"What?!"
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates were in disbelief, but upon seeing their captain's reaction, they gradually realized the truth.
Their smiles froze, while the Beast Pirates erupted in cheers.
"Hahaha! Jack-sama!"
"Invincible! Invincible!"
"Our Beast Pirates are unbeatable!"
"Damn it! I don't believe this!"
Some members of the Whitebeard Pirates couldn't accept the reality and rushed toward Jack.
Due to Whitebeard's Devil Fruit powers, the area around him and Jack was surrounded by seawater, leaving only the small patch of land beneath them, creating a lonely island in the middle of the battlefield.
Seeing his sons charging forward, Whitebeard stomped his foot and leapt into action.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Countless bullets and even rockets were fired at the unconscious Jack, but they couldn't penetrate his skin.
Watching his sons' frustration, Whitebeard spoke softly, "Stand down! You can't kill him."
"His body is just like Kaido's—a monster through and through!"
"It seems the World Government didn't lie to us about this!"
"Pops!"
"Damn it!"
Some pirates looked at their crewmates and asked hesitantly, "Why don't we just throw him into the sea? Without his Devil Fruit powers, maybe we'll have a chance to kill him?"
Vista shook his head and said with resignation, "It's useless! He can't be killed!"
"This isn't something his Devil Fruit gave him, it's his natural body."
"When he's exhausted or near death, his defense and recovery abilities only accelerate."
"Even if he suffers fatal injuries, his body heals automatically!"
"He doesn't even need treatment—he'll fully recover in just a few days!"
"What?! Does this mean he really can't be killed?"
"If he could, Kaido would've died a thousand times by now!"
"Enough!"
Whitebeard interrupted his sons' arguments. Watching the ongoing battles around them, he ordered in a stern voice, "Forget about Jack! While he's out of the fight, go help the others!"
"Kaido!"
Whitebeard's gaze turned icy as he looked toward Kaido, who was chasing Vista and Jozu. The two were carrying their injured crewmates, blood streaming down their faces.
Moments earlier, Kaido had seized an opportunity when they let their guard down. While Vista dodged his attacks with agility and Jozu emerged unscathed thanks to his Diamond powers, Rakuyo, Kingdew, and Thatch were all heavily injured and rendered unconscious.
This sudden reversal forced Vista and Jozu to carry their comrades and flee desperately.
"Kaido, you bastard!"
"Wororororo! Newgate!"
Kaido sneered at Whitebeard, his tone dripping with mockery.
"Were you feeling pretty confident just now, thinking you could kill Jack?"
"But now, do you regret it?"
"Just like when you tried to kill me back then?"
"Wororororo! You couldn't kill me then, and you definitely can't kill Jack now!"
"Playing house with your so-called 'sons'—what a joke!"
"You, who once rivaled Roger in strength, have lost your ambition!"
"Now you're just an old man who knows nothing but family and keeps adopting more sons!"
"Newgate, you've grown old!"
"Stop spouting nonsense, Kaido!"
Whitebeard's white mustache trembled as he raised his Naginata, Murakumogiri, and bellowed,
"You think I've grown old? Then why don't you come here and see for yourself!"
King against king, general against general—seeing Whitebeard and Kaido about to clash again, the surrounding pirates quickly scattered.
Meanwhile, among the Fish-Man battles, Aladine's group, which had the advantage in numbers, emerged victorious.
Namur, however, had three deep puncture wounds in his shoulder, inflicted by Aladdin's trident.
"Damn it, Aladine!" Namur growled, clutching his shoulder. "You've betrayed the mark you bear!"
Aladine snorted, his expression cold. "The mark?"
"Hmph!"
"A mark like that…"
"As Jack said, it's just a reminder of the humiliation we once endured!"
"Namur, the Beast Pirates are the future of Fish-Men!"
"Damn you!"
Namur tried to argue further, but Finder and the others attacked him again. Fortunately, Vista and the rest arrived in time to save Namur.
Elsewhere, Yamato was locked in battle with Jozu, while Rim found himself facing off against Vista.
After exchanging several blows, both sides realized their opponents were formidable, forcing them to focus entirely on the fight.
For now, the battlefield was dominated by the steady breathing of Jack, who lay motionless on his makeshift island. Even the two-horned beast had wandered off in pursuit of a wild horse.
"Bang!"
"Impressive! To be able to fight me to a draw for so long!"
The Fish-Man Willy grinned in admiration as he clashed with Teach. This was the most exhilarating battle of his life.
The two had been locked in combat since the beginning, and even after half a day of fierce fighting, with the sky beginning to darken, neither had gained the upper hand. Willy couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with Teach.
Even Teach's jagged, incomplete teeth seemed to possess a peculiar charm in Willy's eyes.
"Zehahahaha! You're not bad yourself!" Teach responded, using his Observation Haki to monitor the battlefield while keeping up with Willy's attacks—a challenging task.
Though Jack had been defeated by Pops, no one could kill him. His resilience was as monstrous as Kaido's.
Meanwhile, Pops had expended immense energy in his fight against Jack, raising concerns about his condition.
The battlefield was evenly matched. The Beast Pirates' officers were generally no match for the Whitebeard Pirates but managed to hold their ground through sheer numbers.
However, Queen still hadn't shown up, and the Beast Pirates' forces likely extended beyond those present.
Teach knew his crew had their own cards to play, but with both sides fully engaged and tempers flaring, this battle was shaping up to be a fight to the death.
Teach carefully assessed the situation. If the Whitebeard Pirates won, all was well. But if they lost, what would become of him?
As the battle raged on, a massive warship slowly approached the fragmented ruins of Rensuke Port.
On the ship's deck stood over a thousand shirtless, muscular men.
Leading them was a towering figure clad in golden armor and draped in a red cape. His golden helmet was tied with a red cord, which, along with his cape, fluttered in the sea breeze like flowing blood.
Both sides paused their fight, turning their wary gazes toward the approaching ship.
The man accepted a loudspeaker from one of his subordinates, stroked his long beard, and shouted in a booming voice:
"Newgate!"
"Kaido!"
"Stop this madness!"
"Grant me this favor and end this war!"
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg