On Winner Island, the sudden disappearance of Law and Bepo left a brief silence amidst the roar of battle. The Blackbeard Pirates looked at each other, bewildered. The spatial vortex had swallowed the duo without leaving a trace.
"Teleportation?" murmured Van Augur, adjusting his scope with skepticism.
"Tch, that brat doesn't have enough power left for that," growled Teach, still recovering from the last exchange. He turned around to look for answers when the sky darkened slightly.
A new presence emerged, floating slowly in the air, as if gravity held no sway over him.
"Who the hell is that?" growled Jesus Burgess, muscles tensing.
"I don't recognize him," added Doc Q, coughing nervously.
Blackbeard narrowed his eyes, his Yonko instincts on high alert. He couldn't sense any Haki, but his body reacted as if facing a real threat.
"Zehehe… Another of Law's allies? Doesn't matter who you are… I'll crush you just the same!"
Noah didn't answer.
With a sharp hum, his figure vanished. The air burst in a sonic boom as he dived down at absurd speed, wrapped in a dense, opaque aura. The ground trembled when his fist—covered in dark energy that gleamed like living obsidian—struck Burgess before he could even react. The giant flew through the air, crashing into a distant mountain that collapsed upon him with a thunderous roar.
The Blackbeard Pirates instinctively stepped back.
"Augur, move Doc Q! NOW!" shouted Teach, activating his Yami Yami no Mi to counter the enemy.
But Noah was already in front of Van Augur—in a single blink.
The sniper barely raised his rifle before an arm plunged into his chest as if his body were made of butter. Augur gasped, stunned. A powerful energy erupted in his chest, and his body was flung through the air like a broken bullet.
Doc Q let out a scream, still riding the battered Stronger, who desperately tried to flee.
A compressed sphere of gravitational energy formed in Noah's palm. It was dense and bright, with a core that seemed to spin contrary to reality.
The sphere flew directly at Teach.
"BLACK HOLE!" roared the Yonko, unleashing his own darkness to swallow the attack.
The power of darkness seemed to embrace everything around it—even the compressed energy sphere Noah had launched. The gravity of the Black Hole began to absorb the energy at an overwhelming rate, and for a moment, it looked like Teach could counter the attack.
"Zehehehe! You're not the first to try using energy against me!" Teach roared, laughing mockingly as the darkness engulfed the sphere.
But Noah didn't stop.
With a barely noticeable gesture, he activated his right Tenseigan. Immediately, two dark spheres began to form in the air before him. The energy within them was so dense and potent that space itself seemed to distort around them.
"Truth-Seeking Orbs," Noah murmured calmly as the spheres transformed. In the blink of an eye, they became two massive stakes of pure energy, sharp as blades of dark crystal.
The pressure of the battle intensified as the spheres—now deadly weapons—shot toward Teach at an astonishing speed. Before the Yonko could even react, the stakes were headed straight for his shoulders, slicing through the air with a deadly whistle.
Despite his resilience, Teach tried to block the attack with a shockwave of seismic energy. But the power of the stakes was incomparably more precise. The projectiles struck with a dry impact, piercing through Blackbeard's shoulders mercilessly. The explosion of energy that followed tore parts of his clothes, leaving black marks on his skin.
"GRAAAGH!" Teach screamed, his face twisted in pain as he dropped to his knees. The darkness of his Black Hole faded momentarily, unable to keep absorbing the energy of the stakes due to the incredible precision of Noah's technique.
Without giving him time to recover, Noah summoned a third Truth-Seeking Orb, transforming it into another sharp stake. With a quick motion, he fired it straight at Blackbeard's head. The stake pierced his skull effortlessly, and Teach collapsed lifeless to the ground.
Having exterminated the entire crew, Noah began to collect his loot of Devil Fruits and, most importantly, Teach's body.
With nothing left to do there, he set course for Egghead.
Half a month later, Noah arrived at Egghead at the perfect moment.
Chaos reigned as the Straw Hats clashed with the Gorosei.
Taking advantage of the confusion and the ongoing battle, he slipped through the shadows, moving with agility until he infiltrated the secret chamber where Vegapunk's giant brain was stored.
The room housing Vegapunk's giant brain was a breathtaking sight.
Dozens of screens projected real-time data, displaying complex equations, neural patterns, and advanced algorithms.
Metallic columns connected the brain structure to the rest of the island, transmitting information through light pulses that flickered at a constant rhythm.
The sound of the systems at work filled the air with a nearly hypnotic hum. But Noah wasn't there to admire the engineering; he had a clear objective.
Without wasting a moment, he activated the Mind Reading Jutsu. A series of complex seals glowed on his hands as he whispered the technique. Immediately, the giant brain began to vibrate slightly. Its neurons lit up all at once, unleashing an unstoppable wave of stored memories and knowledge accumulated over the years. Every theory, every formula, every discovery made by Vegapunk unfolded before Noah's consciousness as if he were reliving its existence from the beginning.
As the brain relived its memories, Noah copied and sealed them within his own mind.
The process wasn't instant. The sheer volume of information was staggering—even for Noah's highly developed mind. Vegapunk's brain structure didn't just store knowledge; it functioned as a living network of continuous processing. Any disruption in its activity could trigger automated security responses. Noah had to carefully modulate the flow of data he absorbed, ensuring he didn't disturb the support systems or activate any alarms.
Miles away, where Vegapunk's main body was located, the elderly scientist felt a chill run down his spine. Suddenly, his thoughts fragmented and his gaze turned vacant.
As if trapped in a nightmare, he began to recall his entire life in a series of overwhelming visions. His greatest achievements, his moments of failure, his deepest secrets… everything unfolded before him with terrifying clarity.
He didn't understand what was happening, but something inside him screamed that someone was rummaging through his mind, tearing away pieces of his genius without consent. His breathing quickened, but his body wouldn't respond. He was paralyzed.
Meanwhile, Noah completed the data transfer. His eyes gleamed for a moment before returning to normal. He felt different—his mind was now a vast ocean of knowledge, overflowing with Vegapunk's wisdom. However, he had no time to process it all at that moment. He still had one more objective before leaving.
He swiftly moved toward the main laboratory, his next target.
Once inside, his eyes scanned every corner, analyzing the vast amount of advanced technology at his disposal. He moved quickly, storing scrolls filled with research, invention blueprints, and weapon prototypes into his 4D pocket. He took everything, leaving nothing behind.
With one final glance at Vegapunk's base, he vanished in the blink of an eye.