"Gulala, this is interesting!"
Whitebeard's eyes shifted as he observed the square cracks created by Buggy. He was stunned that his shockwave had actually been split!
Buggy staggered back, his entire arm splitting apart before he could counteract Whitebeard's immense force.
Whitebeard is truly as strong as a monster!
And Buggy was acutely aware that this wasn't even Whitebeard's full strength! At the very least, Whitebeard hadn't unleashed his Haki yet!
"Come again!"
With a battle-hardened spirit, Whitebeard charged forward to attack Buggy once more.
Buggy's eyes narrowed slightly as he prepared to advance.
Whitebeard swung a punch, and Buggy retaliated with one of his own!
But this time, Buggy didn't confront Whitebeard head-on.
As Whitebeard's fist was about to connect, Buggy aimed a punch at Whitebeard's forearm instead!
Though Buggy's strength couldn't match Whitebeard's, he skillfully smashed Whitebeard's arm while evading the incoming blow.
Whitebeard was momentarily stunned. Before he could lift his other hand to strike, Buggy's fist struck his arm again, neutralizing all the force he had just built up!
After exchanging more than a dozen blows, Whitebeard hadn't landed a single effective hit. Meanwhile, Buggy not only disrupted Whitebeard's attacks but also managed to land several punches on Whitebeard's body, driving him back repeatedly!
Whitebeard was somewhat bewildered. Was this what Buggy meant by 'cutting him in the middle'?
Whitebeard had to admit that Buggy's fighting style was highly effective against opponents who were larger, stronger, but less agile than himself!
Whitebeard stood at 6.6 meters tall, while Buggy was only 1.9 meters. The threefold height difference made it difficult for Whitebeard to maneuver his limbs freely once Buggy closed in on him!
Buggy's eyes gleamed as he intercepted Whitebeard's attack once more. With a powerful punch, he struck Whitebeard in the lower abdomen!
Whitebeard groaned, forced to stagger back a couple of steps.
Buggy pressed the attack relentlessly, denying Whitebeard any chance to create distance.
At this moment, Buggy realized that while Whitebeard's strength and attack power had temporarily peaked but his speed hadn't fully recovered. If Whitebeard's speed were back to its prime, he would have been able to escape Buggy's relentless assault.
It's clear that Whitebeard is showing his age!
Blue light glowed from Buggy's hands as he launched a forceful punch at Whitebeard's side. The impact shattered the air around them like glass, and Whitebeard let out a pained groan, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Just as Buggy was about to press his advantage, he suddenly felt a sharp pang of unease. Without time to analyze the source of his discomfort, Buggy instinctively pulled back, distancing himself from Whitebeard.
In the next instant, Whitebeard's entire body radiated a blinding fluorescent light, and a tremendous shockwave erupted from his towering form!
The atmosphere and ground within a radius of hundreds of meters began to fracture, spreading outward from Whitebeard's position!
"Air Shock!"
Despite Buggy's best efforts to distance himself, he was still caught in the terrifying shockwave, causing his entire body to disintegrate into dust!
When the shockwave subsided, Buggy's body reassembled two hundred meters away. Though much of the impact was mitigated, his internal organs were still violently jolted, leaving him pale and disoriented.
Before Buggy could react, Whitebeard was already hovering above him!
"Little red-nosed brat, do you know who I am? I am Whitebeard!" Whitebeard roared, unleashing a punch imbued with devastating shockwaves and lightning.
Whitebeard's punch had an enormous range. Realizing that dodging alone wouldn't be enough, Buggy braced himself, channeling all his haki, strength, and devil fruit powers to counter the blow.
"Boom!!!"
The overwhelming force spread out, and Buggy was hurled away after a brief clash with Whitebeard!
Buggy's body crashed through the navy's reinforced defense wall and plummeted into Marineford Square, smashing through layers of soil and rock before finally striking the foundation of the original headquarters building, overturning the ground before he came to a stop.
The sheer power of Whitebeard's attack nearly sent Buggy across the entire battlefield, causing further damage to the already crumbling Marineford!
Following this devastating strike, multiple wounds on Whitebeard's colossal body burst open, blood gushing forth like a fountain as he half-knelt on the ground, gasping for breath.
This sudden change caused almost everyone on the battlefield to stop and turn their gaze toward the tall, wounded figure!
An inexplicable feeling surged in everyone's hearts.
The old times were coming to an end!
"Pops!!!"
The surviving members of the Whitebeard Pirates yelled out with all their might. Marco, who could fly, abandoned his opponents and rushed towards Whitebeard!
"Pops, hold on! I'll heal you right away!"
Marco landed beside Whitebeard, frantic to provide aid. But as he looked at Whitebeard, covered in blood with half of his head missing, Marco was momentarily at a loss for where to start.
Whitebeard shook his head slightly and whispered, "No need, Marco. I know my own body very well. Don't waste your time on me!"
Marco's body trembled, tears welled up in his eyes, and he was overwhelmed with grief, unable to speak.
Whitebeard continued, "Listen to me, Marco. Find Ace and bring everyone back after I'm gone! If…"
"Puff!"
Before Whitebeard could finish his sentence, the sound of a blade piercing flesh interrupted him. A sharp sword had been driven into Marco's chest from behind!
"Hahahaha, Captain Marco, you're too careless! We're on a battlefield; how can you focus all your attention on Pops?"
Blackbeard seized Marco's shoulder with one hand and used the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit to suppress Marco's healing ability from the Mythical Beast-Phoenix Fruit. With his other hand, he drove a sword into Marco's heart!
Whitebeard's eyes blazed with fury, and an immense anger surged within him. Despite his exhausted state, his body suddenly surged with tremendous strength!
Blackbeard noticed Whitebeard's enraged look but wasn't intimidated. He laughed maniacally, "Hahahaha, Pops, don't glare at me like that. You don't even have the strength to stand now!"
Confident in his victory, Blackbeard had chosen to attack Marco instead of sneaking up on Whitebeard, fearing Marco might prevent him from claiming the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power.
But the next moment, to Blackbeard's astonishment, Whitebeard rose to his feet!
"Teach!!!"
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