One Piece Thundergod Marine

"Cough Cough, it really hurts, Whitebeard."

Just as he thought this, Rowen's voice rang out, sounding completely alive from the ground.

Fujitora was very glad that Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) couldn't provide a clear vision; otherwise, he couldn't imagine what the "crunching" sound coming from Rowen's body was.

"What a Monster!!"

Whitebeard knelt on one knee, breathing heavily, and spoke with a grave expression.

In front of him was a body that had been ripped open from the shoulder to the hip, and a palm-width layer of flesh torn away. 

If an ordinary person suffered such a serious injury, they would surely be dead without question. Even for himself, Whitebeard thought he would just have to quietly wait for death.

However, what appeared before him was a scene of muscles and tendons twisting and intertwining like snakes.

The writhing flesh buds seemed alive, weaving the terrifying wound together in a rhythm and pattern full of eerie grace. 

Kē Dēng!

Chunks of broken ribs, trapped deep within the layers of flesh in the chest cavity, were supported by crimson muscles, moving to their rightful places like leaves drifting on a stream.

The rapidly regenerating bones at the ends quickly connected with them, re-forming the ribcage as support.

Then those flesh buds "climbed" up like a thousand-fold speeded-up morning glory, accumulating into pronounced muscle blocks, covering them with a layer of skin, and then…

There was nothing more.

Rowen shook his body and stood up from the ground; the whole process took no more than thirty seconds.

Then, he opened his eyes and looked at Whitebeard.

"I remember… BIG MOM said something like that once."

"And then?" 

"And then she died!"

Rowen spoke in a cold voice which was as cold as ice and let the thunder dragon crescent-sided halberd that had fallen to the ground bounce back into his palm, pointing it forward at Whitebeard. 

"It's no wonder it's you, Whitebeard." 

"If I hadn't been in front, maybe someone among us really would have died."

In the original story, Whitebeard didn't suffer such serious injuries, but he also wasn't pushed to such extremes. 

Akainu's punch had destroyed half of his head, which had already killed him. What remained was merely his undying will, driving his body to resist, which Blackbeard took advantage of. 

Now, his son, a son who had been ruthlessly abandoned after being used by the Marines, was killed right before his eyes… This was like pouring oil on a fire for Whitebeard, causing an instant explosion!

In this old man's heart, Ace held the same weight as Squard; both were sons he cherished immensely. 

So in the original story, Whitebeard went on a rampage after Ace's death, and with his remaining strength, he forced Akainu to temporarily retreat from the stage, not even showing up when Blackbeard flaunted his power at Headquarters, only appearing again just before Red Hair arrived.

Fortunately, there are no "what-ifs" in life…

The blade infused with all his vitality struck Rowen, hitting this undying being who could jump and bounce around. 

No matter how strong the attack was, it could only kill him once at most. 

After that, there would be nothing more.

"Cough cough, it's over, Whitebeard!"

At this moment, Akainu staggered to his feet in the distance. 

Five against one, and almost getting killed in return; this made Akainu's face look very grim.

Though Fujitora said nothing, his thoughts were similar to Akainu's.

"No one is truly undying, Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"

Whitebeard calmly glanced at Akainu, then ignored him, turning his serious gaze back to Rowen, and said, "Your legend will also meet its end one day!"

"Perhaps…" 

Rowen shrugged, and the next moment, a wicked grin appeared on his face: "I'm very much looking forward to meeting such an opponent!"

"But right now…"

Clang!!

A crisp sound resonated in all directions as arcs of lightning danced around him, an oppressive aura spreading forth, accompanied by dragon roars and pure white lightning illuminating Rowen, making him look like a god or a demon.

"Your legend will end here!"

As the words fell, countless blue lightning bolts erupted from the Void!

The piercing roar of thunder exploded in all directions, enveloping the battlefield where the two stood.

The terrifying fusion power of the Awakening Second Stage quickly assimilated the surrounding space into a realm of thunder, with faint, hair-like electric currents falling to the ground, even causing Fujitora in the distance to feel a stinging pain in his palm.

