Chapter 626: Blackbeard's Attack!
The moment Koushirou was swallowed by that black fluid, the clash between the Straw Hats and Kaido ended almost immediately.
Not because either side suddenly found mercy.
But because that force belonged to neither of them.
A third hand had reached into the battlefield and snatched the outcome away.
"Hehehehe…"
A harsh, delighted laugh rolled out of the darkness like gravel.
"I never thought I'd find something like this here!"
The shadows twisted.
Then a familiar face stepped forward, grin split wide, teeth bared like a beast that had finally tasted blood.
"As expected… this world should belong to me, Blackbeard!"
Marshall D. Teach.
Former Whitebeard Pirate.
Traitor.
The bright red apple that had exploded a moment ago was Doc Q's handiwork, a poison weapon straight from the Blackbeard Pirates.
"Blackbeard!"
Shock spread across every face.
They had been moving through Wano for a long time, yet none of them had seen Teach even once. Not a rumor, not a trace.
He had been hiding in the dark the entire time, waiting for the right moment to grab everything.
And only after the Dragon Hunter Pirates had left Wano did he finally dare to stand out and act this arrogant.
If the Dragon Hunter Pirates were still here, Teach would not do this even if he had ten times the courage.
Teach rolled his shoulders, eyes sweeping over the group as if he were weighing meat.
"Straw Hat boy… and the current head of the Kozuki clan."
His fist clenched.
A dark aura crawled around his knuckles, thick and suffocating.
At the same time, a poisonous stench leaked out, sharp enough to sting the throat.
"Are you going to stop me?"
The moment they sensed the toxin, everyone instinctively pulled back.
Teach was more dangerous than before.
More powerful.
More bizarre.
"Blackbeard, what are you trying to do?"
Momonosuke's voice came out low and tight.
"That thing belongs to Wano. If you take it now, be prepared for Wano to hunt you for the rest of your life!"
They had been so close.
The Key of the Gods had practically been in their hands, and Teach had ripped it away in an instant.
And stealing it back from Blackbeard was not the same as stealing it from Luffy.
Momonosuke did not want to fight Teach if he could avoid it.
In his perfect world, the Key would return through words, not blood.
Teach's grin widened, mocking.
"I heard the Kozuki clan are shameless."
He chuckled, voice dripping with scorn.
"I didn't expect you to be this shameless."
His gaze slid sideways, toward the Straw Hats.
"This thing… belongs to Straw Hat's crew, right?"
He lifted his hand as if to point.
"You now…"
Boom!
A figure dropped like a meteor into the black fluid.
The ground snapped under the impact.
A violent surge of electricity exploded outward, crawling across the battlefield in crackling arcs.
The dark matter around Teach recoiled like it had been burned.
"Blackbeard?"
Conrad raised his paw, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Give it back, and get lost."
The electric current forced the surrounding darkness to retreat in waves.
Even the strange toxin in the air was purged and dispersed.
Teach's expression shifted, just slightly.
"Conrad… captain of the logistics division of the Dragon Hunter Pirates?"
Teach's voice turned cold.
"You think you can force me with just…"
Boom boom boom!
Before Teach could finish, more bodies slammed down.
One after another.
Minks.
All of them.
Their Sulong forms ignited at once, turning the battlefield into a sea of brilliant white.
Lightning wrapped around their fur and claws, the air vibrating with savage energy.
Even Teach took an involuntary step back.
This was not one warrior.
This was an army.
"Teach…"
Doc Q's voice trembled as he stared at the scene.
"How about we head back first?"
"It's not worth risking your life for something like this!"
The Mink Tribe were born warriors.
And now there were too many of them, all in Sulong, all ready to tear apart anything in front of them.
Even if each Mink only landed one real hit, the damage would be terrifying.
And beyond that, the Key still meant traveling to the Island of Gods to use it.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates were already there.
They used to visit that place just to deliver vegetables.
If this turned into a full scale brawl, it could easily become a disaster with nothing gained.
"Zehahahah…"
Teach's laugh deepened, darker than the black matter around him.
"You think a mere logistics squad from the Dragon Hunter Pirates can make me submit?"
His eyes gleamed.
"You forgot something."
"The Dragon Hunter Pirates have already become sacrifices to God Island."
Teach spread his arms like a man announcing a coronation.
"Let the Blackbeard era begin in this world… by crushing your Dragon Hunter Pirates!"
The black matter surged.
It swelled, warped, and exploded outward.
Eight enormous heads formed from the darkness, each one shaped like a vicious serpent, fangs bared, eyes filled with killing intent.
"Mythical Zoan, Yamata no Orochi form?"
Momonosuke's eyes widened.
"Did you kill Kurozumi Orochi?"
That fruit was something Momonosuke had wanted for a long time.
He had even allowed Orochi to keep his last two lives because he intended to take them for himself later.
Then he could hand that power to a talented retainer and create a terrifying weapon for Wano in a short time.
Kaido had guarded and cultivated Wano for years.
And Teach had stolen the prize first.
Teach's grin remained.
"As expected of the Kozuki clan's head. Now that you recognize it…"
His voice sharpened.
"Then you should already know how you're going to die."
Teach raised both hands.
Darkness erupted like a flood.
The area was swallowed, drowned in black aura.
The eight serpent heads lunged straight for the Minks.
Teach had judged correctly.
The Minks were the biggest threat.
The Straw Hat crew, meanwhile, had gone strangely quiet.
They were infamous on the sea, labeled the most troublesome people alive.
Not just because they liked stirring chaos.
But because the forces behind Luffy were monstrous.
Monkey D. Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, was his father.
Garp, the Hero of the Marines, was his grandfather.
Fire Fist Ace, current captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, was his older brother.
And Ryuunosuke, captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, was also his older brother.
With that kind of backing, who in the world would be stupid enough to provoke Luffy?
Normally.
But things were different now.
The one crew that could absolutely crush Teach was gone.
Only a handyman squad remained to stand in his way.
That was why Teach dared to roar.
That was why he dared to take.
"Hiss hiss hiss…"
The serpent heads snapped forward.
The Minks counterattacked instantly.
Before the heads could even land, lightning tore through them and erased them.
But the darkness did not stop.
More heads formed immediately, as if there were no limit at all.
They kept coming.
No pause.
No breathing room.
The Minks were forced into a constant cycle of destroy and destroy again, their electricity flaring brighter and brighter.
Inuarashi's expression turned grim.
"Damn it…"
His voice carried frustration and a rare trace of fear.
"If this keeps going, even we won't last long!"
The Mink Tribe were straightforward to a fault, the kind that split their rule of Zou into day and night.
And when exhaustion started to creep in, Inuarashi said it plainly.
They were being worn down.
.....
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