclaim her weapon.
Unfazed, Storm directed "Whitebeard III" forward, its elephantine legs pounding toward Kujaku.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each step of "Whitebeard III" shook the ground, leaving massive footprints in its wake.
The "elite officers" watching the battle erupted into another wave of raucous noise.
This time, Kujaku remained as calm as still water, unaffected by those around her.
"Whitebeard III" raised its millstone-sized giant palm and swung it toward Kujaku, stirring up a fierce gust of wind.
Kujaku showed no panic. With a forceful stomp, she borrowed strength from the invisible air.
In an instant, Kujaku soared into the sky like a bird, evading "Whitebeard III's" strike.
Six Styles·Moon Walk!
"You bastard!"
Kujaku looked down imperiously at the white giant below.
"Just who the hell are you?!"
"Whitebeard III!"
Storm lifted his head and swung his massive palm again, aiming for Kujaku in midair.
"Edward Teach!"
"Who is this guy?!"
Kujaku let out a fierce cry.
She concentrated all her strength into her legs, rapidly contracting them before instantly extending them to deliver a supersonic kick.
"Tempest Kick·Flying Crane!"
Kree—
A sharp, crane-like cry seemed to echo across the headquarters training ground.
Kujaku's powerful kick whipped up the surrounding air, condensing it into a razor-sharp slash shaped like a white crane.
The "Tempest Kick·Flying Crane" flew at incredible speed.
In the blink of an eye, it descended from the sky and reached "Whitebeard III."
Storm, transformed into "Whitebeard III," had lost his usual agility due to his massive size.
"Whitebeard III" couldn't react in time and was struck directly by the "Tempest Kick·Flying Crane" while maintaining his original posture.
The sharp vacuum slash effortlessly tore through the soft clay.
"Whitebeard III's" right arm was severed cleanly at the elbow.
The remaining force of the "Tempest Kick·Flying Crane" continued downward, carving a deep trench into the training ground.
Boom! After the deafening explosion.
Only then did "Whitebeard III's" severed right arm crash to the ground, flattening into a "white pancake."
"Huff… huff…"
After unleashing her full power, Kujaku was inevitably left panting.
She couldn't even maintain Moon Walk anymore and was forced to descend from the sky.
Yet throughout this, her eyes remained locked onto "Whitebeard III," not missing a single movement.
Despite losing an entire right arm, Storm was completely unfazed.
He didn't feel even the slightest pain—after all, it was "Whitebeard III" taking the hit. What did that have to do with him?
Seizing the brief moment of exhaustion after Kujaku's outburst.
Storm swung "Whitebeard III's" intact left arm, spinning it like a giant windmill.
"Tyrannosaurus Flapping Flight!"
The instant those words left his mouth.
"Whitebeard III's" left arm detached from its body and shot toward Kujaku like a cannonball.
The white "Clay Cannonball" soared through the air.
It rapidly grew a head, a pair of wings, a tail, and four short legs…
Just like a legendary four-legged wyvern! Giant Dragon Impact!
The white giant dragon viciously crashed toward Kujaku, who had just landed.
But the overly telegraphed attack failed to achieve its intended effect.
Kujaku nimbly dodged to the right, effortlessly evading the white dragon's charge.
Boom! The White Giant Dragon finally crashed onto the training ground, only to collapse into a shapeless lump of clay.
Kujaku listened to the "death wail" from behind, a faint smirk curling at the corners of her lips.
But just then.
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air behind her.
'That White Dragon just now—could it have been Storm—?'
Sensing imminent danger, Kujaku instinctively turned around, her peripheral vision catching sight of a fist.
A rapidly enlarging, human fist!
Intentional Blast Punch!
Storm had somehow appeared right behind Kujaku without her noticing.
He swung his fist, as large as a sandbag, mercilessly aiming for Kujaku's abdomen.
One moment, Kujaku was basking in her triumph.
The next, Storm's fist connected with her stomach.
The flamboyant "peacock" instantly curled up like a "shrimp."
The impact sent Kujaku flying backward.
And at the end of her trajectory stood the still-unyielding "Whitebeard III."
Boom! Kujaku crashed straight into "Whitebeard III," like a bird flying into a trap.
She struggled to resist, but the searing pain in her abdomen left her momentarily immobilized.
To make matters worse.
"Whitebeard III" acted like a human cage, trapping her tightly within.
The more Kujaku struggled, the greater the pressure from the surrounding clay became.
In the end, she had no choice but to surrender.
"You win!"
The moment Storm received Kujaku's signal of surrender.
A silvery-white [Grand Prize Trophy] materialized before his eyes.
[Silver Trophy: Kujaku]
[Trophy Rating: ★★★]
'A three-star Silver Trophy? Defeating an opponent grants this!'
Suppressing the urge to examine the [Grand Prize Trophy], Storm calmly walked toward "Whitebeard III."
Under his mental command.
The surface of "Whitebeard III" rippled like waves of clay.
The next moment.
Kujaku was "spit out," collapsing weakly onto the ground.
"Storm…"
Kujaku gasped for breath, about to say something to Storm.
But a furious roar from afar cut her off.
"Whitebeard Jr.!"
In the blink of an eye.
A towering, burly figure flickered into existence beside Storm and Kujaku.
The massive mechanical arm "Pulverizer" mounted on his right swung mercilessly at "Whitebeard III."
Boom! "Whitebeard III's" head took the full brunt of the blow, exploding like fireworks.
At that moment, Zephyr, the one who threw the punch, froze.
Known as the "Non-Killing Admiral," he had never taken a pirate's life in his career.
Yet this "Whitebeard Jr." before him—how could he be so fragile?
At the same moment, Storm also froze.
He turned around and immediately spotted Zephyr standing nearby.
And not far behind him—an entire lineup of top-tier figures.
The spectators observing the battle included—
Fleet Admiral Sengoku; Admirals Aokiji and Kizaru; the Hero of the Marines, Garp; and countless vice admirals like Gion and Tsuru.
Storm couldn't help but hold his breath.
Now this was what you called the Marines' All-Star lineup—
With this kind of firepower, could even an Emperor withstand it?
"Storm! And Kujaku!"
Zephyr's face darkened as if coated in Armament Haki.
"What the hell is going on?! Why is everyone shouting that Whitebeard is here?"
Storm was just about to explain when Kujaku, who had already stood up beside him, patted his shoulder and "grandly" introduced:
"The world's strongest pirate is right here!"
"Teacher Zephyr, this is 'Whitebeard III'! Edward Teach!"