Chapter 36: Chapter 37: The Roar of Vengeance
A Shattering Loss
The atmosphere on Wano shifted as the news of Whitebeard's death spread like wildfire. Across the seas, from Marineford to the corners of the Grand Line, the loss of Edward Newgate, the Strongest Man in the World, echoed across the world. But the news struck a particular soul with devastating force.
Thorkell, the son of Whitebeard, stood atop the shattered battlefield, his eyes ablaze with fury. His face twisted with grief and rage as his crew, including Crocodile and Apoo, looked on in silence. The world had lost a legend—but for Thorkell, this was personal. Whitebeard had been his father, and now the anger and sorrow inside him burned with an unquenchable fire.
"Whitebeard is dead!" shouted a member of his crew. "Thorkell, your father—!"
The words felt like daggers in his heart. Thorkell's fists clenched, his breath shallow with rising fury. A flood of emotions surged within him—grief, anger, loss. The father he never got to truly understand, the legacy he never fully inherited, was now gone.
Then, as if on cue, Marco appeared from the shadows. His wings spread wide, a solemn look on his face as he approached the young pirate. In his hands, Marco held something that would forever change Thorkell's fate—Whitebeard's Devil Fruit.
"Marco!" Thorkell roared, his voice thick with sorrow and rage. "Why are you here? To mock me?"
"Thorkell…" Marco's voice was soft, but filled with a painful understanding. "This is your inheritance, your legacy. Your father wouldn't want you to mourn forever. He wanted you to carry on his will, to live in his stead."
Thorkell's eyes flickered between the Gura Gura no Mi, the Devil Fruit that had given Whitebeard his earth-shattering power, and the grieved expression on Marco's face.
But the anger in Thorkell didn't subside. Instead, it only grew. Big Mom's words echoed in his mind, her taunts about pirates not living long, about the weak falling one by one. She had become a symbol of the very world that had stolen his father. And now, he felt a rage unlike any before.
"I WILL NOT LET HER GET AWAY WITH THIS!" he bellowed, his voice so loud it could be heard across the battlefield. His body trembled with fury, every muscle straining as he reached out to claim the fruit.
The Awakening of Vengeance
Thorkell's hands shook as he held the fruit, the sensation of raw power coursing through him. A blast of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, shaking the earth as his emotions boiled over. The Gura Gura no Mi was within his grasp, and the full weight of Whitebeard's legacy was on his shoulders.
His crew scattered, with fear and awe in their eyes as the realization dawned on them. The sea itself seemed to tremble in response to Thorkell's rage.
"I'm going to end Big Mom," Thorkell growled, his voice filled with venom. His Haki spread outward in waves, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. "This ends now. I'm not going to let her get away with this any longer."
Thorkell, having already trained his Haki, was no stranger to battle. But now, with the Gura Gura no Mi at his disposal, he was a force to be reckoned with. His entire being was infused with the power of destruction, and his rage, once internalized, now manifested in terrifying, unstoppable waves of power.
Battle of Titans
Meanwhile, Big Mom stood atop the battlefield, her body crackling with energy as her laugh echoed. She had never been one to shy away from a fight, and the chaos around her was a reflection of her unyielding power. Her Soru Soru no Mi enabled her to manipulate souls, creating weapons and storms of destructive force.
But as she locked eyes with Thorkell, her expression shifted. She saw the fury in his gaze, the destructive potential coursing through him, and she understood. This wasn't just a battle of pirates—it was a clash of wills, a test of who would inherit the true mantle of power.
Thorkell's first move was brutal. He hurled seismic shockwaves from the Gura Gura no Mi, the force of the blast cracking the island beneath them. The waves of destruction were like nothing anyone had seen before, obliterating buildings and sending the very sky into chaos. Big Mom was thrown off balance, but her resilience kicked in.
"You think you can destroy me, boy?" Big Mom sneered, gathering her power to counter. "I am the storm, the mother of chaos!"
Thorkell, with his rage blinding him, surged forward, no longer holding back. The power of Whitebeard flowed through his veins, and with it, the overwhelming will to tear everything in his path apart. He slammed his fist into the air, sending shockwaves through the ground and causing the very sea to tremble in his wake.
Big Mom retaliated, summoning a wave of energy from the underworld, but Thorkell's power overwhelmed her. His seismic fists slammed into her defenses, cracking the very earth beneath them.
"I WILL BREAK YOU!" Thorkell shouted as he tore into her, relentless and furious. His strikes hit her again and again, each one sending shockwaves of destruction that could be felt miles away.
The Battle to the Death
Big Mom, staggered but not beaten, raised her hand high, summoning her full power. A massive energy ball formed in her palm, aimed directly at Thorkell.
"This is the end for you, brat!" Big Mom shouted, sending the ball of energy flying toward him with terrifying speed.
But in a flash, Thorkell leaped into the air, his wings unfurling like a storm's might, and with the power of the Gura Gura no Mi, he crushed the attack mid-air, splitting the skies apart.
"This is the end for YOU!" Thorkell roared as he descended from the heavens, his body cloaked in a storm of destruction. With all the fury of his lineage, he slammed his fist into Big Mom's body, sending her crashing into the earth with enough force to shatter the land beneath her.
The Aftermath
The battle between Thorkell and Big Mom left the battlefield in ruins, entire sections of Wano decimated by their clash. As the dust settled, the Luna Pirates and Straw Hat Pirates could only watch in awe as Thorkell stood victorious, his breathing laboured but his spirit unbroken. The island was littered with the aftermath of their fierce battle—pieces of the island crumbling under the power of their attacks.
Big Mom, though battered, slowly rose from the wreckage, her once-proud figure now marred by the immense destruction she had endured. But she could see the fire in Thorkell's eyes, the wrath of a son avenging his father. She knew she had lost.
"You… you truly are the son of Whitebeard…" she muttered, her voice filled with reluctant admiration.
"I am Thorkell, son of Whitebeard, and I will never bow to you," Thorkell said, standing tall, his eyes glowing with the fire of vengeance.