Naval Headquarters — Above the Battlefield
The all-out war between Fairy Tail and the World Government had finally begun.
Thunderous explosions shook the island, and the sea itself raged beneath the sky blackened by smoke and flame.
On the other side of the battlefield—
the long-awaited final battle between Whitebeard and Blackbeard had erupted in full.
"Teach!"
"Teach!!"
"TEACH!!!"
The roar echoed across the field like a thunderstorm.
At the center of it all stood Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, his towering frame radiating fury.
Beside him stood his captains—
First Division Commander Marco,
Second Division Commander Ace,
Third Division Commander Jozu,
Fourth Division Commander Sachi,
Fifth Division Commander Vista—
and so on, down to the Sixteenth Division Captain, Izo.
The entire command of the Whitebeard Pirates surrounded Blackbeard Teach and his small, ragged crew.
Their furious cries—"Teach! Teach!"—hammered through Blackbeard's mind like a curse.
The shock left him dazed; his thoughts blurred, and his dark face had turned pale.
"C–Captain Teach… what do we do now?"
Fighting Champion Jesus Burgess wiped sweat from his brow, his voice cracking.
"Is this… fate?" murmured Van Augur, his rifle resting on his shoulder. "Perhaps this is the disaster destiny had in store for us all along."
"From Impel Down to here, everything went too smoothly," said Lafitte, his grin replaced by unease. "And now—this. All because of that man… all because of Fairy Tail!"
"Damn it, Teach!" growled Avaro Pizarro, his face twisting in anger. "I really bought into your crazy schemes! But this? No way! I'm not dying here for you. I'm done! The Whitebeard Pirates have nothing to do with me anymore—neither do you!"
He turned and began retreating without hesitation.
"Teach, is this your idea of a master plan?" sneered Catarina Devon, her eyes narrowing. "If that's the case, our deal is finished."
Even the hulking Basco Shot, usually laughing with a barrel in hand, took several steps back without saying a word.
And then there was Shiryu of the Rain—cold, silent, deadly.
He had staked his fate on Blackbeard's ambition.
But now, even he stood motionless, quietly distancing himself from the doomed captain.
"Damn it… damn it… DAMN IT!!!"
Blackbeard's teeth ground together, but his jaw trembled so violently that even his rage could not steady it.
This was not how things were supposed to go.
In his mind, everything had been perfect.
When he first set sail for Marineford, his plan had been simple—
by the time he arrived, Whitebeard and the Marines would have destroyed each other.
Then, like a fisherman collecting his catch, he would strike.
He'd take Whitebeard's head, seize the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit,
and become the first man in history to wield the might of two of the strongest Devil Fruits.
That was how it should have gone.
But everything changed because of Fairy Tail.
Because of Sugisawa Yuuto.
The moment that guild intervened, the trajectory of fate veered completely off course.
Whitebeard hadn't fallen.
He wasn't mortally wounded.
He was still standing—still burning with the strength and fury of a legend.
Even worse, every one of his commanders had turned their focus solely on Blackbeard.
The circle was closing in.
Desperation clawed at Teach's chest.
His so-called "crew of monsters" from Impel Down was collapsing from fear and betrayal.
If it came down to his original men alone, they'd be annihilated in an instant.
"What now…?"
His eyes darted frantically, searching for any way out.
And then—he saw it.
Marshal Sengoku, standing amidst the chaos, the calm at the center of the storm.
Blackbeard's mind raced.
"Yes… that's it…"
He straightened, forcing a grin, and shouted across the battlefield—
"Marshal Sengoku! What are you doing just standing there?! This is a warzone! You're supposed to be wiping out the Whitebeard Pirates, aren't you?"
He pointed toward Whitebeard's army.
"If he rescues Ace today—if Whitebeard walks away from this—what do you think will happen to Marine prestige, huh? You can't possibly ignore that, can you?"
His words dripped with false righteousness, like a wolf in priest's robes.
Sengoku, known as the Strategist of the Marines, narrowed his eyes.
He understood Teach's ploy instantly.
"Teach," Sengoku said, his tone even. "I know exactly what you're trying to do. You want to use our forces to help you deal with Whitebeard."
He paused, then nodded slightly.
"Fine. I'll allow it."
"R–Really?" Blackbeard's eyes gleamed, hope flashing in their depths.
Sengoku's lips curved into a thin, cold smile.
"But…"