Every marine and pirate craned their necks, stunned by the towering figure of the Kyūbi no Yōko (Nine-Tails).
The golden fox stood like a radiant mountain, scraping the heavens. Only Little Oars Jr. could even begin to match its size.
Even the giant vice admirals were barely half its height.
"A fox…"
Sengoku's pupils shrank. He remembered Uzumaki Naruto once transforming into a giant fox before—back then blood-red, violent and savage.
"Don't tell me… Uzumaki Naruto ate some kind of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit?"
Before all eyes, Naruto commanded the Kyūbi's claw to slam down. With a thunderous boom, the massive wall shattered to rubble.
Another claw swiped; a Pacifista was crushed into scrap, sparks flying.
Witnessing that terrifying might, Sengoku could no longer remain still.
"Uzumaki Naruto, stop this!"
"Hahahaha!" Naruto laughed wildly, making the Kyūbi roar.
"Whitebeard, weren't you here to save someone? Why are you still standing around? Or do you expect the Navy to hand him over to you?"
Whitebeard threw his head back in laughter, striding toward the execution platform.
Seeing their captain move, the Whitebeard Pirates erupted in cheers, charging the marines with raised weapons.
The war flared again, fiercer than before.
When Garp and Akainu tried to converge on Whitebeard, Crocodile scoffed, his body dissolving into sand:
"Suna no Tsurugi! (Desert Spada)"
The sand-formed blade slashed through Akainu's body. Though unharmed, the admiral's face darkened.
"Crocodile… you dare lay a hand on me!?"
Crocodile clenched a cigar between his teeth.
"Spare me the lecture. I just don't like your face."
Barrett's eyes blazed with excitement. Leaping onto the plaza, he roared:
"Marines! Let's fight again!"
Captured by them once before, he still burned with rage. This time, he vowed to crush them all.
His body erupted with magnetic force. Weapons and rubble tore through the air, fusing to his form, twisting and warping into a colossal armored giant.
Its sheer size rivaled even Naruto's Kyūbi form.
Rayleigh's face stiffened.
"Barrett… don't tell me his fruit has awakened!?"
He knew Barrett wielded the Gasha Gasha no Mi (Clank-Clank Fruit), allowing him to fuse with weapons and machinery. Even in scarcity, he could endlessly create armaments.
But such a towering armored titan could only be the work of an awakened fruit.
"Rayleigh-ossan…" Ace hurried to him, staring at the giant armor.
"Between you and Barrett, who's stronger!?"
Rayleigh's mouth twitched. He turned his head aside.
"In the past… I was stronger."
Ace's eyes lit with realization.
"Then now, Barrett is stronger."
Rayleigh's face darkened further.
At that moment, he sensed danger. Drawing his blade without hesitation, he cut down a golden laser streaking toward Ace. His eyes locked on Kizaru.
"You mean to target Ace?"
Kizaru spread his hands lazily.
"Don't glare at me like that. Fleet Admiral Sengoku ordered it—Pirate King's son must be eliminated."
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed. Indeed, Ace was a greater threat to the Navy than Whitebeard. He was Roger's son.
As long as he lived, he was a symbol. A symbol that Roger's crew might reunite.
Already two monsters of that era—Rayleigh and Barrett—stood on the battlefield.
If Ace lived, perhaps Jabba, Spencer, Burmarine, Ponclo, Pitam… any of them could return.
A reformed Roger Pirates would be a threat far beyond Whitebeard's.
Rayleigh clenched his sword tighter, Busōshoku Haki (Armament Haki) bursting over his body as he tore off his cloak.
"I won't let you harm the captain's son!"
Kizaru opened his mouth to reply—when a titanic Haki-wreathed hand slammed down from above.
"Oi oi oi… so scary!"
Kizaru's form flickered into golden light, retreating at top speed.
"Boom!!"
The massive hand gouged a crater into the plaza.
Marineford shuddered once more, the crumbling island closer to collapse.
Barrett's armored giant glared at Kizaru.
"Kizaru! That's my captain's son! What were you trying to do to him!?"
Kizaru's lips twitched. For a moment, he wanted to give up.
How was he supposed to fight this? Two monsters of equal level at once…
Meanwhile, Shiki, Marco, and Diamond Jozu clashed with their opponents again.
Sengoku's expression only darkened. His gaze locked onto Naruto, striding closer. Transforming fully into his Great Buddha, he stormed forward.
"Uzumaki Naruto! You're the one who dragged things to this point—!"
He thrust out a palm, shockwave booming.
Naruto didn't flinch. The Kyūbi's golden claw smashed it apart, continuing to crash into the Buddha's chest.
Though it didn't pierce his defense, the force drove Sengoku stumbling back, collapsing into the ruins.
"How… how can his power be so strong!?"
Sengoku stared at the golden fox in disbelief.
He'd just fought Whitebeard, and yet Naruto's strike was almost equal to the Gura Gura no Mi's quakes.
Naruto grinned, the Kyūbi charging forward.
"Sengoku, maybe you don't know… but back in my homeland, this form was known as a natural disaster!"
His own strength was already immense. Now, as a Perfect Jinchūriki, his might was multiplied.
His own power. The Kyūbi's power. Monstrous strength. Armament Haki. Rokushiki techniques…
Stacked together, his might even surpassed Whitebeard's monstrous force.
With a thunderous roar, the Kyūbi pinned the golden Buddha beneath its paw. In Naruto's hand, chakra swirled violently.
"Chō Ōdama Rasenshuriken!! (Super Big Ball Rasenshuriken)"
(End of Chapter)
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