บท 42: CHAPTER 42

The Fourth Division pirate ship.

Thatch was severely injured by Alastor and was covered in blood.

Alastor was about to finish him off, but was stopped by the rest of the Fourth Division, who went into a frenzy.

"If you want to kill our captain, you'll have to step over our corpses first!"

It must be said that the whitebeard could be called the strongest of the Four Emperors. Apart from Whitebeard's presence, there was another crucial factor—their unity. Everyone regarded each other as brothers.

Well, except for a few outliers.

In this regard, the Hundred Beasts Crew, which thrives on jungle law, is far inferior to the White Group.

This is probably what they call "team spirit."

While thinking this, Alastor suddenly noticed Batman flying in from the distant sky.

This area was relatively close to the White Group's territory. Before the battle started, Alastor had instructed Batman to patrol the surrounding sea to keep an eye out for any reinforcements from Whitebeard's crew.

At that moment, the Batman's face showed deep fear, and he was drenched in sweat. Alastor's heart sank with unease.

"Lord Alastor!" Batman said in a panicked voice. "It's Whitebeard—he's come to support them!"

Alastor could hardly believe his ears.

Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, the strongest man in the world, had personally intervened?

Wasn't his health failing him?

Besides, I'm not Kaido of the Beasts, why would the strongest man in the world come after me? What is he, beating up children for fun?

If Phoenix Marco, Fire Fist Ace, or others had come to support, Alastor wouldn't have been surprised.

But Whitebeard himself? That was something Alastor had never expected.

With a look of frustration, he asked angrily, "It's really Whitebeard? Are you sure, Batman?"

Batman wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and nervously replied, "How could I be wrong about this? And who else in this sea could be mistaken for Whitebeard?"

Alastor clenched his fists, casting a reluctant glance at Thatch, who had been severely injured by him, and then at the Fourth Division, which was clearly losing to the Hundred Beasts.

With a little more time, he could wipe out the enemy and achieve his goal.

But with the strongest man in the world arriving, he would have to be extra careful. There was no time to waste.

He had to flee immediately!

Taking a deep breath, Alastor knew that the situation was no longer in his favor. He made a decisive order:

"Everyone, return to the warship immediately! No more fighting!"

As he spoke, he used Moon Steps to fly into the air and head toward the Hundred Beasts warship.

Alastor's reputation was extremely high at this point. His subordinates respected him greatly, and as soon as he issued the order, even if victory seemed close, no one ignored him. They all stopped fighting and began their retreat.

Once everyone had returned to the warship, Alastor immediately commanded the ship to power up to the maximum and head toward Wano Country.

Page One had suffered some injuries but was not seriously hurt. He approached Alastor, looking reluctant.

"So what if it's Whitebeard? We'll defeat them before he even arrives!" Page One said, unwilling to give up.

Alastor's expression grew serious as he replied:

"The true terror of the world's strongest man is beyond what most can imagine. Even if we defeat the Fourth Division, we might still face annihilation."

Whitebeard's ability to use the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was too overwhelming. It could cause earthquakes, air quakes, sea quakes, and even tsunamis that stretched far and wide.

---

Twenty miles away, on the sea.

Whitebeard stood on a speedboat, holding his bisento with an air of authority.

Marco was speaking to him.

"Father, the enemies have fled. You scared them off," Marco said with a smile.

Whitebeard grinned slightly, then snorted coldly.

"If they were really afraid of me, they wouldn't have hurt my sons and Oden..."

"The Hundred Beasts Pirates… Now that I'm here, how could I let them escape so easily?"

Whitebeard suddenly placed bisento aside, clenched his fists, and his arm muscles bulged.

Then, he slammed his fists into the air.

Click!

The air shattered like a mirror, and a violent vibration spread through the air and sea, reaching the ocean floor.

Rumble!

A massive tsunami was unleashed, covering a range of dozens of miles.

---

On the Hundred Beasts' warship.

The ship, traveling at full speed, suddenly shook as the sea trembled.

Alastor's complexion changed instantly, his heart racing as he recalled the tsunami Whitebeard had unleashed during the Top War, enough to drown Marineford.

After a brief moment, his worst fears were confirmed.

Ahead of the warship, a colossal wave—over 100 meters high—was bearing down on them.

The crew of the Hundred Beasts turned pale, and even Page One looked on in disbelief.

