One Piece: Deriving All Things

"Pops!"

Hearing Whitebeard's hearty laughter, Marco's expression brightened. Without wasting any time, he broke off his fight with Akainu and flew straight back to the Moby Dick.

"Pops, are you okay?"

Landing on the deck, Marco glanced at Whitebeard's condition with concern written all over his face.

He couldn't help but notice something unsettling—Whitebeard's iconic crescent-shaped mustache was gone. Knowing how much his father valued that signature feature, Marco felt his heart sink.

Yet with the Marines nearby, now wasn't the time to press the matter.

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard chuckled, patting Marco on the shoulder. "It's nothing to worry about!"

"But…"

Marco hesitated, wanting to ask more about the fight with Sanders. Before he could, Akainu's voice cut through the air.

"Whitebeard! Where's Sanders?"

Akainu stood on the bow of the Marine warship, looking directly at Whitebeard with fearless determination. His Justice coat billowed in the sea breeze as he stared down his opponent.

"Gurararara!" Whitebeard stepped forward, his laughter rumbling like thunder. "Little brat, were you talking to me?"

Noticing the absence of Whitebeard's mustache, Akainu blinked in brief surprise before letting out a sharp laugh.

"Looks like Sanders gave you a hard time. Even your mustache is gone!"

"Brat!" Whitebeard's eyes narrowed as a dangerous glint appeared in them. "Did Sengoku only send you here to die?"

His missing mustache truly stung his pride. How long would it take to grow it back?

"Are you joking, Whitebeard? The one dying here is you!" Akainu's voice boomed as veins bulged on his forehead in anger.

Whitebeard had just emerged from a fierce battle with Sanders. Even if victorious, he couldn't possibly be unscathed. And instead of retreating, he dared to show up here, spewing arrogant words?

Initially, Akainu had no intention of targeting the Whitebeard Pirates. But after hearing that Garp was on his way and seeing Whitebeard weakened from the recent fight, Akainu had a sudden change of heart.

At the very least, even if he couldn't capture Whitebeard himself, he could take down a few division commanders. That would make this trip worthwhile.

Whitebeard snorted, thrusting his massive naginata, Murakumogiri, into the deck.

His wide, powerful hands stretched into the air, fingers curled like claws. His veins bulged as he flexed his muscular arms, as though gripping an invisible force.

With a mighty pull, Whitebeard tore at the air.

The once-calm sea erupted into chaos. Waves surged violently, the ocean seemingly stirred to its core.

"Little magma brat!"

"Do you even know who stands before you?"

The Marines on Akainu's ship were left dumbfounded, their eyes wide with shock as they watched the scene unfold.

"The sea… it's being stirred!"

"This is the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit! It can cause tsunamis with ease!"

"This is terrifying! Is this truly the power of a human being?"

Before the towering tsunami that loomed hundreds of meters high, their massive warship seemed pitifully small.

Even Akainu couldn't hide the shift in his expression as he took in the sight.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Whitebeard!" Akainu shouted.

Pushing off with his legs, Akainu launched himself into the air and closed the distance to Whitebeard. His fist transformed into blazing magma, glowing with intense heat.

"Great Eruption!"

Marco's eyes flashed as he prepared to intercept Akainu.

"Pops just finished fighting Sanders. Let me handle the Marines," Marco said, moving to step in.

However, Vista reached out and stopped him, shaking his head.

Marco looked at him, puzzled.

Still, out of trust for his comrade, Marco halted his advance and refrained from intervening in Akainu's attack on Whitebeard.

Whitebeard raised his left fist, a translucent quake bubble materializing around it.

Boom!

Akainu's Great Eruption Clashes with Whitebeard's Fist

The scorching magma seemed to ignite the air itself. With a cracking sound, space shattered like fragile glass under the force of Whitebeard's punch, imbued with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

The overwhelming strength repelled Akainu's magma, keeping it completely at bay and preventing it from harming anyone on the Moby Dick.

Akainu's expression darkened as he quickly retreated to the swaying warship.

In this initial exchange, he didn't sense any sign of Whitebeard weakening. On the contrary, the punch backed by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit felt as powerful and vigorous as ever, showing no trace of exhaustion from the previous battle.

"Is Sanders that incompetent?" Akainu muttered with a grim look. "He couldn't even weaken you a little?"

It was clear that Whitebeard had fought Sanders for an entire day, yet why did he appear as though he hadn't been injured at all? Did they even fight seriously?

"Gurararara!"

"Magma brat, Sanders is far stronger than you!" Whitebeard chuckled, feeling much better after releasing some of his pent-up energy.

Despite still having some lingering injuries, he felt much lighter, as if the burden on his body had eased significantly compared to before the battle.

"You think I'm weaker than him? Don't make me laugh, Whitebeard!" Akainu retorted angrily.

Whitebeard didn't bother replying, simply grinning as he raised his massive naginata, Murakumogiri, and leapt into the air.

With terrifying power, he swung Murakumogiri toward the warship where Akainu stood.

Akainu's face tightened, and he also leapt into the air, throwing a magma-covered fist to counter Whitebeard's strike.

Boom!

The collision of their powers sent Akainu flying backward, crashing onto the deck of the warship and creating a massive hole in the planks.

Meanwhile, Whitebeard retreated back to the Moby Dick.

"Why does it feel like Pops hasn't weakened but has gotten even stronger?" Marco muttered softly, turning toward Vista with a puzzled expression.

Vista understood what Marco wanted to know. Glancing at Whitebeard's towering figure, he hesitated briefly before saying, "Sanders won."

"But afterward, he used some unknown Devil Fruit ability to heal Pops a little. Although he didn't fully recover, it seems some of his old injuries were healed."

Marco's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Vista. "Pops lost?!"

Though he had mentally prepared himself for this possibility, Marco still found it hard to accept. To him and the crew, Pops had always been invincible.

But now, he had actually lost to a young man in his twenties.

Vista nodded reluctantly. He didn't want to dwell on Whitebeard's defeat either, but it was an undeniable fact.

Moreover, news of Whitebeard's loss would soon spread across the seas, making it impossible to keep it a secret.

"You said some of Pops' old injuries were healed?" Marco asked thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Pops himself said so—he feels much lighter now, almost like he's back to how he felt years ago. If he keeps recovering, he might not even need to rely on the IV tubes anymore," Vista replied in a low voice.

Hearing this, Marco's eyes lit up, and a look of joy spread across his face.

As the ship's doctor, Marco knew Pops' condition better than anyone else and worried about it the most.

Now, after a battle with Sanders, not only had Pops' old injuries been partially healed, but his overall condition seemed to have improved.

Marco couldn't decide whether to see this encounter with Sanders as good or bad news.

"You think Sanders, who managed to heal part of Pops' old injuries, could completely restore his health?" Marco muttered softly, gazing at Whitebeard's broad back.

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T/N:

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