A fsh of cold light streaked through the air at an incredible speed. Newgate, caught off guard, couldn't avoid it in time. His chest was pierced through, leaving a bloody, gaping wound as the bde vanished.

  Blood immediately spilled from the corner of his mouth. Seizing the opportunity, Sakazuki delivered a powerful punch straight into Newgate's chest.

  The scorching blow hit with devastating force, leaving a charred hole in Newgate's chest. The impact made Newgate stagger, his body leaning backward as though he might colpse.

  But in the next moment, his feet pnted firmly on the ground. Without hesitation, he swung his fist at Sakazuki.

  Sakazuki made no move to dodge. The moment he attacked, he'd already given up the chance to evade. He quickly raised his arm to block, but Newgate's punch still sent him flying.

  Blood spewed from Sakazuki's mouth as he crashed to the ground, rolling twice before coming to a stop.

  Newgate could no longer suppress his injuries. He opened his mouth and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

  From Sakazuki's strike to Cudius's follow-up and Newgate's counterattack, the seemingly complex exchange happened in just a few breaths.

  As Newgate steadied himself, his gaze instinctively shifted toward Cudius only to find that Cudius, who had remained seated until Shiki appeared, had now vanished.

  Armed, Newgate's eyes narrowed. He instinctively raised his fist and smmed it into the air, shattering the space around him.

  Sure enough, as the cracks spread, a bde shimmering with cold light grazed his waist but missed its mark.

  If not for the fractured space distorting the bde's trajectory, Newgate would have been struck again.

  His expression twisted with fury as he roared, "Get out here!!!"

  A powerful shockwave erupted from beneath his feet, tearing through everything around him.

  Three to five meters away, Cudius's figure materialized from thin air. He clicked his tongue regretfully. "Your reactions are sharp, Newgate..."

  Newgate gred at him, voice low and irritated. "Save your fttery, Cudius."

  This was the first time the two men had met face to face. Though not strangers to each other, Newgate had seen Cudius in the newspapers, and Cudius certainly knew the legendary "Strongest Man in the World."

  Cudius smiled faintly. "First time meeting... and the st, Edward Newgate."

  "Arrogant brat!" Newgate growled. He smmed his foot into the ground, propelling himself toward Cudius with a vibration-coated fist.

  Cudius stood his ground. White mist erupted from his hand as he stepped forward to meet the strike.

  The moment their fists collided, Cudius's arm shattered into fragments. It looked like a clean hit for Newgate, but then a bitter chill spread across his knuckles. His skin turned pale and frostbitten.

  Newgate's eyes widened in surprise. The freezing energy wasn't like Kuzan's, it was colder, deadlier.

  Meanwhile, as Newgate battled Cudius and Sakazuki, Sengoku barked into a Den Den Mushi, "Activate the encircling wall—now!"

  With his command, the port of Marineford transformed. Metallic walls rose from beneath the surface, encasing the harbor. Only the section blocked by the gcier remained open.

  Artillery ports appeared along the walls, unleashing a relentless barrage on the pirates trapped in the ice.

  The battle, which had briefly shifted in the Whitebeard Pirates' favor, was once again tilted toward the Marines.

  Newgate recognized the trap. His forces were now cornered, funneled toward a single gap. He turned to aid his crew but was immediately blocked by Cudius and Sakazuki.

  Cudius pressed the attack. Nitrogen vapors coiled from his body as he relentlessly sshed at Newgate with the demon bde Shinbu. Forced onto the defensive, Newgate had no choice but to parry with his bare hands.

  "Sakazuki! Melt the harbor ice and drown those damn pirates!" Cudius ordered mid-fight.

  Sakazuki didn't hesitate. He leaped back from the fight, his fists morphing into molten magma.

  "Great Eruption!" he roared, unching fistfuls of magma skyward. The burning projectiles collided and then split apart, raining down like a fiery meteor shower.

  "Meteor Volcano!"

  The molten barrage crashed into the frozen harbor, rapidly melting the ice. The Moby Dick, Newgate's beloved ship of many decades, was struck and engulfed in fmes.

  Newgate's heart sank. His eyes softened with pain as he watched his fgship burn.

  "Sorry, old friend," he murmured.

  On the execution ptform, Thatch shouted desperately, "Don't worry about me, Pops! Just go!!"

  "Execute the prisoner!" Sengoku ordered.

  The two executioners raised their bdes, preparing to pierce Thatch's back.

  Seeing this, Newgate's eyes turned bloodshot. His Conqueror's Haki exploded outward with terrifying intensity, shaking the battlefield.

  But Cudius unleashed his own Haki to intercept it. Their wills cshed, sending shockwaves through Marineford.

  "You're not interfering with this execution, Newgate!" Cudius roared.

  The air between them crackled as their auras collided, stirring the sea and darkening the skies.

  But even a momentary dey was enough. With Newgate's Haki blocked, the executioners drove their swords into Thatch's chest.

  Blood spilled from Thatch's lips. He turned his head slightly and shouted, "Run, Pops!"

  "No! Thatch!!!" Newgate bellowed in anguish.

  The entire Whitebeard Pirates wailed in sorrow.

  Rage surged through Newgate's body. He coughed up another mouthful of blood, but this time, his fury overwhelmed his pain.

  His Conqueror's Haki surged again, pushing Cudius back. Newgate's injuries, age, and fatigue no longer mattered. He had nothing left to lose.

  Without hesitation, he charged Cudius and smmed his fist into Cudius's skull.

  The blow nded clean. Cudius's head shattered into icy shards, and his body was flung away like a broken puppet.

  Newgate didn't pursue. Instead, he raised both arms high above his head. His muscles tensed, his face twisted with rage and sorrow.

  With all his strength, he brought his fists down onto the ground.

  ***

  This book is complete. Support me on Patreon to read all advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.