Seeing the incoming Tailed Beast Ball, Marco smirked and scoffed, "You think this can defeat me? How naive."
With a powerful leap, he soared into the air, his body transforming into a massive, emerald-green phoenix. His enormous wings flapped as he shot forward, intending to strike the incoming sphere.
Just a tiny energy ball… So this so-called strongest newcomer is nothing special after all.
That was what Marco thought—until a massive hand suddenly reached out, grabbing him by the neck like a helpless chick and yanking him back.
Marco's eyes widened in shock. He turned his head and gasped, "Pops?!"
The one who stopped him wasn't an enemy—it was Whitebeard himself.
Whitebeard's expression was grim as he clenched his fist. A white glow shimmered around it—the telltale sign of his Tremor-Tremor Fruit's shockwave ability.
With a low grunt, Whitebeard's arm swelled with raw power. He swung his fist with immense force, slamming it directly into the Tailed Beast Ball.
Crack!
A sharp, shattering noise echoed as the very air itself fractured like a spiderweb.
BOOM!
A blinding white explosion erupted, followed by an earth-shaking roar. The shockwave rippled outward in powerful waves, obliterating everything in its path. The ground split apart, buildings crumbled, and a scorching heatwave swept through the air, sending fierce winds howling in every direction.
"What the—?!" Marco's face twisted in astonishment.
Those caught in the blast staggered, flailing as if they were boats caught in a violent storm. Jagged debris flew through the air, striking anyone unlucky enough to be in the open. Only those standing behind Whitebeard were spared from being blown away.
As the raging winds finally settled, the shaken bystanders slowly opened their eyes—only to be met with an unbelievable sight.
Half the town was gone.
What was once a lively, bustling street was now nothing but ruins. Shops and houses had been reduced to rubble, the once-sturdy roads had caved in, forming a massive crater in the earth. The entire landscape was devastated beyond recognition.
All from a single attack.
Marco's jaw hung open, his eyes wide in disbelief. Was this really the power of that tiny black sphere from earlier?
It was terrifying.
A seemingly casual strike had caused such overwhelming destruction. It was almost unfathomable.
When Marco looked at Kaguya again, his gaze had changed entirely. No longer one of contempt—now, it was one of unease, as if he were staring at a monster.
The others, including Queen Otohime, wore similar expressions of shock and awe.
So this… this is the battle of true powerhouses?
It's beyond comprehension…
Kaguya stepped forward from the lingering dust, her expression calm. "As expected of the man known as the world's strongest. You managed to neutralize my Tailed Beast Ball so effortlessly."
She had anticipated that Whitebeard could block her attack. If he had failed, she would have been disappointed.
What truly surprised her, however, was how easily he had done it—and how he had simultaneously shielded his crew behind him with his Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power.
That was something Kaguya hadn't expected at all.
Having traveled across countless worlds and honed her abilities beyond imagination, Kaguya's strength had long surpassed that of the original Kaguya Ōtsutsuki from the Naruto world. The power of her Tailed Beast Ball was now on an entirely different level.
No wonder they called Whitebeard the strongest man in the world.
"Arrogant little girl," Whitebeard smirked. "The seas are far wider than you think. If you remain this prideful, you'll suffer for it one day."
"That only applies to the weak," Kaguya replied indifferently, casting a glance at the disheveled Marco.
Marco clenched his teeth in frustration. "What did you just say?!"
"If merely being called weak shakes you to your core, then you are weak," Kaguya said coolly. "Marco, you still have much to learn."
"And what gives you the right to lecture me?!" Marco growled, his anger boiling over.
Before he could say more, Whitebeard's massive palm landed on his head with a firm thud. "She's not wrong," Whitebeard said. "A true strong man never wavers in his beliefs, no matter what others say."
Marco's fists tightened, his expression conflicted. "Pops…"
Whitebeard turned his sharp gaze back to Kaguya, smirking. "That said, I don't need anyone else teaching my sons."
