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The entire sky filled with terrifying black thunder—the concrete manifestation of supreme Conqueror's Haki made visible through sheer magnitude. The sovereign aura displayed by Marshall D. Teach transformed Nine Snake Island into something resembling an isolated landmass threatened with annihilation by natural disasters at any microsecond.
"Zehahahaha! Only a queen with such magnificent fighting spirit is worthy of being conquered by me!" Blackbeard's laughter rolled across the plaza like apocalyptic thunder. "Boa Hancock, become this Blackbeard's woman! Accept your destiny!"
The mocking laughter arrived before his physical form materialized. An extremely dark and malevolent aura accompanied his approach—wherever the Yonko passed, the atmosphere became covered by black gas. Tangible darkness seemed capable of swallowing absolutely everything it touched, consuming light itself.
This represented the Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) operating at merely partial capacity. If Marshall D. Teach truly unleashed its full apocalyptic potential, everyone across these seas would learn firsthand how terrifying the conceptual principle of nothingness truly was.
Darkness as the origin of everything. Darkness as the destination where all things eventually return.
Boa Hancock's Perfume Femur—her leg wrapped completely in both Armament and Conqueror's Haki—had inflicted considerable damage on Blackbeard's physical body. The left half of his face had collapsed directly from the impact, bone structure caving inward from catastrophic trauma.
Moreover, he'd suffered the debilitating penalty of doubled damage inherent to the Dark-Dark Fruit's nature. The agony challenged Marshall D. Teach's endurance limits both physically and mentally—pain so intense it should have killed lesser men outright through simple shock.
However, this seemingly fatal wound wouldn't actually kill Blackbeard.
A pure black halo manifested behind the massive man—dark radiance emerging like corrupted enlightenment. It resembled the aureole traditionally depicted behind Buddha statues, the backlight symbolizing great wisdom and spiritual transcendence.
But this version was profoundly wrong.
At this moment, the black halo continuously supplied stored life energy to heal the catastrophic wound disfiguring Marshall D. Teach's face. Flesh knitted together with unnatural speed, bone restructured itself, skin sealed over exposed muscle.
When Blackbeard stood opposite the five combatants again mere seconds later, he appeared completely intact. Such a demonstration of near-immortal regeneration made the enemy coalition feel genuine pressure for the first time in this confrontation.
"That black halo manifesting behind Blackbeard..." Boa Hancock's voice carried confusion and mounting unease. "Is this also Devil Fruit power?"
The Empress found herself somewhat bewildered by the monster standing before her, so distracted she actually forgot to refute Blackbeard's offensive marriage proposal. The black halo running continuously behind the enemy radiated profound evil aura that made her skin crawl with instinctive revulsion.
No one present possessed comprehensive knowledge about Blackbeard's complete abilities. Fortunately, Diana had encountered examples of inverted halos described in ancient texts preserved on Paradise Island. The information recorded in those books could potentially explain this dark phenomenon—and by extension, illuminate Marshall D. Teach's current extraordinary state.
"The manifestation resembles the light behind Buddha statues," Wonder Woman explained carefully, her classical education serving tactical purpose. "It represents awakening, enlightenment, and transcendent wisdom. However..." Her eyes narrowed. "Normal Buddha light manifests as pure gold. There exists absolutely no historical record of black radiance. Moreover..." She gestured toward Blackbeard with undisguised contempt. "This man embodies everything antithetical to Buddhist principles."
Ancient records preserved on Paradise Island documented a legendary place called the Buddha Kingdom—a sanctuary where ascetic monks who practiced rigorous spiritual discipline lived in harmonious isolation. Every monk possessed extraordinarily noble character. Describing them as embodiments of compassion would constitute understatement rather than exaggeration.
Achieving Buddhahood represented the highest possible state any ascetic could attain. Radiant light served as one of the most important symbols confirming genuine enlightenment. Those rare individuals who'd achieved true Buddhahood were invariably great and compassionate souls who transcended worldly attachment entirely.
Such exceptional beings appeared perhaps once every century. There existed absolutely no shortcuts to authentic spiritual transcendence.
But if Blackbeard—a devil who treated human lives as worthless commodities, who murdered family for personal advancement—could somehow achieve Buddhahood... then the entire Buddha Kingdom philosophy would be revealed as nothing more than a cruel cosmic joke.
Marco possessed limited understanding of Buddhist theological concepts like enlightenment and spiritual transcendence. But he knew with absolute certainty that Blackbeard Teach had somehow obtained former Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu (Human-Human Fruit, Great Buddha Model).
Sengoku had displayed his Mythical Zoan fruit's tremendous power during the Battle of Marineford with devastating effectiveness. The Buddha's Strategist had proven himself worthy of serving as the Marine's institutional pillar for decades.
However, even after Sengoku transformed into his golden Buddha form—even at the absolute peak of his power—no visible halo of enlightenment had ever manifested behind him. No radiant backlight formed in any tangible sense whatsoever.
Facing unprecedented pressure from Blackbeard's overwhelming presence, the Phoenix flying vigilantly in the air formulated a disturbing hypothesis.
"It's highly possible that Teach has already completed full Devil Fruit Awakening for the Daibutsu fruit," Marco announced grimly. "Or potentially..." His voice dropped. "Perhaps all three Devil Fruits inhabiting his body have crossed the Awakening threshold simultaneously. That might explain the qualitative transformation we're witnessing."
