"Release!"
The darkness that had swallowed everything was suddenly unleashed as Blackbeard Teach expelled the matter he had drawn into his Dark Hole.
Chunks of debris and shattered matter hurtled skyward, colliding violently in an attempt to resist Ashveil's overwhelming strike.
Boom!
The surge of black matter met the colossal Buddha-like palm in the sky. The impact triggered a massive explosion, scattering fragments and burning away their strength until they plummeted uselessly to the earth.
Teach's face turned ashen. His proud ability—Dark-Dark Fruit, the very power he had gambled his ambitions on—was useless against Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki.
Yet, even cornered, Blackbeard was unwilling to submit. He drew on the very depths of his Devil Fruit power, forcing his body to endure the crushing pressure as he formed a monstrous storm of darkness. His aura grew, oppressive and twisted, pushing him past his own limits.
"Darkness!" Blackbeard roared.
"Zehahahahaha! Ashveil! Didn't expect this, did you? I've become stronger! Zehahahaha!"
Robinna Island groaned under the weight of their clash. Winds howled wildly, the sky dimmed until it resembled eternal night, and the terrified villagers gazed up in despair.
"Doomsday! This is the end of the world!"
Panic spread like wildfire. Even animals fled in a frenzy. Birds scattered, beasts trampled through the forests, and those too close to the battlefield were dragged screaming into the swirling abyss of Blackbeard's power.
From a distant ridge, villagers peered through telescopes—only to see the lenses consumed by pitch black.
Clinging desperately to the trunk of a thick tree, Lily struggled to hold her ground against the raging storm. A dreadful thought consumed her—if Blackbeard triumphed, what awaited them would be nothing but slaughter.
In the sky, the transparent Buddha palm of Conqueror's Haki collided fully with the dense tide of darkness. Thunder split the heavens. Jagged bolts of lightning fell like divine judgment, illuminating the battlefield in terrifying bursts.
Rumble!
The sky convulsed. But slowly, unmistakably, the light began to return. Ashveil's Conqueror's Haki pressed down harder, breaking apart the chaos of darkness until the balance was shattered.
Ashveil's lips curved slightly, and with a subtle motion, the radiant palm doubled in size and came crashing down.
Teach's eyes bulged in horror. "This… this can't be! How can a brat not even twenty years old have this kind of strength?!"
The colossal palm slammed into him with earth-shaking force. The ground of Robinna Island convulsed, splitting apart as dust and rubble soared skyward.
When the smoke cleared, a massive palm-shaped crater scarred the island.
Ashveil approached slowly, peering into the ruins. Blackbeard lay broken, his body mangled and blood streaming from his mouth. His eyes, wide with fear, locked onto Ashveil.
It was unthinkable—unreal—that such terrifying strength belonged to one so young. This boy's Conqueror's Haki eclipsed even his strongest attacks.
"Zero Division Captain," Teach coughed, his voice trembling. "I… I surrender! Spare me! I'll give you all my treasures!"
Ashveil's expression remained cold as ice.
"Teach," he said evenly. "I already told you—today is the day you die. I'll give you one last chance. End yourself. That way, your death will be quicker."
The words, spoken with chilling calm, made Blackbeard's heart seize with terror. He knew Ashveil meant it. Another strike from that monstrous Buddha palm and he wouldn't survive.
Desperation consumed him. He forced himself upright, only to collapse to his knees before Ashveil, clutching at his legs in pitiful surrender.
"Captain Ashveil! For the sake of the time we once shared as Whitebeard pirates, please—please spare me!" His sobs were desperate, his groveling pathetic.
But Ashveil didn't waver. He knew Teach all too well. Every word, every gesture—it was all an act. Unlike Whitebeard, Ashveil held no illusions of misplaced compassion.
"Don't kill me! Please! I can save Ace! I can contact the Marines and have him brought here!" Teach shouted suddenly, seizing on his final gambit.
Ashveil narrowed his eyes.
"…Speak."
Teach dragged himself closer, his breath ragged. "Don't… don't kill me, Captain Ashveil. I'll tell you everything."
But as he raised his hand, his expression twisted.
"Dark Water!"
With a sudden shift, Teach gathered every drop of his remaining strength, condensing his darkness into his fist as he lunged straight for Ashveil's forehead.
"Ace is already locked away in Impel Down! You'll never save him! Zehahahahaha!"
His voice rose into a manic laugh, blood spilling from his lips. "You're too naive, Captain Ashveil! Without Observation Haki, you'll never see this coming! Now pay the price for your arrogance!"
The strike was close—barely a meter from Ashveil's head.
But then it stopped.
Blackbeard's eyes widened in disbelief. His fist pressed against an unseen force, an invisible barrier that wrapped Ashveil completely in a flawless shield.
"What… what is this?! It's like Sea Stone!" Teach gasped, unable to move forward.
His mind reeled. Then the truth struck him like lightning.
"This… this is Conqueror's Haki?!"
Ashveil had turned the raw force of his will into absolute defense. Attack and defense, united perfectly. It was a mastery Teach had never even dreamed of, something only legends could reach.
For a fleeting moment, the sight of the young man standing before him conjured memories of another terrifying figure—Rocks D. Xebec. Not even Whitebeard or Roger had wielded Conqueror's Haki in this way.
Ashveil's smirk deepened. "Correct, Teach. As a reward… let me give you the honor of experiencing Shinra Tensei."
"Shinra… what?" Teach stammered, baffled.
A second later, the barrier exploded outward. A devastating force burst from Ashveil, warping the very air. The sheer pressure twisted the earth and sky as the overwhelming wave of energy surged outward from him, obliterating everything in its path.