Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 493 The Whitebeard's Final Blow

Just as Whitebeard was gathering his strength for a powerful attack, the ground suddenly cracked open, and Admiral Sakazuki, covered in blood, emerged from the crack.

Because of his Observation Haki, even when trapped underground, he could still sense what was happening on the surface.

As soon as he came out, he went straight for Ace and Luffy.

Sakazuki truly lived up to his reputation as the successor favored by Fleet Admiral Sengoku. He genuinely considered issues from a strategic perspective and also recognized Ace's value to the Whitebeard Pirates.

Given that Whitebeard is destined to die, why not kill Ace to wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates?

Kuzan and Borsalino were a bit less inclined to think that way. Even when they saw Sakazuki's actions, they were just puzzled and assumed he was obsessed with the honor of the Navy.

Xia Zuo realized that this was a product of the combination of the political qualities that Dongda students must possess and the ability to foresee the plot.

But what he was thinking was: Red Dog! Are you blind? You go and kill people without even looking at your surroundings!

The current Whitebeard is different from the original storyline. He didn't have half his head knocked off by Akainu or have a hole punched in his heart. He just used too much force, which aggravated his old injuries.

Moreover, in his battle with Xia Zuo, he unleashed a sudden surge of potential.

In other words, Whitebeard is a formidable fighter now!

Sakazuki rushed forward to kill Ace, but he—as expected, was held down by Whitebeard.

Admiral Akainu never had a chance to tell Ace the secret that the Magma-Magma Fruit was a superior version of the Flame-Flame Fruit.

boom!!!

This time, Whitebeard, whose body was still intact and who possessed great fighting power, didn't give Sakazuki and Ace a chance to face each other. He intercepted them halfway and punched them hard into the ground.

An irresistible force overwhelmed Armament Haki, and the shockwave permeated Akainu's limbs and bones, causing them to creak and groan.

This was the second time Sakazuki had been hit with full force by Whitebeard. The residual shockwave within his body was completely detonated, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood in a miserable state.

Such severe injuries were so intense that even a tough guy like Akainu couldn't suppress the excruciating pain and let out a scream!

"I was distracted by Xia Zuo and lost focus for a moment, almost letting you raid my base," the white-bearded man said thankfully. Then he turned to Ace and shouted, "Hurry! Dad can't hold on much longer!"

"Only if you leave can the Whitebeard Pirates continue. Don't let the family I built be destroyed!"

Ace now realized that he was a burden to his father. He was in great pain and cried uncontrollably, but he stopped resisting. With tears in his eyes, he was pulled by Luffy over the fallen wall.

Jinbe, a pirate from the Whitebeard Pirates, the Okama King of the Revolutionary Army, and a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, followed his two brothers over the wall and fled outside.

"Ugh...cough cough cough, that damn whitebeard!"

After letting out a scream, Sakasugi stood up. Although many of his bones were shattered, his pride wouldn't allow him to fall before a pirate.

Even if this pirate is Whitebeard.

Whitebeard lowered his head, staring at Sakazuki, his eyes practically spitting fire: "Akainu brat, you actually dared to try and kill my son right in front of me! You deserve to die!"

Whitebeard's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he looked at Akainu. Taking advantage of his final moments of strength, he once again drew power from his body and swung his large naginata at Sakazuki's head.

However, Sakazuki was not alone on the battlefield at this time. There were two other generals not far away, as well as the monster brigadier general Shazo.

Kizaru transformed into a beam of light, first blocking Whitebeard's path, using his light sword to suppress the charging naginata.

Aokiji then caught up and froze Whitebeard's right elbow joint, preventing him from exerting force.

Moreover, the ice layer continued to extend, seemingly with the intention of freezing him completely and eventually capturing him.

Whitebeard unleashed his power as usual, combining Armament Haki with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. However, unexpectedly, he failed to destroy Aokiji's ice blocks or shatter Kizaru's lightsaber.

Whitebeard was stunned, as were Kizaru and Aokiji.

Xia Zuo sighed inwardly: "Since ancient times, beauties and famous generals have not been allowed to grow old in this world."

