บท 43: CHAPTER 43

Even though Alastor's defense power had reached 2350 points and he had just defeated Cracker from the Big Mom Pirates, the gap between him and Whitebeard could not be measured by mere reasoning.

And Alastor's decision to face Whitebeard alone truly left him with no other choice.

Given the reality of the situation, Alastor confronted it with calmness, without fear or hesitation.

Only by maintaining a calm mind at all times could one find a chance of survival in a hopeless situation.

"Facing the strongest will?" Marco looked at Alastor in surprise, his voice tinged with admiration. "A man with such courage is rare in this sea."

"Gu la la la!" Whitebeard laughed, his voice booming.

"The new era that Roger created really is full of young people with extraordinary vigor."

He turned his gaze toward Alastor.

"Little brat, if you weren't Kaido's subordinate, I might invite you to be my son. But since you nearly killed Thatch, don't blame me for bullying the younger ones."

Hum!

Whitebeard clenched his fist, and a ring of transparent shockwaves enveloped it.

Seeing this, Marco flapped his phoenix wings, stepped back, and flew toward the Fourth Division's ships.

"I'm going to treat Thatch and the others."

With Marco retreating, only Alastor and Whitebeard remained.

Alastor's energy and spirit were fully integrated, his body and mind entirely focused on the next attack.

When facing the strongest in the world, there could be no hesitation, no holding back. Alastor had to give his all from the very beginning.

The demonic aura of Sandai Kitetsu surged out, blending with Alastor's own domineering aura, forming a dark red armor around the blade.

Whitebeard noticed this and said in surprise, "Is that the same ryou as Kozuki Oden?"

Years ago, when Whitebeard first landed in Wano Country, he fought against Kozuki Oden and learned that what the outside world called "Haki" was called Ryou in Wano Country. Ryou, meaning "flow," could overpower great forces, penetrate deep into people or things, and destroy them from within.

"Not a simple brat," Whitebeard mused. "No wonder you were able to injure Thatch so badly. But I am Whitebeard!"

In the next instant, Whitebeard slammed his shock-imbued fist at Alastor.

Ka Ka Ka!

The air shattered.

A terrifying shockwave raced toward Alastor.

The surrounding sea churned violently, as if it were boiling, clearly affected by the aftermath of the shock.

Whitebeard's punch was truly monstrous!

Alastor, once again, understood what it meant to be the strongest in the world. There was still a long way for him to go.

"Even if the gap is as wide as the sky and the earth, it all comes down to this moment!" Alastor suddenly let out a long, fierce roar, unleashing all the domineering energy within his body. He then swung the saber with all his strength.

"Ghost Sword Style, One Sword Style, Purgatory, Funeral!"

The several-foot-long black and red sword light collided with the shockwave, and the surrounding sea churned even more violently.

Whitebeard grinned. "Not a bad slash, but not strong enough."

As Whitebeard's words fell, the black and red sword light shattered, turning into glowing spots that dissipated, while the shockwave hit Alastor with unstoppable force.

Alastor's body was thrown backward uncontrollably, crashing into the distant sea, the water immediately turning red with his blood.

But after sinking, he didn't surface for a long time.

"Did you die?" Whitebeard muttered, then, using his Conqueror's Haki, swept his senses across the area, bursting into laughter.

"It turns out that you little devil aren't a Devil Fruit user. Trying to pretend to be dead in the sea, but your life force is too strong, it's impossible to hide it."

Whitebeard launched a sea-shaking attack.

The entire sea tilted upwards, and the water shook wildly.

Alastor, hiding beneath the waves, was tossed around by the violent sea, finally leaping out of the water.

His face was grim—just as he feared, even hiding in the sea couldn't protect him from Whitebeard's tremor-based abilities.

Fortunately, the distraction he caused had bought Page One and the others valuable time.

[The host is seriously injured, defense +100]

Alastor's chest was caved in; Whitebeard's casual punch had left him seriously wounded.

"No, with my current defense, it's still too difficult to resist Whitebeard's attacks. Without food supplements, I can only withstand one more hit at most."

"Page One and the others should have escaped the tsunami's range by now."

Alastor's mind raced as he quickly made a decision.

He suddenly shifted direction with Moon Steps, shouting at Whitebeard:

"Whitebeard, this kind of attack can't kill me. Is this really the best the strongest man in the world can do?"

At this, Whitebeard paused, momentarily surprised, before his expression darkened.

"Little devil, are you trying to provoke me? That won't do you any good."

Alastor didn't respond.

