One Piece: Deriving All Things

An endless expanse of ocean stretched as far as the eye could see.

Thick clouds loomed heavily overhead, rumbling with thunder and crackling with lightning. Below, countless massive ice fragments floated on the water's surface.

On two larger ice platforms stood two figures—one tall and muscular, wielding a long naginata, and the other shirtless, his body coiled with crackling lightning.

They were none other than Sanders and Whitebeard, locked in a fierce battle.

A full day had passed since the fight began.

From the deck of the Moby Dick, the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates watched the distant battlefield with tense expressions.

"Marco, do you think Sanders can actually fight toe-to-toe with Pops like this?" asked Vista, the Flower Sword, as he stared at the shattered ice.

"I don't know," Marco replied, shaking his head. His gaze, filled with worry, turned toward Whitebeard.

As the ship's doctor, Marco was well aware of Whitebeard's physical condition.

He knew that a single day of fighting like this wouldn't severely worsen Whitebeard's health or aggravate his internal injuries. But after that... things might not look so good.

The longer the battle dragged on, the more Whitebeard's body would deteriorate.

Meanwhile, Marco turned his gaze toward Sanders. He knew full well that he himself wouldn't have lasted even a day under Sanders' relentless assault.

"We've received reports that the Beasts Pirates are attacking our territories," Diamond Jozu said grimly.

"Many lives have been lost."

The news had just come in. The Beasts Pirates, led by Kaido, were taking advantage of the situation to seize Whitebeard's territories. Some of the allied crews under Whitebeard had even been wiped out.

"Despicable! Kaido is clearly exploiting the situation!" Thatch exclaimed, his eyes burning with fury.

"Should we go stop them?"

"Pops will definitely defeat Sanders. We can leave a few people here to assist Pops while the rest of us deal with the Beasts Pirates," Jozu suggested, turning to Marco.

As the de facto leader in Whitebeard's absence, Marco's decision carried weight.

Jozu had absolute confidence in Whitebeard. In his mind, Sanders' defeat was only a matter of time.

Hearing about the Beasts Pirates taking advantage of the situation, Marco's expression darkened. After a brief silence, he gritted his teeth and said,

"Forget the Beasts Pirates for now. The most important thing is Pops' safety. Losing territory is something we can recover from, but we can't let anything happen to Pops."

"Inform everyone—if others try to take our territories, don't engage. Retreat immediately and focus on preserving our strength."

The crew's expressions soured.

Preserve their strength? When had the Whitebeard Pirates ever been forced to endure such humiliation?

If not for Whitebeard being occupied, they would have long since charged at the Beasts Pirates. But they had no other choice now.

Leaving Whitebeard alone wasn't an option, and a group attack on Sanders would bring shame upon the Whitebeard Pirates' name.

"Damn Kaido! When this is over, I'll make the Beasts Pirates pay for this!" Vista growled, gripping his sword hilt tightly.

On the battlefield.

Sanders' chest rose and fell as he panted, his eyes fixed on the aged yet domineering figure in the distance.

After a full day of combat, Sanders could tell he had almost unraveled all of Whitebeard's techniques.

"He's incredibly strong."

Mind, body, and skill—Whitebeard had reached the pinnacle in all aspects.

Despite fighting for an entire day, Sanders hadn't sensed any frailty in Whitebeard, only an overwhelming and unparalleled power.

Whitebeard's moves had no names, much like his fighting style.

Every strike was bold and wide.

The vibrations from his Gura Gura no Mi combined with his immense Haki made each clash feel like an attempt to shatter everything and obliterate all existence.

Taking a deep breath, Sanders glanced at the broken ice around him.

An icy chill surged from within his body.

It was time to go all out.

The shattered ice surface was rapidly frozen again, forming a thick layer of ice under Sanders' control. The chilling aura spread, making the intensity of the battle even more palpable.

"Gurararara!"

Whitebeard squinted his eyes, staring at Sanders as he said in a deep voice:

"Sanders, show me your true strength! Don't tell me this is all you've got!"

Throughout their earlier exchanges, Whitebeard hadn't sensed Sanders fully utilizing his ice-based powers to freeze everything.

"Of course!"

Sanders grinned and nodded.

"The warm-up is over, Whitebeard!"

As he spoke, Sanders concentrated, activating the powers of his Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon form.

Roar!!

A low, guttural growl escaped from Sanders, and an overwhelming, primal aura erupted from his body. His form began to expand, his limbs swelling with raw power. Gradually, patches of shimmering scales emerged on his exposed skin. Two protrusions appeared on his forehead, slowly transforming into a pair of dragon horns. Half of his face became covered in scales, and a massive dragon tail extended from his back.

Without hesitation, Sanders revealed his hybrid form of the Azure Dragon. Unlike Kaido, however, Sanders' entire body crackled with lightning.

If Kaido's hybrid form was that of a pure Azure Dragon, then Sanders' form could be described as a Thunder Dragon.

"This is… Kaido's Devil Fruit ability?"

Even someone as experienced and well-traveled as Whitebeard, with decades of dominance over the seas, was momentarily stunned by the sight before him.

Previously, when Sanders had used powers reminiscent of a Marine Admiral's abilities, Whitebeard had speculated that Sanders might possess some sort of unique Devil Fruit. However, he hadn't expected him to also possess a Mythical Zoan ability similar to Kaido's.

From afar, the crew of the Whitebeard Pirates watched in shock.

"Hey, hey, is this some kind of joke?!"

"Isn't that Kaido's ability? How does Sanders have it?!"

"Wasn't he a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user?"

"What nonsense! Earlier, he used ice powers like the Ice-Ice Fruit. What the hell is going on?"

"Does Sanders have multiple Devil Fruit abilities?"

"But the original users of these powers, like Admiral Aokiji and Kaido, are still alive, aren't they? What kind of Devil Fruit is this? Is it a copying ability?"

The crew exchanged nervous glances as worry set in.

The nature of Mythical Zoan fruits was well known—they granted formidable recovery and defensive abilities. With such regenerative power, Sanders now had an edge in endurance.

Most importantly, Sanders had shown no signs of fatigue so far. If this dragged on, it was Whitebeard's body that might falter first.

In the crowd, Marshall D. Teach's eyes gleamed with a greedy light as he stared at Sanders.

Multiple Devil Fruit abilities.

And the original users of these abilities were still alive!

What kind of power was this? Teach had never seen such a Devil Fruit recorded in any of the encyclopedias he'd studied.

If he could obtain Sanders' ability, would he even need to search for the Dark-Dark Fruit?

An intense desire surged in Teach's heart as he gazed at Sanders, longing to possess this mysterious power.

Yes.

Marshall D. Teach believed this must also be some kind of Devil Fruit ability, even if it wasn't listed in any Devil Fruit encyclopedias he'd read.

Throughout history, countless types of Devil Fruits had appeared, and not all were documented.

Despite his burning ambition, Teach knew defeating or killing Sanders was no easy task.

At this moment, he found himself fervently hoping Whitebeard would prevail. Better yet, he hoped Whitebeard could kill Sanders, as that would be his only chance to claim this power.

"Gurararara!"

"You're truly full of surprises, Sanders!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, showing no fear. Instead, he looked at Sanders with intrigue.

"If I'm not mistaken," Whitebeard said, "you've already taken Kaido's fruit for yourself, haven't you?"

He suddenly recalled a news report from over a year ago, which mentioned that the Thunder God Pirates had obtained the Float-Float Fruit.

It seemed now that the ability to make massive islands float midair indeed belonged to Sanders. After all, a fresh Devil Fruit user couldn't possibly achieve such feats.

"You're talking about the Float-Float Fruit?"

"Yes, it's in my possession," Sanders replied nonchalantly.

As he extended his dragon claw, his hand moved slightly, and the ice layer beneath Whitebeard's feet began to tremble. In the blink of an eye, several massive ice lion heads emerged around Whitebeard, roaring as they engulfed him.

"Pops!"

The crew of the Whitebeard Pirates aboard the Moby Dick shouted in alarm.

Marco stared at the ice lions in the distance, shock evident on his face.

He had seen this technique before—long ago, during a battle with the Flying Pirates led by Golden Lion Shiki.

As one of the earliest members of the Whitebeard Pirates, Marco had encountered many legendary figures of the sea. Naturally, Golden Lion Shiki, who once rivaled Whitebeard, was among them.

Boom!

At Whitebeard's location, countless cracks appeared in the ice constructs before they shattered into fragments the size of eggs, scattering across the icy surface. Whitebeard's towering figure emerged from the icy wreckage.

"Gurararara!"

"This brings back memories!" Whitebeard laughed heartily.

"Twenty years have flown by in the blink of an eye! I never thought I'd see Shiki's techniques again."

A trace of nostalgia flickered in his eyes as he seemed to recall the days when he vied for supremacy with Roger and Golden Lion Shiki. Back then, Kaido wasn't yet a fearsome name across the seas, and the red-haired brat on Roger's ship was still just a kid.

"Come on, Sanders!"

"Show me all your power and prove if you truly have what it takes to defeat me!"

Whitebeard's expression turned serious, his entire being exuding an overwhelming aura of intimidation.

"Whitebeard!"

"The seat of the world's strongest belongs to me!" Sanders roared.

Lightning flashed in his right hand, while his left arm creaked as ice began to encase it, inch by inch.

With thunder in one hand and ice in the other, Sanders transformed into a bolt of lightning and charged at Whitebeard.

Boom!