"How could a tsunami be this powerful?" he exclaimed.

The crew was in panic, terror consuming them.

But Alastor, after a brief moment of shock, quickly regained his composure.

He looked at Page One and said calmly:

"This tsunami isn't enough to sink this warship, made of sea stone, but it will greatly slow our progress."

"Page One, lead the crew forward at full speed. No matter what happens, don't stop."

Page One was stunned, hesitantly asking, "What about you, Brother Alastor?"

Alastor turned toward the horizon, where an immense power emanated from. The source of the tremor below his feet was also coming from that direction.

He drew Sandai Kitetsu, allowing the monster energy from the blade to envelop his body, transforming him into a figure that resembled a demon king.

"I'll buy you time to escape."

As soon as those words left his mouth, Page One and the others were stunned. Tears welled up in their eyes as they shouted in unison:

"No! We can't let Lord Alastor face this danger alone! We'll stop Whitebeard!"

Alastor smirked.

If these subordinates could really stop Whitebeard, he would gladly let them try.

But the truth was, they couldn't even hold Whitebeard off for a second. The end result would be their total annihilation.

Alastor had come to this conclusion just moments ago, so he remained calm.

Since he was the only one who could stop Whitebeard, there was no use in panicking.

But of course, Alastor wouldn't die in vain. He ordered Page One and the others to escape, giving him the chance to survive.

He looked at them sternly and barked:

"Shut up and listen carefully! Prepare as much liquid food as you can. The more, the better. This is a matter of life and death for me—do it now!"

"Continue heading east. Do not stop for anything!"

The order was strange. Liquid food? What was this for? Were they feeding a baby?

But Alastor's tone left no room for argument. His commanding aura made it clear no one could defy him.

After issuing the order, Alastor stepped off the warship, using Moon Steps to leave.

The members of the Hundred Beasts crew were moved to tears as they watched him go. Despite the harshness of the situation, they were filled with deep emotion.

One of the crew members shouted, "Master Page One, we need to stay with Master Alastor! We can't let him face Whitebeard alone!"

If Page One's eyes were red, wouldn't he want to be with Alastor? Would he be willing to run away like a coward?

But…

Alastor's order had been no joke. It was given with unprecedented severity, and such a heavy responsibility had been placed on him. How could he possibly let down Brother Alastor?

With his eyes bloodshot, Page One let out an angry roar:

"Didn't you hear the order? Half of you, control the warship and move forward at full speed! The other half, prepare liquid food!"

As ordered, the warship didn't stop. Despite the immense danger, it eventually crossed the massive wave ahead.

Alastor, walking through the air with Moon Steps, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this.

As long as Page One and the others successfully escaped, there would still be hope for him.

Not long after, Alastor encountered Whitebeard's speedboat.

Marco looked at him in surprise, disbelief written across his face. "You actually came to die on your own and let your subordinates escape?"

Whitebeard was also quite surprised. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Alastor.

This young man was very different from the Hundred Beasts crew he knew.

Whitebeard spoke in a commanding tone:

"Little brat, you've got some guts, facing me alone."

Alastor's face remained impassive. Even facing the strongest man in the world, he showed no fear.

He locked eyes with Whitebeard, and the cursed sword in his hand trembled slightly, almost as if it sensed the danger its master was facing.

Alastor spoke calmly:

"If I don't face the strongest, then what kind of pirate would I be?"

Alastor was actually a person who was very afraid of death and disliked being hurt.

Otherwise, during the three years before the system awakened, he wouldn't have chosen to be an unknown team leader.

When he first helped Yamato and Tama, his primary goal had been to increase his bargaining power and ensure his own safety.

However, Alastor was also a very practical person. He made calm, rational decisions based on the reality of the situation.

Like now.

Whitebeard's personal intervention had surpassed everyone's expectations.

Among Alastor's subordinates, including Page One, none of them could stop Whitebeard, even for a moment.

When Whitebeard unleashed the tsunami, the warship's speed slowed dramatically, and the eventual outcome would only be the complete annihilation of the fleet.

Alastor's judgment was that he needed to stop Whitebeard, allowing the warship to escape the tsunami's reach. Then, he would wait for an opportunity to flee himself.

The plan seemed sound, but it was fundamentally flawed.

The reason? Simply because his opponent this time was Whitebeard—the strongest man in the world, and the top powerhouse of the sea!