Infinite gravity devoured everything, reducing all existence to nothingness.
Teach watched the scene in silence.
Gilman and Nickt, who had fled desperately into the distance, were not spared. They were swallowed by the gravitational collapse and crushed to death, erased by Teach's attack.
Neither of them had expected their final moments to end like this. Dying while fleeing was frustrating, but it was also the inevitable outcome they had chosen.
What they did not realize was that their Devil Fruit abilities were also taken by Teach.
The compression was not truly infinite. Compared to the enormous gravitational field that had formed, the final compression was far smaller. Yet when everything was drawn toward the central core, the result was the same.
Weaker matter was instantly crushed into pulp. Even strong bodies could not endure such pressure.
Infinite compression was not something any living being could survive.
This technique was not something Teach could fully control, nor did he intend to. What he controlled was the scale of the final release through the degree of condensation.
The end result of all those objects, dragged inward by gravity and crushed together, was not simple destruction. They vanished, transported through space distorted by gravity.
That destination was the dark space within Teach's body.
Perhaps due to the nature of the Dark-Dark Fruit, the "Star of Destruction" referred not only to the initial sphere of light but also to the infinitely compressed core formed at the very end. A sphere created by crushing and condensing everything it had swallowed.
Nothing could survive within it.
Thus, the compressed core, along with Nickt, Gilman, and their Devil Fruit abilities, were all absorbed into the dark space inside Teach.
Devil Fruits could not escape that space unless Teach intentionally connected it to the outside world while using his power.
Now, within Teach's perception, the two abilities had already regenerated.
Inside his dark space were specially prepared containers, reinforced to withstand his own compression. One large box was filled with various fruits, reserved specifically for harvesting Devil Fruit abilities.
Within it, two fruits had successfully transformed.
They were powerful abilities, and Teach had no intention of letting them go.
The secret that he could plunder Devil Fruits would eventually be exposed. He knew that. But for now, there was no need to reveal it.
All across the battlefield and through the live broadcast, people stared in stunned silence.
This was destruction in its purest form.
Morgans reacted quickly. That brief instant had been far too fast to comprehend, so he immediately ordered a replay.
The footage was slowed to twenty times slower, the current technical limit.
Even then, it was still fast.
Within less than a second, the entire gravitational field collapsed inward. Everything inside was dragged toward the center simultaneously.
A gravitational field spanning several kilometers shrank rapidly, pulling in countless objects. At the end, that vast sphere compressed into a dull, earthen-colored ball barely thirty meters in diameter, suspended in midair.
Then space twisted.
A ripple flashed.
The sphere vanished.
The sky returned to calm.
Only then did the true terror of Teach's technique become clear.
It was not without countermeasures. A handful of truly powerful individuals, if caught early, might use other objects within the field to resist the pull and escape before the collapse was complete.
But such people were exceedingly rare.
Teach's gravity was overwhelming.
Once seized, the body could barely move, let alone resist. Even the will to struggle was crushed.
Those who witnessed the scene, whether in person or through footage, could only stare in shock.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
At present, there was no strategy to counter that move. If Teach unleashed it at Marine Headquarters, the entire organization would be annihilated.
The danger was not just its power, but the complete lack of countermeasures.
"Can we destroy that sphere before it detonates?" a Marine officer asked hesitantly.
"Impossible," Tsuru said, shaking her head. "That outer shell is the same substance as Teach's Dark Orb. Its hardness is absurd."
"More importantly," she continued, "the energy inside is terrifying. Even Dark Jade cannot fully contain it. If the shell were destroyed prematurely, the explosion would occur instantly. At that distance, escape would be impossible."
"Trying to suppress the energy without destroying the shell is essentially impossible."
Even Garp would not dare approach it directly. Once inside, the gravity would only intensify, and he might not even be able to break free.
"Then the only option is vigilance," Garp said, clenching his fists. "We cannot allow him to use this move freely."
If it were unleashed at Marine Headquarters, the casualties would be unimaginable. More than half the Marines would likely be wiped out.
Even Vice Admirals like Gilman and Nickt had been unable to escape. Ordinary soldiers would have no chance at all.
A knock suddenly echoed through the room.
"Come in," Sengoku said. "What is it?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral," the messenger replied. "You may already know, but I must report it formally. The Vivre Cards of Vice Admirals Gilman and Nickt have both burned out."
The room fell silent.
