Jozu strained with all his might to escape, but his legs felt as if they were cast in lead, refusing to budge no matter how hard he tried.
Seeing Bai Qi's fist drawing closer.
Suddenly, just as it was about to strike Jozu, Bai Qi retracted his hand and rapidly retreated.
The next moment, a great glaive cleaved down where Bai Qi had stood. A powerful shockwave spread, sending Jozu, who was closest, flying back.
"Old... Old Father!"
Indeed, the one who had intervened was Whitebeard.
No one had expected Whitebeard to make a move so quickly.
Facing the world's strongest man, the uncrowned Pirate King, everyone's hearts were in their throats.
"Old Father."
"Retreat, this is not someone you can handle."
Whitebeard stood before Jozu, his glaive brandished, and then looked at Bai Qi, asking, "Newcomer?"
Bai Qi nodded and replied, "Newcomer, here to test the strength of the world's strongest man."
Facing Bai Qi's surging pressure, Whitebeard did not dare to be careless. He gripped his great glaive with both hands, exerted force with his legs, and was the first to attack Bai Qi.
In the air, Whitebeard swung his great glaive, a transparent sphere of energy coalescing at the blade, which he slammed towards Bai Qi.
All the pirates were stunned by Whitebeard's attack.
They couldn't understand why their Old Father would use almost full power against a little-known Vice Admiral. Wasn't this like using a cannon to swat a mosquito?
However, something even more incredible was yet to come.
Facing Whitebeard's full-power strike, Bai Qi not only dodged but instead advanced, extending his right hand and catching the glaive bare-handed.
"Is this kid crazy?"
Just as everyone believed Bai Qi was doomed, the two collided.
The violent tremor shattered the ice surface completely, breaking it into floating ice floes.
A figure was sent flying back several meters, crashing into a stone wall, which cracked under the impact.
"As expected of Whitebeard, you do have some strength."
Bai Qi, using his Nen to pry himself from the wall, looked up at Whitebeard standing on a nearby ice floe.
He had to admit that he had misjudged the upper limit of this world. Based on the destructive power of that single blow, this man before him was certainly worthy of his serious attention.
Looking at his entire right side, more than half of it had been shattered by the shockwave, and many bones were broken.
"See? This is the consequence of underestimating us."
"Go, Old Father, let the Marines know how formidable we are."
Seeing Whitebeard gain the upper hand, the pirates' morale soared instantly, their shouts echoing to the heavens.
"What is this guy doing?"
While Kizaru and Aokiji were somewhat unfazed by the incessant shouts, Akainu was becoming restless, his face as black as if it could drip ink.
He remembered how easily he had been defeated by the opponent when they had fought him, like beating a son. What was going on today? By comparison, wasn't he now even less capable than a mere Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?
Bai Qi paid little attention to these external noises. He used the power of the Rooster Talisman to rapidly heal his injuries, then leaped forward, facing Whitebeard once more.
"Fufufufufufu, interesting fellow. Take another stab from me!"
Having learned from the previous encounter, Bai Qi did not attempt to block this time. Lasers shot from his eyes, aimed directly at Whitebeard's chest.
Facing the incoming laser beam, Whitebeard had no choice but to abandon his attack and switch to defense, holding his glaive horizontally to block Bai Qi's assault with Armament Haki.
"The human body is truly fragile."
Seeing the laser beam blocked, Bai Qi muttered an exasperated comment.
Bai Qi had transformed into a human, but the constraints of this fleshly form prevented him from unleashing his full power. His Laser Eye, for example, was significantly weaker than before.
"If that's the case, I refuse to be human."
With that, Bai Qi's body began to change rapidly. To the shocked gazes of everyone present, Bai Qi shed his human skin, revealing his true form.
"My heavens, is that... a Sea King!?"
Returning to his true form, Bai Qi's body rapidly grew. In the blink of an eye, the towering Whitebeard appeared as a mere dwarf in Bai Qi's eyes. The ice floe beneath him sank under the immense weight, forcing Bai Qi to use his Nen to float on the sea's surface.
"Come, this is the second round."
With that, Bai Qi initiated the attack on Whitebeard, his massive dragon claw striking the pirate.
The speed was so great that it was difficult to defend against.
Even though the swift Whitebeard quickly covered his entire body with Armament Haki, it was in vain.
The hardened Armament Haki tore like thin paper under Bai Qi's attack, easily ripped apart. The sharp dragon claws left five deep wounds on Whitebeard.
"Old Father! I'll help you!"
A voice called out, and then three figures leaped from a ship, rushing towards Bai Qi.
The three were the Sixth Division Commander, Pocket-Pocket Fruit user Broadman, who wielded a wooden hammer larger than himself; the immensely strong Eleventh Division Commander, Jissho; and the Viking-like Thirteenth Division Commander, Atomos.
The three formed a triangle formation, attacking Bai Qi simultaneously from three different directions.
"A bunch of trash."
A massive surge of Nen pinned Jissho and Atomos to the ground. With another exertion of force, they were crushed into pulp. Broadman, in the air, met an even worse fate, incinerated by Bai Qi's dragon breath until not even ashes remained.
"How is this possible... to kill three commanders in one go!"
"A demon, this is a demon!"
The instantaneous elimination of the three Division Commanders shattered the pirates' previously high spirits. The colossal body and terrifying aura made it difficult for everyone to breathe. The more timid ones, their courage completely broken, dropped their weapons and fled in disarray.
It was true that many ants could kill an elephant, but only if their attacks could penetrate the elephant's defenses. Otherwise, no matter how many there were or how fiercely they attacked, it would be futile.
This was precisely the situation. Whether it was a Vice Admiral or an Admiral, there would eventually be a limit to their strength. But this monster before them seemed immortal and unkillable, dispatching three commanders as easily as slicing vegetables. It was simply unconquerable.
"Bastard!"
If Whitebeard's previous attack had been at ninety percent of his strength, then now it was one hundred and twenty percent.
The death of three of his sons instantly enraged the old father.
Ignoring his lingering wounds, Whitebeard grabbed the glaive beside him, his arm muscles bulging, veins clearly visible.
"Die!"
The glaive descended with a roar. A massive shockwave almost split the sea before him, charging directly at Bai Qi.
"Just in time!"
Bai Qi activated the demonic power of the Chicken Talisman, and a massive surge of Nen formed a shockwave that collided with Whitebeard's attack.
The collision of these two immensely powerful forces generated aftershocks that shook all of Marineford violently.
The effect was no less than the initial "Sea Tremor."