Using Life Return, he began mobilizing every cell and muscle in his body, squeezing out every last ounce of strength.

The next move would be the final one—life or death, at that very moment.

Seeing this, Whitebeard scoffed coldly. A shockwave even bigger than before appeared around his fist.

"Little brat, I'll teach you a lesson. You must pay the corresponding price for everything you do and say in this sea!"

Whitebeard spread his right arm. His posture and the shockwave around his fist were on a scale far beyond before.

This punch, even the Four Emperors-level powerhouses, must approach with caution.

However…

At that moment, Alastor no longer cared. He slipped into an unusual state, his consciousness fully merging with his body. He could even hear the voice of every single cell.

Unknowingly, a majestic and grandiose aura radiated from him.

The moment this aura manifested, two brilliant lights shot from Alastor's eyes.

The cursed sword let out a loud and clear cry.

All of Alastor's potential was unlocked as powerful forces gathered at the blade.

Whitebeard sensed this unusual aura, and with his vast knowledge, he was momentarily taken aback.

"This is... there's nothing wrong with this aura. This brat has actually awakened his Conqueror's Haki at such a crucial moment!"

"Interesting!"

Whitebeard looked at Alastor and posed a soul-stirring question:

"Little devil, do you want to be a king too?

Some say that in the New World, people with Conqueror's Haki are as common as crucian carp in a river. But is that really the case?

Not at all.

While one in a million people might have the potential to awaken Conqueror's Haki, the real ratio is much lower than that.

So far, there are only about 20 powerful individuals in the pirate world who have awakened the Conqueror's Haki, and even some powerhouses at the Emperor and Vice Emperor levels lack it, such as Marco from the Whitebeard Pirates.

And Alastor, a member of the Beast Pirates, actually managed to awaken his Conqueror's Haki at this critical moment. Of course, Whitebeard was surprised.

But in reality, this was the second time Alastor had displayed Conqueror's Haki.

The first time was during his recent battle with the Big Mom pirates, when Cracker was initially shocked and confused, claiming it was impossible. However, later, Cracker was deeply aggrieved by Alastor and soon forgot about it.

Regarding Whitebeard's question, Alastor appeared to have never heard it. He was completely immersed in accumulating strength.

"Gu la la la!" Whitebeard laughed, his right arm's muscles bulging like a hill.

"You are indeed very interesting, but where your future destiny will go, let me, Whitebeard, test it!"

Whitebeard swung his fist, and a terrifying shockwave rushed out.

Space tore apart.

The sea was split into pieces.

The sky and earth changed color, and dark clouds gathered as if they were about to collapse.

This apocalyptic scene was a testament to the strength of the strongest man in the world!

Far away, on the Fourth Division's pirate ship, Marco was using Phoenix Flames to heal Thatch's wounds. He sensed his father's aura and exclaimed in disbelief:

"Father is actually using this much power? And the one facing him isn't even Beast Kaido."

Thatch, leaning against the wall of the ship, was pale, clearly having lost too much blood. Alastor's figure appeared in his mind again as he hoarsely said:

"That man is no ordinary opponent, Marco. Even if you face him in the future, never take him lightly!"

This was the conclusion Thatch reached at the cost of almost losing his life, and Marco nodded solemnly.

Then, Marco fully understood the meaning of Thatch's words.

Because, in addition to Whitebeard's immense aura, another astonishing presence rose.

Undoubtedly, it belonged to Alastor!

Alastor stood high in the sky with Moon Steps, facing the terrifying shockwave from Whitebeard.

He glanced backward, thinking to himself, This is the direction.

Then, he concentrated all his Conqueror's Haki, physical strength, and the potentials he had awakened, channeling them all into the cursed sword.

Alastor slashed with the strongest blow he had ever delivered.

"Ghost Sword Style, One Sword Style, Purgatory, Great Demon Dragon!"

A massive dragon, about 20 meters long, roared into existence, its dragon's roar resounding across the battlefield.

The size and power of the dragon impressed Whitebeard.

"Good boy!"

As for Marco, Thatch, and the members of the Fourth Division, their faces were filled with disbelief.

Under their watchful eyes, the magic dragon collided with Whitebeard's shockwave. The sword energy and Conqueror's Haki surged outward, sweeping across the surroundings.

The sea water churned violently, and a fierce gust of wind blew up, creating immense pressure.

In the end, Whitebeard's shockwave proved unstoppable, and the dragon was defeated.

The powerful shockwave and the violent gusts of wind hit Alastor head-on.