"I'll find a way to survive… no matter what."
As he spoke, Blackbeard launched a punch forward.
A wave of black smoke surged toward Whitebeard like a tidal wave.
Whitebeard raised his hand, the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi) gathering in his palm.
He countered with a punch of his own.
Shockingly, the fist made of black mist blocked the tremor-charged strike.
Seeing this, Blackbeard burst out laughing. "Well? How's that, Pops?! My darkness can absorb the power of Devil Fruits and nullify them!"
"That means you can't cause earthquakes anymore!"
Whitebeard could feel the last strands of life slipping from his body.
But he wasn't just a Devil Fruit user.
And unlike in the original events, this time he wasn't completely drained when facing Teach.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power might've been suppressed—
But not extinguished.
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed.
Ancient Platinum—
The quake energy burst forth again.
The black mist fist shattered violently.
At the same time, Whitebeard raised Kusunokiri, his massive naginata, into the air.
"Hmph."
"You still don't understand, do you?"
Blackbeard's eyes widened in shock—he hadn't expected Whitebeard to still use his fruit's power.
But he didn't retreat.
Instead, Blackbeard rushed forward, hands engulfed in churning black smoke.
He punched out, aiming to suppress the quake energy coating Kusunokiri.
He caught the swinging blade with one hand.
"How about it?!" he shouted.
"How's my power?!"
As he gloated, Whitebeard tossed Kusunokiri aside.
His bare fist shimmered with quake energy—
a glowing orb of vibrating light.
Then he punched.
Blackbeard blocked with a single hand again.
But the moment the shockwave touched him, the darkness around him spun wildly like a vortex.
"It's useless! It's ugly, old man!"
But as Blackbeard was gloating, something fell through the swirling smoke—
Kusunokiri.
Whitebeard caught the blade in midair and slashed down.
Pshkk—!!!
He was old. Slower than before. That strike gave Blackbeard just enough time to react.
A cold gleam flashed. Blood exploded in all directions.
Blackbeard twisted his body in the nick of time, avoiding a fatal blow.
But his arrogance came at a price.
Thud—
Clutching his chest, Blackbeard staggered backward.
His body trembled violently.
"It hurts—!"
"It hurts so damn much!!!"
"Damn it!!"
Not far from him, a severed arm—with rings on every finger—lay silently on the ground.
His left hand.
Blackbeard collapsed, writhing in agony.
The pain surged through his body like an electric current, nearly stopping his heart.
Whoosh—
Whitebeard walked over, wielding Kusunokiri one-handed.
He stomped on Blackbeard's only remaining right hand, leaned down, and extended a massive arm—longer than Blackbeard was tall.
His hand clamped around Blackbeard's throat.
"You're arrogant and reckless. That's your weakness."
Ancient Platinum—!!!
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit surged once again.
A glowing white shockwave barrier formed in Whitebeard's hand.
The moment it appeared—
Blackbeard's head and neck were engulfed in quake energy.
As he tasted death's breath, his eyes widened in panic.
Just before losing consciousness, he screamed:
"Stop! Stop! Pops—!!"
"I'm your son, aren't I?!"
"Would you really kill your son?!"
Everyone watched as Blackbeard grovelled, pitiful and terrified.
In the distance, Sasuke Uchiha crossed his arms. His eyes activated the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
He sneered.
"Darkness can devour everything?"
"Let's see if it can devour my Amaterasu."
BOOM—!!!
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power erupted again.
The ground shattered, cracks spreading outward with Whitebeard and Blackbeard at the center.
"You monster!"
"You're going to kill us all!"
"Why won't you just die already?!"
"Kill him! All of you, now!!"
Blackbeard's desperate cry rallied his fellow escapees.
But before they could even get close—
Several enormous wooden hands sprouted from the ground, grabbing them mid-charge.
At the same time, blood dripped from Sasuke's eyes.
"Amaterasu."
"AHHH—!!!"
Black flames swallowed the prisoners.
