Chapter 96

Amidst the chaos, Marco, who had been sent flying by Rika's powerful punch, struggled to rise from the pothole in the ground.

As he lifted his head, he found himself facing Rika's furious fist once again.

"Boom!!!"

A muffled roar echoed around them.

This time, Marco was better prepared than before. He crossed his hands, blocking the incoming blow above his head, successfully mitigating the impact of Rika's attack.

However, it wasn't long before Rika's relentless assault continued, slamming her fist into Marco's legs, driving them forcefully into the icy surface.

"Boom!!"

"Boom!!!"

Marco, though struggling, managed to raise his head and lock eyes with Rika, who was enveloped in dark flames.

In a cold and determined voice, Rika began to say something, but her words were interrupted when Yuta suddenly appeared beside her.

Yuta, wielding a long sword, stared at Marco with a serious expression and struck without hesitation.

"Boom!!"

The sound of Yuta's sword cutting through the air was deafening, resembling the impact of a massive mallet rather than a blade.

Such was the immense power contained within Yuta's strike.

Feeling the overwhelming dominance exuding from Yuta's attack, Marco sensed that something was amiss, but before he could fully react, the sword landed on his chest, causing him to cough up blood.

Sent soaring like a shooting star, Marco crashed heavily onto the ice layer.

"Boom!!"

The impact sent countless ice fragments flying, and a cloud of smoke and dust billowed around the area.

Witnessing Marco being launched into the air by Yuta's attack, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates could only cry out in concern.

"Marco!!!"

"Division Commander!!"

However, given the intense ongoing battle, they couldn't afford to check on Marco's condition at the moment.

Instead, they turned their attention back to Yuta and, with anger boiling within them, a dozen or so members of the Whitebeard Pirates rushed towards Yuta Okkotsu.

"Asshole!!"

"You bastard!!"

Their goal was twofold – to prevent Yuta from taking advantage of the victory and pursuing Marco further, and to buy Marco some time to recover.

Facing the approaching group of pirates coming to besiege him, Yuta remained unfazed, gripping his long sword tightly he watched them rushing towards him and uttered in a low voice.

"Come on! Rika!"

Rika's heart raced as she quickly retreated behind Yuta upon hearing those words. With a mighty roar, she bravely confronted the oncoming pirates.

"Roar!!!"

The cursed energy surged through Yuta's body, fueling his determination. He gripped his long sword tightly and charged forward in the blink of an eye!

"Boom!!!"

Meanwhile, amidst the chaos, Carnes found himself facing Whitebeards on the battlefield.

A sudden, crisp sound rang out as Whitebeard's Murakumogiri suddenly dropped from his hand!

However, this action wasn't Carnes' doing; rather, it was a calculated move by Whitebeard himself!

As the clash with Carnes occurred, Whitebeard deliberately let go of Murakumogiri, creating a slight distance between them!

Carnes, witnessing this, immediately understood Whitebeard's intention.

Without a moment's hesitation, he headed straight for the Yonko, lunging towards him! But despite his quick reaction, it proved to be too late.

The sharp Murakumogiri sliced through the ice layer and embedding itself upside down in the ice layer!

With his hands now free, Whitebeard raised them high, pulling the void before him.

In the next instant, the power of the Shock-Shock Fruit erupted.

"Boom!!"

The force of Whitebeard's pull caused Marineford to tilt significantly.

"Rumble!!!"

The island's balance was dramatically overturned on the spot!

"The island... it's tilting?!!"

"The balance... is being reversed!!"

The terrified Marines cried out in horror as they felt the monumental changes unfolding at Marineford.

Carnes, being closest to Whitebeard, felt the greatest impact of the Shock-Shock Fruit's ability.

His sense of balance was instantly shattered, leaving him disoriented and feeling dizzy, as if the world had turned upside down!

Struggling to regain his footing, Carnes found himself on the verge of toppling over.

But just as he was about to fall, he gritted his teeth, and forcefully slammed his right foot on the ground to steady himself.

"Boom!!"

The hard and thick ice layer beneath him collapsed under his forceful step.

Carnes tightened his grip on Eclipse, fixing a furious gaze on Whitebeard, and shouted defiantly,

"Do you think this will make me fall?!"

"You fool."

As Carnes spoke, a dark red arc of Conqueror's Haki surrounded his body, exuding a terrifying power.

The Eclipse, infused with Conqueror's Haki, exuded a terrifying power.

In the next moment, Carnes held his long sword and launched a ferocious attack!

"God Strike!!!"

"Boom!!"

"Boom!!!"

The sound of the mighty clash echoed throughout the battlefield.

Whitebeard's imposing burly frame took a direct hit, he was struck head-on by a powerful blow from Carnes, causing his entire body to be flung upside down and plummet into the distance!

"Boom boom!!"

The ice shattered under the terrifying force of Carnes' attack, causing Whitebeard's inverted body to carve a wide gully into the ice!

"Boom!!"

Everyone witnessing the scene was left breathless, their faces filled with horror and disbelief, seeing the man hailed as the strongest in the world being knocked away by a 'rookie pirate' like Carnes.

"White... Whitebeard, did he really get hit?!"

"Are you kidding me?! The so-called strongest man in the world was defeated by a 'rookie'?!"

"Is this guy really just a rookie?!"

