Smile proudly.
A tremendous surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Kaito.
Golden light burst forth like a rising sun, its brilliance seeming capable of erasing everything standing before it.
The pressure expanded in an instant, colliding violently with another overwhelming will.
It was like a volcanic eruption crashing head-on with a raging tide, two supreme forces meeting without restraint.
The terrifying power condensed into two massive circular pillars of light that shot straight into the sky.
The dark clouds that had just gathered were torn apart, pierced by twin openings of blinding radiance, revealing clear blue sky beyond.
The heavens themselves looked scarred.
Within the dark forest, the rise of two Conqueror's Haki turned night into day.
The land was split down the middle by their wills, one side bathed in gold, the other in pale white, dividing the entire forest into two opposing domains.
Crackle, crackle.
Dark red lightning snaked violently through the air at the boundary where the two forces met, intertwining and roaring as if alive.
If the red-haired Emperor's Conqueror's Haki was fierce and domineering, then Whitebeard's was deeper and heavier, only slightly weaker in raw pressure.
Yet Kaito's had already crossed into something far more terrifying.
His Haki had substance.
It did not merely intimidate or stun.
It controlled, crushed, and dominated.
Crackle, crackle.
As the clash continued, the two overwhelming auras collided again and again.
With each collision, Kaito's Conqueror's Haki advanced relentlessly, seizing more ground.
Every impact shaved away a portion of Whitebeard's domain, pushing it back bit by bit.
Within the Whitebeard Pirates' ranks, everyone stared toward the battlefield, their hearts pounding.
Here it is.
That familiar white pressure belonged to their captain.
"Pops is using Conqueror's Haki," Marco said in a low, serious voice.
"Looks like he's getting serious."
"After all these years, seeing Pops release his Haki again," Jozu muttered, awe clear in his tone.
"It's still terrifying."
"Of course," Marco chuckled, confidence thick in his words.
"Pops' Conqueror's Haki is unmatched.
In a clash of wills, Pops will definitely win."
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, another surge erupted from the battlefield, heavier, sharper, and overwhelmingly stronger than before.
Marco's smile froze.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
You really had to slap me in the face right after I said that.
Around him, the commanders exchanged uneasy glances.
Their bodies tensed as the pressure intensified, a faint sense of panic creeping into their expressions.
Ace, however, looked torn.
On one side stood his father.
On the other stood the man who had saved him.
He clenched his fists, silently praying that neither of them would suffer serious harm.
A moment later, Whitebeard's booming laughter echoed across the battlefield.
"Looks like Pops' Haki is being pushed back!" someone exclaimed.
"Calm down," Marco snorted.
"This is just a contest of Haki.
Pops' true strength has never relied solely on that."
The others nodded, forcing themselves to believe it.
...
On the battlefield.
As their Conqueror's Haki clashed, Whitebeard felt it clearly.
His aura was being suppressed.
Instead of anger, excitement surged through him.
"Gurarararara! Kaito, brat! I thought that red-haired kid was impressive, but he's still a step behind you!"
"What a monster," Whitebeard continued, eyes blazing.
"Not just your raw strength, even your Conqueror's Haki rivals us old men!"
Without waiting for a response, Whitebeard slammed his naginata into the ground.
He followed with a barrage of punches.
White light enveloped his fists as the very atmosphere screamed.
The sky itself cracked open, fractures spreading like shattered glass, as if the heavens were being torn apart by sheer force.
Hum.
Invisible shockwaves surged forward, warping space as they rushed straight toward Kaito.
Kaito's scarlet Sharingan spun rapidly before transforming into the ripple-patterned Rinnegan.
Purple rings pulsed as the world before him drained into stark black and white.
Whitebeard's shockwaves were laid bare.
They stretched like invisible crescents, spanning the entire island, cutting through everything in their path as if the world itself were being cleaved apart.
Trees in the distance were sliced cleanly in half, though the destruction had not yet erupted outward.
"So this is the Gura Gura no Mi's shockwave," Kaito muttered, a rare hint of seriousness flickering in his eyes.
"Then I should respond properly."
Dark lightning surged around his right fist, violent and dense.
With a single swing, he struck forward.
The world collapsed.
A pitch-black bolt of thunder exploded from his fist, merging with his own shockwave as it collided head-on with Whitebeard's attack.
Boom!
The sky dimmed.
The earth roared.
A storm of destruction erupted, spreading outward in every direction.
The ground shattered, cracks spreading like spiderwebs as soil and debris were hurled into the air.
A thick cloud of dust swallowed the battlefield.
Through the chaos, Kaito ignored everything else.
His Rinnegan focused only on the point of impact.
At the center, Kaito's combined thunder and shockwave punched a massive hole straight through Whitebeard's attack.
What remained of the force continued forward, racing toward Whitebeard without losing momentum.
"Gurarararara! Now this is getting interesting!" Whitebeard laughed.
His right fist, wrapped in white light, slammed forward.
The air cracked violently.
The remaining thunder and shockwave dispersed instantly upon contact.
At the same time, Whitebeard's original shockwave, no longer fully obstructed, surged onward beyond the battlefield.
When the dust finally settled, the result was terrifying.
Every tree on the island, except for one, had been cleanly split in two.
The cuts were smooth, polished like mirrors.
Only a single intact tree stood between Kaito and Whitebeard, standing defiantly amid the destruction.
Kaito paid it no mind.
Shave.
The Six Powers technique activated instantly.
A black blur vanished from sight, reappearing behind Whitebeard in an instant.
Thunder roared as a jet-black spear swept down toward the top of Whitebeard's head.
Before the spear even landed, the pressure alone blasted Whitebeard's hat into the air, revealing his bald head beneath.
"Gurarararara! Don't underestimate this old man, brat!"
Whitebeard spun around, his fist glowing white as he met the strike head-on.
Crack!
Kaito's eyes narrowed slightly.
Whitebeard had blocked it.
Not with his body, but with a protective layer formed by the Gura Gura no Mi's shockwaves, reinforcing the space around his fist.
So that's it.
Kaito shook his head faintly.
If Whitebeard had taken that strike directly, the battle would already be over.
Whitebeard grinned widely.
"Gurarararara! Kaito, boy! This old man has been preparing for you for a long time.
Your thunder isn't something I came unprepared for!"
With a roar, Whitebeard's muscles bulged, veins surging across his arms as he slammed downward with terrifying force.
Before the power could fully land, Kaito calmly retracted his spear, stepped into the air, and flipped backward.
Like a falling meteor, he descended once more, spear tip aimed straight at Whitebeard.
"Tch, troublesome brat," Whitebeard muttered.
His fist rose again, white light condensing as he punched upward.
Crack!
The air shattered once more as fist and spear collided, their clash shaking the island to its core.
---