Meanwhile—
On the wreckage-strewn island within the harbor.
Giant boulders lay scattered, and fallen trees lay broken and splintered. The ground was riddled with numerous large craters, while dust lingered in the air, refusing to settle.
Among the craters of varying sizes lay the heavily damaged bodies of Pacifistas, their metallic forms sparking intermittently.
Fate had played a cruel trick.
This squad of war machines, in which the Navy had placed great hopes, had failed to realize its potential and had fallen at the hands of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Yet fate had also toyed with Blackbeard, as the very presence of these Pacifistas had robbed him of his chance to obtain the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Not far away—
The heavily injured Sentomaru lay motionless on the ground. His massive double-edged axe, having endured a fierce assault, was shattered into dozens of pieces scattered beside him.
Surrounding him stood the Blackbeard Pirates.
"These robots, identical in appearance to Bartholomew Kuma, must be the Navy's secret weapons," Van Augur remarked as he holstered his rifle, Senriku, his sharp eyes scrutinizing the motionless Pacifista before him.
"What a useless secret weapon! Just a waste of my time!" Blackbeard sneered, casting a disdainful glance at the defeated Pacifistas, his expression dark.
Jesus Burgess, the champion wrestler, pointed toward the plaza, his booming voice ringing out, "Captain, that shadow that took Whitebeard's body seemed to head in that direction."
"I know."
A menacing gleam flashed in Blackbeard's eyes as he growled, "But the 'time limit' has already passed."
"So, in other words—"
The crew's gazes converged on Blackbeard, each filled with different emotions.
"That's right, I failed."
Blackbeard admitted his defeat without hesitation.
A silence fell over the group.
After a brief pause, Shiryu of the Rain spoke with intent, "Whitebeard's power, capable of causing earthquakes, is certainly destructive, but Sakazuki's ability is nothing to scoff at either."
A cigar dangled from his lips, its curling smoke partially obscuring the bloodthirsty gleam in his eyes.
Back in Impel Down, he had slaughtered prisoners—not for justice, but to satisfy his own desires. Though his victims had been criminals, his actions had at least aligned with his duty.
However, after Magellan threw him into a cell, his convictions had begun to erode in the cold, damp, and lightless prison.
Thus, when the Blackbeard Pirates freed him, he abandoned his former ideals entirely, betrayed Magellan, and used the antidote advantage to personally end the warden's life.
Now, setting his sights on an admiral of justice, Sakazuki, carried no psychological burden.
Shiryu's words immediately drew the crew's attention.
"Murururu… That sounds like an interesting idea," Catarina Devon, the wielder of the Mythical Zoan Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit, sneered before sighing. "Too bad Sakazuki isn't a woman."
"Hic…"
The drunken giant, Vasco Shot, hiccupped and slurred, "While I'm still drunk… should we have ourselves a little fun?"
"Aah, aah… I used up quite a bit of strength just to get out of that prison."
The Corrupt King, Avalo Pizarro, crossed his arms and smirked sardonically. "And now we're supposed to fight Sakazuki? That guy doesn't look easy to deal with. But since our captain failed, we've got no choice but to stretch our muscles again."
His words carried a subtle edge, hinting at his ambition to challenge Blackbeard's leadership.
Burgess, however, failed to catch the underlying meaning and enthusiastically raised his muscular arms, laughing, "Ze-ha-ha-ha! I love a good fight! Captain, let's go all out!"
"Magma-Magma Fruit, huh?"
The fierce gleam in Blackbeard's eyes slowly faded. He scoffed, "Forget it. The ability I want is the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"But you missed your chance to take it."
Avalo Pizarro wasted no opportunity to highlight Blackbeard's failure.
Yet Blackbeard remained unfazed by Pizarro's veiled challenge. He raised his right fist, where swirling darkness roiled—eerily similar to Maude's shadow wave.
"I may not have taken it directly from Pops, but Devil Fruits reincarnate. All I have to do is find the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and eat it."
"Find the Tremor-Tremor Fruit… The very power that made Whitebeard the 'strongest man in the world,'" Van Augur mused, analyzing calmly. "Once it resurfaces, it'll undoubtedly ignite fierce competition. And the worst-case scenario is that the lucky finder will be unable to resist its allure… and consume it immediately."
"Zehahaha… That doesn't matter."
A murderous glint flashed in Blackbeard's eyes.
"Whoever eats it… dies."
...
Near the execution platform.
Sengoku's expression was grim.
The Pacifistas had yet to enter the battlefield, and there was still no word from Sentomaru.
"What's going on over there…?"
A sense of unease crept into Sengoku's mind, but with the battle still raging, he had no time to verify the situation.
His eyes swept across the battlefield.
Kuzan's timely intervention had stopped Sabo and the others from escaping through the air.
Towering over 100 meters high, an ice wall stood behind the execution platform, while shattered raven sculptures littered the ground—evidence of Kuzan's handiwork.
Furthermore, with the destruction of the wild beast army, Vice Admirals such as Gion and Tokikake had reinforced the encirclement, forming an impenetrable siege around Sabo and his group.
With such overwhelming reinforcements, Fujitora had the perfect conditions to seal off the sky.
In other words—
Whether through Marco's flight ability or Karasu's flock of ravens, there was no escaping from above.
The only alternative was the tunnel Morley had dug in advance.
However—
With Sakazuki's arrival, molten magma dripping from his face, escape through the underground route was no longer an option either.
No way up. No way down.
Sabo's group was truly trapped.
"A defensive barrier ability? Futile."
Sengoku gazed at Sabo, Ace, Robin, and the others behind Bartolomeo's barrier, his face devoid of emotion.
Despite the Pacifistas failing to arrive as planned, the situation was already clear.
Yet, an unsettling factor remained—
Images of the Blackbeard Pirates and the ruthless criminals from Level 6 of Impel Down flashed through Sengoku's mind.
And—
His eyes briefly flickered toward the Whitebeard Pirates' remnants, desperately fighting for survival.
At last, his gaze settled on Maude.
"You, who harbor hostility toward pirates… Even after discarding your Warlord title, you have no reason or motive to intervene further."
Although Maude's sudden resignation from the Seven Warlords had surprised Sengoku, he believed Maude would continue hunting the Whitebeard Pirates.
At that moment, Sakazuki's cold voice rang out.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, let's execute them here and now."
"Of course."
Sengoku's expression remained impassive.
Inside the barrier—
Ace gritted his teeth, seething with frustration. "Damn it… If only we could remove these Seastone cuffs…!"
"Should I give it a try?"
Bartolomeo whispered, "I used to pick locks—uh, I mean, I had a locksmith friend back in my gang days who taught me some tricks."
"Hurry!"
Ace didn't hesitate.
Bartolomeo glanced at the cuffs and muttered, "Someone has to hold them steady, but I can't pick the lock and maintain the barrier at the same time. If it disappears…"
Everyone turned toward the barrage of relentless attacks striking the barrier, their expressions heavy.
"Now… might be the best time to seek Maude's help."
Robin produced the Shadow Mark.
All eyes turned to her.
Nami's face lit up with realization and hope. "That's right! Robin still has a way to make Maude help us!"
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