When Naruto opened the Seventh Gate of the Hachimon Tonkō (Eight Inner Gates), he could feel it clearly—

his entire body was boiling.

It was like his blood had been brought to a rolling boil, and every cell in his body surged with explosive power.

Clenching his fists tightly, the sheer pressure of his strength shattered the air. Even stepping lightly sent out a piercing sonic boom.

"The body's limiter… completely released. In exchange for destroying itself, it unleashes a thousand percent of its true power…"

Naruto murmured, finally understanding the true terror of the Eight Gates.

No wonder the aftermath of opening the seventh gate was agony. Once the limiters were off, the body used power it was never meant to handle.

The load was dozens of times higher—pain was inevitable.

And no wonder the Eighth Gate meant certain death. That wasn't just exertion anymore—it was self-immolation.

"Looks like I can't maintain this state for long…"

Refocusing, Naruto's burning gaze locked onto Whitebeard below.

He took a deep breath and roared:

"Asa Kujaku!!!" (Morning Peacock)

In a blur, his fists lashed out—dozens, hundreds of strikes faster than the eye could follow.

He activated the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit), coated his fists in Busōshoku Haki (Armament Haki),

and amplified it with Rokushiki techniques—channeling all that power into each blow.

Each punch shattered the air with an explosive crack.

The friction, combined with the flame powers, ignited bursts of fire with every strike.

Those flames clustered together into the shape of a blazing peacock.

A majestic inferno soared like a meteor toward Whitebeard's shockwaves.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…!

The fiery peacock and shockwaves collided, shaking all of Fishman Island.

Half the sky was swallowed in fire.

Seconds later, the shockwaves were crushed by the flaming peacock, and the sea of fire surged down toward Whitebeard like an infernal tidal wave.

"This brat… his strength increased by dozens of times in an instant…"

Whitebeard's eyes sharpened.

But he didn't flinch.

Muscles swelling, he raised his fist and shouted into the sky:

"Don't show off this candlelight at my feast!!"

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The space itself shattered as he punched.

His shockwave surged forward, overpowering the firestorm and flinging it back into the sky.

Naruto laughed as his body turned into flame, absorbing the entire inferno back into himself.

Then, he blurred—circling Whitebeard at super-speed.

"So fast!" Buffalo Atmos gasped, his eyes wide.

"My Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) can barely track him!"

Whitebeard roared and swung again at the golden blur.

"Just like that flashy brat with the light-light fruit—always dodging around!!"

CRACK!

A massive area shattered from the punch's shockwave.

The surrounding terrain cracked apart, soil exploded into chunks, and jagged ridges formed.

The land transformed in an instant.

"You old bastard…" Naruto came to a stop, glaring at him darkly.

"You trying to destroy Fishman Island?"

He was starting to worry—at this rate, Whitebeard really might obliterate the whole place.

And this island… was now his.

"Before that happens—you'll be the one lying in the dirt!"

Whitebeard stomped forward and lunged at the golden-haired youth.

"Heh."

Naruto scoffed, blinking away in a flash of golden light.

"Ten of you couldn't catch me, old man."

Unlike Kizaru's Light-Light powers, Naruto's Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God) was true spatial movement.

He could vanish in one spot and appear in another instantly.

Whitebeard's face darkened.

He knew it—this golden-haired brat was an absolute pain to deal with.

But the fury in his heart had nowhere to go.

Naruto took a deep breath and spoke coldly:

"One move to decide it all, mustache. You don't want all your sons to die here, do you?"

He glanced beyond Fishman Island.

The message was clear—if the island got destroyed, he'd live. But Whitebeard's crew? They'd all be fish food.

Whitebeard trembled with rage, but stopped moving. From high above, he stared down at the younger man.

"Brat… you dare go head-to-head with me!?"

He was the world's Strongest Man, wielder of the Gura Gura no Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit),

able to cause earthquakes, destroy space, even shatter the world.

The Marines had avoided attacking the New World for years—because of him.

Naruto didn't answer.

He simply inhaled and formed a strange hand seal.

His blood began to churn. His entire body ignited.

Oily sweat on his skin evaporated before their eyes.

Blue steam—almost like azure flames—poured from his body.

Whitebeard could see it.

This wasn't bluff.

The brat was going all in.

With a roar, Whitebeard slammed his fist into the air:

"I AM WHITEBEARD, BRAT!!!"

CRACK!

The air shattered once more as his massive shockwave came roaring toward Naruto.

And in the very next instant—

Naruto unleashed his full power and shouted:

"Hirudora!!!" (Daytime Tiger)

But unlike Might Guy's red tiger—what emerged now was a tiger wreathed in azure flame.

It roared and surged forward—colliding head-on with Whitebeard's shockwave.

BOOOOOOM!!!

A world-shaking blast echoed across the ocean floor.

The moment the tiger and shockwave met, the earth beneath them flowed like water—rushing outward.

A cyclone of wind roared across the battlefield—easily a Category 8 Gale.

Nearby pirates and distant Fishmen all screamed in agony as the wind sent them flying.

They couldn't even stay on their feet.

Fishman Island itself trembled.

"This monster old man…" Naruto panted, his body soaked in sweat.

His eyes widened as he stared through the azure fire—

Whitebeard was still standing.

"I went full power… I burned half the blood in my body…"

With his current physique, even using Seven Gates was already extreme.

But combining that with burning half his blood volume?

The force of that Hirudora surpassed Might Guy's by hundreds of times.

And even that hadn't taken Whitebeard down—though he did look a bit battered.

As the smoke and fire slowly cleared—

A massive crater hundreds of meters wide was revealed—charred black and still smoking.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the landscape.

What had once been a pristine shoreline… was now a ruined battlefield.

Whitebeard stood at the edge of the crater, panting—but unbowed.

He glared at Naruto, fierce as ever.

"Brat… is that all you've got?"

Naruto, wobbling on his feet, smirked despite his exhaustion.

"Heh… Don't act tough. One side of your mustache is already singed. I'd say you're the one looking weak now."

(End of Chapter)

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