Whitebeard panted heavily, staring in disbelief at the still-jumping-around Rimuru. Despite having taken hundreds of punches head-on, Rimuru didn't have a scratch on him. What the hell was going on? Whitebeard had originally intended to wear him down, waiting for Rimuru's stamina to run out. But unexpectedly, he was the one who gave out first! If he hadn't used every last bit of strength just now to shake space itself and push Rimuru back, he would've already lost!
"What's wrong, Grandpa Whitebeard? Were my tiny fists a bit too heavy for you? Can't keep up?" Rimuru asked with an "innocent" (read: mocking) expression, even waving his little fists in front of him. "Do you want this little kid to take it easy on you, the world's strongest maaan~?" That's for laughing at me earlier! Time for you to taste life's bitterness!
What? Spare you? I'm not the forgiving type! I'm Ri-"Super Grudge-Holder"-mu-"Petty to the Bone"-ru! Everyone who's ever crossed me is stored neatly in the God of Wisdom's infinite library! I don't forget. I just wait. And when the time comes—payback time. (╭(╯ε╰)╮)
Whitebeard's eye twitched watching Rimuru play the petty villain so naturally. This kid was really something. Wait... kid? He looked again. Rimuru really was just a kid. Fine then. You reap what you sow, old man.
"One final strike to settle it," Whitebeard said seriously. He didn't have much left—might as well give it everything he had in one last blow.
"Fine by me," Rimuru nodded. He didn't want to drag this out either.
Whitebeard gathered every ounce of Armament Haki into his right fist. His already jet-black hand grew even darker, as black steam-like Haki curled around it. No longer shiny black—now it was so dense it absorbed all light.
"Looks like I'll need to get serious," Rimuru muttered, narrowing his eyes at the terrifying energy building up.
"Black Flame."
Rimuru's right hand ignited in dark fire. The flames distorted the very air around them.
The two moved at almost the same instant, the ground beneath them shattering from the pressure.
BOOM!!
With a thunderous crash, their fists collided.
In that instant, half the island was swallowed by space rifts; the other half engulfed in black fire.
Then—the island split clean in two.
"Damn it!" Marco felt the surging energy. "Everyone, retreat! NOW!"
But the tidal wave was already coming.
"All captains—stop that wave!" Marco ordered. He was the first to leap into action, transforming into his phoenix form and flying ahead.
"Undying Flame!" Marco released a sea of fire, stopping most of the wave.
"Flower Sword: Blooming Sky!" Countless glowing flowers appeared in the air. They looked fragile but sliced right through the towering water. Vista had joined the fight!
Other division commanders followed suit, each unleashing their strongest techniques. Together, they just barely managed to stop the flood.
Marco panted hard. He'd nearly burned himself out—he'd used every last drop of strength summoning so much flame.
"How's the island?" Marco shook his head and looked toward the smoke-covered remains.
As the smoke slowly cleared, Rimuru's silhouette emerged, standing tall.
Whitebeard lay unconscious beside him.
Rimuru had won.
"Pops... lost?" The members of the Whitebeard Pirates gasped in disbelief. "No way! Pops never loses!"
Even Marco and the other captains were stunned. Their invincible father figure—defeated. They didn't know how to react.
Rimuru grew a pair of wings, then grabbed Whitebeard and flew toward the ship. From afar, it looked oddly comedic—like a bat carrying a cow through the sky.
As he landed and laid Whitebeard down, everyone snapped out of their stupor and rushed over.
"How is he?" Marco asked urgently.
"A little serious, but nothing fatal. He'll be fine after a month's rest," the ship's doctor concluded after a quick check.
"Um... sorry. I guess I hit him too hard." Rimuru scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. Injuring the old man like this made him feel a little bad.
"Not your fault," Marco rolled his eyes. "Don't go apologizing for nothing. It was a duel—getting hurt is part of it. Pops won't blame you. He's Whitebeard, after all!"
"Yeah…" Rimuru looked over at the unconscious man. "He's Whitebeard, alright."
"My Lord, don't you have that recovery potion?" Ranga trotted up beside Rimuru, tail wagging.
"Oh, right! Thanks, Ranga!" Rimuru clapped his hands, eyes lighting up. He summoned two blue jelly-like orbs in his palms.
"What are those?" Marco and the others asked, puzzled by the strange blobs.
"These are Perfect Recovery Potions!" Rimuru explained, tossing one onto Whitebeard. The jelly splashed and vanished into his body. A soft glow spread across Whitebeard's skin. "He'll be fully healed—body and stamina!"
"Ahhh, that feels good…" Whitebeard groaned as he slowly woke up, letting out a sigh of relief.
"So powerful!" the shocked members of the Whitebeard Pirates exclaimed in awe.