The One-Horned White Whale

Chapter 199: The One-Horned White Whale

"Who else is there?!!!"

Rodney's voice echoed on the battlefield, full of arrogance, provoking the dissatisfaction of Whitebeard's crew members. Wielding twin swords and dressed in formal attire, a swordsman with a distinctive beard danced forward.

"Let me handle this!" 

The newcomer was Vista, the Fifth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, known as the "Flower Sword." 

He was a master of dual-wielding swords and approached Rodney with his blades. Rodney blocked his twin swords with a fan-shaped weapon and said, "Big Beard, so it's you. But you can't stop me!"

With a sudden burst of strength, Rodney pushed aside Vista's swords. Vista quickly jumped back and, while retreating, swung his swords. Countless rose petals inexplicably fell from the sky, hiding Vista's attack within them. This was his famous technique and the origin of his "Flower Sword" nickname: Rose Blizzard!

"Waltz!" Rodney's Autumn Water repeatedly clashed with Vista's swords, and neither gained the upper hand.

"Terrifying talent! He's not even a swordsman, yet he can wield my techniques with such skill," Vista realized that Rodney was merely imitating his moves but was still able to resist his signature technique perfectly. Rodney's talent was indeed frightening.

"Hmph! As long as the techniques work, it doesn't matter whose they are! Your skills are impressive, but you'll be mine in the next second! Rose Blizzard!"

"What?!!" 

Vista saw Rodney using the Flame Fan as another sword, replicating his own technique, and quickly defended. Rodney's speed, sword angles, and movements all matched Vista's perfectly, and Rodney's strength even seemed to surpass his own.

"Terrifying learning talent. I didn't expect my techniques to be copied so effortlessly by you," Vista had yet to figure out how Rodney managed to replicate his moves, but he was certain that if he unleashed all his abilities in front of Rodney, the opponent could do the same. Rodney was a formidable adversary.

Vista thought this way, but he saw Rodney put away the Flame Fan, looking puzzled. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing much, everyone is here, so I'll stay out of it."

The ground beneath their feet rumbled, shaking violently. In the distance, a colossal figure approached. It had two horns, a green face, sharp fangs, and stood tall. Compared to him, the other giants were like adults among children. 

He strode forward and effortlessly stepped over the Marine ships, impervious to cannon fire that couldn't penetrate his armor and thick skin. It was Oars Jr., the descendant of the Oars the Continent-Puller, Oars who was one of the zombies of Moria and a giant as well. He raised his hand and grabbed a Marine ship, hurling it toward another giant Vice Admiral.

"Fire Release: Majestic Dragon Fire Technique!" 

A fire dragon head erupted and detonated the Marine ship mid-air. Fragments rained down, but the giant Vice Admirals didn't need to defend the ships; they focused on attacking Oars Jr.

However, giants from the Mysterious Four were stronger than typical giants, and the giant Vice Admirals couldn't match him. He defeated several giant Vice Admirals and passed by the Moby Dick.

"Oars, don't go there, your body is too large, and that's a death wish!" Whitebeard warned.

"No, Dad! I have to save Ace!" 

Oars Jr. shook his head, rejecting Whitebeard's suggestion. He took another step toward Ace and said, "At least let me take out one of the Shichibukai!"

He aimed at Doflamingo below and threw a punch with tremendous force. However, he missed and instead had his lower leg sliced off by Doflamingo's razor-sharp threads.

Oars Jr. fell, heavily wounded. Despite his injuries, he dragged himself forward, reaching out to touch Ace. 

"Ace..."

"Oars!!!" Ace shouted, "Your body is too big! Go away!!!"

"No! I must save you!!!" 

The bombardment continued, and Oars Jr.'s injuries multiplied. He gritted his teeth and extended his hand toward the execution platform.

"Ace..."

Oars Jr.'s straw hat fell from his back, a gift from Ace after learning how to weave it in Wano. It provided shade and shelter from rain, a symbol of Ace's kindness. He believed Ace, a gentle person, should not die here.

The cannons continued to wound him, and he eventually lost consciousness.

"Oars!!!!"

Whitebeard's face darkened. A giant Vice Admiral launched a surprise attack, but Whitebeard grabbed him and crushed his skull.

Whitebeard was furious! As the commander-in-chief, he couldn't afford any mistakes, and his body couldn't sustain prolonged combat. 

He needed to allocate his strength wisely and immediately issued painful orders for his pirates to step on Oars Jr.'s body to approach Marineford's plaza, getting closer to Ace.

A steel-made icebreaker ship broke through the ice, creating a path. The Ice Queen, Squard, opened a route by smashing a Marine cannon and part of the wall with her sturdy ship's prow.

Seeing this, Rodney smiled coldly, formed hand seals, and said, "Ice Release: One Horned White Whale!"

A massive, single-horned white whale emerged from the ice surface, rising as if breaching the surface of the water, and crashed toward Squard's icebreaker ship.

A colossal shadow loomed over the ship, and Squard was horrified. He didn't expect Jinbei to attack him so quickly. 

The overwhelming pressure made it hard for him to breathe. Just as he was about to resign himself to death, Whitebeard threw a punch that shattered the One-Horned White Whale into pristine ice crystals, causing an "ice rain" near the icebreaker ship.

"That kid Kuzan... No, it's not him!" 

Whitebeard hadn't seen Kuzan but saw Rodney on the ice, rapidly making hand seals, preparing for another attack.

"Ice Release: Tearing Dragon Fierce Tiger!" An icy tiger appeared on the ice, roaring silently, and plunged into the ranks of pirates.

"It's Rodney, that brat. His Devil Fruit abilities are truly unique! Marco, go and restrain him; he's causing us a lot of trouble," Whitebeard said. 

Rodney had easily penetrated the pirate ranks, seemingly untouched by the chaos. His strength far exceeded that of ordinary pirates, and even Jozu and Vista had suffered losses against him. Now, he displayed abilities similar to Aokiji's, and it was crucial to contain his actions.

"Understood, Old Man!" 

Marco's arms ignited with blue flames in the shape of wings, and he took flight, arriving before Rodney. Flames formed by Marco's Phoenix Fruit lashed out at Rodney!

Rodney, with Lightning Armor enveloping him, countered with "Thunder Blast!"

Their attacks clashed, and they quickly separated, retreating to their respective positions. Marco stabilized himself in the air with a flap of his wings, while Rodney embedded Autumn Water into the ground, anchoring himself, and then sheathed the Flame Fan on his back.

Noticing the absence of weapons, Marco questioned, "Not using weapons?"

"To deal with you, I can't use weapons; they'll restrict my movements!" 

Rodney exhaled a breath of hot air, his skin turning reddish. He assumed a combat stance and continued, "This state isn't easy to maintain. Three different elemental energies are within my body, and a slight misstep could be fatal. However, Marco, you're worth it!"

In his current state, Rodney had combined the power of the Lightning Armor and Boil Release to enhance his strength, a highly perilous endeavor. One small mistake could lead to the conflicting chakras within him tearing him apart.

"Oh?" 

Marco scrutinized Rodney carefully. Besides the layer of lightning enveloping him, he sensed a wave of heat. The ice beneath them was gradually melting.

"Then let me see what you've got!"

With that, Rodney disappeared before Marco's eyes!