Clang!
Murakumogiri blocked horizontally, amidst the clanging of gold and iron, sparks flew everywhere. The beach under Whitebeard's feet collapsed with a roar, but he remained unmoved, grinning instead:
"Your strength is terrifying, kid!"
He could clearly feel that, in terms of pure power, the opponent had already surpassed his own peak when he was young.
As for Kaido, Lingling, and the Red Hair, in terms of physical strength, they weren't even in the same league as this man!
Although he appeared to effortlessly block the attack,
in reality, his face was turning red, and his teeth were almost grinding into pieces.
He couldn't hold on much longer, he had to counterattack to break the deadlock!
"Over here!"
Whitebeard withdrew his left hand, clenched it into a fist, and swung it towards Shano's ear from the flank.
This punch seemed simple and plain, but it had compressed the power of the Quake-Quake Fruit to its limit, containing a force terrifying enough to shatter mountains.
Shano also grinned, meeting it with his other fist!
"Galaxy Star Burst!"
Bang!
At the instant their fists collided, the ground beneath them collapsed again!
From them as the center, web-like cracks rapidly spread across the entire island, with massive amounts of seawater gushing out from the fissures like fountains.
Rumble!
The shockwave pushed aside the surrounding seawater, revealing the bare seabed below. Several Sea King Species resting at the bottom were finally awakened, glancing upwards in terror before fleeing in panic.
But it was too late; they were crushed by the aftermath, exploding on the spot into a mist of blood.
Whitebeard was also knocked back several tens of steps, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, but in the end, he took it!
Now, it could continue!
"It's not over yet!"
Whitebeard roared, sweeping Murakumogiri horizontally.
Shano leaned back to avoid it, the blade brushing past his nose, the wind pressure splitting the sea behind him in two.
Then he steadied himself, suddenly slamming his right fist toward Whitebeard's abdomen.
Another punch!
And another punch!
Amidst continuous exchanges and clashes, their battle lasted from the night until dawn.
When the sun rose once more,
several uninhabited islands had disappeared completely, leaving only scattered reefs floating on the sea surface.
"Cough, cough..."
Whitebeard half-knelt on a piece of reef, supporting himself with Murakumogiri planted beside him.
He was panting heavily, with multiple wounds on his body, but his face bore a smile of satisfaction not seen for a long time.
"Sure enough, quite a long way off."
"It was already impressive."
Shano stood on the opposite reef, looking up at the sky, "To fight me all night long, there's no one else like you in these seas now."
"Gurararara, spare me the consoling words!"
Whitebeard laughed uproariously, standing up and patting his chest, "You haven't even used your trump card, have you? I know my own weight! But..."
He too looked up, gazing directly at the blinding sun:
"Regardless, to have a fight with a man like you at the end, I have no regrets in this life."
Truly none.
The Sphinx where he was born was a nation abandoned by the World Government for being too poor to pay the "Heavenly Tribute," having long since become a lawless paradise for pirates and human traffickers.
Generation after generation, more and more children became unfortunate orphans, he included, but fortunately, he fought his way out with his own power.
He met Rocks, and many like-minded partners, carving out his own corner of the seas.
Later on, he had his own Pirate Gang, so many sons willing to follow him, a place he could call "home."
His hometown was protected by him; in just a few decades, it had become an entirely different picture.
As for what comes after that,
although he wouldn't live for many more years, perhaps unable to see what the new era would slowly become, at least, he finally waited for the man who could end the old era and lead the new one forward.
Even going underground to meet Roger, that guy would envy him, wouldn't he?
"Next time we meet, let's drink to our heart's content."
"Absolutely."
Shano responded with a smile.
The two exchanged a smile, understanding passed without words.
The sea breeze gently blew, the morning sun shed its light on them, coating both man and youth in a dazzling golden edge simultaneously.