Chapter Text
“ARE YOU SEEING THIS, FOLKS?!” Heimdall shouted as the two titans stared each other down. “THOR’S GOING ALL OUT! WILL OUR GIANT CHALLENGER SURVIVE?!”
Wind started to pick up and swirl around Thor as he started to float. Despite being over seven feet tall, he had to float a good deal in order to be on eye level with Whitebeard. The two stared each other down, both understanding the threat the other held.
In an instant, Thor had moved forward, chucking the hammer at Whitebeard, much to the shock of the onlookers. In the thousands of years Thor had used his legendary hammer, not once had it missed.
Whitebeard's pursed lips curved up into a smile as he clenched his fist as it turned black with the force of his will. With a grunt of effort, he winded his arm, a white orb appearing to surround his fist before throwing his punch right at the hammer.
With a definite crash, the two forces of extreme power flew towards each other before stopping a few inches away from each other. There was still a reverberating sound of a clash, but the two forces never touched each other, despite the strain both of them made as they tried to push forward.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! WHITEBEARD IS FACING MJOLNIR'S MIGHT HEAD ON! IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE FOR A HUMAN TO HOLD SUCH STRENGTH?!" Heimdall shouted as the winds blew away from the clash, forcing the announcer to hold onto his horn to keep himself from flying. The ground also started to shatter and crater around the epicenter of the clash, giving in bit by bit to the sheer power of the collision. "I CAN BARELY KEEP MYSELF FROM FLYING AWAY! WHO WILL WIN THIS FIERCE CLASH?!"
With a heave of effort, Whitebeard stepped forward and pulled through with his punch, causing Mjolnir to spiral back into Thor's hand.
"WHAT?!" Heimdall shouted, but before he could speak more, Thor started to spin, using the force that Mjolnir to help him spin faster. Winds started to blow faster, forcing most of the audience to grab their stands while causing some of the weaker members to fly from their seats.
"Wait… is he really?!" Brunhilde shouted in disbelief as she shielded herself with her arms. She turned up to look at Gol D. Roger to see if the man was struggling, only to see him laughing softly.
"Show them exactly what the human spirit is worth, Newgate," Roger's grin only widened as Whitebeard's eyes seemed to dilate and he started to move.
"This technique has only been used once before…" Odin stroked his beard as a twister appeared around Thor. "Many millennia again, against the great serpent Jörmungandr. The Geirrod."
Thor's form started to show from the twister, a savage and gleeful smile on his face as he threw the hammer over his shoulder and slammed it over Whitebeard's head.
"Did you really think I'd let that hit me, brat?" Whitebeard asked with a smirk. When Thor swung down, Whitebeard was almost completely removed from the strike zone. He winded up his fist as the blow barely missed the gargantuan man and threw an uppercut that landed right on Thor's abdomen. His eyes widened in surprise and pain as he was sent flying, crashing into the wall at neckbreaking speed.
"But how—?!" Odin stood up from his seat, his eyes wide with shock.
Brunhilde clenched her fist and grinned, her entire body shaking with excitement. This is what she was looking for. Did humanity have a chance?
Thor groaned as he forced himself off the crater he left in the wall, the corner of his lips dripping with golden ichor as he dragged Mjolnir behind him, his wild smile only wider as he looked up at Whitebeard.
"How did you know to dodge?" Thor asked, his voice barely above a whisper as Mjolnir bulged and thrummed with power.
"I simply looked into the future," Whitebeard slammed the Murakumogiri onto the ground. His smile faded as he looked down at the god before him. "Now, we should finish this fight."
"Yeah," Thor grabbed his legendary hammer with both hands and stepped forward. "Edward Newgate. You are a fine warrior. I shall carry your name in my memory for millennia to come."
"Quit speaking nonsense," Whitebeard huffed as he raised his weapon once more and held it with two hands. "Do you think I'll lose now…? With my children's lives on the line?"
"An admirable conviction," Thor said as he lifted the hammer as electricity crackled around him. "No more holding back."
"No more holding back," Whitebeard replied as black and red lightning crackled around him. More and more of the audience started to collapse to his intense will, but it only seemed to invigorate Thor more.
"Then show me! Show me the will of humanity!" Thor shouted. In an instant, he was in the air and his hammer was already halfway across his shoulder, meeting the Murakumogiri with a devastating blow.
For thousands of years, Thor stood at the peak of the gods. There were few even in the realm of the gods who could match his power. His unparalleled made him the attack dog of the gods. He did not mind the gods using him, but rarely did they ever give him a challenge. But this… this…! This was the challenge he was looking for. Fighting a mortal of all things!
