(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
(28 chapters of the new book are already released in p.atreon)
****
With Naruto's chakra infusion, Whitebeard was in a noticeably better shape.
"Thanks, Golden Fox."
"Just call me Naruto, hehe."
Naruto scratched his head in embarrassment.
"I should be the one thanking you for taking care of Sasuke all these years."
"Sasuke has such a bad temper. Thank you for your hard work."
Whitebeard was taken aback for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter.
"Gurararara! Naruto boy, I think I like you already."
Even the surrounding members of the Whitebeard Pirates chuckled knowingly.
Only Sasuke's face darkened.
'Damn you Naruto, ruining my reputation.'
The laughter eventually faded, and Whitebeard looked at Sasuke with a serious expression.
He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Sasuke, that phantom behind Kisame back then… that was Kamiyo Colt, wasn't it?"
During that battle, Whitebeard had finally realized why he felt a strange sense of familiarity with Colt when they first met.
"It's him..." Sasuke nodded slightly, then added with certainty.
"Old man, Colt will only make the world a better place. As long as people follow the rules he sets, he won't target anyone."
"Rules, huh?"
Whitebeard understood the underlying meaning and let out a wry smile.
A man like him had never feared death.
Even if he were to die, he would never surrender to anyone.
But what about his sons?
If he chose to fight to the death against Kamiyo Colt, the fate of his sons would undoubtedly be grim.
Whitebeard fell into deep contemplation.
****
On the battlefield, under Colt's feet, inextinguishable black flames ignited.
The rubber arm wrapped around his ankle quickly melted, turning into a near-liquid state.
Luffy's arm stretched and expanded rapidly, launching forward.
But instead of attacking Colt, he used the recoil to propel himself backward, creating distance between them.
"This is my strongest move, Colt! Be careful!"
Landing on the ground, Luffy grinned as he warned Colt before launching his final attack.
Biting down on his left arm, it swelled rapidly, reaching an unprecedented limit.
Above Marineford, Luffy's fist loomed over the battlefield, completely covering the sky. The Conqueror's Haki crackled with terrifying lightning.
"Ha!"
With a sharp twist of his body, Luffy exerted every ounce of his strength, launching his strongest blow.
A fist the size of an island, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, armed with the elasticity of the Sun God Nika.
This was an attack beyond natural disasters—a strike capable of shattering an island.
Kaido's eyes widened in shock.
This power… it made his blood boil, his warrior's spirit craving to face Luffy in battle.
And then—
BOOM!
Luffy's fist crashed down.
The force sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, shaking Marineford to its core.
The sheer pressure cracked the frozen ocean, while Aokiji struggled to maintain the ice with continuous blasts of his power.
"Garp, your grandson is something else," Kizaru muttered in amazement.
As the dust and debris settled, the battlefield came into view.
A small palm rested lightly against Luffy's enormous fist.
A strike powerful enough to split the heavens had been completely stopped by this seemingly frail hand.
The contrast was almost comical, leaving everyone watching in stunned silence.
Even the smile on Luffy's face faltered. No matter how much strength he exerted, that small fist remained immovable, like an unbreakable wall.
"Is that all?" Colt asked, tilting his head slightly.
"Is there anything stronger? Because this… isn't enough, Luffy."
Luffy's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Then let's end this."
Colt spoke softly, raising his hand and punching upward.
Puff!
A sound like air escaping a balloon echoed as Luffy's massive fist deflated, shrinking back to its original size.
Colt rolled his shoulders, and a terrifying aura began to rise.
"This punch… be careful."
In an instant, his aura reached its peak.
Colt took a single step forward and appeared before Luffy in the blink of an eye.
Then, he threw a punch.
Luffy's expression changed drastically as he instinctively crossed his arms in front of his chest to defend himself.
The punch landed.
Luffy's rubber-like body compressed unnaturally, stretching inward as if a spring was being forcibly pressed down. The force was so immense that the impact of Colt's fist even appeared on Luffy's back.
"Ahahaha! I'm fine—"
Before Luffy could finish his words…
The true power of the punch erupted.
Luffy's eyes rolled back, and without so much as a scream, he lost consciousness midair.
"Luffy!" Ace's eyes widened in horror as he watched his brother's body plummet.
He immediately tried to rush forward, only to be stopped by a pair of strong hands pressing down on his shoulders.
"Don't worry. Colt has no intent to kill him. Your brother is fine."
Sasuke held Ace back firmly, preventing him from acting impulsively.
"But—"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
A heartbeat resounded loudly. The drums of liberation played once again.
Luffy's eyes snapped open, filled with radiance.
His tiredness vanished, and his strength was instantly restored.
Colt, however, had no interest in dragging this fight out any longer.
Without hesitation, he struck again.
Dun Dun Duh-Dun!
BOOM!
A second punch sent Luffy flying.
Dun Dun Duh-Dun!
BOOM!
A third punch followed immediately, rendering Luffy completely unconscious.
"Tch. This fruit really is something else…" Colt muttered, shaking his head slightly. "Luffy's strength hasn't surpassed an admiral's limits yet, but the Fruit's ability is absurd."
It was ridiculous.
At that moment, a white figure descended from the sky, landing beside Colt.
"When did you get here?" Colt asked.
"I've been watching for a while. You seemed to be having fun, so I didn't interrupt," Ōtsutsuki Kaguya replied casually.
Colt nodded.
"Did you take care of that problem?"
"At the start dealing with Im was troublesome, but after that it was easy," Kaguya spoke lightly, but for her to call someone troublesome, that meant Im was no ordinary foe.
Colt stretched.
"Alright, time for the final step."
He turned his gaze toward the battlefield, his eyes filled with absolute dominance.
"Let's wrap this up... This world is mine!"