"Pops!!!"

Seeing their Pops beaten so bad for the first time, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates shouted in concern.

Even the Marines trembled, staring at the shocking scene before them, their eyes filled with disbelief.

On the execution stand,

Seeing Whitebeard being manhandled and thrown like a ragdoll by Carnes.

Sengoku's face turned uglier and gloomier.

"That guy... not only did he become younger, but he also became stronger, how?!"

While muttering to himself, Sengoku suddenly caught sight of a figure in the corner of his eye, standing amidst the confrontation between Carnes and Whitebeard.

This unexpected sight momentarily caught Sengoku off guard.

However, shock quickly replaced his surprise as he swiftly turned to a Marine officer standing by at the rear.

"Quick! Shut down the live broadcast of the Den Den Mushi!!"

Hearing this unexpected request from Sengoku, the Marine officer was taken aback, but he promptly saluted and responded.

"Yes!!"

Meanwhile, in Sabaody Archipelago, under the big screen displaying the real-time battle at Marineford, the intense combat unfolded before the viewers.

As they watched the newcomer named Carnes repel Whitebeard, the Emperor of the Sea and the strongest man in the world, with a single move, gasps filled the air, and an eerie silence enveloped the crowd.

All eyes were fixated on the big screen, and even the photographers and reporters momentarily forgot to record the events.

But just as the tension reached its peak and the observers were eagerly awaiting the continuation of the battle, the screen suddenly flickered and plunged into darkness.

The sudden blackout jolted all the photographers and reporters back to attention, snapping them out of their stunned states.

"What... What's happening here?!"

"Why did the live broadcast from Marineford go black?!"

"Could someone have destroyed the Den Den Mushi?!"

"Damn it!! If that's the case, we won't know what happens next in Marineford!"

"Can it be repaired?! Can the live broadcast of the battle be restored?!"

"I don't know! I don't know at all!"

Suddenly, a commotion arose among the photographers and reporters.

...

The Bonney Pirates, part of the Gale Emperor Pirates, and others, were frozen in place.

Just moments ago, they witnessed the unbelievable sight.

The man who dared to confront her own captain was sent flying with just one move... by Carnes!!

And that man was none other than one of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard, hailed as the strongest man in the world!

Their eyes trembled violently like an earthquake, overcome with shock.

At this moment, the faces of Bonney and the others were filled with unimaginable shock.

Meanwhile, on a certain area of the sea, a two-masted pirate ship sailed at an incredible speed.

The fierce sea wind made their pirate flag flutter in the breeze.

At the front of the bow, a one-armed man stared solemnly ahead.

Yes, they were none other than the Red Hair Pirates, one of the Four Emperors of the sea.

"Boss, don't worry too much. At our current speed, we can still arrive in time."

As the navigator of the Red Hair Pirates had just finished speaking, from another side, Benn Beckman, the vice-captain of Red Hair Pirates, who was sitting on the ship's railing, spoke.

"I don't think Shanks' headache is the Whitebeard and Marine fight, it's... the other variables."

"Which man are you referring to, is that Carnes??" Yasopp, sitting on the ship's pole, cleaning his sniper rifle, also spoke up.

"Carnes? I remember... that's a kid, a 'rookie pirate' who just set sail, right?

How can such a kid become a variable in this battle??" One of the crew members said, a little puzzled.

"Puff!"

Beckman puffed out smoke rings, his eyes becoming more serious, and he spoke slowly:

"If that's really the case, it's really worth being anxious, but... because of Carnes' name, Shanks got some special information from elsewhere."

"Special intelligence? Why didn't we know about it until now?"

At this moment, the redhaired Shanks, who had been silently sitting at the bow of the ship spoke.

"We got it from a Den Den Mushi broadcast."

"Den Den Mushi????" Everyone was surprised.

"Boss, what's the significance of the man named Carnes? You seemed very interested in him."

"This is a guy that shouldn't exist."

Everyone's eyes brightened, and they all gazed curiously at the back of the red-haired man.

"Many years ago, when I was with Captain Roger, I often heard him mention that name."

"Captain Roger even discussed about him with Whitebeard once, after our battle with the Whitebeard Pirates."

"Both of them laughed reminiscing dangerous battle that they had with Carnes, as even two of them together weren't enough to defeat him."

"He was supposed to have died in the battle Captain Roger was talking about."

"But recently... this name resurfaced in the sea, and even... the title that had long been forgotten also appeared again..."

At this point, one of the crew members interrupted:

"It couldn't be boss. Could it be a coincidence? I checked the bounty offered for Carnes before, and it was for a very young pirate. There shouldn't be a direct connection to the one from many years ago."

"No."

Before Shanks could speak, Beckman on the side retorted.

"The name might be a coincidence, but... the self-proclaimed title cannot be a coincidence.

There are very few people who possess this knowledge, and their traces have been eradicated by the World Government."

"Moreover, coupled with the frequent changes in the bounty reward, it's enough to prove that this guy named Carnes is not simple."

"As for his youthful appearance... I suspect it has something to do with the Devil Fruit he ate."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions turned serious.

If it's the man they're thinking of...

Someone capable of engaging with both the Pirate King and Whitebeard at the same time, how powerful must be this Carnes?

In that case... as Beckman said, he truly is an immensely significant variable.

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