"How amusing!" Thor shouted as he zipped to Whitebeard's side, then zipped again so he was behind the man. He hoped to catch him unaware, and most foes would have. But Whitebeard wasn't most foes. Faster than any man his size should, he spun around, swinging his naginata with all the momentum he could. Thor barely had enough time to raise Mjolnir in time to block it. He grit is teeth as the force of the blow sent him crashing into another wall.
"More!" As Thor flew towards another wall of the colosseum, he spun until his feet made contact. With a push, the wall cratered around him as he pushed himself as hard as he could, already swinging his hammer before he even took off. Still, though, it was timed just right to slam into Whitebeard's face, creating a shockwave from the sheer force that went into the blow.
"Agh!" Whitebeard shouted as he staggered back, blood flying from his nose and mouth. Thor smirked as he took a thunderous step forward and jumped into the air, intending to land another blow, but Whitebeard had recovered faster than he anticipated. Before Thor could even raise Mjolnir, the blade of the Murakumogiri was mere inches away from his forehead. With a flash of lighting, Thor was standing back on the ground. While he was winded, he was able to evade the gigantic blade.
"Gurarara, is that all you have, god of thunder?" Whitebeard laughed as he brandished his weapon. "If that's the case, I will take your head now."
"Don't get cocky, mortal," Thor growled as he wiped the ichor from his chin before raising Mjolnir. "I'll finish this now."
"That's the spirit!" Whitebeard shouted, his smile widening as his spirit flowed out of him in a wave of power, forcing Thor to raise his arms to block it. "Come! I shall meet your conviction head on!"
Thor obliged him as electricity sparked around him as he leapt into the air, far above Whitebeard as the clouds above them turned dark. Lightning crackled in the clouds above before a large bolt of lightning struck down on Mjolnir as Thor started to descend towards the large man.
Whitebeard gripped his weapon with both hands as his weapon was surrounded in a black coating. A white coating then started to envelop the blade beyond that as his devil fruit powers manifested onto his weapon.
An explosion of power exuded forth as the two clashed again, the lightning of a god clashing with the lightning of the king's will. Both of them strained with effort as the arena gave out and caved with Whitebeard at the center.
As Thor continued to strain, his eyes drifted over to Whitebeard, only to see someone else there. A woman with long, brown hair and emerald green eyes floating a few feet off the ground next to his weapon.
"Go forth, Edward Newgate. I shall carry you to the ends of the Earth," The woman spoke. Despite her whispering, Thor could hear her words clearly despite the raging storm around them.
Ah, so that's what I was missing, Thor's crazed smile subsided into one of acceptance as he felt himself moving forward. All these battles. All these missions the gods have sent him on. All of them were fought alone. There were no comrades to fight at his side. No comrades to share in his strength. He was always alone, and for that reason, he was not strong enough.
"Well played, Edward Newgate. I will remember you," Thor said as he fell forward to the ground, the naginata slashing through him as he landed.
As the dust settled, Thor stood proudly, looking on at the gods with a smile on his face.
"Perhaps in another life, you could have been one of my sons," Whitebeard acknowledged. Thor took a step, then another before a diagonal scar appeared on his chest before the top half of his body fell forward.
Silence overtook the arena. Both gods and humans could only stare in shock as the two half of Thor bled on the floor. Brunhilde turned to look at the gods and relished in the looks of rage and anger that coated the faces of Odin, Loki, and Zeus.
Attention was brought back to Whitebeard as he stamped his weapon on the ground. With his face bleeding and his body bruised, he raised a silent arm of victory, looking towards his crew with a solemn look.
"O-Oyaji won!" One of the crewmates shouted and the arena burst into cheers. Not just from the Whitebeard Pirates, but all of humanity celebrated. People were hugging each other and crying as balls of fire shot into the air. One of the members of the crew took to the air, flying around in the shape of a bird, blue and yellow flames surrounding him.
Gol D. Roger laughed as he put his hands on his hips and leaned backwards. "That's what I'm talking about, Newgate! I would never have forgiven you if you lost!"
Brunhilde smiled genuinely as she watched Randgriz return to her humanoid form as Whitebeard approached his crew and introduced her sister to his sons. She then turned to make eye contact with Zeus. It was hard not to crumble under the pressure. He was glaring at her with malice in his eyes as his aura was enough to even cause Göll to collapse to her knees.
"See, old man?" Brunhilde grit her teeth and smiled as she clenched her fists, her gaze challenging the king of the gods. "This is what humans are capable of. With the strength and spirit of man, they can even overcome the gods."