Edward Newgate, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, ultimately fell in battle on this battlefield.
Yet even in death, this man's body remained standing tall!
"Pops..."
Seeing Whitebeard's breath completely vanish, Marco immediately broke down in tears.
The other members of the Whitebeard Pirates were the same, all covering their faces and weeping loudly.
"Pops!"
Watching the man who hadn't fallen even in death, Ace knelt on the deck, tears streaming uncontrollably.
Their one and only Pops... had died in battle...
"Pops!!"
"He's... still standing even after death?!"
Blackbeard stared at the unwavering Whitebeard, his eyes filled with awe.
So this is Whitebeard?
A... true monster!
Observing Whitebeard's back completely free of wounds, Meiser murmured:
"He never turned his back to an enemy, did he?
It seems this legendary uncle never once fled from a fight."
After a moment of silence, Meiser closed his eyes and said, "Rest in peace, Uncle Whitebeard."
"We should go, Meiser." Marco wiped his tears and stood up, glancing at Meiser. "Let's not give the Marines any chance to capture us."
They had to seize this path to survival that Pops had bought with his life!
"Alright, then—"
Before Meiser could finish speaking, he noticed Blackbeard climbing to his feet and slowly approaching Whitebeard.
"What is that guy planning?" Meiser frowned.
"Zehahahaha!"
Blackbeard gazed excitedly at Whitebeard and said, "Pops, you're finally dead!"
Perfect—he was about to obtain the Devil Fruit he had always dreamed of!
At this thought, Blackbeard couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Zehahahaha!"
"So far, our plan has gone very smoothly." Lafitte chuckled. "The next step is up to you, Captain~"
"Zehahaha!"
"Then let's get started, crew!"
"Right!"
Upon receiving the order, Lafitte and the others immediately brought out the black cloth they had prepared beforehand and draped it over Whitebeard.
Seeing this, the Marines grew alert at once.
"What are these guys up to?" a Navy Vice Admiral frowned.
"Not sure..." Vice Admiral Momonga said.
Though he didn't know what Blackbeard and his crew intended, his instincts told him something was off about that man.
Thinking this, Momonga turned to Sengoku and asked, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, should we intervene now?"
"No, let's wait and see." Sengoku frowned.
If Blackbeard truly intended to commit some unforgivable act... it might just provoke the Whitebeard Pirates into staying to fight him.
With this in mind, Sengoku shifted his gaze to the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Teach!" Ace glared furiously at Teach. "What the hell are you trying to do?!"
"You bastard Teach, are you looking to die?!" Marco also roared in anger.
If this Teach really dared to do something so treasonous... they would never let this bastard get away with it!
"Zehahahaha!"
"You'll soon find out what I plan to do!" Blackbeard laughed heartily.
What he was about to do next would shock the entire world!
Zehahahaha!
Then, Teach ignored those guys, turned around and pulled aside the black cloth, intending to go in and seize Whitebeard's ability.
At that moment, a gigantic stone hand suddenly burst from the ground and grabbed Whitebeard's body.
Then, under Blackbeard's stunned gaze, it pulled Whitebeard's body underground and disappeared!
Blackbeard: ???
Looking at the large hole in the ground, veins bulged on Blackbeard's face.
"Bastard, who the hell was that?!" Blackbeard roared in fury.
Without Whitebeard's corpse, he wouldn't be able to obtain the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Thinking this, Blackbeard immediately extended his Observation Haki without hesitation, quickly noticing the anomaly moving rapidly underground.
That direction was...
As if realizing something, Blackbeard immediately fixed his gaze on Meiser.
"Was it you?!"
"That's right, it was me."
Meiser, who had slapped his hands on the ground, coldly stared at Blackbeard. "Although I don't know what you're trying to do, it's better not to let you succeed."
"Damn Blood-Eyed Ninja, you're asking for death!" Blackbeard raged.
"Are these two groups about to fight?" a Marine Rear Admiral said.
"Preferably so!" Vice Admiral Doberman said. "That way we'll have a chance to capture them all in one go!"
"True enough."
The Marines nodded, then focused their attention on the battlefield, ready to strike at any moment.
"Why is this Blackbeard so enraged?" Sengoku frowned.
What exactly does this guy want to do with Whitebeard's body?
