"Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard's maniacal laughter rang out, his cruel eyes scanning the scene below. Beside him stood a group of notorious criminals, their gazes filled with an arrogant disdain, yet paradoxically, also a relative calm.
"Blackbeard!" Sengoku's eyes widened, his teeth gritted. Everyone on the battlefield, as if by unspoken agreement, stopped fighting and looked up at Blackbeard and his crew.
Whitebeard's face was initially shrouded in shadow. He lifted his head, the shadow receding, revealing his terrifyingly sharp eyes, his expression devoid of emotion.
Behind him, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were enraged, their eyes bloodshot as they glared at Blackbeard.
"Teach…" Whitebeard's voice, hoarse and heavy, was filled with boundless killing intent.
Blackbeard's smile faltered, then bloomed even more intensely: "Pops."
"A man who betrays trust is unworthy of being my family! Marshall D. Teach!"
Boom! A shockwave erupted from Whitebeard's fist, cracking the air. A towering figure leaped over the crowd, descending directly upon Blackbeard!
Blackbeard looked up, his expression changing drastically. His body was instantly crushed to the ground by the terrifying shockwave!
Crack! The ground shattered!
"Gwah! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" Blackbeard coughed up blood, his face twisted in agony.
Akainu, watching all this, surprisingly chose not to attack. His eyes shifted, focusing on the Straw Hat crew behind him. Magma surged, and he plunged into the earth.
Bang! A gunshot rang out. Van Augur, holding his long rifle, expressionlessly pulled the trigger.
Whitebeard's body trembled, a flicker of pain crossing his face. Blackbeard seized this opportunity, breaking free from Whitebeard's crushing tremor.
"Are you trying to run, Teach?!" Whitebeard roared, his eyes widening. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he swung his right fist.
"Dark Water!" A fan-like vortex of darkness swirled in Blackbeard's hand. Whitebeard's fist, encased in a quaking white halo, struck, but was instantly absorbed by the darkness, not even a tremor escaping.
"Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard laughed maniacally, his expression turning vicious. Having absorbed the power with Dark Water, he clenched his fist and leaped, striking at Whitebeard.
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, once again bringing down his fist, wrapped in a halo of tremor.
"Whoosh…!" Dark Water emerged from Blackbeard's hand, once again seizing Whitebeard's tremor attack. The power was instantly devoured.
Thud! A fist slammed into Whitebeard's side. Whitebeard's expression contorted in pain, a fleeting agony passing over his face. He stumbled, but quickly regained his balance.
"Zehahahaha! Don't you get it yet, Pops? Your powers are useless against me!" Blackbeard's arrogance was unrestrained!
Whitebeard's face was expressionless. He raised his bisento, twirling it to create a whirlwind. Age had brought experience; with just two exchanges, he had discerned the nature of Blackbeard's power and adapted his strategy.
The bisento cleaved down with immense force. Blackbeard's expression changed, and before he could react, a crimson spray of blood erupted from his chest, extending from his left shoulder to his waist.
"Aaargh!" Blackbeard fell, rolling on the ground. His Devil Fruit power amplified his pain.
Boom! Having landed a blow, Whitebeard seized the moment, punching down at Blackbeard on the ground. The power of the tremors pressed down, forcing Blackbeard deep into the earth, a crater spreading outward.
The tremors subsided, and dust filled the air. Whitebeard pressed Blackbeard to the ground with his left hand, raising his right fist again, his face completely obscured by a dark cloud.
"No! Pops, I'm your son!" Blackbeard struggled in terror, a fawning, yet somewhat comical, smile on his face.
Boom! Whitebeard's fist descended. But at that moment, a barrage of gunshots rang out, and simultaneously, blades and spears pierced Whitebeard's body. The criminals behind Blackbeard, their faces twisted with ferocity. Whitebeard's hand paused, and the white halo enveloping his fist slowly dissipated…
Boom! Just then, a shockwave erupted. Blackbeard's crew widened their eyes in terror, pressed to the ground, coughing up blood. Marineford trembled violently, huge chunks of rock thrown into the air.
It was as if they were tossed on foam boards in the ocean, the earth heaving and shaking. Under this strike, Marineford was nearly shattered!
When the terrifying shockwave subsided, Blackbeard was shaken, his face covered in blood, his appearance wretched. He looked at the towering figure, still standing motionless, a trace of fear and anger still lingering on his face.
"Seriously, can't a dying man just die in peace?" Slowly rising to his feet, Blackbeard's eyes were filled with excitement.
"Pops!" Behind him, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates trembled, unable to believe what they were seeing.
…
"Whitebeard… is dead," Ashin's voice came from above. His usually sinister and calm voice held a slight tremor.
"I see…" Wilder exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze shifting and flickering.
"Wait for me here," Wilder said suddenly. He took a step and leaped from the warship.
"Bo—" Claire and Vice wanted to say something, but ultimately, the words didn't come out.
On Marineford's plaza, a new round of fighting had begun. The Great Buddha pressed down on Blackbeard's crew with a palm, unleashing a continuous barrage of shockwaves that made them bulge their eyes and spew blood.
Akainu began his pursuit of Luffy. The remnants of Whitebeard's crew and Crocodile desperately tried to block him.
Magma erupted. Anyone standing in Akainu's path fell within three moves. He was unstoppable, relentlessly advancing towards Luffy.
A Marine soldier, witnessing the hellish battlefield, began to break down mentally, for the first time questioning the meaning of justice.
"Stop it! Please… stop!" A small figure stood in front of Akainu, his arms outstretched, his eyes tightly closed, his head lowered, tears and snot flowing like a spring.
Akainu's face was grim. He looked at the Marine in front of him, his right hand surging with magma, and punched!
Clang! A slender sword blocked the magma. The crimson magma was held back as if by an invisible barrier, unable to advance an inch.
"Well done, young Marine," A man with slightly fluttering red hair, wearing sandals and holding a sword, with three scars near his left eye, spoke.
"Shanks…!" Akainu's eyes darkened, his expression turning extremely serious.
"Shanks! How did he get here?!" Sengoku's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Marco… stop fighting. Stand down."
"Let's end this. This war has gone on long enough. Continuing will only result in mutual destruction."
"If anyone still hasn't had enough! We'll take you on…" Red-Haired Shanks sheathed his slender sword, standing firm. His eyes scanned the area, finally stopping on Sengoku.
"Everyone present… please give me some face!"
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