The Wood Release bindings locked them in place. They couldn't even move.
They could only burn…
One by one, they were consumed by the black flames of Amaterasu.
Whitebeard raised his arms again.
Quake energy surrounded his fists like shields of vibrating light.
He had no Haki left to wield.
Only the last dregs of his fruit's power remained.
If he still had Haki, Blackbeard wouldn't have lasted even one strike.
'You're going to die, Roger?'
'Yeah. There's not much time left.'
"Want me to tell you how to reach Raftel, Whitebeard?"
The younger Whitebeard replied indifferently, "Even if I knew, I wouldn't go."
"I'm not interested."
Under the shade of the cherry trees, Gol D. Roger took a sip of sake and smiled.
"You know what the government calls me these days?"
'Oni no Roger! (Roger the Demon)'
"You know what the D stands for?"
The memory faded.
Whitebeard smiled faintly.
"You're not the one."
"The person Roger was waiting for… isn't you."
"Heh… the one the World Government fears most hasn't even come of age yet."
"However..." Whitebeard murmured, his voice rough and low. "By the time that person grows up… the World Government may already be gone. Or perhaps… that person will be gone too."
He gave a weak grin, his battered body trembling but still standing tall.
"It doesn't matter. I've already seen it… the shape of the future."
BOOM—BOOM—!!!
Whitebeard's fists slammed down.
The entire island—Marineford—trembled violently.
Blackbeard passed out without even a scream.
Whitebeard's fist, empowered by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, pounded into his head again and again like an unrelenting war hammer.
"Forgive me, sons…"
"I can no longer protect you."
"From now on, it's your path to walk."
"All I ever had… came from you."
"This… this is all I have left to give."
His voice grew faint. He slowly straightened his back.
His consciousness blurred.
Blackbeard, crumpled beneath his feet, no longer looked human.
"It's been… a long journey," he muttered.
"In the future, if you still love the sea… go out as adventurers."
"'Pirate'... that word is too tainted for what's coming."
"Thank you… and farewell, my sons."
As those final words left his lips, Whitebeard's eyelids twitched once—
Then fell shut for good.
And still… he stood.
Whitebeard—dead.
He died unbowed. An emperor to the end. He died standing.
"…We failed, Captain," someone whispered hoarsely.
The members of the Blackbeard Pirates, still bound by True Thousand Hands: Wooden Hands, smelled the thick scent of death in the air.
"This isn't just a defeat…"
"Maybe… forming an alliance with them was a mistake from the start."
Just then—
Blup—blup—blup—
A large number of bubbles rose from the depths of the sea.
Suddenly, space around Whitebeard's body distorted, swirling with spiraling chakra fluctuations.
And then—his body vanished.
Vanished completely.
No one had time to react.
And before they could even speak—
CRACK!
Dark clouds rolled across the sky.
The winds began to howl with unnatural force.
Not far away, Dracule Mihawk—Hawkeye—who had once again restrained Straw Hat Luffy and Fire Fist Ace with seastone cuffs, slowly drew his black blade from his back.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Suddenly, dozens of kunai inscribed with the Flying Thunder God seal rained down.
"The battle's not over," Hawkeye muttered.
"It looks like… two groups have arrived."
Senju Tobirama appeared beside him, arms folded across his chest.
"If I'm not mistaken… one of them is this world's Revolutionary Army."
"The father of Straw Hat Luffy—Monkey D. Dragon—leads them."
"He won't stand by while his son dies… but if he shows up here, the Revolutionary Army's existence may be forfeit."
Hawkeye nodded solemnly. "The other group... must be the Red-Haired Pirates."
"Shanks. One of the Four Emperors."
"You want to take care of them together?"
Tobirama didn't hesitate. "Of course. They haven't done anything malicious."
"But the impact of their presence... is global."
"The evil in men's hearts knows no bounds."
With that, he shook his head, clearly unwilling to delve deeper into the discussion.
"…I'll handle it."