The theory crystallized with terrible clarity: Awakening of the Yami Yami no Mi had contaminated the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daibutsu residing in the same body. The two Devil Fruits complemented each other in profoundly unnatural ways, causing Marshall D. Teach to manifest an image eerily similar to Māra—the demon of temptation and spiritual corruption described in Buddhist scriptures.
Not enlightened Buddha, but corrupted demon wearing enlightenment's stolen skin.
"At my advanced age, I'm still forced to deal with this category of monster," Silvers Rayleigh muttered with resignation and determination in equal measure. "Whitebeard really left behind a tremendous problem for the rest of us to clean up."
The Dark King drew his sword from its scabbard with practiced fluidity. Both Armament and Conqueror's Haki manifested simultaneously, the two forces intertwining and alternating across the blade's length in mesmerizing patterns.
This time, the legendary old man was completely serious. He wouldn't grant Marshall D. Teach any breathing room whatsoever for counterattack or escape.
The five combatants exchanged meaningful glances, wordless communication conveying absolute understanding. They had to commit everything to this fight without reservation. Anyone attempting to hide weaknesses or conserve strength in such a desperate situation would never understand how they'd died—only that death had come swiftly.
"Eliminating Blackbeard Teach represents the optimal path toward achieving my philosophical goal of cosmic balance," Admiral Kennen declared, electrical discharge intensifying to apocalyptic levels.
"Thunder Welcome!"
The terrifying technique General Raizumi had been brewing meticulously finally manifested in the turbulent sky. Ball-shaped lightning bolts nearly one hundred meters in diameter descended from the black clouds shrouding Nine Snake Island's atmosphere. Multiple spheres of crackling electrical fury poured downward simultaneously, converging on a single target location.
Marshall D. Teach surveyed the destructive scene resembling a doomsday cataclysm with casual interest. The wicked smile dominating his face never faltered despite the overwhelming assault. Some psychologically weak individuals might feel absolute powerlessness before such apocalyptic display.
But Blackbeard was a man who'd witnessed the world's true horrors and emerged stronger. He could withstand this level of pressure without breaking.
The black gas emanating around his massive frame intensified dramatically in the first instant. Dark miasma possessing the fundamental power to devour everything climbed upward through the atmosphere. The moment it contacted Admiral Kennen's ball lightning, darkness swallowed the electrical spheres whole—consuming them as though they'd never existed.
Within mere seconds, Marshall D. Teach employed a relatively minor application of his abilities to effortlessly resolve one of General Raizumi's supposedly devastating finishing techniques. The sky above Nine Snake Island became shrouded in massive patches of black gas, foreshadowing the beginning of warfare that would potentially destroy the Kingdom of Women entirely.
Although General Raizumi's killing move hadn't inflicted actual physical damage, it absolutely achieved its tactical purpose—forcing the enemy to commit attention and resources to defense. Any movement Blackbeard made would inevitably expose exploitable weaknesses.
A man and woman who specialized in close-quarters combat had already rushed directly into Marshall D. Teach's effective range during the distraction. Silvers Rayleigh executed a sword slash carrying tremendous Conqueror's Haki, the blade moving faster than conscious reaction could track.
Before Blackbeard could raise his remaining hand to mount any defense, his right arm lost contact with his body entirely—severed at the shoulder joint with surgical precision. Blood sprayed from the catastrophic wound.
A rope shining with brilliant golden radiance wrapped around Marshall D. Teach's thick neck the next microsecond. Wonder Woman Diana gripped the opposite end with superhuman strength, exerting force that would have crushed normal men's vertebrae instantly.
She pulled Blackbeard completely immobile, preventing any possibility of movement or escape. The golden rope bound him as effectively as Seastone chains would restrain a Devil Fruit user.
Seizing this critical opportunity, Diana took initiative to extract intelligence. "What is your true purpose for coming to Nine Snake Island?" she demanded, her voice carrying absolute authority.
Blackbeard had formulated a convenient lie ready on the tip of his tongue—some plausible fiction about coincidence or opportunity. But somehow, inexplicably, he found himself telling the complete unvarnished truth instead.
"I want to seize the Mero Mero no Mi," Marshall D. Teach confessed involuntarily, words spilling out despite his desperate internal resistance. "The Love-Love Fruit is completely wasted being used by the Empress. One of my subordinates requires this Paramecia ability for strategic operations."
The confession emerged mechanically, as though some external force had hijacked his vocal cords entirely.
Marshall D. Teach—temporarily restrained and missing one arm—displayed genuine panic for the first time. He didn't understand why truth had forcibly replaced his prepared deception. The sensation resembled being an old ox with a rope through its nose, controlled completely by this well-built Western woman whose physical strength made grown men feel ashamed of their comparative weakness.
Blackbeard grasped the Lasso wrapped around his neck with his remaining hand, fingers probing desperately. Realization crystallized with disturbing clarity: there was definitely something profoundly wrong with this golden rope.
Wonder Woman's weapon could somehow ignore the nullifying properties of the Yami Yami no Mi entirely, affecting the Devil Fruit user directly despite the Dark-Dark Fruit's absolute authority over supernatural abilities.
A rare treasure indeed. Perhaps even rarer than Devil Fruits themselves.
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