Two figures appeared atop the city wall. Teach stepped forward with his arms crossed, chin slightly raised, rain running down his shoulders. His gaze locked onto Jones, who stared back from the distant plaza. Gar stood just behind Teach's left side, gripping his weapon, eyes burning with excitement as he surveyed the Central Guard surrounding the Oath Taking Ceremony.
His attention lingered on the two strongest captains, Oaks and Hocheng, standing at the center of the formation. They were his chosen prey. The pressure radiating from them was unmistakable. These were warriors personally cultivated by the royal family, and even Gar felt the threat they posed. Rather than discouraging him, the sensation made his blood surge with anticipation. He forced himself to stay still. The hunt had not begun.
As if responding to the crowd's collective impatience, the live broadcast suddenly shifted. The entire kingdom saw the two figures on the main gate's wall. Even from afar, many recognized the distinctive silhouette of Teach, captain of the Nightfall Pirates. His sudden appearance at the kingdom's most solemn ceremony stunned the viewers.
"It's the Nightfall Pirates' captain. What is he doing here?"
"It looks like he intends to attack the Kraken Kingdom."
"What is happening? Why today?"
Reporters hidden throughout the city scrambled into action. A notorious pirate crew that had vanished for a month had resurfaced, and at the worst possible time for the kingdom. They immediately contacted their agencies. Whatever happened today would shake the world.
Jones recognized Teach instantly. Rage swelled within him. The interruption of his carefully planned ceremony was intolerable.
His fists clenched, joints creaking. The air felt heavy and still. He sensed Teach's rising fighting spirit and the killing intent radiating from Gar. This was no mistake. The Nightfall Pirates had come for confrontation.
All around Jones, the city guards raised their weapons. Nobles in the audience panicked, but took comfort in the presence of twenty thousand soldiers and a king rumored to be a living monster. They steadied their breaths and watched.
Teach tilted his head with a faint smile. "I need your head. Please lend it to me."
A silence fell. Everyone froze at his brazen demand. His voice rolled across the kingdom.
"You must be joking, boy." Jones's anger burst into laughter. Taking his head? Absurd. He had personally slain pirates worth well over a hundred million. Years of training and a new ability had pushed him even further. This upstart had no idea who he was provoking.
"You will understand once we begin," Teach said softly. "This means the war has already started."
His aura erupted.
For a heartbeat, time itself seemed to stop. Rain froze in midair. Light dimmed. A vast, suffocating pressure rolled out from Teach, swallowing the world in a tide of darkness.
His Conqueror's Haki expanded to its limit, covering the entire palace and surging outward.
People on the streets collapsed in waves. Guards across the plaza crumpled, their minds overwhelmed. Weapons clattered against stone as they fell. Only a handful with exceptional will remained conscious, teeth gritted, bodies trembling.
In the Western wing, Masolin and Legate stared toward the Eastern plaza in horror.
"What was that?"
"It has begun," Laffitte whispered. His body twisted into a bloody silhouette that streaked through the rain toward the Western Guard.
Van Augur quietly unwrapped his spear and prepared to join the battle.
Teach had warned the crew in advance. Anyone unable to withstand his full release stayed beyond its range for safety. Now, as the pressure subsided, the Nightfall Pirates roared with excitement and charged.
At the South Gate, Wallace stepped forward to block Dink and Tyera.
"The Nightfall Pirates declare war. Your opponents are right here."
At the North Gate, Pouf descended with fluttering wings, while Miles, in his Human Beast lion form, prowled forward. The two captains of the Northern Guard found their paths blocked.
At the plaza, Teach faced King Levinsky Jones. Gar dropped from the city wall and landed directly in front of Oaks and Hocheng. All across the palace grounds, the Nightfall Pirates cut through the guards who still stood, and finished off those who had already collapsed.
The kingdom's citizens watching from screens witnessed tens of thousands fall simultaneously. Panic flared throughout every district.
"What is happening?"
"Why did so many faint?"
The devastating reach of Teach's Conqueror's Haki left them speechless.
Jones trembled with fury. His ceremony lay in ruins. He would have to kill Teach in front of the soldiers and the kingdom to restore morale.
He vanished from sight. Teach stepped off the city wall with a slight grin as their auras flared to the peak.
Teach's hands transformed into demonic claws. Jones's fist swung toward him.
Metallic sparks erupted in the air as the two clashed. Both were forced back. Teach landed lightly, rain splashing under his feet. He kicked off the ground and shot toward Jones like a bullet.
Jones rushed in as well, fists weaving a rapid flurry. His style was pure boxing, honed on battlefields. His punches sliced the air. Teach tilted and swayed aside, guided by Observation Haki, watching the future unfold.
The moment Jones overextended, Teach snapped forward. His punch slammed into Jones's head. He grabbed Jones's arm, pivoted, and drove his elbow into Jones's chest. With a twist of his hips, he hurled Jones across the plaza.
Jones skidded along the stone and rose slowly, wiping blood from his lip. His brows furrowed.
He had underestimated Teach. The pirate's blows carried real weight, and his timing was impeccable. The injuries were manageable, but Jones realized he could not end this quickly unless he released his full power.
Teach quietly watched him. Jones hesitated. If he revealed his true ability before the war, it could complicate matters. He preferred to avoid unnecessary risks.
"Perhaps there is a misunderstanding," Jones said at last, voice steady. "If so, the Kraken Kingdom is willing to compensate you."
Teach smiled without answering. His lips moved.
Jones's expression darkened. He had read the words.
Someone sent me to kill you.
There was only one possible culprit. Tirisfal. His oldest enemy. He should have expected they would collude with pirates if necessary.
Jones breathed out slowly. His killing intent surged again.
"So that is how it is. Then we settle it with battle."
Teach remained unmoved as the killing intent washed over him. He watched closely as Jones stepped forward.
Jones threw another punch. At the same moment, several long tentacles burst from his back. Thick, coiled limbs covered in rows of suckers extended outward like monstrous serpents.
Teach had already foreseen them. The suction hidden within those suckers was extremely dangerous. Once caught, escape would be nearly impossible.
He focused, eyes sharpening.
"Demonic Claw: Ghost Bloom."
Claw lights burst from his hands in a ring, blooming like a deadly flower around him. Each point of light carried lethal precision.
A chill ran down Jones's spine. He yanked his punch back and retreated sharply. A single tentacle lashed forward to test the attack. The moment it touched the glowing petals, the limb was sliced to pieces and fell twitching to the ground.
He inhaled sharply. Teach's cutting force was extreme.
Two more tentacles stabbed downward, anchoring his retreat as he propelled himself backward to a safer range. The severed limb reformed at a visible pace, writhing as it regenerated.
The battle between the monster king and the rising pirate had only just begun.