As he pondered, Sengoku thought of Blackbeard's Devil Fruit ability.
The Dark-Dark Fruit...
Could it be that Blackbeard plans to use this Devil Fruit ability for something?
Thinking this, Sengoku fell into deep thought.
At that moment, the ground behind Meister suddenly cracked open, revealing an enormous stone hand.
And Whitebeard's body stood upon that stone hand!
"Pops!!"
Seeing this indomitable man standing tall, tears welled up in the pirates' eyes once more.
"Quick, take Pops away from here!" Marco shouted.
"Right!"
Several large pirates rushed over, picked up Whitebeard's body and ran.
"Pops, we... will take you home!!"
Seeing this, Blackbeard exploded with rage.
"Bastards, put him down!" Blackbeard roared furiously.
If these guys took Whitebeard away... he wouldn't be able to obtain the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Damn it, if he doesn't absorb the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power within one minute, that power will return to the seas!
Blackbeard screamed internally.
At this thought, Blackbeard charged toward Meiser without hesitation, roaring, "Men, get Whitebeard back for me!"
"Ooh!!"
Burgess and the others didn't hesitate in the slightest, immediately following Blackbeard as they charged forward.
Meanwhile, Shiryu and the others showed hesitation in their eyes at this moment.
'Should we go?' Shiryu murmured inwardly.
If they went now, they would be making enemies of the entire Whitebeard Pirates!
And later... they might even face encirclement and suppression by the Marines!
Thinking this, Shiryu hesitated.
But after considering his own situation, Shiryu temporarily suppressed his thoughts and charged toward Meiser along with Blackbeard.
"You won't take Pops away!" Marco roared.
As his voice fell, several captain-level figures rushed down from the ship, intending to support Meiser and the others here.
"We've already killed Whitebeard, why should we fear you?" Blackbeard said coldly.
"That's right, kill them!"
"Ooh!"
Then, these guys leaped up from the ground, planning to charge over and snatch the body.
At that moment, the seawater in the fissure suddenly surged, transforming into a massive water curtain that burst forth!
"Water Release: Super Water Formation Wall!"
"Boom!!"
The terrifying impact sent Blackbeard and his men flying backward.
"Sea... seawater?"
After a glance at the surging seawater below, Blackbeard's face immediately darkened.
With such a huge water wall blocking their path, how were they supposed to get through?
With this thought, Blackbeard's crew landed on the ground behind them.
"Boom!!"
Looking at the Water Release Technique that had sent Blackbeard's group flying, Marco was momentarily stunned before saying, "Water Release Technique?"
"Yes, Water Release Technique."
Meiser, who had stood up, calmly stared at the enormous water wall before him and said, "A Water Release Technique composed of seawater."
"Seawater, huh." Marco laughed. "You always have a way."
With this thing in place, it wouldn't be easy for Teach to get through.
"Let's go, we should leave this place first," Meiser said.
Marco fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded. "Alright, let's leave first."
Although he really wanted to kill Blackbeard immediately, now wasn't the right time.
Then, Marco called out to the pirates who had come over and directed everyone to run toward the pirate ship.
Just then, Blackbeard's roar came from the other side of the water wall.
"Damn it, you damned Blood-Eyed Ninja!" Blackbeard shouted furiously. "I will definitely kill you!"
"Kill me?"
Hearing Blackbeard's voice, Meiser chuckled and said, "We'll see if you even get the chance to touch me first."
Even the Marine Admirals couldn't kill him—what could a mere Blackbeard do?
After laughing, Meiser quickly ran toward the distant pirate ship.
"Captain, what should we do?" Burgess, who had gotten up from the ground, said with a grim expression. "Should we continue chasing?"
Blackbeard fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then sighed. "There's no point in chasing now..."
Even if he used Dark Hole to absorb this water wall, he wouldn't be able to get close to Whitebeard within a minute.
So... his plan had failed.
He could no longer immediately obtain the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Upon hearing Blackbeard's words, Lafitte and the others' expressions instantly turned grim.
"Damn it, that cursed Blood-Eyed Ninja!" Lafitte said with a darkened face.
This grudge was thoroughly settled!
Sooner or later... they would rip that bastard ninja's head off!
"So it failed."
Shiryu, puffing on a cigar, frowned as he sheathed his sword and said, "Looks like it's time to disband."
