The first to break the tension wasn't one of the seasoned pirates it was a streak of blue flame tearing through the sky.
"Oh yeah!"
A young Marco soared off the Moby Dick's deck like a turquoise comet. In an instant, a pair of blazing blue wings unfurled behind him, shimmering with phoenix fire.
He didn't target Roger or Rayleigh. His sharp eyes locked onto the red-haired kid across the way someone his own age.
The fiery talons descended, slicing through the air with blistering heat.
"Perfect timing!"
Shanks' eyes gleamed with battle spirit. Instead of panicking, he slid half a step back, the attack grazing past as his sword still a touch heavy in his hands angled upward in a cunning riposte.
Clang!
Steel and flame met in a sharp metallic note.
Marco twisted midair and landed gracefully on the Oro Jackson's deck, his half-lidded eyes glinting with newfound respect for the boy before him.
Across the rail, a sturdy youth with a square jaw vaulted over next Diamond Jozu.
He didn't rush to attack. Instead, he crossed his arms, sunlight catching his skin and flashing faint crystalline hues.
"Shanks… that guy looks like he's made of rock," Buggy muttered, peeking out from behind his friend.
Then the light shifted. A beam of sun struck Jozu's shoulder and scattered into dazzling rainbows.
Diamond?!
Buggy's eyes went wide. All fear evaporated replaced by visions of endless treasure and piles of gold.
Jackpot! Just one little chip… just one tiny piece of that gem would set him for life!
"Shinee! You walking treasure chest!"
With a shriek, Buggy darted forward, daggers in hand, aiming for Jozu's back.
"Hm?" Jozu barely turned his head. He just rolled his shoulder.
Clang! Clang!
Buggy's blades bounced off like twigs against steel, the shock rattling up his arms. He staggered back, seeing stars. "So… hard!"
Instead of retreating, Buggy lunged again biting, clawing, trying to pry at Jozu's shoulder like a rabid raccoon. The entire deck froze at the absurd sight.
With that, the spark of chaos spread. The young pirates on both ships erupted at once, shouting and charging. Swords clashed, insults flew, and the decks of two legends became a battleground for overeager apprentices.
Kael leaned lazily against the rail, amused. His lips curled into a faint smirk.
Go on, Shanks.
Shanks used Slash! It's super effective!
Marco used Claw Attack! Missed!
His gaze drifted across the battlefield, finally landing on a mustached young man at Whitebeard's side a youth with a thin rapier at his waist.
Vista, the "Flower Sword."
As if sensing Kael's attention, Vista looked up. Their eyes met sword intent flashing between them.
Kael smiled and made a "come on" gesture. A silent invitation.
Hey, not my fault if the kids start the fight. It's just… hard to find someone my level these days.
And then the heavens split again.
"Kuhahahaha! Warm-up's over, Newgate!"
"Gurararara! Dinner starts now, Roger!"
Roger and Whitebeard vanished from their figureheads, reappearing midair between the ships. Their weapons collided like thunder.
Roger's sword, Ace, roared with black-red Conqueror's Haki, slicing downward.
Whitebeard's Murakumogiri shone in pure white quake energy as he swung upward.
Boom!
The air itself cracked.
Reality screamed.
White fissures spiderwebbed through the sky, as if the world had turned to glass under the weight of their clash. Clouds split. The sea bowed inward, forming a massive crater before rebounding in roaring waves.
The Power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
The two titans landed on opposite decks, both grinning like devils.
"Terrifying power, Newgate!" Roger shook out his tingling arm, laughing.
"Your Haki's what's terrifying, Roger!" Whitebeard grinned back, planting his naginata into the deck.
Crack!
"Pops! That's our ship you're breaking!"
"Roger! Do you know how much deck repairs cost?!"
Both crews wailed.
The kids froze mid-brawl Shanks, Buggy, Marco, Jozu all staring up, stunned.
Just the aftermath of that one strike had changed the sky and sea.
Their rivalry was gone. What filled their eyes now was awe.
Then Kael's voice drifted through the tension.
"Hey, kid."
He stood before Vista, twirling a black-gold naginata in one hand. The blade gleamed like liquid sunlight. "Care for a glass of orange juice?"
