Chapter 246: The Fall of Whitebeard
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CRACK!!
Two fists collided with a thunderous impact that shattered the very air around them.
Cracks spread through the air like spiderwebs, and the deck beneath Whitebeard's feet splintered violently, causing his massive frame to sink a few inches into the wood.
Uchiha Madara—aka Pirate Renzo—was blasted backwards by the force of the shockwave, tumbling through the air for more than ten meters before flipping mid-air and regaining control.
During his use of Divine Haki, he only drew on a sliver of Sage Chakra for a boost—he deliberately held back, not wanting to accidentally kill Whitebeard. But the old man proved he's still got strength left.
...
And around Whitebeard's ship, the sea had gone berserk. The broken air pressure had stirred up tidal waves that threatened to swallow everything nearby.
"Hold on tight! A storm's coming!!" Marco shouted, his voice cutting through the roar of the ocean.
Whitebeard didn't hesitate. He swung his massive naginata, Murakumogiri, slicing through a wall of incoming water and buying time for his crew to work together and steer the ship away from danger.
Then, with a leap and a burst of Moonwalk, he shot into the sky and charged straight toward Renzo.
"You little brat! Take this!!"
With the force of a mountain falling, Whitebeard brought down his naginata. The blade surged with the destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit as it slashed downward—a devastating shockwave attack spanning over a hundred meters.
Renzo's eyes flashed. He summoned his Zanpakutō, its blade humming with focused intent, and met the slash head-on.
"SLASH!"
BOOM!!!
The clash of their blades tore the sky itself apart. Clouds split into quarters, thunder cracking in their wake.
"Oh yeah, now that's more like it!" Renzo grinned, clearly enjoying himself. He dived back in, mixing his swordplay with close-quarters combat to trade fierce blows with Whitebeard.
Their battle only grew more intense.
The shockwaves from their fight rippled across the ocean for hundreds of kilometers, raising colossal waves. Overhead, the already-unstable New World weather turned darker, thunderclouds swirling ominously.
"Keep moving! Get us farther out of range!" Marco barked, rallying the crew to push the ship beyond the battlefield. He took to the skies himself, keeping a cautious eye on the fierce showdown from afar.
Just then, Marco noticed Teach—Blackbeard—standing on deck, glaring darkly in Renzo's direction. He figured Teach was upset by Renzo's earlier accusations and threats.
Flying over, Marco clapped a hand on his shoulder and said reassuringly, "Don't worry, Teach. We're brothers. Nobody's gonna turn on you because of some outsider's nonsense."
"And besides, that guy is the old man's problem now. You just focus on your future, okay?"
"C'mon, gimme a smile!"
Teach quickly shifted his expression, putting on a goofy, carefree grin. "Zehahahaha! Captain Marco, I'm good!"
"If you've got nothing to hide, you don't need to fear the shadows. Just wait—one day, everyone will see who I really am!"
"Glad to hear it," Marco nodded, giving him a quick pat before flying off again to continue watching the battle.
"One-Sword Style: Dragon Flash!!"
Renzo unleashed a sweeping slash that sent many dragon-shaped blades of seawater roaring toward Whitebeard.
"Gekishin!"
Without flinching, Whitebeard narrowed his eyes and drove his fist forward. The water dragons shattered under the weight of his quake-punch, but he immediately followed up with a counter-slash of his own.
Back and forth, they traded blows for hours. Over time, wounds began to accumulate on Whitebeard's body—cuts, bruises, bleeding.
Meanwhile, Renzo still looked spotless, like he wasn't in a battle at all, just dancing through a game.
BOOM!
After another fierce clash, Renzo pulled back a bit, floating in mid-air across from Whitebeard, who was still holding himself aloft with Moonwalk.
"How about it, old man? You tired yet?"
"You've got one hell of a temper, y'know. And for what? Everything I said was true. I don't lie."
"Huff... huff..." Whitebeard chuckled between heavy breaths. "You're a monster, Madara kid. That stamina... and all those powers... plus that swordsmanship... The World Government really did underestimate you with that bounty of yours."
"As for Teach..."
"Maybe he'll turn out like you said. Maybe not. But as long as he calls me 'Pops'—as long as he hasn't betrayed me or the crew—he'll always have my protection."
"You bad-mouth him again, and I swear on this old life of mine, I'll take you down, no matter what it costs me! Huff... huff... That's what it means to be Whitebeard!"
"You're seriously saying that after you're already winded like this?" Renzo tilted his head with a smirk. "Don't flatter yourself."
"Looks like talking won't change your mind after all. Too bad... I actually kinda respect you."
