"Big brother…"
"What is it?"
Rubbing his chin, Ike spoke under Newgate's puzzled gaze, "At first, I thought this treasure map might be fake—just sothing to check out for fun. But now that Captain Wang Zhi of the Five Peaks Pirates is here, the biggest possibility is… the map might actually be real."
"Hm?!"
"Gurararara~~~"
Newgate froze for a mont, then burst into laughter. "That makes sense! In that case, all the more reason to crush our opponent!"
Swish!
Newgate swung his naginata, a sharp gleam flashing as a violent aura erupted from his body.
Crackle! Snap!
It was Conqueror's Haki.
As Newgate unleashed his Conqueror's Haki—
Wang Zhi responded instantly, releasing his own overwhelming Conqueror's Haki at the sa ti.
Sa age.
Sa generation of rising monsters.
Was there a huge gap between them?
Hard to say.
At around twenty years old, most had only just entered their first major stage of growth. The differences weren't necessarily that wide yet.
Newgate.
Wang Zhi.
Their Conqueror's Haki clashed, surging outward in all directions, violent shockwaves sweeping across the battlefield.
Even so—
Though both sides totaled no more than eighty n combined, not a single one fainted. Every single pirate stood firm, their battle intent blazing.
They were all seasoned fighters.
"Gurararara~~~"
"Wang Zhi!"
With a sudden burst of laughter, Newgate spun his naginata and launched forward, bringing it down in a crushing overhead strike like splitting a mountain.
"Hey!"
Wang Zhi narrowed his eyes. One hand stroked his beard while the other drew his greatsword, a grin forming on his lips. "Don't underestimate , Whitebeard!"
Boom!
Their Conqueror's Haki collided.
Their Armant Haki clashed.
In an instant—
Dark purple shockwaves spread outward, the very air trembling under the force of their impact.
At the sa ti—
The battle began in full.
"Kill them!"
"Charge!"
Neither side hesitated as they rushed toward each other, weapons clashing in a brutal lee.
"Hmm…"
Ike stood with his hands in his pockets, calmly observing from the side, making no imdiate move to join.
"The ground is shaking…"
"The terrain's completely tearing apart…"
"Just as expected…"
"At this age, even if big brother and Wang Zhi aren't Admirals yet, they're definitely not far from that level."
Watching the battlefield, Ike saw the land cracking apart under their clash. Chunks of earth rose and fell, then shattered into fragnts under invisible shockwaves.
This—
Was already a display close to top-tier combat.
Clearly—
At just twenty-sothing, even if they hadn't reached the absolute peak, they were at least at the level of Admiral candidates.
"Terrifying…" Ike sighed. "They're only in their twenties, and they're already this strong. Aside from that bug Luffy… no wonder these guys are destined to beco monsters of the sea."
"What are you doing, spacing out like that?!"
A furious shout ca from behind.
A pirate charged at Ike, raising his blade and bringing it down in a heavy overhead strike.
Ike calmly stepped aside.
The blade sliced down right past him, slamming into the ground.
"I an…" Ike said helplessly, "Compared to my big brother and your captain, sure, I'm weaker. But compared to you guys… I'm not that weak, am I?"
"You—"
"Pfft!"
The pirate's face turned pale as he spat out blood.
Ike's leg, coated in Armant Haki, had already struck him like a whip, sending him flying.
"Lord Ike!"
"Are you alright?!"
The surrounding Whitebeard pirates hurried over.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Ike waved them off. "I'm not that weak."
Honestly—
He felt a bit helpless.
Sure, he couldn't compare to monsters like his brother.
But against these average pirates?
He was more than capable.
He might not match people like Zoro, King, Katakuri, or Marco—
But dealing with these fodder pirates?
If he couldn't, that would be embarrassing.
As he spoke—
He casually kicked another pirate who tried to sneak up on him, sending him flying.
"Alright, alright." Ike waved his subordinates away. "I'm fine. Go handle your own fights."
"Yes, Lord Ike!"
Seeing he was truly unhard, they rejoined the battle.
Ike had tested his strength briefly and made no further moves.
Both sides were evenly matched.
More than anything—
He wanted to observe the level of his brother and Wang Zhi.
As for fully joining the battle?
There wasn't much need.
Their side wasn't at a disadvantage.
When the ti ca—
He could step in if necessary.
It had to be said—
Newgate and Wang Zhi were both in their early twenties, having already ford their own pirate crews.
But—
Their crews were still small.
Aside from regular pirates, there were no true high-level officers or lieutenants yet.
And that—
Was completely normal.
Unlike the Straw Hat Pirates, who were all elite from the start—
Most crews took years to build a proper structure.
Not everyone was a protagonist.
That kind of comparison simply wasn't realistic.
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