The previous agreement between Blackbeard and them was that Blackbeard would secure the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and then lead them all to the pinnacle!
But now that Blackbeard had failed, even if they left, he couldn't find fault with them.
"Meowahahaha!"
"Breaking up already?" Avalo Pizarro laughed heartily. "Isn't that a bit too soon?"
"Can't be helped. Teach's plan didn't succeed, after all~" Catarina Devon shrugged.
After hearing their words, Blackbeard fell silent for a moment before bursting into loud laughter.
"Zehahahaha!"
"It seems Lady Luck wasn't on my side this time," Blackbeard said.
Noticing their gazes fixed on him, Blackbeard continued, "But it's not like I have no chance at all."
"Don't forget, Devil Fruits can be reborn!"
This time, he truly had bad luck, so he accepted defeat. But next time... he would definitely seize the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!!
At this thought, confidence returned to Blackbeard's face.
Upon hearing Blackbeard's words, Catarina Devon and the others immediately had a glint in their eyes.
Yes, Devil Fruit abilities could be reborn!
If they were lucky enough, they still had a chance to encounter that Devil Fruit or its user!
Noticing the change in their expressions, Blackbeard laughed heartily, "Zehahahaha!"
"If you want to leave, then leave. I won't stop you."
"But I believe I'll obtain that power sooner or later!"
"If you're willing to return by then, I'll still welcome you!"
"Zehahahaha!"
With that, Blackbeard ignored their reactions and headed toward the side of Marine Headquarters with Lafitte and the others.
Clearly, he intended to escape from there with his crew.
Shiryu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Let's get out of here first."
"True enough."
"Meowahahaha, let's go, let's go!"
"Right!"
Whether to continue following Blackbeard could be decided later. For now... surviving and escaping took priority!
"Not good, the Blackbeard Pirates are trying to flee!" Vice Admiral Momonga said.
"Hurry, stop them!"
"Right!!"
Upon receiving the order, some Marines immediately charged toward the Blackbeard Pirates, intent on eliminating these ambitious schemers.
"Zehahahaha, trying to kill me?" Blackbeard grinned. "You're not qualified!"
"Dark Hole!"
"Boom!!"
A terrifying darkness erupted instantly, reaching the group of Marines in the blink of an eye.
In the next moment, an overwhelmingly powerful gravitational force surged from below, dragging them downward!
"Ah!!"
"What... what is this?!"
"Damn it, I can't break free!"
The Marines stared in terror at the darkness below, their faces filled with despair.
At that moment, Sengoku, transformed into a giant Buddha, leaped over from the distance, his body rapidly enlarging mid-air!
"Hmm?"
Noticing the sunlight being blocked, Blackbeard instinctively looked up, his pupils then contracting as he exclaimed, "The Marine Fleet Admiral?!"
"Die!"
Sengoku, in his Buddha form, raised his hand and slammed it down upon Blackbeard and his crew!
"Whoosh—"
"BOOM!!"
An incredibly terrifying shockwave erupted from Sengoku's palm, directly striking Blackbeard and his group!
The devastating force instantly caused every member of the Blackbeard Pirate Crew to vomit blood!
"Argh!!"
In the end, Blackbeard and his crew were blasted by Sengoku's shockwave into the ruins below.
"Is this the power of the Marine Fleet Admiral?" Blackbeard snarled, "Indeed, he's strong!"
If not for his own formidable strength, that single blow would have been fatal!
"Hmph, I won't let you escape," Sengoku said coldly.
Watching one after another of the Blackbeard Pirate Crew members climb out of the rubble, Sengoku's gaze grew increasingly icy.
Today, he would make sure these scoundrels remained here forever!
"Zehahahaha, is that so?!" Blackbeard laughed viciously, "Then let's see if you have what it takes!"
As he spoke, a mass of darkness gathered in Blackbeard's hand, clearly preparing for battle.
"Hmph, you'll find out," Sengoku snorted.
With those words, he raised his hand again, coating his palm with the power of the shockwave.
Then, without mercy, he struck at Blackbeard and his crew!
"Then come and try!" Blackbeard roared.
In response, a surge of darkness shot from his hand, heading straight for Sengoku!
"Whoosh—"
"BOOM!!!"