Chapter 158 Whitebeard, Not Bad!
In the hearts of the Whitebeard Pirates' members, their Pops was naturally invincible.
Even though Zane had a bounty of ten billion hanging over his head, a bounty didn't necessarily equate to strength; it just meant he had done something to seriously provoke the World Government.
But now.
Zane showed the Whitebeard Pirates through sheer strength.
He hadn't been given a ten-billion-berry bounty by the World Government for nothing.
"Repulsion Flow: Sky Wall!"
The members of the Hunting Team behind Zane were also caught in the gale-like shockwave.
But Manlong immediately stepped forward.
He calmly held his arms out, his palms erupting with compressed repulsive force to construct an invisible barrier like a city wall, blocking the incoming shockwaves.
Thanks to Manlong's defense,
the members of the Hunting Team were spared the brunt of the impact.
A clash of Conqueror's Haki infusion.
This was the standard greeting of Emperors on the sea.
Although Zane never considered himself a pirate,
he was clearly worthy of the title 'Emperor.'
Across from him.
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed as his descending blade was blocked.
As expected.
The ten-billion bounty might be inflated, but his strength certainly wasn't just for show.
Especially... his age.
Looking at the youthful face opposite him, Whitebeard felt a chill of realization.
'His explosive power is indeed impressive, and that's even without using his Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Though I haven't used my Rumble-Rumble Fruit either, I can't afford to be careless with this kind of force.'
Bracing against the descending strike with his three-pointed double-edged glaive, Zane also stared intently at Whitebeard.
Haki-Nen.
The perfect fusion of Armament Haki and Nen aura.
Compared to just Armament Haki or Nen alone, Haki-Nen possessed offensive and defensive power far exceeding the sum of its parts.
Facing Whitebeard,
Zane was being quite serious.
Even if it was just a simple greeting,
he was showing the proper respect.
Compared to the other's pure Haki infusion,
he was utilizing a superior Haki-Nen.
Yet, in this fierce collision, he was unable to overpower his opponent.
From this point alone, it was clear that in terms of pure Haki, he was still inferior to the man before him.
Zane felt a sense of admiration, but more than that, he felt a thrill of excitement.
Frustrated? Discouraged?
No!
How could he feel such things?
How old was the other man, and how old was he?
At his current age, being able to trade blows as an equal with an undisputed overlord like Whitebeard was enough to look down on anyone.
Zane was never overconfident, but he never belittled himself either.
He always let facts speak for themselves.
His elbow dropped.
In this fierce clash, all these thoughts flashed by in an instant.
Seeing he couldn't suppress Zane, Whitebeard quickly adjusted.
With a subtle shift in his strike, he diverted part of Zane's strength, and then his arm muscles bulged as he erupted with even greater power.
Whitebeard thought he could force Zane back with this maneuver, but he didn't expect Zane's technique to be even more refined than his strength.
With a flick of his wrist, Zane channeled the power Whitebeard unleashed through his body and into the ground beneath him, causing the earth to shatter further.
Simultaneously, Zane executed a masterstroke of technique, parrying the bisento and thrusting his blade tip straight toward the old man's chest.
Astonishment flickered in Whitebeard's eyes.
He reacted instantly, swinging the shaft of his weapon horizontally to block the incoming point.
Boom!!!
Another collision rang out.
Landing on the ground, Whitebeard's feet crushed the surface. Under the pressure of the impact, he skidded backward, his feet plowing through the earth.
"Pops!!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates were undoubtedly watching their father's every move.
Seeing their Pops actually retreat during the intense clash...
The appearance of this scene caused the expressions of everyone, including Marco, to change drastically as they rushed forward to stand behind Whitebeard.
"Gurararara... You're truly something else!"
Steadying his stance, Whitebeard slammed his bisento into the ground. He swept his left arm out, signaling for his sons to stop.
His gaze fell upon Zane, who looked calm and completely unfazed. Whitebeard let out a hearty laugh.
More than just 'something else.'
It was simply appalling.
Physique, Haki, and technique.
These three aspects, combined with that young face, were unbelievable.
If his Observation Haki hadn't clearly told him that he wasn't under the influence of some illusion-based Devil Fruit power,
he would have thought the boy was a composite of several of his old friends.
"Whitebeard, not bad!"
When it came to posturing, Zane never lost.
Holding his three-pointed double-edged glaive in his right hand, the tip pointing diagonally toward the ground, Zane looked every bit the heroic warrior. He gazed at Whitebeard, whose physical stature far exceeded his own, and gave a casual, nonchalant evaluation.
"You bastard, what are you saying?!"
"What do you mean 'not bad'? You don't know who you're talking to! Pops was holding back!"
"What 'not bad'? I'll take you on myself!!"
"..."
Before Whitebeard could react to Zane's remark, his devoted sons had already exploded in rage, glaring furiously at Zane.
Some even ignored their Pops' order to stay back, rolling up their sleeves and preparing to charge at Zane.
Swish!
With a bound, Manlong landed heavily beside Zane like a human tank.
"If you want to fight, I'll be your opponent! You're not qualified to make my Boss step in!" Manlong pointed at the Whitebeard Pirates, his knuckles cracking with a sharp sound.
Baby 5, Nico Robin, and the rest of the Hunting Team followed close behind, standing defiantly behind Zane and facing off against the Whitebeard Pirates.
Ignoring his sons' indignation, Whitebeard first stared at Zane, then scanned the large contingent of the Hunting Team behind him.
Especially the fishmen at the back who had just been incorporated into the team.
Unexpectedly,
a look of surprise crossed Whitebeard's eyes.
From the faces and eyes of these fishmen, he didn't see much resistance.
It was as if they hadn't been forced to join, but had done so of their own accord.
This was only natural.
Zane had worked incredibly hard over the past few days.
Every person who passed the screening was given a suggestion through 'Window to the Soul,' making them accept the Hunting Team and him as their leader.
Although the time was short and the effect wasn't fully developed, any resistance had undoubtedly vanished.
"Three-Eyed Brat, don't you know Fishman Island is my turf? You dare to recruit here so openly... are you trying to start a war with me?"
Though a bit surprised by the fishmen's reaction, Whitebeard quickly regained his composure.
He raised his bisento, twirling it to whip up a whistling gale, before suddenly pointing the blade at Zane and speaking with dominant authority.
"A war? That depends on how you see it. I'm just here to recruit, but if you want a war, I'm happy to oblige!"
Zane gave a small laugh. Although his expression didn't change much, the look in his eyes was unmistakably wild and defiant.
If he were afraid,
he would have left Fishman Island the moment he overheard the conversation between Neptune and Whitebeard.