Clang…! 

The sound of intense collisions suddenly rang out, and everyone held their breath, watching the sparks erupting from that mass of Thunderlight, halting their movements.

Whether it was Marco, who was sprinting while carrying the struggling Luffy, or Law, who was pursuing them from behind, or the pirates entranced by Hancock's charm, all shifted their gazes over.

Everyone understood that since the Soryu (Azure Dragon) dared to unleash his Awakening abilities to transform a section of the battlefield into his own domain, he must have the confidence to kill Whitebeard alone.

The outcome would soon be revealed.

Clang!

With a sweep of his halberd, Whitebeard firmly blocked Rowen's strike and then slammed down, causing Rowen to stagger.

Boom!!

A fierce punch landed mercilessly on Rowen's abdomen, but apart from creating a gaping wound, it had no other effect.

Just like their first meeting, when a single punch could shatter Rowen's bones, Whitebeard could no longer replicate that feat.

As time passed, he grew weaker. 

And Rowen grew stronger!

"Life is a process of constantly surpassing oneself, Whitebeard." 

With a punch accelerated by the Super Electromagnetic Cannon, Rowen unleashed a powerful sound explosion… However, amidst all this, Rowen's voice remained steady in Whitebeard's ears.

"Do you know? I almost died in a hospital bed once."

"And so what?!" 

Whitebeard suddenly lunged forward, blood at the corner of his mouth, bringing his naginata crashing down.

"Are you trying to teach me a lesson, brat?" 

"No, I'm just reflecting on how wonderful life is." 

An overwhelming force surged from the thunder dragon crescent-sided halberd, the intense tremor permeating Rowen's body, forcing him to grit his teeth and plant his legs firmly into the ground to avoid being blown away.

"Back then, I never imagined I would stand here and fight you!"

"But you and I are ultimately different."

Suddenly, Rowen released his blood-stained grip, allowing the thunder halberd to be deeply pressed into the stone slab by the naginata.

Whitebeard was instantly taken aback… To abandon one's weapon in battle was an incredibly foolish act!

Was the Marine Soryu (Azure Dragon) such a fool?

The answer was, of course, no.

Skyquake!!

Without time to think, Whitebeard swiftly turned, his seven-meter tall figure spinning agilely in mid-air, taking a step to the side as he threw a punch down, hoping to thwart Rowen's plans… whatever they were! 

Bang!! 

With a single punch, he even sent a patch of land the size of a basketball court sinking to the seabed, yet there was not a trace of joy on Whitebeard's face.

Because he knew he had struck empty air!

Zī Zī…

A crisp electric buzz sounded beside him as Rowen's right hand opened up toward him while his left hand did the same.

"You're always chasing the past…"

Human artillery!!

Bang!!

A brilliant blue arc formed a halo, and before Whitebeard could react, he was shot out like a cannonball… his massive body rocketing forward at a speed faster than a bullet, covering over a thousand meters in the blink of an eye.

"Here it comes!"

As the two burst out of the Thunderlight, everyone followed with their gaze, and immediately, countless people gasped.

That was Whitebeard! 

But looking at his posture, it was clear he had been blasted out!

Boom! 

At the same time, Rowen appeared several hundred meters behind Whitebeard, his left foot deeply embedded in the ground, producing a resounding thud.

Circles of electric patterns slowly rose from his body, channeling an immeasurable amount of energy into his right hand.

Under the formula from "Military Wrist·Deep Gate," 

[Raigo - Thunder Greeting], [Thunderlight Penetration Cannon], [Super Electromagnetic Cannon], [Overload·Thunderlight Fist], [Meteor Guns·Gungnir], [Thunderlight Ship-Chopping Blade], and a series of other techniques fused together at this moment.

Gathering all his Haki and muscle strength, combined with the mastery of "Rokushiki·Life Return," he formed the most terrifying single-target killing move among his abilities!

"And I can only gaze at the future!"

"Go tear apart the dark clouds!"

Awakening Technique: Soaring Dragon!

(End of this chapter)

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