Indeed, even heroes and beauties cannot escape the ravages of time; aging and illness are the inescapable fate of warriors.

The white-bearded man's sudden outburst failed, instead further aggravating his old injuries.

Even more seriously, he had been bleeding for so long that almost all the blood in his body had flowed out, and the veins on his arm were clearly visible to have sunken in.

At this moment, Whitebeard felt dizzy and weak in his limbs. The large naginata he raised was so heavy that even without the two generals stopping him, he would not be able to make the final cut.

Whitebeard's attack failed. His eyes were lifeless, and his hands were raised high, exposing his vulnerable chest, which was completely unprotected, giving Sakazuki the best opportunity to counterattack.

Without the slightest hesitation, Admiral Akainu's left hand instantly transformed into lava and shot out.

[Haunted Dog]

Sakazuki's left hand, billowing black smoke, struck Whitebeard in the chest before he could react.

Many people like to shoot someone in the head, but those soldiers who often kill know that a shot to the head may not necessarily kill, but a shot to the heart will definitely kill.

The broken body could not keep up with the white beard's will; it could neither launch an attack nor make a quick dodge.

Faced with Akainu's sudden counterattack, Whitebeard could do nothing but watch helplessly as the Lava Hand attacked his body and pierced through it.

Sakazuki pierced Whitebeard's body, specifically his heart. He could even clearly feel how his lava had pierced that weak heart and burned it to a crisp.

Admiral Akainu revealed a smug smile, which, combined with the bloodstains on his face, made him look incredibly ferocious.

Sakazuki then turned around and shouted at the bewildered marines, "What are you all standing there for?"

"Whitebeard is dead! Hunt down the pirates and annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates!"

"Yes! Yes!"

"Yes! Completely annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates!"

The navy personnel, as if waking from a dream, sprang into action and rushed towards the fleeing pirates.

After Ace escaped, the Navy's plan was considered a failure. If they wanted to wash away the humiliation, they had to catch up and kill all the Whitebeard Pirates members.

At the very least, kill Ace.

A punctured heart is an absolute fatal wound, and an instantaneous one at that.

But Whitebeard had lost too much blood and his heart was no longer able to beat. Instead, the unimaginable pain made him draw some strength once again by resisting his body's instinct for death.

Whitebeard's mind cleared up, and he didn't even dare to breathe, fearing that if he took another breath, he would die instantly.

He held his breath and threw a final punch at Sakazuki. This time, his weak stamina was just a trigger, its only purpose being to unleash the full power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

Crack! Crack! Crack! The weak fist unleashed a surge of Devil Fruit power, shattering space with a deafening roar. Silver-white spatial rifts opened along Sakazuki's body and spread outwards.

Without sufficient physical strength, the spatial rift was immediately closed by spatial forces and disappeared.

But the shockwave from the spatial closure erupted, and the invisible air pressure shook Sakazuki and the naval soldiers behind him who had reacted.

A loud bang was heard, and dust and gravel flew everywhere.

A massive crack appeared beneath Sakazuki's feet, the earth collapsed, and the bottomless fissure suddenly widened, revealing large chunks of...

Large chunks of broken rock slid down the collapsed ground.

Admiral Akainu was the first to be hit. He was also seriously injured and was rendered powerless by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Helplessly, he fell into the dark abyss for the second time.

Behind Sakazuki, a long, deep rift swallowed up even more naval soldiers.

The marines lost their footing and could only fall involuntarily into the depths of the crevice.

However, the naval soldiers were not Whitebeard's target; his target was somewhere much further away.

The massive crack continued to extend, eventually reaching the plaza from the melted bay, and then cutting through the entire plaza, heading directly towards the largest and most prominent building.

In the previous two fierce attacks, although Whitebeard destroyed the foundations of Marineford, his main target, the main building that represented the face of the Navy, remained unscathed under the protection of the Navy.

This is Whitebeard's last chance, because he can no longer activate the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power.

The cracks spread all the way, and all the buildings in their path collapsed with a roar, stirring up clouds of dust.

No one could see the cracks spreading; they could only hear the sound of the building collapsing.

A few seconds later, the terrible tremors finally stopped, and the earth returned to calm.