A deafening crash of thunder echoed as a lightning bolt struck Whitebeard. He countered with his quake powers, shattering the lightning, and moved to attack Sanders. However, an invisible force suddenly descended upon him.

The ice layer beneath Whitebeard's feet seemed to be compressed by an unseen pressure, sinking inch by inch.

In that moment, Whitebeard felt an immense weight pressing down on him, as if he were sinking into quicksand. His movements became sluggish, and his reactions slowed.

As he swung his naginata toward Sanders, Whitebeard laughed loudly.

"Gurararara!"

"Another ability? You're full of secrets, Sanders!"

Sanders remained silent, relentlessly attacking Whitebeard.

Under the combined assault of ice, lightning, Azure Dragon power, and an additional unknown force, even someone of Whitebeard's unparalleled strength was forced to retreat step by step.

"What's going on?"

"Why does it feel like Pops is moving slower?"

"Is it an old injury acting up?"

Vista, the Flower Sword, observed the distant battlefield with confusion. It was clear to him that Whitebeard seemed to be struggling, as though weighed down by something immense.

"He has slowed down—it must be Sanders' doing!" Marco said grimly, staring at the towering figure of Sanders.

But what kind of power could have such an effect?

Marco's mind raced, recalling every Devil Fruit ability he knew. His gaze then fell to the sunken ice layer beneath Whitebeard's feet, and a realization struck him.

"It's the Paramecia-type Gravity-Gravity Fruit! The power to manipulate gravity."

Marco clenched his teeth as he continued.

"Right now, Pops is enduring several times the normal gravity!"

"The Gravity-Gravity Fruit?"

"So Pops is practically carrying a mountain while fighting Sanders?" Vista exclaimed in shock.

"No wonder his movements seem so heavy!"

"Damn it! What's going on with Sanders? How does he have so many Devil Fruit abilities?!" Diamond Jozu growled, his face dark.

While Jozu firmly believed in Whitebeard's invincibility, Sanders' array of abilities was overwhelming.

Not only was he wielding multiple Devil Fruit powers, but his Haki and combat skills were also at the pinnacle of the seas.

Who could possibly defeat someone like that?

"Should we help Pops fend off Sanders?" Thatch suggested hesitantly.

The crew fell into an uneasy silence.

Previously, they had never considered ganging up on someone to protect Whitebeard or the Whitebeard Pirates' reputation. Such an act would be disgraceful. Neither their fatherly captain nor the entire crew could afford such a humiliation.

But now...

Thatch's suggestion seemed reasonable. After all, Sanders had come alone, uninvited, to cause trouble. If the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew decided to act, it wouldn't be unjustified.

They recalled when Kaido had once shown up alone to provoke them. At that time, to avoid unnecessary disruption, they had swarmed and forced Kaido to retreat.

And besides, they were pirates.

Teaming up wasn't something they needed to shy away from.

Sure, it might tarnish their reputation if word got out, but that was insignificant compared to Whitebeard's safety. They would gladly give their lives to uphold their captain's honor. Yet when weighed against his life, losing a bit of face seemed like a small price to pay.

To the Whitebeard Pirates, nothing was more important than family.

All eyes turned to Marco, waiting for him to decide.

Watching Whitebeard being pushed back step by step, Marco clenched his teeth, ready to give the command.

Suddenly, a panicked voice interrupted them.

"Marco, bad news!"

"A Marine warship is heading our way!"

Marco and the other division commanders' expressions changed.

The Beasts Pirates taking advantage of this moment to seize territory was one thing. But now the Marines were also intervening? Did they think the Whitebeard Pirates were easy prey?

"Who's leading the fleet?" Marco asked grimly.

If it was just a Vice Admiral from Marine Headquarters, there was no need to worry. Any division commander could easily hold them off with a handful of crew members.

"It seems to be Admiral Akainu!"

Everyone's expressions darkened.

An Admiral was a different story entirely. This was no small matter.

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't fear a Marine Admiral. With Whitebeard present, they would gladly ensure the Admiral regretted coming.

But now, Whitebeard was locked in a fierce battle and seemed to be at a disadvantage. The arrival of Akainu was nothing short of a disaster for them.

Marco quickly made a decision.

"I'll take a team to intercept Akainu. Vista, Jozu, you two stay here and keep an eye on things."

"If anything seems amiss, assist Pops immediately!"

Marco knew his flying ability gave him the mobility to hold Akainu off for some time. He might not win, but he could at least escape unharmed.

If anyone else went, it could be dangerous. Akainu wouldn't hesitate to exploit any opportunity to attack the Whitebeard Pirates, and they couldn't afford to lose anyone.

"Alright, you go, Marco."

"We'll stay and keep watch here," Vista replied with a firm nod.

With a resolute expression, Marco spread his wings, preparing to confront the approaching storm.

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T/N:

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