With a swift motion, he tossed his cape aside, his booming laughter filling the air. "You're an interesting one, girl. It's been a long time since someone dared to speak to me like this."
"Wait a moment," Kaguya suddenly interjected.
Whitebeard chuckled. "What's wrong? Getting cold feet? If you beg for mercy now, I might let you off."
"Don't flatter yourself," Kaguya scoffed. "No matter how strong you are, you're still just an old man."
"What did she just say?!"
"How dare she talk about Pops like that?!"
"She's getting way too full of herself!"
"Just because she's pretty doesn't mean she can act this arrogant!"
Whitebeard's crew erupted in outrage, furious at the disrespect toward their captain. To them, Whitebeard was their father, and no one was allowed to insult him.
Whitebeard blinked before letting out a hearty laugh. "That's right! I am just an old man! Hahahaha!"
Kaguya glanced around before speaking. "I meant—do you really want Fish-Man Island to end up in ruins?"
Whitebeard immediately understood her point.
Their earlier exchange had only been a test of strength, yet it had already reduced nearly half a street to rubble. Kaguya had clearly held back, or the casualties would have been far worse. Even so, many Fish-Men had been injured in the collateral damage.
If the two of them went all out, they might just sink the entire island. The Fish-Men would survive, but everyone else… would be fish food.
"Then how should we settle this?" Whitebeard laughed heartily. "You've taught my son a lesson and even challenged me directly. If I let you walk away without a fight, that would be humiliating! Hahaha!"
Kaguya froze for a moment. Why does that sound so familiar?
Whitebeard turned toward Queen Otohime. "Queen, didn't you say the banquet was ready? Mind if I join in?"
Still recovering from the shock of their earlier battle, Otohime blinked in surprise before hastily nodding. "Of course! Yes, we've prepared everything!"
Whitebeard turned back to Kaguya, clapping a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Well then, girl, let's settle this the pirate way! Hahaha!"
Kaguya stiffened, suddenly getting a bad feeling about this…
...
"Ugh..."
Kaguya clutched her throbbing head, groaning in pain as she slowly sat up in bed. Her vision swam, and her mind felt like it was wrapped in fog—she might as well have died and come back to life.
"That damned old man, Whitebeard..." she muttered bitterly.
The wily veteran had tricked her. He dragged her into drinking, calling it a "pirate way," and the other pirates had egged her on, making things worse. She had barely downed a single cup before blacking out completely. Now, she was suffering the miserable consequences.
A hangover was a fate worse than battle injuries—at least those didn't make her feel this awful.
"Celestial Dragon-sama, are you awake?"
A gentle voice called out.
Kaguya turned her head to see Queen Otohime standing by the door.
Frowning, Kaguya gave a slight nod.
Otohime, noticing the scowl on Kaguya's delicate face, couldn't help but chuckle. "Here, drink some honey water. It'll help."
She handed over a warm bowl of honeyed water.
Kaguya, despite wanting to throw up at the mere sight of liquid, reluctantly took it. Since Otohime was being kind, it would be rude to refuse.
To her surprise, after forcing it down, she did feel significantly better.
Setting the bowl down on the table, Kaguya rubbed her temples. "Where did that old bastard go?"
Otohime blinked before realizing who she meant. "Whitebeard left early this morning."
She inwardly found it amusing—after all, the so-called "Strongest Man in the World" was now being referred to as an "old bastard."
"That damn geezer!" Kaguya gritted her teeth. "He just strutted around and left? Unforgivable!"
Otohime was momentarily speechless. The icy and elegant girl before her had just spouted such crude words—it was almost hard to process.
"No way, I'm going after him!" Kaguya declared, attempting to get out of bed.
She had never suffered such an embarrassing loss before!
Seeing this, Otohime quickly grabbed Kaguya's arm, speaking hurriedly. "He's already been gone for five or six hours. Even if you leave now, it's too late to catch up."