A sea breeze blew in from the northwest, dispersing the smoke that enveloped Marineford. The sailors stared in disbelief at the representatives of the Navy.

Marineford.

The main building, decorated with naval insignia, was pierced by a huge crack and completely divided into two parts.

Because the foundation had been damaged beforehand, the cracked structure became misaligned, causing the world's largest naval marker to crack as well.

The naval officers and soldiers were dumbfounded.

Today, they have suffered two major setbacks.

The first instance was when Admiral Akainu attacked the ice field indiscriminately, and countless officers with Devil Fruit abilities drowned in the harbor in frustration.

The second time was this scene before our eyes: Marineford, which was said to never fall, was destroyed.

The naval officers and soldiers all felt that their beliefs had been completely destroyed.

"Naval Headquarters—has it cracked?"

"The facade of justice has been shattered by pirates—"

"The navy is finished, the seas are finished, there is no hope for justice!"

Some sailors muttered to themselves, while others roared in anger. They were all overwhelmed by pain, loss, resentment, and shame, and the pain in their hearts was unparalleled.

The Warring States Marshal was also in pain, but he remained outwardly calm and instead roared, "What are you all so upset about?"

Naval Headquarters can be rebuilt, but the belief in justice will never disappear!

"Now, everyone, pull yourselves together and destroy Whitebeard and his sinful pirate crew!"

Sengoku's order roused the naval officers and men. They composed themselves, wiped away their tears, and charged toward Whitebeard with shouts.

Go fight to the death!

But there's no need for these ordinary naval officers and soldiers at all; Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Aokiji had already launched their attack.

The exhausted Whitebeard was unable to wield his great naginata. He was even too weak to throw a punch, and could only raise his hands to slightly block the attack, while the two admirals attacked him.

Golden lightsabers and white ice blades slashed at him, each time sending blood and flesh flying, but Whitebeard refused to fall or retreat an inch, stubbornly blocking the navy's advance.

More and more attacks came crashing down, and the white-bearded man took them all without flinching, his mind focused on only two things:

Don't give up!

To buy more time for my sons!

Upon seeing such a white beard, some pirates retreated while wailing and crying.

Some pirates, seeing the towering figure standing firm on the battlefield, felt their hearts breaking and, disregarding their own lives, turned back to stand with their father and die alongside him.

We must at least not let him leave alone.

At this point, the white-bearded man was blind and deaf, and had no idea that someone was standing beside him.

He thought he was shouting, but it was actually a very weak, hoarse murmur: "Go, my sons, the sea is waiting for you—"

"Don't look back. This is Father's last order. No one is allowed to look back—"

In the end, half of the Whitebeard Pirates escaped and ran towards the nearby port, where there were pirate ships they could use to evacuate.

Seeing the pirates escape, the marines, their eyes bloodshot, launched a frenzied attack on Whitebeard.

More and more marines surrounded him, but the pirates surrounding Whitebeard remained fearless.

Because these pirates knew they were doomed, they became even more frenzied. In battle, they didn't pursue killing at all; they only sought death and took as many marines as possible with them.

As long as their flag, that figure that stands firm no matter how many attacks it withstands, remains standing, these pirates will never admit defeat.

The Marines fought for the justice they believed in, while the Whitebeard Pirates fought for their families. In this final battle of their development, both sides fought with unwavering resolve.

Neither the pirates nor the navy backed down; both were determined to fight to the death.

Such a battle is destined to be a tragedy, and this war is destined to have no winners.

But whatever the outcome, this man who ruled the Great Pirate Era will bring his life to a close with a battle destined to be recorded in history.

The white-bearded man's breathing was weakening, and everyone realized that his death was imminent, signifying the end of an old era.

The Warring States Marshal stood on the high platform, feeling the death of the white-bearded man approaching slowly, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

This was the enemy he had fought all his life, and now that he was finally going to die, the feeling of shared sorrow made Sengoku's heart tremble involuntarily.

The Warring States Marshal thought about his future; once the battle ended, he would be forced to retire due to his failed strategy.

Next comes the era of Sakazuki, but—what about Kuzan?