One Piece: King of the World

As soon as Newgate's voice fell, Sengoku's eyes darkened. His expression grew colder as he said in a low voice, "Newgate... so you really came."

Newgate's eyes shifted downward to glance at Thatch, who looked visibly agitated. Then his gaze returned to Sengoku. "You invited my son to your place for a 'visit.' As his old man, how could I not stop by to say hello?"

Sengoku's lips twitched slightly. "Did you like the welcome party I prepared for you?" he asked with a mocking smirk.

Newgate said nothing. His smile vanished, replaced by a grim, ferocious expression. His aura surged like a tsunami, swelling the sails of the colossal ship behind him.

His sharp eyes locked onto the Marine forces along the harbor wall. His expression darkened further.

"Teach... I knew you'd be here," Newgate muttered with unmasked hostility.

Teach's heart sank. He felt as if ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his mind. But outwardly, he forced a manic grin, trying to maintain his bravado.

"Zehahaha! Pops, it's been a while! How's your health?" Teach called out with feigned cheer.

Newgate's eyes turned ice-cold. His voice was laced with killing intent. "I have nothing to say to a bastard like you. And you of all people aren't worthy of calling me 'Pops'."

The moment he finished speaking, Newgate hurled his naginata, Murakumogiri, high into the sky. The massive weapon twirled as it ascended, whistling through the air.

Then, Newgate planted his feet wide apart, his knees bending slightly as his torso leaned forward. He crossed his arms over his chest—and in the next instant, swung them outward with terrifying force.

He punched the air.

There was no visible target. His fists struck empty space. Yet the impact produced an ear-splitting crack.

The very air shattered like fragile glass. Jagged fissures spread outward from his fists, splitting the sky itself.

Sengoku's eyes widened in alarm. "That's..."

He hadn't expected Newgate to go on the offensive so suddenly, without a declaration, without posturing. Just pure, unrelenting force.

From his position behind the Marine lines, Garp stroked his chin and muttered, "Here it comes."

Beside him, Tsuru sighed softly. "That kind of power... in a pirate's hands, it's nothing short of a natural disaster."

As if to prove her point, Marineford began to tremble. The ground shook beneath the Marines' feet.

Standing near the front, Doflamingo grinned as he felt the vibration. "Fufufufu... so this is the strength of the world's strongest man. Spectacular."

Hancock frowned. "An earthquake...?"

"No," Teach whispered, his eyes gleaming with twisted excitement. "This isn't an earthquake. It's... a seaquake."

---

Claudius, seated high above the Admirals, felt the tremor through the soles of his feet. A faint smile curled his lips. "Lucci, keep your eyes open," he said softly. "You're about to witness what happens when the strongest man alive gets angry."

Lucci, still holding Claudius's coat, followed his master's gaze toward the sea. "I see it, Your Highness," he answered, voice low.

In the distance, colossal walls of water began to rise. Two towering tsunamis surged toward Marineford from opposite directions, like massive jaws preparing to swallow the island whole.

The sunlight dimmed under the shadows of the waves.

Panic spread through the ranks of Marines. Some stared upward in horror. If those tsunamis crashed down, the entire base no, the entire city would be obliterated.

Kuzan smacked his lips in irritation. "Tch... annoying."

Borsalino chuckled. "Looks like Claudius was right after all. Time for you to shine, Kuzan."

"Yeah, yeah... as if I had a choice," Kuzan muttered.

He stood, exhaled in resignation, and kicked off from the ground. The force of his leap left a frost-covered footprint where he'd been sitting.

Shooting high into the air, Kuzan extended his arms wide and called out:

"Ice Age!"

An intense wave of freezing energy burst from his hands. It raced toward the tsunamis, spreading across the surface of the water with incredible speed.

The moment the ice touched the waves, the sea's fury was instantly subdued. The twin tsunamis solidified into colossal ice walls, standing like frozen sentinels on either side of Marineford.

The Marines exhaled in collective relief.

"Greenhorn brat," Newgate grumbled, glaring up at Kuzan's airborne figure.

Kuzan shifted tactics. He extended one hand toward the Moby Dick and murmured:

"Ice Lance!"

Sharp icicles materialized in the air around him and launched toward Newgate with deadly precision.

Newgate snorted. "Annoying."

He casually raised his right hand and punched the air. A shockwave burst forth, obliterating the ice lances into powder. Kuzan's body shattered into fragments of ice and plummeted into the bay below.

The ice chunks hit the water and released a secondary wave of freezing energy, instantly locking the surface into a thick sheet of ice. The Moby Dick and its escort ships became trapped in place.

From within the ice, Kuzan's form reassembled. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed. "Aren't you a little too enthusiastic, old man?"

---

Claudius chuckled softly. "Interesting," he said, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Meanwhile, Teach's bravado resurged. "Zehahahaha! Pops, you're slipping! That little greenhorn blocked your big move!"

Above them, the naginata Murakumogiri, thrown by Whitebeard earlier completed its downward arc. Newgate extended his left arm without looking, caught the weapon mid-air, and slammed the blunt end into the deck.

He turned toward Teach, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

"You're making a lot of noise for a dead man."

Teach's laughter faltered. "W-Wait—!"

Whitebeard swung his naginata horizontally. The air itself fractured under the force of the blow. Space seemed to warp, bending inward before snapping apart like glass.

The invisible shockwave struck Teach with full force. His body contorted unnaturally as he was hurled backward, crashing through several Marine formations before slamming into a stone wall.

The impact left a crater.

Teach groaned and lay motionless, his earlier arrogance shattered.

Claudius blinked in disbelief. Wait... that was it?

Teach had strutted around like he was ready for a climactic showdown. And then... one casual swipe from Whitebeard sent him flying like a ragdoll.

Was that just an act to buy time?

Claudius shook his head, muttering, "Couldn't you at least try to look tough for the cameras, Teach? The world is watching, you know."

Newgate leaned on his naginata and sneered. "What's the matter? Weren't you just mocking me, Teach?"

The world's strongest man had arrived. And with a single strike, he had set the tone for the war to come.

**

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