At the same time, on the Moby Dick and atop the high platform, Whitebeard and Ortoren, both watching the battlefield, changed expressions at once.
"Yamakaji..."
"Squard!"
Newgate truly hadn't expected that stocky Navy Vice Admiral to be so terrifyingly strong. In a single exchange, he had actually killed Squard.
With that blow, Squard became the first great pirate to fall in this war.
What shocked Newgate even more was Squard's strength. In the original course of events, during the Summit War, Newgate had once considered placing the command of the independent captains in Squard's hands.
A fighter of that caliber, seized by an opening and beheaded by Yamakaji just like that. Newgate was both furious and shaken.
Ortoren was no less enraged.
Others might not recognize that scheming bastard Teach, but Ortoren certainly did.
Teach had never been prominent within the Whitebeard Pirates, nor did he have any reputation on the seas. Despite following Whitebeard for so many years, the Marines had never even issued a bounty for him. That alone showed just how deeply he had kept himself hidden.
Yet that low profile had nothing to do with weakness. Even before obtaining the Yami Yami no Mi, Teach was far from an ordinary fighter.
In the original story, he had once clashed head-on with Red-Haired Shanks. Even with Shanks fully alert and not underestimating him in the slightest, Teach still managed to leave that iconic scar on Shanks' face.
That alone proved that, even without the Yami Yami no Mi, Teach was already a terrifying figure.
It was only because he had kept himself so inconspicuous that no one on the seas truly understood his strength. Yamakaji was no exception. Just moments ago, he had regarded Teach as nothing more than an unknown, low-ranking combatant of the Whitebeard Pirates.
And because of that misjudgment, he was struck down by Teach in a single devastating blow.
Yamakaji was sent flying by the attack, tumbling more than ten times across the ground, blood splattering along the way. The gash across his waist and abdomen was horrifying, so deep that his intestines were nearly spilling out.
He clutched the wound tightly. The cigar in his mouth fell to the ground as cold sweat poured down his face. It was obvious he had already lost the ability to continue fighting.
Momonga no longer paid any attention to Whitey Bay. With a burst of Soru, he rushed in front of Yamakaji, Gryphon in hand and radiating a chilling killing intent.
Teach had originally intended to press the attack and finish Yamakaji off. But when he met Momonga's fierce gaze, he restrained himself. Instead, he regrouped with Whitey Bay, the two of them moving to Momonga's left and right, cutting off his escape.
"Sorry… I came too late," Teach said, genuine sorrow flashing through his eyes.
Whitey Bay's expression was dark with anger, but she didn't blame Teach. Instead, she spoke in a low, steady voice to comfort him.
"This isn't your fault. Before this war began, all of us were prepared to die here. Squard simply went on ahead of us."
Teach's grief wasn't an act. It was real.
As an old member of Whitebeard's ship, he had known Squard for a very long time. The Whitebeard Pirates had always shared a close bond. Whether commanders or ordinary fighters, they treated one another like brothers, like family.
Before the Yami Yami no Mi ever appeared, Teach had deliberately kept himself in the background. But that didn't mean he felt nothing for the Whitebeard Pirates. In the original story, he had even once thought that if he truly never found the Yami Yami no Mi, then spending his entire life peacefully aboard Whitebeard's ship wouldn't be such a bad outcome.
From the high platform, Ortoren watched as Yamakaji lay gravely wounded, while Momonga shielded him and still had to face both Teach and Whitey Bay at the same time. Anxiety crept into Ortoren's heart.
He knew that under these conditions, with Yamakaji needing protection, there was no way Momonga could handle both Teach and Whitey Bay.
After a brief moment of thought, Ortoren stood up. A flicker of lightning danced across his hair, as if he were about to make his move.
At the very same moment, Newgate, who had been standing firmly aboard the Moby Dick, also took a step forward.
Their gazes met across the battlefield.
Though separated by more than a thousand meters, they restrained one another in that instant.
Newgate did not dare to move.
And Ortoren did not dare to move either.