Vista's pride as a swordsman flared. He couldn't let himself be looked down upon, not even by Kael Grylls the famed Wave King with a bounty in the billions.
Without a word, he drew his rapier, "Whitefish," slicing through the air in a silver blur toward Kael's throat.
Petals of light spun with the thrust his signature "flower sword" aura already taking shape.
Nice. Young and reckless the best kind.
Kael didn't move. He simply raised his wooden cup slightly.
Clink!
The blade stopped dead, blocked by the rim of a flimsy-looking cup. The orange juice inside didn't even ripple.
There it is. The Supreme Orange Juice!
"Too stiff," Kael said, patient as a teacher. "You focus on speed, but you've lost your flexibility."
Vista's eyes sharpened. His wrist flicked and the blade coiled like a serpent, curving around the cup for Kael's hand.
Kael's wrist turned gently, lowering the cup.
Clink!
The blade bounced harmlessly off the cup's base.
Kael even tilted the cup to his lips, pretending to take a sip amidst the chaos.
"You bastard!"
Vista's temper flared. His swordwork exploded in a storm of slashes, a hurricane of gleaming petals. For an instant, the air was filled with dancing metal roses beautiful and deadly.
"Rose Waltz!"
His unfinished masterpiece bloomed to life, power surging beyond control.
Whitebeard's men who saw it roared in approval. "Nice, Vista! Cut that smug bastard down!"
Kael stood calmly in the center of the storm.
The cup moved as if alive tapping, deflecting, tracing circles. Every strike met resistance at the exact moment it should. Every sound rang like crystal.
Clink. Clink. Clang. Clang. Clink.
And through it all, Kael's lazy voice floated between parries.
"Not bad. But too scattered. Flashy without focus."
"Oi, that angle's unsportsmanlike."
"Careful hit too hard and you'll scuff my cup."
Finally, after dozens of rapid exchanges, Kael sighed.
He sidestepped a sweeping blow, then lightly tapped Vista's wrist with the rim of his cup.
Pop!
A tiny sound. But Vista's fingers went numb. The sword vibrated loose, flying end over end before stabbing into the mast with a soft thunk.
The deck fell silent.
A man without even drawing his weapon had disarmed one of Whitebeard's most promising swordsmen using nothing but a cup of orange juice.
Kael glanced at the cup, then at the stunned Vista, smiling apologetically.
"Ah, sorry. Guess I got a little too serious." He swirled the drink lightly. "Couldn't find a smaller cup."
From somewhere in the distance, Mihawk sneezed. "He stole my line…"
Vista's face flushed red from rage, embarrassment, or admiration, even he couldn't tell.
And as their duel ended, the battle of giants reached its final crescendo.
"Divine Departure!"
Roger flashed behind Whitebeard, his blade wreathed in lightning and will.
Whitebeard didn't flinch. His left fist clenched, muscles swelling. He struck the air itself.
Crack!
The world shattered again. The twin forces collided midair, and the shockwave sent both ships groaning in protest.
"Oi! Take it to the sky, you maniacs!" Rayleigh yelled while fending off a stray attacker.
"Kuhahahaha! Impressive fruit, Newgate!" Roger laughed, leaping high as lightning danced across his blade.
"Shut it, Roger! Your Haki's the real monster here!" Whitebeard bellowed, swinging Murakumogiri with both hands, quake energy surging.
Light and quake clashed. Haki met Haki. The sea itself trembled.
This wasn't combat anymore. It was a natural disaster.
When the smoke cleared, both men landed Roger's shirt torn, breath heavy, but his grin wild. Whitebeard's body bore small cuts, veins pulsing across his arm.
Then silence. Followed by laughter.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard's voice boomed across the sea, sword resting on his shoulder. "Roger, you win this round."
He laughed again, grinning like a man who'd found joy in losing. "But only by a hair!"
"Kuhahahaha! Then next time's mine to lose, Newgate!"
The legendary clash ended the only way a pirate's duel could through laughter and shared respect.
Kael leaned on the rail, sipping the last drop of his orange juice. The sweetness lingered on his tongue as he watched the two legends laugh amid the wrecked decks and dizzy rookies.
He smiled.
Now this this was what it meant to live free on the sea.
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