"Taro, it's you again, you bastard!"
Blackbeard was furious and cursed loudly. Realizing that Akainu might catch up soon,
he forced down the anger in his heart, calmed his emotions slightly, and whispered to his companions:
"We can't stay in a stalemate with this guy right now. We have to leave quickly!"
Taro glanced at Blackbeard with disdain and unsheathed his blade. "Thinking of running away again?"
Blackbeard scanned his companions. "I'll stay behind to hold him off. You guys go and get the ship ready!"
Then he looked back at Taro. "Jie-ha-ha-ha! Taro, I didn't want to deal with the Marines so early, but since you've delivered yourself to me, you can't blame me!"
Before he finished speaking, black smoke billowed from his body, and he opened his right hand.
"Dark Water"
A majestic gravitational force suddenly pulled Taro's body. Blackbeard raised his left hand high, and vibration energy surged from his fist.
While being pulled toward him, Taro had already swung his blade.
"Mihawk Slash: Swing"
A horizontal sweep slashed directly toward the Blackbeard Pirates.
Bang!
Blackbeard's vibration energy collided with Taro's slash, letting out a loud bang that made the earth tremble.
Blackbeard's companions took the opportunity to sprint toward the pirate ship.
"Mihawk Slash"
Taro turned and slashed toward the pirate ship. Without it, he wanted to see how these bastards would escape.
Sizzle!
Shiliew flew forward and blocked with his sword. Taro's slash sizzled against Shiliew's blade.
Now with only one arm left, Shiliew found it very taxing to completely block Taro's attack.
He let out a loud shout and thrust upward with all his might, deflecting Taro's slash slightly. The Sword Qi sliced past the stern of the ship, splitting the surface of the sea.
At that moment, Blackbeard's Dark Water pulled Taro in front of him. He swung his Quake Fist again, smashing it toward Taro.
Taro frantically channeled his Internal Energy. The pure Internal Energy surged out of his body and coated his fist as he met the attack with his own Quake Fist.
Two crisp sounds of cracking glass rang out as the narrow space between Taro and Blackbeard shattered instantly.
Two massive vibrational forces erupted suddenly, and the powerful shockwave sent both of them flying backward.
Rumble...
Both of them smashed through several giant stone pillars before finally coming to a halt.
"Impossible! You're a total monster! It's one thing to still be able to use your abilities while controlled by my Dark Water, but why do you know this move too?!" Blackbeard cried out in shock, his face turning pale.
Taro gave a contemptuous smile and said disdainfully:
"Blackbeard, you're always so arrogant, thinking you're invincible under heaven? I've told you, yours isn't the only abnormal body in this world!"
Having said that, he turned his gaze toward Shiliew.
"And you, you bastard. Did you catch something from Blackbeard? Acting like some 'One-Armed Great Hero' in front of me? How about you call me 'Daddy' and I'll get you a condor to match?"
Shiliew didn't understand what "Great Hero" meant, but he knew that with the words "One-Armed" involved, it couldn't be anything good—not to mention being told to call him "Daddy"!
"Taro, you cut off my arm and stole my famous blade. It's time to settle this deep-seated hatred once and for all today!" Shiliew touched the shoulder of his severed arm, his eyes completely bloodshot.
"Tch, settle it? You weren't my match back in Impel Down, let alone now. Are you even worthy?" Taro sneered, pointing the tip of his blade toward Blackbeard.
"Is it because this piece of trash is here that you think you're capable again?"
Blackbeard walked to Shiliew's side and stood in confrontation with Taro.
His gaze toward Taro was both angry and wary, but he felt anxious inside, worried that Akainu might pursue them at any moment.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the others had boarded the ship. With a change of heart, he laughed loudly.
"Jie-ha-ha-ha! Shiliew, I'll block him. You look for an opportunity to strike!"
Having finished his bold declaration, he raised both arms high, his hands shaped like tiger claws as if pulling down the canopy of heaven, and clawed downward with force.
"Earthquake!"
Taro also noticed the movement over by the pirate ship. Without hesitation, he stabbed thunderstorm into the ground in front of him, crouched slightly, clenched both fists, and sent his Internal Energy frantically surging toward them.
Crack!
The space shattered with a crisp sound.
"Sea Quake!"
Under the assault of the Earthquake and Sea Quake, half of Flame Island saw its ground crack and heave. The sea surface split and overturned, and the tide receded rapidly, revealing a seabed full of sand and stone.
"You bastard, this is impossible! How can there be two Tremor-Tremor Fruits in the world at the same time?!"
If Blackbeard had been surprised by Taro using a move similar to the Quake Fist earlier, there were still potential explanations. But seeing Taro use "Sea Quake" now, he couldn't think of any other explanation.
He was scared out of his wits, his face changing drastically.
Beside him, Shiliew's face turned deathly pale instantly. He didn't dare stay any longer, taking a step back and turning to leap toward the pirate ship.
At this moment, because the sea had surged and receded, the pirate ship was actually grounded, but Shiliew couldn't care less about that. He just wanted to get as far away from Taro as possible.
He had always believed that the Blackbeard Pirates were the companions he had been waiting for, and Blackbeard's acquisition of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit during the Marineford War as planned had made him even more certain.
However, the fates of Lafitte and Doc Q gave him a sense of crisis. With one arm lost and his strength greatly diminished, he worried he might be discarded as cannon fodder at any moment.
Now that Taro had also displayed the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he was no longer optimistic about the future of the Blackbeard Pirates.
That was why he turned tail and ran, retreating from the battlefield.
"Shiliew, you bastard!"
Blackbeard cursed loudly, then raised his fist and sent a Quake Fist toward Shiliew.
Immediately after, his entire body was enveloped in dark, thick clouds as he gave chase.
Taro was stunned for a moment. Were they actually scared off?
In truth, Taro's own internal injuries hadn't healed yet, and unleashing that Sea Quake had consumed quite a bit of Internal Energy. He guided the remaining energy back into his body, picked up thunderstorm, and slowly followed.
The ship is grounded, and you still think you can run?
Taro looked relaxed and was in no hurry.
And then, he was proven wrong.
He saw the "San Juan Wolf" San Juan Wolf jump off the bow, his body suddenly ballooning into a giant nearly 200 meters tall.
That massive palm grabbed the pirate ship and hurled it out toward the open sea.
Immediately after, he grabbed the fleeing Blackbeard and Shiliew and threw them out as well.
Having done all this, Wolf stepped onto the exposed seabed and sprinted after them in a few strides. Each of his steps could cover a hundred meters, and in just a few paces, he was far from the shore.
Finally, he also leaped high into the air, his body shrinking back down as he fell toward the pirate ship like a cannonball.
Holy crap, I forgot about this guy.
Due to a moment of carelessness, the pirate ship had landed on the sea several kilometers away, with Blackbeard, Shiliew, and Wolf following close behind.
Taro's teeth itched with hatred. He instantly transformed into a Falcon and streaked across the seabed, heading straight for the pirate ship.
Just then, a figure from the pirate ship shot toward Taro like a meteor.
Taro's figure paused, his face full of surprise.
Holy crap!
Has Shiliew lost his mind, or is he just addicted to acting like the One-Armed Great Hero?
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