Roy was the first to spot the threat. The moment his whistle blew, the entire crew snapped into action.
Everyone rushed out immediately and saw the enemy, a ship flying in the sky.
"A ship? How can a ship fly in the sky?"
"Is it some kind of spaceship?"
"It doesn't even have wings!"
"There's someone on it!"
"They're coming down!!"
Whitebeard stepped out of his room, looked up at the flying ship, and saw a figure suddenly descend from the sky.
"NEWGATE!!!"
"Everyone, fall back!" Whitebeard roared, gripping his naginata with both hands as Haki and his Devil Fruit power surged into the blade.
BOOM!
Three blades clashed with immense force, causing the Moby Dick to sink slightly as waves surged outward from the ship.
Roy and the others clung tightly to the ship to avoid being thrown off.
"Who the hell is that?!" Marco grabbed Roy, shielding him from the shockwave.
"Golden Lion Shiki. Captain of the Golden Lion Pirates," Roy said grimly.
"Golden Lion Shiki?! Marco exclaimed.
BOOM!
After the impact ended, Shiki hovered in midair, holding twin swords and puffing on a cigar.
"ZEHAHAHA! Long time no see, Newgate."
"Shiki, I wasn't hoping to see you again," Whitebeard growled, spinning his naginata before slamming its base onto the deck, his expression dark.
"Now, now, no need for that tone. We were once comrades, weren't we?" Shiki grinned.
"Comrades? Don't make me laugh. Are you admitting you were his subordinate now?" Whitebeard said coldly.
"Of course not. Who would admit to being that bastard's lackey? It was just a partnership. And in the end, he failed," Shiki chuckled.
"Tell me, what are you here for? Don't tell me you just want to fight," Whitebeard said.
Shiki reached out excitedly. "Join my crew, Newgate. Together, we'll claim that treasure—and then this world will be ours!"
"You're asking me… to serve under you?!" Whitebeard's voice dropped dangerously low, his face growing darker with suppressed fury.
Roy had known Whitebeard for six years and understood what kind of person he was. He recognized the signs—this was rage, pure and unbridled.
A king would never bow to another.
Whitebeard only became a subordinate of Rocks D. Xebec not because he lacked strength, but because he lost a game.
The "Davy Back Fight"—a game to steal crew members.
After losing to Rocks, they became part of his crew.
Otherwise, why would so many Conqueror's Haki users tolerate being in one pirate crew? No one with Conqueror's Haki would willingly submit unless forced.
The Rocks Pirates had been an alliance of convenience, its members constantly at each other's throats.
Shiki's words had clearly enraged Whitebeard. His proposal was nothing short of an insult.
He would never allow that to happen.
"I know you're angry, Newgate. So let's settle this with a fight. If you lose, you join me," Shiki taunted with a smile.
"I refuse. Even if I die, I'll never serve another man again," Whitebeard growled. He took two steps forward and slashed at Shiki.
"You stubborn fool!"
Shiki drew both his swords and blocked Whitebeard's strike. The two began to battle atop the ship.
"Blamenco! Start the outer paddle wheels. And Marco, take some explosives and attack their ship!" Roy ordered.
"On it, big bro!"
"Leave it to me, big bro!"
The two immediately moved. They started the side paddle engines to speed up the ship. If the fight continued like this, their ship would be destroyed.
Marco's task was to delay the Golden Lion Pirates by attacking their ship.
Whitebeard and Shiki's battle was massive and terrifying. No one else could get close.
Marco soared toward Shiki's flying ship, his body wreathed in blue regeneration flames. The enemy crew fired at him, but their attacks passed harmlessly through his Phoenix form; only someone with advanced Haki could hope to bring him down.
Marco planted bombs under Shiki's ship, sticking them right onto the keel.
KABOOM!
The bombs exploded, smashing the ship's keel. This effectively crippled the entire vessel.
Ships fear torpedoes because explosions underwater directly hit critical parts.
It's like a human spine; once that's damaged, the body is paralyzed.
The same was true for the ships, the keel was its spine. Sever it, and the vessel was as good as dead.
Replacing the keel is no different from building a whole new ship.
Seeing his ship bombed, Shiki was momentarily thrown off-balance.
In battles between masters, the slightest distraction decided everything.
Luffy vs. Katakuri was a perfect example; Katakuri got distracted, and Luffy gained an opening. Honestly, Luffy shouldn't have been able to beat him.
That tiny moment was all Whitebeard needed. He threw a quake-powered punch straight into Shiki's face.
CRACK!
The air shattered, blood spewed from Shiki's mouth, and he was blasted hundreds of meters away.
The ship's side paddle wheels spun rapidly, speeding up their escape. The distance between them and Shiki grew.
"Roy, what are you doing?!" Whitebeard growled.
"If you want to fight, go to an island. If you keep fighting here, we'll lose the ship!" Roy said.
"Got it." Whitebeard, though irritated, understood Roy's point.
Naval battles aim to destroy the enemy ship. If they used their own ship as the battlefield, Shiki could slice it in two with one strike.
Roy cared about everyone's safety. There was no way he'd let the battle happen on their ship.
At the very least, not on their own ship. As for the enemy, anything goes.
Shiki stabilized himself midair, wiped the blood from his mouth, looked at the fleeing Whitebeard Pirates, and spat out more blood.
"You're not getting away, Newgate!"
He accelerated toward them rapidly.
But the Moby Dick was no slouch either, its engines belching black smoke as it raced ahead.
Soon, they spotted an island—finally, a place suitable for battle.
Whitebeard took the initiative and met Shiki on the island. The two clashed fiercely.
"Let's move farther away. We don't want to get caught in the crossfire." They steered the ship away so the two could fight without restraint. The battle would last a while.
As the fight continued, the island began to deform and crack apart. Thunderous noises echoed.
These two were monsters, and their powers were capable of destroying entire islands.
Luckily, the island was uninhabited. Otherwise, the consequences would've been unimaginable.
Only by witnessing their battle firsthand could one truly understand the terrifying nature of their powers, beyond imagination, unstoppable.