Ortoren kept his eyes locked on Whitebeard, but several thoughts flashed through his mind in rapid succession. A moment later, he spoke in a low voice.
"Hina, open the internal channel."
Hina's expression was just as heavy. She immediately activated the internal line and placed the Den Den Mushi beside Ortoren.
Without taking his eyes off Whitebeard, Ortoren issued orders into the Den Den Mushi.
"Doflamingo, take over Slekemind's fight with Jozu immediately. Slekemind, disengage at once and move to Momonga's position. Link up with Momonga. Protect Yamakaji and deal with Whitey Bay and that unknown pirate…"
He paused briefly, then emphasized his next words.
"I'll say this again. That man is Teach. Marshall D. Teach. He may not have a reputation, but within the Whitebeard Pirates, his strength is among the very top. Do not underestimate him."
He was genuinely irritated with himself. During the earlier meeting, he had actually forgotten to warn everyone about this.
Responses from Doflamingo and Slekemind quickly came through the Den Den Mushi.
At this moment, the Navy's advantage in combat power became clear once again. At the level of top-tier fighters, the combined force of the Navy and the Shichibukai clearly surpassed the Whitebeard Pirates.
After all, Isshō had not truly entered the battlefield yet. Until Whitebeard himself made a move against Ortoren, Isshō had to keep his full attention on Whitebeard, wary that the old man might suddenly trigger something like a massive tsunami.
Not long after Ortoren's orders went out, the situation on the battlefield began to shift. Doflamingo stepped into the fight between Slekemind and Jozu, while Slekemind quickly withdrew from that area and charged toward Momonga and Yamakaji. Along the way, he reduced several pirates to dust.
Newgate naturally noticed this change. His brows knit together as he considered the situation. After a brief pause, he spoke in a deep voice.
"Buckingham, it's time to prove that your words weren't empty. Send Weevil into the battle. I want that Navy Vice Admiral to be buried alongside Squard."
Buckingham Stussy had known Newgate for many years. Even though he showed no obvious rage on the surface, she knew full well that his heart was already burning with fury.
She didn't dare waste any time. Turning to Weevil beside her, she shouted,
"Go, hurry up, Weevil! Your father is furious right now! Go help those two and kill those Marines!"
Weevil was a simple-minded fellow, and his current appearance was exactly the same as Ortoren remembered. There was no sign of youth or change at all. Perhaps his very existence really was tied to cloning technology.
After hearing his mother's order, Weevil grabbed the massive long blade in his hands, a weapon strikingly similar to Newgate's Murakumogiri. He puffed up with anger and yelled,
"They dared to make Daddy angry! I'll beat them to death!"
With that shout, he leapt straight off the Moby Dick. His thin legs, completely mismatched with his bulky upper body, carried him as he rampaged forward, charging toward the area where Teach and Whitey Bay were fighting.
Ortoren's attention was immediately drawn to him. He had always been curious about how Weevil's strength would actually manifest.
Now, he had his answer.
If it wasn't some kind of genetic modification, then this man was undoubtedly a Devil Fruit user. And most likely, he possessed a Paramecia-type ability, the Impact Impact no Mi.
As Weevil crashed into the battlefield, he was practically unstoppable. With a single swing of his massive blade, a violent shockwave exploded outward, blasting away the Marines blocking his path.
Seeing this, Ortoren instinctively opened his mouth.
"Moria—"
But before he could finish, he forced himself to stop. Moria was better suited to holding the central combat zone, clearing out powerful mid-tier enemies who broke through and providing support to other forces.
It was best not to send him to the very front lines. His strength was, frankly speaking, a bit awkward. If he rushed in and got blown apart, or even just knocked unconscious, it would cause serious trouble.
If Moria lost consciousness, all of Ortoren's projects around the world—engineering sites, mines, farms—would grind to a halt. The losses would be anything but trivial.
"I'll go, Admiral."
Isshō seemed to understand Ortoren's dilemma. He stepped forward and spoke in a calm, steady voice.