After some convincing from Otohime, Kaguya finally—albeit grudgingly—calmed down.
However, what followed was something completely unexpected. Whitebeard had voluntarily handed over Fish-Man Island's protection rights to Kaguya. Instead of claiming it as his own territory, he left its safety in her hands.
This development saved Kaguya a great deal of trouble. After all, Fish-Man Island had always been one of the places she had set her sights on securing.
Fish-Man Island was more than just a strategic location—it was the only passage to the New World besides Mariejois. Not just now, but in the future, countless pirates would pass through here on their way to the New World.
Controlling Fish-Man Island meant controlling half of the intelligence flowing into the New World. It also provided the perfect opportunity to set up checkpoints and seize pirates carrying valuable Devil Fruits.
That was far more efficient than blindly scouring the vast ocean for them.
Otherwise, given the size of the world, even decades of searching might not be enough to collect all the Devil Fruits she needed.
Suddenly, a thought struck Kaguya. She turned to Otohime and asked, "Where is the Sea Forest?"
Located northeast of Fish-Man District, the Sea Forest was a vast underwater graveyard for sunken ships, carried there by the ocean currents.
But Kaguya wasn't interested in shipwrecks—she was after the Poneglyph hidden there. While she couldn't decipher it herself, she could always entrust it to Robin in the future. That little girl would surely be delighted.
Technically, Kaguya could just ask Rayleigh. He undoubtedly knew all about One Piece and the missing history of the Void Century.
But she had lost interest in doing so.
She was beginning to understand Luffy's mindset—what One Piece actually was didn't matter. What mattered was the journey, the unknown, and the adventure itself. It was like playing a story-driven game—the true enjoyment wasn't about defeating the final boss but immersing oneself in the experience.
After acquiring the Poneglyph, Kaguya officially signed a treaty on behalf of the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, establishing friendly relations between humans and Fish-Men. She also signed off on the proposal for Fish-Men to migrate to the surface and formally integrated Fish-Man Island into the World Government's jurisdiction.
However, deploying Marines here was still unrealistic. Despite being a Celestial Dragon, Kaguya didn't have direct authority over the Marines—only in cases where a Celestial Dragon was harmed would the Navy intervene.
Moreover, historically, the reason the government had never stationed Marines here wasn't due to lack of interest—it was simply impractical.
First, Fish-Man Island lay deep under the sea. Deploying Marine warships here would be a logistical nightmare, requiring immense resources while exposing them to serious risks.
Second, as the only passage into the New World aside from Mariejois, countless pirates relied on this route. If the Marines blocked it completely, desperate pirates might lash out, potentially attacking Fish-Man Island en masse. Even the powerful Navy would struggle to handle that level of chaos.
Besides, even if the Navy locked down Fish-Man Island completely, pirates weren't fools—they'd just stop coming. And if that happened, Kaguya's plan to gather intelligence and secure Devil Fruits would fall apart.
From the start, she had never intended to station Marines here. She had a different plan in mind.
With her objectives achieved, Kaguya saw no reason to linger on Fish-Man Island and prepared for her return voyage.
Before she left, Otohime gifted her a wealth of treasures, including Fish-Man Island's famed delicacies—legendary sweets said to surpass even the taste of meat.
In the original story, even Luffy, who only cared about meat, had praised them. Even Big Mom, the Yonko obsessed with sweets, had been enchanted by them. There was no doubt they lived up to their reputation.
However, just before departing, Kaguya remembered something.
She turned to Otohime and requested a particular treasure chest from the royal vault.
Otohime was surprised—how did Kaguya even know about that chest? But without hesitation, she granted the request and handed it over.
Kaguya examined the ornate box in her hands. If this thing disappears, maybe… just maybe… the tragedy from the original story will never happen.
Little did she know, news of her battle with Whitebeard had already spread like wildfire across the Grand Line, setting the world ablaze with rumors…
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