One Piece: Starting at the War of the Best

Raging sword energy once again swept across the battlefield, further devastating the already shattered ice. The solid surface at the center of the blast crumbled entirely in an instant, revealing the deep blue sea beneath.

At the very center of the chaos, Katie's situation was even more dire. She could no longer maintain even the Shikai form of Po Kong (Breakspace) and was forced to raise the single remaining blade in front of her just to block the oncoming sword energy.

That explosive move just now had completely drained the last of her strength—especially the spatial teleportation. Even at peak condition, her current "Earth-level" physical stats would allow her to use that technique only a handful of times. In other words, her newly enhanced physique was already insufficient for her combat needs. Which meant… she'd have to spend more system points again.

But that wasn't the priority right now. What mattered most was recovering as quickly as possible.

"System, redeem one Senzu Bean."

Seizing this brief moment, Katie spent 500,000 exchange points to acquire a Senzu Bean from the Dragon Ball world through the system.

Looking at the tiny green bean in her palm, if not for the system itself giving it to her, Katie would never believe such a thing could instantly restore all her injuries and stamina. Without hesitation, she tossed it into her mouth.

Crunch — salty, like pickled vegetables.

The battle with Hawkeye had gone far beyond anything even she had expected. At first, she had only intended to survive ten minutes against the opponent in order to complete the system's mission. But unexpected turns kept piling on, and she had fought all the way to this point.

While the fight hadn't been especially long, it had lasted at least twenty minutes. Just the time spent comprehending sword techniques had taken over ten minutes. The rest of the fight had been Katie actively challenging Hawkeye.

The moment the Senzu Bean went down, a warm current surged through her body. It felt like soaking in a hot spring. All her wounds, big and small, began healing rapidly before her eyes.

In the blink of an eye, every injury—including the massive half-meter wound on her chest—had vanished. Even her once-pale face from blood loss was now glowing with healthy color. If not for the blood still covering her body, Katie herself might've doubted she'd ever been hurt at all.

Now that she had fully recovered, Katie's focus shifted back to Hawkeye. After this battle, Katie had come to clearly understand the gap between them.

Not far off, Hawkeye still looked completely unscathed, as pristine as ever. Katie's attacks had done nothing to him.

If this were purely a contest of swordsmanship, Katie still had a long way to go. From start to finish, Hawkeye had been holding back and had never gone all out.

Only in the final two attacks had he revealed a glimpse of his true strength—the tip of the iceberg. He was undeniably worthy of the title "World's Greatest Swordsman."

However, if it were a real fight to the death, Katie wouldn't limit herself to swordplay. If she used his Devil Fruit powers as well, things would definitely not have been this one-sided.

What Katie didn't realize, though, was just how deeply her performance had shocked some people.

"Boss, I wasn't seeing things, was I? Hawkeye actually used a sword technique back there, right?"

On the ocean not far from Marineford, someone asked their captain in disbelief.

"Yeah... I never thought that kid could push him to that extent. It's been years since we last saw him use a sword technique."

Others might not understand, but someone who had fought Hawkeye for years knew exactly what that meant.

Hawkeye's sword, classified among the Supreme Grade Blades, wasn't just known for its sharpness—it was famed for the tremendous aid it provided to its wielder. That blade could amplify the power of sword energy, which is why he rarely ever needed to use sword techniques—his basic attacks were already more than enough.

As he spoke, the man rubbed the hilt of his sword with his only remaining right hand, a strange light flickering in his eyes.

"What? Regretting your decision back then?"

Someone nearby teased, clearly knowing what the captain was thinking. Though this question had been asked many times before, they couldn't resist asking again now.

"It was my decision—I wouldn't call it regret. Besides, that kid… he's slowly influencing the world, just like I hoped. He hasn't let me down."

"So, what do you think of Katie as a young woman?"

The topic circled back to Katie.

Staring at the young, unfamiliar face on the screen, even he couldn't answer immediately.

"A very strong newcomer… but it's too early to say anything for certain. If he can survive the Navy's retaliation after this, then we'll talk."

"Heh, today's rookies really are crazy—daring to toy with the Navy like that. I wonder how Sengoku and Akainu are feeling right now."

They clearly understood what this situation meant for the Navy. Katie's interference had completely upended everything they'd prepared, and no one—no matter how composed—could take that lightly. Retaliation was inevitable.

"So, Boss... should we change our plans?"

Katie's appearance had never been part of their original plan—but it still wasn't too late to change things.

"Forget it. No need. We've come this far—there's no point changing anything now."

"You're the captain—you call the shots."

No one questioned their captain's decision.

While most pirates avoided Marineford like the plague, one pirate ship was actively sailing toward it. Its unmistakable emblem—a red wolf's head—left no doubt as to its identity. It represented one of the Four Emperors, a force equal in status to the Whitebeard Pirates.

What was happening at Marine Headquarters was destined to shake the entire world.

The raging sword aura gradually subsided, and just as everyone was straining their eyes to see what had happened—

—a sudden twist occurred once more.

"Ice Age!"

"Yasakani no Magatama!"

Without warning, Aokiji and Kizaru, who had been silently observing until now, suddenly launched an attack on the Whitebeard Pirates—opening with massive area-of-effect abilities. The ice that had been shattered by sword energy was instantly refrozen.

The sky wasn't spared either. Countless yellow light beams spread out across the battlefield, each one radiating destructive energy.

"Bastards! Fire Fist!"

But the Whitebeard side reacted without hesitation. One after another, they launched counterattacks. Even Whitebeard himself swiftly struck back—activating his Devil Fruit power and clearing out half the field in a single blow.

However, one person moved even faster than all the others—Admiral Akainu.

Before anyone else could react, he was already above Katie, his magma-infused fist fully elementalized and aimed straight at Katie's head—moments away from slamming down.

Everyone who noticed this sudden move was shocked by Akainu's boldness. No one had expected him to be so ruthless—to launch a sneak attack in front of the entire world.