one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 231: Clash of Monsters – Mio vs. Whitebeard

"They actually beat my dad back!"

Joz's eyes widened in shock.

As a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, he had followed his father for years and witnessed countless battles. He was deeply familiar with Whitebeard's strength—especially when paired with the terrifying power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

Even pushing Whitebeard back was something very few people in the world could do.

"As expected of the man who made Poken retreat," Marco said solemnly, his gaze locked on the battlefield. "Seeing it with my own eyes confirms it. That guy... Black Crow is definitely powerful enough to face the Whitebeard Pirates head-on."

As they spoke—

Rumble!!

The earth trembled violently as the fierce clash continued.

"Gurarara! Kid, you've got strength and ability. Come at me again!" Whitebeard laughed heartily, clenching his right fist. Activating his Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he swung forward, and before the fist even landed, the ground cracked from the raw force of the vibrations.

"Useless, Whitebeard. You can't hurt me," Mio grinned, his eyes glinting. "No matter how terrifying your power is, it's meaningless. Besides..."

His voice dropped low, confident and sharp. "...when it comes to destruction, I might not be worse than you!"

A thought stirred.

Buzz.

The temperature in the air spiked.

Flames erupted from Mio's fists—dragon fire mingling with devilish energy. Armament Haki layered itself over his hands, turning them a deep, shining black iron hue. Dark purple and crimson-red flames twined around his knuckles.

Boom!!

Mio punched forward, and his blazing fist collided directly with Whitebeard's.

The explosion of energy that followed was cataclysmic.

An intense shockwave swept across the battlefield. Even hardened pirates watching from a distance stumbled back several paces under the sheer pressure.

And on the battlefield—Mio and Whitebeard were evenly matched!

Their fists clashed, neither side giving ground.

"A strange ability... but it's powerful," Whitebeard commented with a smile, withdrawing his fist and launching another attack.

"Tch." Mio smirked and grunted, standing his ground without flinching.

The fusion of Armament Haki, Dragon Power, and Devil Power granted Mio immense destructive might. Though the combination rapidly drained his stamina, his physical recovery rate was extraordinary, allowing him to maintain full bursts without worry.

In terms of widespread destruction, he couldn't match Whitebeard's area-shattering might. But in single combat, Mio had no fear.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Fists collided again and again.

With each clash, the ground beneath them crumbled further, deep chasms opening across the battlefield.

Boom. Boom!

After another heavy blow, Whitebeard let out a roar, grinning. "Come on, boy! Show me your full strength! Don't hold back on me. Or do you see me as nothing more than a whetstone?"

He had clearly seen Mio's strange replacement ability earlier, but noticed Mio hadn't used it again during their recent exchanges. That could only mean Mio was intentionally withholding his true capabilities.

"I won't let you down," Mio replied with a calm smile. "I just wanted to gauge the gap in power between us."

Whitebeard's strength and destructive power were at the absolute pinnacle of the world. But Mio himself was no weakling. He wanted to know—how close he was to that level.

And now, after trading dozens of blows...

There was no gap.

"Alright then," Mio said, smiling excitedly. "Let's continue."

The moment his words fell—

Whoosh.

Observation Haki erupted from Mio like a storm, instantly sweeping across the entire island.

His figure vanished.

In the blink of an eye, Mio reappeared behind Whitebeard, his right fist fully charged—dragon and devil energy crackling, Armament Haki concentrated to its peak.

Boom!!

"I was ready for that!" Whitebeard bellowed. Though the Replacement Fruit ability was bizarre, Whitebeard's battle instincts were razor-sharp. His Haki mastery, sharpened through decades of warfare, made him a monster in his own right.

He turned instantly and punched—

But his fist hit nothing.

Just before impact, Mio vanished again.

He reappeared at Whitebeard's side this time—and drove a full-power punch into his shoulder.

Boom!!

The strike exploded on contact, sending black and crimson fire across Whitebeard's shoulder.

Whitebeard staggered a few steps, and a grave look flashed in his eyes.

He looked at Mio and said in a deep voice, "Not bad, kid. You're strong."

A burn mark—charred black—appeared where the punch had landed.

This was despite the fact that Whitebeard had protected himself with Armament Haki. Had he not, the injury would have been far worse.

The fusion of dragon flame and devil fire made for a terrifying mix—and that, paired with Mio's speed and unpredictable teleportation-like ability, even made someone like Whitebeard feel on edge.

It was strange.

Too strange.

Even with his sharp instincts, it was nearly impossible to guess where Mio would reappear.

Moreover, Mio's combat experience allowed him to exploit those small windows—like when Whitebeard had turned to counterattack. While Whitebeard could react instantly once, reacting a second time in quick succession was far more difficult. His body simply couldn't keep up with that kind of continuous pressure.

Of course, even then, Whitebeard had underestimated how unpredictable Mio's Replacement Fruit really was.

And how fast he was.

"Again!" Whitebeard roared, not backing down. One solid hit wasn't enough to measure Mio's full strength.

He threw out another punch.

Mio's eyes narrowed slightly. He no longer planned to fight head-on.

No matter what, the destructive power of Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit was overwhelming. While Mio's own explosive strength was immense, if Whitebeard fought seriously and took desperate measures, he could definitely injure Mio.

That's because even if Mio's body could withstand the impact of their collisions, the vibrations generated by Whitebeard's abilities could still rattle through his limbs and deal internal damage.

No—fighting smart was the key.

With that thought, Mio vanished again.

Shup!

Then he reappeared—once more—behind Whitebeard.

"Hmph." Whitebeard had already anticipated this, turning mid-motion and punching toward him.

Shup!

Mio's figure flickered again, and he reappeared on another side.

Whitebeard didn't flinch.

With his other hand, he clenched a fist—and detonated a shockwave.

CRACK!!

The air fractured. A white sphere of vibration energy engulfed his fist and hurtled toward Mio.