"Zehahahahaha..."
The arrogant laughter echoed across the battlefield, and the entire Marineford War fell into a stunned silence. Every eye was glued to the newcomers. Marshall D. Teach, better known as Blackbeard, stood proudly next to the Marineford building, flanked by his newly recruited subordinates, radiating immense confidence. The path to his dream had taken some unexpected turns, but he had finally accomplished his goal: forming a pirate crew and gaining a level of power that made him unafraid of his former captain, Whitebeard. The thought of it fueled his excitement and he shouted a greeting towards the Yonko:
"Old man, Captain Ace, we meet again!"
Whitebeard, blood trickling from his mouth and cold sweat on his brow, wore a grave expression unlike any he had shown before. Ace's fists were tightly clenched, while Marco and the other Whitebeard Pirates glared at the traitor with unconcealed fury.
Meanwhile, the Marines were trying to make sense of the situation.
"Isn't that Blackbeard: Marshall D. Teach, the one who just became a Shichibukai?" one Marine wondered.
"Is he here to help the Marines?" another asked.
But the questions quickly turned to alarm as others recognized the figures surrounding Teach.
"Wait, isn't that the criminal the Marines captured long ago, San Juan Wolf!?"
"And Vasco Shot!"
"Catarina Devon!"
"Avalo Pizarro!"
"These men are all infamous criminals from the sea; weren't they supposed to be captured? Why are they here?" The Marines' surprise instantly curdled into fear.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, his expression grim, turned to face Teach and demanded an answer : "Blackbeard, tell me, why are you here?"
"Zehahaha!" Teach laughed with clear arrogance upon hearing Sengoku's question. "Why am I here, Fleet Admiral Sengoku? Well, I'm a Shichibukai. I came because I received orders from the World Government and the Marines. Did you forget already?"
"Is that so? Then explain to me why these prisoners from Impel Down are here," Sengoku pressed, his voice hard. "And Kaido's daughter, Straw Hat, Crocodile, and Jinbe. What exactly did you do to Magellan?"
"What did I do?!" A cruel smile spread across Teach's face. He shot a quick glance at Shiliew of the Rain standing nearby. Teach clenched his fist, and a swirling mass of black smoke began to envelop it. "Zehahaha, of course, I silenced him! It couldn't be helped. I needed to go to Level 6 to recruit some suitable villains as my subordinates, and that guy wouldn't agree, so I had no choice but to knock him down! Zehahaha. Anyway, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, let's not worry about such small things. How about this? The Marines don't seem to be having the easiest time in this war. Would you like me, a Shichibukai, to lend you a hand?"
If anyone else had made such a brazen offer, they would have been instantly rejected. But Sengoku was different. Besides his nickname 'Sengoku the Buddha,' he was also known as 'Sengoku the Strategist'. After a rapid scan of the desperate situation on the battlefield, he understood immediately. The Marines were already using every ounce of their strength just to hold back the Whitebeard Pirates. It was simply impossible to spare any forces to engage the Blackbeard Pirates as well. He looked at the vicious new members surrounding Teach and quickly made his decision.
"All Marines, listen to my command! Do not let the Whitebeard Pirates leave this place!"
Sengoku didn't issue any direct orders to Teach, but everyone understood that this command was his subtle agreement to cooperate with Blackbeard. It wasn't because Sengoku was naive. The reality was that, for the Marines and Sengoku right now, Whitebeard was the single greatest threat. Furthermore, Sengoku had no idea that Teach possessed the unique power to steal others' Devil Fruit abilities, nor that the Yonko was his true target. Therefore, he genuinely did not consider Blackbeard a serious threat in the grand scheme of the war. Sengoku's strategy was clear: once Whitebeard was eliminated, Blackbeard and his crew would find themselves trapped at Marineford as well.
"Zehahaha, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you've made the right call~" Teach roared with laughter. He immediately turned his attention to Whitebeard. "Old man, you're past your prime! Leave your life right here!"
Teach was an intelligent man. He had no intention of genuinely helping the Marines; his goal had always been singular: to seize Whitebeard's power. With that in mind, all the Blackbeard Pirates immediately charged towards the ailing Yonko.
"Old man!" Ace cried out, his face a mask of anxiety. He was desperate to help, but the Sea Stone handcuffs on his wrists rendered him powerless.
"Ace!!!" Luffy also looked up, worry etched onto his face as he saw his brother's distress.
Just then, a familiar voice cut through the noise. Not far away, a man in a Marine uniform, performing a strange ballet, hopped toward them on one leg. Luffy's face instantly lit up with excitement. "Mr. 2!" he yelled.
It was indeed Mr. 2 Bon Clay. He leaped to Luffy's side and, to the great surprise of both Luffy and Ace, produced a large string of keys.
"Straw Hat Boy, hurry up!" Bon Clay urged.
"Thank you so much, Mr. 2!" Ace happily added his thanks.
However, Bon Clay had brought an overwhelming number of keys. As Luffy frantically tried them one after another, a terrifying rumbling sound erupted. A large, churning mass of red magma burst up from the ice beneath their feet.
"Straw Hat!" The scorching, magma-infused fist struck true, sending Luffy, Ace, and Mr. 2 flying into the air.
The string of keys also slipped from Luffy's grasp.
"Oh no!"
Just as the trio was about to be engulfed by the searing magma, a disheveled figure appeared in the nick of time, blocking the incoming attack. The figure struck the magma fist head-on.
"Thunder Bagua!"
"Kaido's daughter!" The magma user, Marine Admiral Akainu (Sakazuki), finally erupted in complete fury as his attack was blocked once more. His magma fist swelled even larger, engulfing all four figures in its deadly heat.
"Melt away!"
"Zehahahaha..."
Blackbeard laughed excitedly as he stood before Whitebeard, his hand shrouded in swirling black smoke.
"Do you see, old man? Your era is over. I've got the power I wanted. Now, this stage belongs to me! I'm going to replace you, old man, and become the Pirate King!"
"Pirate King!" Whitebeard's eyes narrowed. "Teach, I don't pretend to know the true meaning of the letter D, but I can assure you that the person Roger is waiting for is absolutely not you."
Blackbeard was entirely unfazed. "Zehahaha, old man, how pathetic! Are these your final words? Too bad, you won't live to see the day I become the Pirate King! Attack, boys!"
With that command, all the Blackbeard Pirates launched their combined attack on Whitebeard. Whitebeard, in turn, raised his right hand high.
"Teach, you are the one person I will never acknowledge as my son!"
Whitebeard activated his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability, and Blackbeard charged forward without fear.
"It's useless, old man. I have the power I wanted! Before the absolute darkness of the Dark-Dark Fruit, all other abilities are useless!"
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit collided in a massive explosion.
"Boom!"
A massive chunk of cooled, yet still-smoking rock fell from the sky, its surface crisscrossed with flowing red magma. Sakazuki, the Logia-type user of the Magma-Magma Fruit, materialized before everyone. Blood flowed from a cut on his forehead, and his brow was deeply furrowed in anger.
"Crack!"
As the rock slowly began to split, a burst of bone-chilling cold and a surge of intense flame simultaneously emanated from the growing fissure.
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