THE STRONGEST CREATURE OF THE BEAST PIRATES

Then, gripping Enel tightly, Alastor began to charge up.

Each time Alastor suffered fatal damage, his body would push past its limits. The current stored in his cells had already reached 500 million volts, far beyond what Enel could handle.

"Even if it's a user of the Thunder Fruit, their lightning is nothing compared to the natural power of heaven," Alastor declared. "The power of heaven is what I'll rely on next!"

With a burst of energy, Alastor leapt out of the submarine, bursting from the sea and soaring into the boundless sky. Dazzling lightning crackled and shimmered around him, making him stand out in the now dark and stormy world.

Marineford Square.

Sengoku continued to clash with Whitebeard, both men engaged in a brutal, exhausting battle.

"Gu la la la!" Whitebeard roared, ignoring his own injuries and laughing heartily. "That kid is back again, Sengoku! Are you still in the mood to fight me?"

To be honest, Sengoku was far from in the mood to continue fighting. His composure was slipping as his frustration and rage grew. Time and again, no matter how many times they tried, they couldn't defeat that man. His recovery from injury was unreal, far surpassing even the abilities of zoan-type Devil Fruit users. It was as if he were a monster, more monstrous than anyone they had ever faced.

Sengoku gritted his teeth, his voice filled with bitterness. "Whitebeard, don't be too happy. That bastard didn't come back to help you. He rescued Fire Fist Ace, not to aid you!"

Whitebeard grinned, his eyes cold. "I don't care what that brat's purpose is. The current situation is even more unfavorable to your navy."

Sengoku' face twitched as he turned to look at Alastor, who was now ascending higher and higher, nearing the stormy clouds. A sense of unease gripped him for no clear reason.

What is he planning? Why is he flying into the clouds? Could his reinforcements be waiting up there?

The only ones capable of flying this high should be Beasts Kaido or Flame Calamity King, but neither of them had shown up. Especially Kaido, who wouldn't have stayed away unless he had a good reason.

But why is Alastor heading into the sky now?

Sengoku' heart pounded. His gaze followed Alastor as he soared into the thick clouds, the lightning crackling wildly.

Rumble!

A deafening thunderclap echoed across Marineford, causing the sky to tremble and darken even further. The clouds above began to swirl, gathering as if under some unseen force.

Sengoku's eyes widened as realization dawned on him. The thunder wasn't just random—something was manipulating it. And that something was none other than Thunder Calamity Alastor!

The dark clouds churned violently, and the lightning within them intensified, now controlled by the man in the center—Alastor. He had become the master of this raging sea of lightning.

In the midst of the chaos, Alastor raised his hand, pointing toward the massive Naval Headquarters building far below.

A massive, blinding bolt of lightning, several feet thick, descended from the heavens, striking the center of the headquarters with catastrophic force.

The building, which had stood for hundreds of years and weathered countless storms, was obliterated in an instant.

Alastor couldn't help but laugh triumphantly. This was not the same as the Thundercloud techniques used by Zeus or other users of the Thunder Fruit. His control over the natural power of heaven was leagues beyond any mortal's capabilities.

"At last!" Alastor roared, his voice echoing through the battlefield. "I am the true Heavenly Thunder God!"

The destruction of the headquarters building sent shockwaves through the hundreds of thousands of sailors stationed there. Their morale shattered as the very foundation of their faith in justice crumbled beneath their feet.

Some naval officers at the general level were left in stunned silence, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.

"Is this... the power of a god?" one sailor muttered in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Koby and Berru lay paralyzed on the ground, their faces streaked with tears and snot, unable to comprehend the scale of the devastation.

"This can't be happening…" Koby whispered, his voice trembling. "How can one person do this?"

A voice echoed in his mind: "Stop this war… Don't let anyone else die."

But Koby couldn't move. His legs felt weak, his heart filled with fear as he watched the chaos unfold.

"That bastard!" Smoker cursed as he noticed the source of the thunderstorm. His original plan had been to confront Straw Hat Luffy and settle the scores from Rogue Town, but now, everything had changed.