There was no dramatic shout. No king of cowards screaming in panic.
He'd already grabbed his lunchbox and escaped downstairs long ago.
As all eyes turned back toward the captured pirates—
Hawkeye lifted his black blade above Straw Hat Luffy, preparing to bring it down.
CLANG—!!!
A blade intercepted his.
A black figure had appeared between Hawkeye and Luffy.
The intruder held a sword in one hand, having blocked the fatal strike.
Short red hair.
A black cape fluttering behind her.
"Don't move."
Before Tobirama could react, his chakra surged as he raised a finger.
But a calm voice came from behind him—
A musket was now pressed to the back of his head.
A man stood there, puffing calmly on a pipe.
It was Ben Beckman of the Red-Haired Pirates.
He didn't need to speak. His posture said enough.
Shanks, the man who had once passed his straw hat to Luffy, had arrived.
The man who led Luffy to the path of piracy.
Garp, now missing an arm, slowly opened his eyes.
As his blurred vision cleared, he saw the unmistakable figure ahead.
His remaining fist clenched tightly.
"How… how is that possible?!"
"Isn't the Red-Haired Emperor locked in a standoff with Kaido in the New World?!"
"Why the hell is he here?!"
The few surviving Marines shouted in confusion and disbelief.
"Smells good!"
"…Shanks?!"
Even Buggy the Clown, with his signature red nose, gasped.
Then, a deep scowl formed on his face as years of pent-up frustration welled up.
Hearing the voice behind him, Shanks glanced back.
Buggy sat frozen on the ground.
Without a word, Shanks took the straw hat from his head and tossed it in Buggy's direction.
"Buggy... Keep this safe for now."
"Then hand it over to Luffy when the time comes."
The hat fell at Buggy's feet.
But he didn't catch it.
No—he couldn't.
His body wouldn't move. Not even enough to split apart.
Shanks sighed softly, then turned his gaze to Marco, who lay nearby, too injured to even stand.
"Marco… don't take any more challenges."
Marco remained silent, exhausted.
(Do I look like I can move?) he thought bitterly.
Shanks then turned toward the tall swordsman nearby.
"I didn't expect you to be here, Hawkeye."
"...Did you join them?"
"If I'm not mistaken—" he looked over the fallen and standing fighters alike, "these are all subordinates of that Uzumaki Naruto, right?"
The wind howled above. Shanks looked skyward as storm clouds gathered.
But just as he hesitated—
BOOM—!!
A fireball ripped through the air.
Shanks turned sharply—too late.
His first mate, Ben Beckman, had been pierced through…
By his own fireball.
"Don't move."
Senju Tobirama now held Beckman's musket.
He stepped on Beckman's chest, pressing the barrel firmly to his heart.
Shanks froze, eyes wide.
But after a moment of silence, he spoke in a low, steady voice:
"If we keep fighting… the losses for all three sides will only grow."
"If there's anyone left who hasn't had their fill of chaos—"
Clang—
He drew his sword again, the steel ringing in the storm.
"Then come."
"We'll keep you company."
But the truth was—
He hadn't noticed something crucial.
Behind him, the battlefield had gone quiet.
All that remained standing… were members of the Ninja Alliance.
Shanks exhaled and looked to the gathered shinobi.
"Everyone," he said firmly, "I ask you to give me some face here."
He stepped toward Ace and Luffy, intent on lifting them out of the dirt.
BOOM—!!!
Suddenly, the sky split open.
A figure crashed down like a meteor, slamming into the ground with thunderous force.
The shockwave sent sand and debris flying.
As the dust settled, those who'd seen the wanted posters recognized him instantly.
It was none other than Monkey D. Dragon—
Leader of the Revolutionary Army, and the father of Monkey D. Luffy.
He stood tall, storm crackling behind him.
His gaze fixed on Shanks.
"You said… your face?"
He stepped forward.
"Is it really that big?"
(T.N: That's what she said...😏)
...
TN:
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