"But today, I have a goal—and no one's stopping me from reaching it."
"At most, I won't kill him. I'll just borrow him for a bit. Run a few experiments. Then I'll give him back."
He cracked his neck, eyes glowing. "Alright then... time to get serious."
The moment Renzo finished speaking, a terrifying power erupted from his body.
Reiatsu, Conqueror's Haki, magic, killing intent, Sage Chakra—all of it surged and fused together into a single overwhelming force. The air around him began howling violently.
Dark storm clouds churned above, growing thicker and more ominous, like the sky itself was about to collapse.
Even Whitebeard couldn't help but tense up.
From a distance, Marco shouted in alarm, unable to hide his concern: "Pops!!"
He was ready to jump in and help.
"Stay back!"
Whitebeard didn't even turn around. He barked the command sharply—Marco couldn't get involved in this. Not against someone like Uchiha Madara.
Marco wouldn't last even one move.
"Divine Judgment!"
Sparks of lightning danced around Renzo's body. Then —BOOM— a bolt of lightning shot straight into the sky, piercing into the dark thunderclouds.
Zzzzzzt!
Suddenly, the clouds above reacted like a detonated chain reaction. Thunder roared, lightning gathered.
CRACK!!!
In an instant, massive bolts of blue lightning as thick as barrels came crashing down toward Whitebeard.
"Gura Gura no… !"
Whitebeard wasn't fazed. He swung his massive naginata in a wide arc, shattering the incoming lightning—and the very air around it.
One strike after another, he kept cleaving through the storm, laughing heartily as he yelled up at Renzo:
"Is that it, brat?! These flashy tricks your 'ultimate moves'? Feels like your earlier sword strikes had more bite! Running outta steam already?!"
Renzo just grinned wide. "Haha, easy there, old man. I was just warming up!"
"Try this on for size—Kirin!!"
ROOOOOAR!!
From the churning clouds, a gigantic beast's head emerged—a fully formed Kirin, made entirely of pure lightning, easily over a hundred meters across.
Its massive jaws opened wide, drawing in the entirety of the storm's thunderous power in one breath.
"Kirin: Wrath of the Godslayer!!!"
A moment later, a jet-black lightning beam fired from the Kirin's mouth, screaming toward Whitebeard at blinding speed.
Whitebeard's instincts screamed danger—true danger. In a flash, he gathered all his remaining strength and slashed with everything he had.
A razor-sharp shockwave tore through the air, carrying the full destructive force of his Gura Gura no Mi.
But—
SHKKKTT!
The moment his slash met the black lightning, it was instantly swallowed up. The Kirin's wrath didn't even slow down.
It struck Whitebeard dead-on.
Zzzzzzzzt!!!
A man as tough as Whitebeard couldn't hold back a blood-curdling scream as the black lightning engulfed him entirely.
He felt every cell in his body being ripped apart by that annihilating energy. Just when he thought this was the end—
The lightning abruptly faded and scattered.
Whitebeard's body slackened, his consciousness slipping away. He blacked out and fell toward the sea below.
Renzo didn't even spare him a glance. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared on Whitebeard's ship, grabbed Blackbeard by the neck, and knocked him out cold with a single slap.
Then he shot into the sky and vanished into the distance.
His voice echoed from afar:
"Someone go save Whitebeard—I held back, so he should still be alive! As for Teach, I'll return him in a month!"
"I, Uchiha Madara, always keep my words!"
And just like that, Renzo disappeared.
Marco didn't even get a chance to react, let alone chase after him.
Panic set in as he rushed toward the spot where Whitebeard had fallen.
This battle had drawn massive attention across the seas.
As luck would have it, Morgans was on the scene and captured a ton of useful intel.
Just a day later, news spread like wildfire from the New World—
{Whitebeard, gravely wounded in a battle with the mysterious Uchiha Madara. His condition: unknown.}
The world shook.
Online and on the seas, the reactions came fast and loud:
"Are you kidding me?! That Uchiha guy just showed up! You're telling me he beat Whitebeard?!"
"What is this—April Fools?!"
"Unbelievable!!"
"Oi Oi Oi, that's not funny!"
"Wait, is Whitebeard actually critically injured? Is he even alive?!"
"So what if it's true? So what if it's not? You gonna do something about it? Even without Whitebeard, any of his crew could crush you like a bug."
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Yo~
Sorry for the irregular update schedule these past two weeks—my graduation project has been taking up most of my time. Tomorrow is that big day, so I won't be able to post. After that, things will return to normal—or maybe even better!
See ya Sunday~
P.S: I put this note across all my fics, so you might see it again. Just making sure everyone's in the loop!