"However," the messenger continued, "Vice Admiral Atchison is still alive. His Vivre Card still retains a small amount of vitality. The Staff Office finds this unusual and asked me to report it immediately."
"What?" Several people exclaimed at once.
Atchison was alive?
According to the battle footage, Atchison should have died after Gilman and Nickt, killed by Redyat. There was no reason for Redyat to spare him.
"He must be after intelligence," a Marine general said, frowning. "Redyat is clever. If there was valuable information to extract, he wouldn't miss the opportunity. But earlier, he clearly intended to kill Atchison."
"Given the threats made, Atchison wouldn't willingly betray Marine intelligence. Something doesn't add up."
Others nodded in agreement.
Someone who should have died was still alive. The inconsistency was obvious, yet no one could determine what the Nightfall Pirates were planning.
Across the seas, the world's major powers and great pirates fell silent as well.
They imagined facing such an attack themselves.
The conclusion was always the same.
This technique rivaled Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi in sheer devastation.
Whitebeard's power was broader, capable of shaking the world itself. Teach's technique, however, was far more lethal.
Within that infinite compression, survival was almost impossible.
Being dragged into the unknown was what made it truly terrifying.
Even so, the move consumed enormous stamina. Teach would not use it often, unless he intended to erase an entire force at once.
At his current level, his combat system was effectively complete.
Back on the battlefield, a lone Marine battleship slowly sailed away.
When they had arrived, there had been fifteen. Now, only one remained.
Its deck was crowded with survivors, yet the atmosphere was heavy and mournful.
This war was a devastating blow to the Marines' prestige.
The losses were catastrophic.
Three Vice Admirals had fallen, along with numerous high-ranking officers. These were not expendable soldiers. They were the backbone of the Marine organization.
Top-tier powerhouses were few and rarely deployed. Stability across the seas depended on officers like Rear Admirals and Commodores, capable of commanding fleets and maintaining order.
The Nightfall Pirates' victory was absolute.
After witnessing the retreat, Borsalino transformed into a beam of light and departed. He had no desire to continue fighting the Nightfall Pirates' commanders. The battle had been exhausting, and his injuries were not light.
As for the twelve thousand Marines who had participated, the number alone was staggering, especially those from the Grand Line.
In the end, the survivors were released by the Nightfall Pirates.
The impact of this battle would echo across the world.
After a year of silence, the Nightfall Pirates had returned, stepping on the Marines to reassert their presence.
Across the seas, discussions never ceased.
This battle, combined with several key revelations, was far more than a single clash.
The Nightfall Pirates had matured.
Vice-Captain Redyat had easily defeated Logia user Atchison. Teach himself had achieved a crushing two-on-one victory.
The Dark-Dark Fruit's new techniques were unveiled to the world.
Dark Jade, an almost absolute defense.
And the Star of Destruction, an ultimate gravitational attack.
One made Teach untouchable.
The other scarred the land itself.
The enormous crater left behind was hundreds of meters deep. As the island fractured, seawater began pouring in. Before long, it would likely become a massive lake.
Hidden beneath the spectacle were even more explosive topics.
Marine corruption.
The truth of Ohara.
The shadow of the Void Century.
The world would not lack sensational headlines in the days to come.
This storm had only just begun.
Across the globe, various forces began searching for Poneglyphs. These ancient stones were proof of the World Government's crimes, and for ambitious individuals, tools to overturn the existing order.
Others turned their attention to Nico Robin.
As the last known archaeologist capable of reading the Poneglyphs, her value skyrocketed overnight.
Even those unable to control her sought cooperation.
Robin herself would never refuse such work.
It was a mutually beneficial exchange.
At the same time, there was a silent consensus. Nico Robin could not be allowed to fall into the World Government's hands.
Some forces even began protecting her in secret.
Those who understood the future knew this much.
She would be a key figure in what was to come.
Meanwhile, another force stepped onto the stage.
The Revolutionary Army.
In a nation in the South Blue, they overthrew a government. Though the rebellion was short-lived and quickly suppressed, its impact was immense.
The leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon, was declared the world's most dangerous criminal.
The World Government represented not only authority, but the collective interests of kings and nobles.
The Revolutionary Army threatened the very foundation of that system.
Even though they were still weak, their ideology could not be allowed to spread.
In that country, the nobles and king were publicly executed. Their wealth was distributed to the people, and their severed heads were displayed on the city gates.
A new era of chaos was quietly taking shape.