One Piece : Glory To The Fleet Admiral

Chapter 484: Conqueror's Haki Defense

Sphinx Island, Cherry Blossom Grove.

The warm sunlight filtered through pink petals dancing in the breeze, creating a dreamlike scene.

Yet this tranquility shattered the moment Orion stepped inside.

Without any warning, an intangible will descended violently!

The air seemed to solidify into substance, floating cherry blossoms froze mid-air, and time itself appeared to stop flowing.

"Damn it, Conqueror's Haki!"

"My body... I can't move!"

An overwhelming pressure, like an invisible towering mountain, crashed down upon the division commanders led by Marco.

Amidst the rising exclamations of shock, Marco's azure regenerative flames flickered wildly across his body, wavering as if they might extinguish at any moment.

Then, his legs gave way, and he uncontrollably dropped to one knee.

Even Jozu's proud diamond body now showed fine cracks spreading across its surface.

Grinding his teeth until his molars shattered, he ultimately couldn't withstand the pressure.

His massive frame crashed to the ground in a kneeling position, stirring up a cloud of dust.

Vista, Izo, Blamenco... these division commanders who could make anyone in the New World tremble with fear, now appeared like prisoners bound by invisible chains.

Stripped of even the right to stand, they all awkwardly dropped to one knee, their faces turning purple and pale under the suppression of the overwhelmingly powerful Conqueror's Haki.

In an instant, the entire cherry blossom grove fell into dead silence.

Only one man remained standing tall like a pine tree.

Whitebeard's hawk-like eyes watched as Orion approached steadily.

Rather than growing angry at his sons' inability to resist Orion's Conqueror's Haki, he suddenly burst into hearty laughter when Orion drew near.

"Gurararara..."

"Fleet Admiral Orion, giving my sons such a harsh welcome right from the start - that's not very nice."

Before his words faded, Whitebeard suddenly tightened his grip on his naginata, Murakumogiri.

The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit silently activated, and the air around the blade shattered accordingly.

Visible white cracks spread outward from him in all directions. Immediately after, the entire island of Sphinx began to tremble violently.

The next moment, Whitebeard raised his naginata high and without hesitation brought it down upon Orion with full force!

No fancy techniques, only the purest, most extreme destruction.

The fiercely descending naginata carried the power to shatter everything, as if intending to cleave both sky and earth apart.

Yet, facing this world-shattering strike, Orion neither dodged nor avoided it, his expression remaining composed.

Just as the blade shrouded in white halo was about to touch his forehead, an invisible barrier quietly manifested around him.

A thunderous roar that shook heaven and earth suddenly erupted.

The blade of Murakumogiri stopped less than three inches from Orion's face, unable to advance even a fraction further.

The terrifying vibrational power contained within the naginata poured forth wildly, completely blocked by that invisible barrier.

At the point where blade met barrier, space twisted violently. The diffused power shot skyward, tearing a massive rift through the cloud layer.

At first glance, the heavens appeared to have been split in two.

Never expecting that Orion would block his slash using only Conqueror's Haki without even dodging, Whitebeard's pupils abruptly contracted as he exclaimed in shock.

"Conqueror's Haki defense?"

Before he could ponder further, Orion - who had formed an absolute defense with his Conqueror's Haki - suddenly raised his hand and flicked a finger against the massive naginata poised before him.

An indescribably terrifying force instantly surged back along the blade!

Whitebeard felt a tremendous power transmit through the weapon, followed by excruciating pain in his palms.

Murakumogiri was sent flying into the sky, and he himself stumbled uncontrollably, staggering backward seven or eight steps before barely regaining his footing.

"How is this possible!"

Looking at his slightly numb palm and then at the completely unscathed Orion, Whitebeard could no longer conceal the shock on his face.

"You actually used Conqueror's Haki to suppress my Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability?"

"I never expected... never expected your mastery of Conqueror's Haki to surpass even that of Rocks from back in the day!"

Before his words faded, Whitebeard retracted his naginata and casually planted it beside him, his familiar, hearty laughter ringing out once more.

"Gurarararara!"

"Remarkable! Truly remarkable!"

"The strongest Fleet Admiral in history indeed lives up to his reputation!"

After speaking, Whitebeard turned his head to look at his sons, who were equally stunned by Orion's terrifying power, and waved his hand.

"All of you, step back! This is no longer your concern!"

Marco and the others felt as if granted amnesty, the pressure on them instantly lifting as they supported each other and retreated from the cherry blossom grove.

Soon, only Orion and Whitebeard remained in the ravaged cherry blossom grove.

Whitebeard walked over to a cherry blossom tree, pulled several large barrels of sake from a hollow in the trunk, and casually tossed one smoothly toward Orion.

"Before taking this old man's life, how about sharing a drink with me?"

Orion didn't stand on ceremony, sitting directly on the ground and getting straight to the point.

"Two of the Four Emperors have been eliminated, Shanks has led his Red Hair Pirates to surrender at Marine Headquarters, and now only you, the 'Strongest Man in the World,' remains in the New World."

"If you're willing to lead the Whitebeard Pirates in surrender, I can show leniency toward your crew."

"Gurarararara!"

Whitebeard laughed heartily upon hearing this, slapping open the seal on his barrel of sake and taking a large gulp as if drinking water before responding.

"This old man doesn't have many years left! Rather than lingering on while tormented by illness, I'd prefer to go out in a spectacular battle!"

Wiping the sake from his lips, he fixed his burning gaze on the young Fleet Admiral across from him.

"Besides, isn't this old man worth more dead than alive? Fleet Admiral Orion!"

Pausing slightly, Whitebeard glanced toward the prosperous town in the distance, changing the subject.

"Though I'm called the world's strongest, I couldn't even protect my own hometown! If not for your intervention, Sphinx would never have achieved its current prosperity!"

After saying this, he lifted the barrel again, draining the remaining sake in one go, then casually tossed the empty container aside with a hearty laugh.

"Refreshing!"

Orion didn't touch the sake before him, calmly watching Whitebeard.

"It seems you've truly prepared yourself for death."

"Gurarararara,"

Whitebeard opened another barrel of sake, laughing loudly. "It's not that this old man has prepared for death, but that this new era has no ship that can carry me!"

Before his words fully faded, Whitebeard suddenly frowned, "From your tone, it seems you want to go easy on this relic of the old era?"

"This isn't like your usual style, Fleet Admiral Orion!"

"You should understand perfectly well that as long as I live for even one more day, even if that brat Shanks has chosen to surrender, many pirates will still cling to their fantasies."