Sensing the gazes being cast his way, whether intentionally or not...
The appreciative smile on Red-Haired Shanks’ face instantly stiffened. He subconsciously glanced down at his missing left arm before a thought suddenly struck him.
The hell? Am I catching strays while just standing here?
Then he looked at Lucas, who was about the same age as Luffy, and recalled what he’d said after hearing about the appointment of the new Marine Admiral.
Luffy had defeated one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and shaken the old era.
But compared to Lucas catching Whitebeard’s blade with his bare hand...
The gap seemed a little too large.
Did I really bet on the wrong person... and lose an arm for nothing?
However, the moment he remembered the secret hidden within that Devil Fruit, Shanks forcefully suppressed those thoughts.
Perhaps Luffy couldn’t compare to Lucas right now.
But Shanks firmly believed that once Luffy awakened the power of the Nika Fruit...
Everything would change.
"Brat, I didn’t expect you to play tricks from the very beginning. No wonder you were so calm."
Whitebeard fixed Lucas with a sharp stare.
The force behind his previous attack had already been completely spent.
If Whitebeard wanted to overwhelm Lucas now, he would have to gather his strength and attack again.
With the momentum of that slash already exhausted, there was no way it could break through Lucas’s defense.
Of course...
That assumption only held if Whitebeard refrained from using Conqueror’s Haki Infusion and the powers of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Otherwise...
Lucas never would have dared catch that slash barehanded.
If he ended up following Shanks’ example and lost an arm...
He might have to compete with Shanks for the title of the One-Armed Swordsman someday.
Feeling the atmosphere around him shift, Lucas’s wrathful Vajra had already shrunk down to roughly human size.
By compressing the construct, its defensive power had greatly increased, wrapping around him like a suit of armor.
Meanwhile, besides the Armament Haki coating his right hand, countless golden hands continued reinforcing his Thousand Hands Catching the Blade, helping him hold back Whitebeard’s naginata.
Otherwise...
He wouldn’t have dared show off like this.
Still...
There was no way he could keep pretending.
Thanks to the system, his strength had indeed improved by leaps and bounds over the past few months.
But compared to a monster on the level of a Four Emperor...
The gap was still enormous.
Even fighting a Yonko’s top commander would probably be difficult.
If not for the overwhelming spectacle of his abilities...
He never would have managed to bluff his way this far.
"Brat!"
Whitebeard shouted.
"Take another attack from me! Let me see what the newly appointed Fourth Marine Admiral is really capable of!"
He pulled his naginata back, preparing for another strike.
Just then, Atmos hurried forward.
"Pops! I owe this kid my life. Let him finish what he came to say first."
Lucas couldn’t help being a little surprised.
He had been wondering how to break the stalemate.
Who would’ve thought the favor owed by this straightforward giant would come in handy?
With the violent clash finally over, Lucas felt the pressure on his body disappear and quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Turning toward Red-Haired Shanks in the distance, he grinned.
"Sorry, Red Hair."
"I just stole your big moment."
"But now it’s your turn to say the classic line..."
"’Give me some face.’"
"Then we can finally get down to business."
Everyone froze.
They couldn’t process the sudden string of bizarre remarks at first.
Then realization dawned.
If Lucas hadn’t intervened earlier...
The one who would’ve clashed with Whitebeard would’ve been fellow Emperor Red-Haired Shanks.
"Captain..."
Lucky Roux muttered between bites of roasted meat.
"I think he stole your lines."
Shanks’ smile instantly became awkward.
He had intended to deny it outright.
Now there was no way he could.
Feeling everyone’s eyes on him, he sighed helplessly.
"Atmos is right."
"It’s not every day a newly appointed Marine Admiral risks his life just to come here."
"I’m curious why he came as well."
"Whitebeard..."
"Give me some face."
"Let him explain himself first."
"Consider it repaying the favor Atmos owes him."
"Give you some face?"
Whitebeard’s expression darkened.
He let out a disdainful snort before withdrawing his naginata completely and slamming its butt into the deck with a heavy thud.
"Red-Haired brat..."
"In my eyes, you’re no different from this Marine brat."
"Neither of you has the right to ask me for face."
"However..."
"For Atmos’ sake..."
"I’ll allow him to explain why he came."
Aboard the Marine warship in the distance, Gion’s hands were soaked with sweat as she gripped the Den Den Mushi transmitting the live feed.
The split heavens had left her face deathly pale.
"G-Gion!"
"Hurry and tell me what happened aboard Whitebeard’s ship!"
"Tell Lucas to come back immediately!"
"I’ll give him an even bigger bonus!"
Sengoku’s frantic roar erupted from the Den Den Mushi.
The long silence, interrupted only by deafening explosions, had nearly given him a heart attack.
He wished he could crawl through the Den Den Mushi himself just to see what was happening.
At that moment, the entire conference room at Marine Headquarters had fallen completely silent.
Even breathing sounded unusually loud.
Everyone feared missing a single word of Gion’s report.
"He... he fought!"
"Whitebeard attacked first."
"He broke through Admiral Lucas’s successive defenses."
"In the end, Admiral Lucas was forced to make his move..."
"He caught Whitebeard’s naginata with his bare hand!"
"The clash of their Conqueror’s Haki split the heavens apart!"
"Admiral Lucas blocked Whitebeard’s attack!"
Gion hurriedly reported.
Standing beside her, Ain’s face had already turned paper white.
The moment the unbearable tension finally eased, her legs gave out.
She collapsed onto the deck, gasping for breath, her entire body drenched in cold sweat.
She wasn’t the only one.
The other Marines looked no better.
Even as mere spectators...
Watching the battle had completely drained them.
They couldn’t even imagine what it felt like to stand face-to-face against Whitebeard himself.
Over the past few months, they had already developed deep respect for Lucas’s strength.
But that respect had remained superficial.
After witnessing this battle...
It had become something engraved into their very souls.
The scenes they had just witnessed...
Would never leave their minds.
"C-Caught it barehanded?"
Sengoku slumped back into his chair, staring blankly at the Den Den Mushi in disbelief.
Even Garp was equally stunned.
But before Garp could open his mouth—
Sengoku snapped back to his senses and glared at him.
"Garp!"
"Shut your mouth!"
"Don’t you dare tell me he has ’Fleet Admiral potential’ again!"
"For the sake of a ten-million-Berry Performance Bonus..."
"That brat is making the entire Marine Headquarters gamble right alongside him!"
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