Chapter 44: Whitebeard

BOOOOOM!!

An overwhelming burst of Conqueror’s Haki exploded like a streak of dark crimson lightning.

As most of the crew working aboard the Moby d*ck collapsed in an instant, Edward Newgate’s expression hardened.

He pushed his Observation Haki to the absolute limit.

And then, the owner of that Conqueror’s Haki came into focus.

“There’s a guest… heading our way… Gurararara!!!”

“Father! That’s an insane amount of Conqueror’s Haki!!”

In the middle of the chaos, Marco rushed over in a panic to report on the condition of the crew.

Though not yet at admiral level, the boy had eaten the Mythical Zoan-type fruit of the Phoenix and always used his powers to heal the aging body of his captain.

A child worth cherishing.

The fact that he didn’t faint in the face of such Haki meant he certainly had the potential to reach admiral-class.

But now was not yet that time.

“Gurarara!! Looks like this old man needs to step up to protect his sons!!!”

“Y-You can’t!! Father, your body is already far too old! You need to take care of your health!!”

“Gurarara!!! I’m not that far gone yet! This Edward Newgate is still in his prime!!!”

With a booming laugh, he kicked open the captain’s quarters and looked out at the scene before him.

His sons were already rushing forward to block the incoming threat.

Admirals and elites were moving ahead to stop him from intervening.

They were strong, without question.

But their enemy… was clearly beyond them.

BOOOOM!!!

“They’ve cloaked themselves in Conqueror’s Haki…!!!”

A blast of dark crimson lightning erupted, annihilating a portion of the sea.

His sons were flung back by the shockwave.

Bones snapped, blood was coughed up, but no one suffered permanent damage or death.

It was clear the attack had been held back.

“Gurarara. So they’re not here to wipe us out. Just giving us a warning, huh… But! You’ve spilled my sons’ blood. For that, I’ll have to take at least a limb!!!”

KAAAA-BOOM!!!

Whitebeard’s Conqueror’s Haki exploded outward, shaking the sea and splitting it apart.

For a moment, the ocean floor was exposed beneath them.

A display so overwhelming it physically altered the world using nothing but Conqueror’s Haki.

This was Edward Newgate—untainted by illness—at full power.

Watching it made my entire body shiver with dread, as though I were being crushed by sheer presence.

It was officially acknowledged that the Whitebeard who participated in the Summit War had been far past his prime.

But now that I was witnessing it with my own eyes, there was no doubt—he had been way below his peak back then.

And that only made this more exhilarating.

With a gleam in my eye, I cloaked myself in Conqueror’s Haki and launched myself off the ship, kicking through the air with Moonwalk.

I couldn’t let my ship be destroyed. I moved it off to the side…

Then I saw him—

Whitebeard, smirking at me as he raised a fist over his shoulder without hesitation.

And then he threw it.

BOOOOM!!

CRRRAAAACKKKKK!!!!

The very sky split.

The moment the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit entered his fist, space itself shattered.

The sheer impact slammed into my insides.

“Khuhk?!”

I had activated Iron Body and cloaked my whole body in both Armament and Conqueror’s Haki…

And still, this was Whitebeard.

I immediately activated the power of the Stitch-Stitch Fruit—thread and needle—to reconnect the mangled insides and heal the damage.

At the same time, I used the Copy-Copy Fruit to replicate the missing parts of my organs and complete the regeneration instantly.

Wiping the blood from my lips, I looked up at Whitebeard with a composed expression.

He looked back at me, slightly surprised.

‘Then it’s time I land a strike of my own.’

The power of the Copy-Copy Fruit wasn’t just about copying what I saw.

It could copy anything.

Even myself.

I thrust my fist into the air—and copied it.

—Black Flash!!

A technique born from Jujutsu Kaisen.

A perfect harmony between Armament and Conqueror’s Haki, amplifying destructive force exponentially.

Then I… copied it one hundred times.

Suddenly, a hundred black-red lightning strikes shot out, exploding like a storm in the air.

Threads and needles appeared, merging the shockwaves into one massive force.

Fusion! Synthesis!

—Black Flash: Ultimate!!

The black-red lightning transformed into a dragon, roaring forward.

The concentrated power of Armament and Conqueror’s Haki combined into an attack so potent that even Whitebeard’s earlier strike paled in comparison!

A strike capable of erasing entire islands!!!

“…Ha!! I see you’ve earned the right to be cocky!!!! Gurarararara!!!”

CRAAAACK!!!

Yet even as he witnessed this overwhelming attack, Whitebeard only laughed.

Then, with a grave expression, he reached out to the sky—and tore it apart.

KZZZZZZAAAK!!!

This was the pinnacle of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

Beyond cracking the sky.

This… was tearing it.

The ultimate awakened form of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, accessible only to Whitebeard in his prime—

Subspace!!

My Haki dragon vanished, sucked helplessly into the gaping darkness of shattered air.

Stunned by the sight, I barely had time to react before Whitebeard sent another punch—this time a rapid barrage.

CRRRAAAASHHHHHH!!!

The sky shattered into fragments, and waves of shock struck one after another!!!

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…!!!”

Watching it all unfold, I knew—instinctively.

Whitebeard was a monster among monsters…!!!

Gojo Satoru? That guy’s nothing compared to this.

This wasn’t just a man who could sink islands.

He was a being who could end the world on his own!!!

Behind me, the residual waves of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit gathered into a tsunami.

In front of me, a wall of shock from which there was no escape.

I smiled.

And without hesitation, drew my sword.

At last… it was time.

Time to show the ultimate power I had gained from Jujutsu Kaisen.

A power reborn through the evolution of my swordsmanship in this world.