Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Everything is rendered powerless before darkness! Even someone as powerful as you!"
"But this makes me want your power all the more. Ace, join my crew!"
Teach was gasping for air, thick black smoke billowing from his back, shooting up into the sky. The surroundings were in ruins; the entire small town had been practically leveled.
"Hoo hoo… Huff huff…"
Ace struggled to climb to his feet, blood flowing from his forehead and the corner of his mouth. He stared at Teach in front of him, letting out a slight, contemptuous sneer. "If I yield to power, there's no point being born a man. I'll never anything to be regretted later in my life! Do you understand, stupid?"
"How long can you live like that in this world? It's a pity, Ace!" Teach's face hardened, and he suddenly spread his arms wide.
"Die in the darkness!"
A mass of rolling black smoke immediately erupted, staining the clear sky black, leaving no trace of light.
Ace also stood up. Rings of fire quickly spread outward, finally merging to form a colossal fireball, illuminating the sky like a sun, standing in stark opposition to the darkness.
Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor!
"Zehahaha! The sun or the darkness, there'll only be one winner!" Teach was completely shrouded in darkness, the black smoke surging toward Ace, like a demonic god manipulating the dark.
"I'm gonna make Whitebeard the King!"
Ace held up the enormous, sun-like fireball, like a fire god, intending to dispel the darkness.
This duel on Banaro Island in the Grand Line, the struggle between these two pirates, would later be heralded as the fuse for the world-shaking great event that was to come!
....
A few days later.
New World, Dressrosa Royal Palace.
Aeridar and Doflamingo lay shirtless on deck chairs. In the adjacent swimming pool, several beautiful, young women in bikinis were playing around.
"Why call me over for a vacation out of the blue? What news have you gotten now?" Aeridar closed his eyes, holding a glass of orange juice and chewing aimlessly on the straw.
"Fufufufu… News just in yesterday: Whitebeard Pirates Second Division Commander, Fire Fist Ace, has been captured and imprisoned in Impel Down. And Marshall D. Teach, Blackbeard, has been confirmed to be appointed as the new Warlord member; it just hasn't been publicly announced yet." Doflamingo gave a wicked smile, not bothering to draw out the suspense.
Aeridar's eyes snapped open.
"This news will be known by Whitebeard sooner or later. That man will absolutely not permit anyone to harm his family, Fuffuffufu," Doflamingo grinned.
"The Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates are bound for war," Aeridar said grimly.
"That's right! The New Era is coming soon! We will inevitably be forcibly summoned by the World Government. Regardless of who wins or loses, it will undoubtedly determine the direction of the world!" Doflamingo looked up at the sky, wiggling his five fingers. Invisible, shimmering threads were constantly being pulled.
"Hmmm… Blackbeard, what a shrewd scheme." Aeridar narrowed his eyes slightly, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
"Fuffuffuffufu… As you said, a man who could wound a Yonko like Red-Haired Shanks truly should not be underestimated." Doflamingo also saw through Teach's calculations.
"Prepare yourselves. Whitebeard is guaranteed to lose. The only thing worth anticipating is the extent of the damage they can inflict on the Marines," Aeridar stated with prophetic certainty.
"Are you that certain, Aeridar? That's the 'World's Strongest Man' we're talking about, after all," Doflamingo asked curiously.
"The Three Admirals, plus those two retired veterans—the Marines aren't to be trifled with, either!" Aeridar said gravely. "And with the Seven Warlords, even if we sit on the sidelines, we already have the advantage in terms of high-level fighting power."
"And don't forget, there are also two Admiral candidates stationed at Mariejois, the Holy Land. If a war breaks out, those two Admiral candidates will certainly be ready to reinforce at any moment."
"Fuffuffufu… Your insight is truly sharp!" Doflamingo looked at Aeridar in surprise. After this analysis, he also felt that the Whitebeard Pirates would have a hard time winning. The difference, as the other man said, would only be the extent of the losses they inflicted on the Marines.
"It looks like the Marines and the World Government will notify us within the next two days," Aeridar said thoughtfully, gazing at the bikini-clad beauties playing in the swimming pool.
Hmm, who should I choose later?
It's such a dilemma!
Perhaps all of them?
....
Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates had entered the foggy sea area of the Florian Triangle, and with their bodies adorned with "exorcism god-level equipment," they landed on the terrifying, island-like Thriller Bark.
And the former Seven Warlord of the Sea member, Gecko Moria, was still inside his castle, continuing to build his dream zombie army. Of course, his current dream was no longer to be the Pirate King or to seek revenge on Kaido. What he wanted most now was to take revenge on Aeridar.
But Aeridar's current achievements had far surpassed Moria's. The terrifying feat of the other man killing Shiki, in particular, made Moria not dare to act rashly. He merely hid in the Florian Triangle, creating zombies, hoping to use the power of his zombie army in the future to exact revenge on Aeridar, and then seek revenge on Kaido.
After the Straw Hat crew set foot on Thriller Bark, a Marine warship quietly arrived at the back of Thriller Bark in the late hours of the night.
Thud, thud, thud, thud…
Heavy footsteps echoed, as if creatures of considerable mass were stepping onto the warship's deck.
Under the moonlight, three behemoths, nearly seven meters tall, appeared. They were powerfully built and resembled a bear. Oh, no, they looked exactly like Bartholomew Kuma, the Tyrant.
But why were there three Kumas—triplets?
Wait, none of these three Kumas had the distinctive paw-like pads on their palms, which was Bartholomew Kuma's trademark.
In other words, these three individuals who looked identical to Bartholomew Kuma were not Bartholomew Kuma at all.
"I'll be leading this mission. Vice Admiral Raymond, I'll trouble you to watch over the ship," Gregory adjusted the black, fleece greatcoat he was wearing and said with a smile. "You know, the higher-ups want to see the 'Pacifista' in live combat!"
World Government CP Agency Instructor, Killer—Felix Gregory.
Opposite him, a black-haired man in a pale-green suit and a 'Justice' coat had a firm expression and a scar on his right cheek.
Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, affiliated with the Marine Science Unit, Alva A. Raymond!
"It's no bother. This is your mission, after all," Raymond said expressionlessly.
Frankly, most Marine officers disliked people from the World Government, especially the CP agents, and even more so this particular man, who was an instructor for the agents and a former top-tier veteran agent himself.
On Thriller Bark, on the rooftop of a tall tower in the distant perimeter wall, stood another tall figure, whose gloved hands held a book resembling a Bible.
"Using Moria as a live-combat target, and three units at that…"