After having his potential unlocked by Uchiha Madara, Buggy, whose power had surged dramatically, was now able to preliminarily apply the abilities of the Chop-Chop Fruit to the external world.
He infused the power of splitting and disassembling into his slashes, creating these bizarre yet formidable attacks.
Although his Devil Fruit ability had not yet fully awakened, he was not far from achieving that awakening!
Standing not far away, Buggy placed his hands on his hips, a look of smug satisfaction on his face as he loudly taunted Kizaru:
"Kizaru, have you ever been split apart? Experience the agony of being disassembled!
Dance for me! Let me see if your soul will cry out in this torment!"
Beside him, Buggy's underlings roared with excitement, their voices filled with adoration:
"Ahhh! As expected of Captain Buggy! He's incredible!
I knew it all along—the captain was hiding his true strength! Now, he's finally unleashed it!"
"Go, Captain! Defeat Kizaru and become one of the Four Emperors!"
"Following the captain, we will surely conquer the seas!"
Kizaru dodged Buggy's slash, steadied himself, and his expression grew serious.
He looked at Buggy, a hint of surprise in his tone:
"Yohohoho, how terrifying. I never imagined you possessed such astonishing potential.
As expected of a former member of Roger's crew—you've hidden your abilities well."
That splitting and disassembling ability was extremely bizarre.
If struck by that slash, even he would likely be disassembled and plunged into crisis.
On the battlefield, the situation grew increasingly chaotic.
Luffy was locked in combat with Aokiji, Akainu was clashing with Marco, and Buggy was relentlessly harassing Kizaru.
Ivan stood quietly in place, observing the entire scene, ready to intervene at any moment.
As time passed, only the battle between Marco and Akainu gradually tilted out of balance.
The Phoenix Flames surrounding Marco dimmed slightly. In his confrontation with Akainu, he relied on his regeneration ability to withstand the magma attacks.
But the magma was too ferocious; each strike scorched his flesh.
Even though he could quickly heal his injuries, the continuous depletion gradually pushed him into a disadvantage.
Finally, during a momentary lapse from Marco, Akainu seized the opening.
His killing intent surged as his arm transformed into a blazing magma fist, smashing fiercely into Marco's chest.
Boom!
The searing magma instantly burned through Marco's body, a destructive force wildly surging into his system.
Marco let out a cry of agony as he was violently sent flying, crashing heavily into the distant ruins.
Everyone focused their gaze and saw that the flesh on Marco's chest had been completely incinerated. A gruesome wound pierced through his chest, even revealing his pulsating heart.
Such a severe injury would require considerable time and stamina to recover from, even with the regenerative power of the Phoenix.
And on this battlefield, that recovery time would be more than enough for Akainu to join forces with others and completely overturn the situation.
This was the strategic value of a Navy Admiral!
Witnessing this scene, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates cried out in shock:
"Commander Marco!"
"Damn you, Akainu! I'll kill you!"
They wanted to rush to Marco's aid, but were tightly entangled by the surrounding Marine soldiers, forced to watch helplessly as Marco collapsed in the ruins, powerless to intervene.
At the rear of the battlefield, Whitebeard could no longer remain seated.
His tall, robust frame trembled, his eyes blazing with overwhelming fury and killing intent.
He had held back not out of fear of the Marines, but to keep Sengoku and Garp wary and hesitant to act.
Once he personally entered the fray, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Marine Hero Garp would most likely join the battle as well.
At that point, the intensity of the battlefield would escalate once more, and casualties on both sides would grow even more severe.
But now, with Marco severely wounded and the battle on the verge of spiraling out of control, he could no longer afford to hold back.
Without hesitation, Whitebeard leaped forward, swiftly charging toward the direction where Marco had fallen.
Gently cradling Marco, he said with deep affection, "You've done more than enough, my son. You've worked hard. Leave the rest to me."
Leaning against Whitebeard's chest, Marco weakly shook his head, his voice hoarse:
"Old Man, I'm sorry... I couldn't stop him. I've caused you trouble."
Whitebeard nodded. "It's alright, Marco. You've done well."
He carried Marco to a relatively safe spot among the ruins, then slowly turned around, his gaze subtly sweeping over Misaka Mikoto on the other side of the battlefield.
Misaka Mikoto instantly understood Whitebeard's intent and gave a slight nod.
An unspoken understanding passed between them.
Whitebeard had held back earlier to keep Sengoku and Garp in check.
Now, with Marco gravely injured, he had no choice but to take action himself.
And Misaka Mikoto would take his place in intercepting Sengoku, preventing him from reinforcing Akainu, allowing Whitebeard to swiftly incapacitate Akainu and stabilize the battle.
As for Garp, Whitebeard took a risky gamble.
Having known Garp for many years as lifelong rivals, they understood each other deeply.
He knew Garp's character.
Garp might stand by and watch his grandson die out of duty, but he would never become the Marines' "accomplice" by actively preventing Whitebeard from rescuing Ace.
The next moment, Whitebeard cast aside all hesitation, his eyes locking onto Akainu as black-red Conqueror's Haki Lightning erupted wildly around him.
He tightened his grip on the Supreme Grade Sword Murakumogiri, its blade gradually enveloped by a condensed sphere of white light.
It was the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, concentrated to its utmost limit!
Within that sphere lay earth-shattering tremors, its mere residual waves causing the air to violently quake, revealing fine cracks.
Whitebeard roared at Akainu:
"You magma brat, you're far too arrogant!
Do you truly believe such petty skills allow you to act recklessly before me?
Come, let me show you the strength of the world's strongest man!"
The world knew Whitebeard Edward Newgate as the strongest man alive.
But that was the Whitebeard of his peak—the legend who could rival Roger and shatter islands with a single punch.
In his later years, Whitebeard grew old, frail, and plagued by illness, his strength no longer what it once was.
Yet even that aged Whitebeard possessed awe-inspiring power enough to intimidate the Marines.
In the original events, even after being stabbed through the heart by Squard, afflicted with severe illness, and his body pushed to its limits, Whitebeard, in a brief burst of power, still managed to completely overwhelm Akainu.
And now, standing on the battlefield, was Whitebeard in his peak condition.
This was a being with peak physical prowess, whose combat experience and mastery of Devil Fruit techniques surpassed even that of Whitebeard in his prime.
His strength had long exceeded everyone's imagination.
No one knew just how formidable this version of Whitebeard could be.
Akainu, who was firmly locked in Whitebeard's sights, slowly rose from the rubble.
Feeling Whitebeard's fierce gaze, he immediately sensed himself enveloped by a terrifying pressure.