He froze in place, his breath shallow, as he struggled to regain his senses. Clenching his teeth, a deep sense of powerlessness weighed heavily on him.

"Why… why does a pirate act with such recklessness? Is the justice of the Navy so cheap?!"

He hated his own weakness, the sense of helplessness tightening his chest.

Nearby, Tashigi's face was pale, her eyes filled with worry as she watched Colonel Smoker. She feared he might lose control and charge recklessly at the terrifying figure in the sky.

That was a man who had survived clashes with even Admiral Kizaru and Aokiji, both renowned for their immense power.

"Calm down, Smoker!" Hina said sharply, her tone cold and commanding.

Though Hina was also shaken by the sight above, she hadn't lost hope. Not yet.

At that moment, another thunderous roar echoed down, and dozens of sailors were instantly reduced to mere charred remains.

Sengoku' face darkened as his fists clenched in fury. His body trembled with pure, unrelenting anger.

"Angry?"

Alastor's calm, indifferent voice echoed from high above, chilling everyone below. "But that's just the beginning."

With those words, Alastor began to gather the thousands of lightning bolts still crackling in the sky, compressing them into a colossal sphere—the size of a massive sun, powerful enough to obliterate islands.

The energy within that sphere exceeded one billion volts, capable of draining even the most resistant of human bodies.

Alastor stepped into the void, standing atop the gathered storm, raising the colossal thunder sphere—an enormous "Sun God Thunder" that radiated suffocating pressure.

"What are you planning to do?" Sengoku roared, his eyes bloodshot. "Are you going to destroy this island and kill everyone?!"

Alastor smirked coldly, his gaze sharp. "The war itself is what matters. What do you think I'm doing?"

Doflamingo couldn't help but curse, his voice laced with fear. "Crazy… absolutely crazy! If you destroy this island, I'll be affected too!"

Though Doflamingo thrived on the chaos of war, he loathed being directly impacted by it. He cherished his position as a Celestial Dragon, enjoying the luxuries that came with his title.

Doflamingo had already begun to suspect that Alastor's mysterious accomplice—Trafalgar Law—was the one who had betrayed his Don Quixote family.

Marco, Whitebeard's first division commander, flew toward Whitebeard, checking his condition.

"What is he doing?" Marco asked, his voice filled with confusion. "He helped rescue Ace earlier, but now he seems to be acting against us too."

Whitebeard's voice was grim. "Whether it's us or the Navy, they're all his enemies. He's not interested in saving Ace or fighting for us. His goal… is the war itself."

Marco's breath hitched. "The war itself?"

Whitebeard continued, "The war will exhaust both sides, weakening the Navy and our crew alike. That's what he's after."

A shiver ran down Marco's spine. He could see now that all of Alastor's previous actions—his destruction of the execution platform, his assistance in rescuing Ace—were designed to prolong the conflict, not to end it.

"Father, we have to retreat quickly!" Marco urged, but Whitebeard remained stoic.

"It's not so easy to retreat," Whitebeard said with a deep sigh. "Don't forget the Navy isn't going to let Ace escape so easily. Even Sengoku, who hasn't acted in decades, has shown up."

At that moment, a figure rushed toward Alastor with astonishing speed, propelled by Moon Walk.

"Damn brat! If you're going to destroy Marineford, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"

The desperate sailors immediately recognized the figure. Their eyes lit up with renewed hope as they cried out, "Vice Admiral Garp!"

Garp's iron fists, hardened by years of relentless combat, radiated with powerful Haki, as he surged through the thunderstorm, ready to confront Alastor directly.

Alastor narrowed his eyes, his voice dripping with disdain. "Hero Garp… fighting again for the celestial dragon people? How many times will you stand for their benefit, pretending to uphold justice?"

Garp, full of contradictions, had long since earned his "hero" title by protecting the Celestial Dragons in the Valley of the Gods. His so-called "justice" had always been tainted by his subservience to the World Government and their ideals.

Alastor sneered. "Your justice is nothing more than a glamorous cloak covering hypocrisy!"

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