Sanji didn't waste time torturing Van Augur. Because Red's time was limited, he simply hurled the sniper high into the air with a brutal Seismic Toss, then unleashed his pent-up fury on him without restraint.
The man had aimed straight for Vivi's head the moment he appeared—of course Sanji wouldn't show the slightest mercy.
Within moments, Van Augur's body was kicked so badly it was barely recognizable. And when Sanji finished with a blazing Diable Jambe strike fueled by Sizzly Slide—The top-tier sniper who should have become a future Yonko officer…Fell beneath the cook's burning leg.
Even Usopp couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine at the sight.
So this is what happens to a sniper once the enemy gets close!?One hand gripping his Green Vine Grapple, his mind whirled frantically—calculating how to extend his snipe range, boost his defenses, and improve his ability to run for his life.
The Green Vine Grapple Device…
Was already far from enough to satisfy him!
Poor thing—it hadn't even existed for a full twenty-four hours, and its creator was already looking down on it.
...
...
Over the next ten minutes, Usopp managed to fish both Doc Q and Lafitte out of the ocean's swirling currents.
Doc Q was someone Red had personally emphasized must be eliminated.
Even though Usopp and the others didn't know the reason, they responded immediately. They locked down his potential abilities with Seastone restraints, then dispatched him cleanly in seconds.
As for Lafitte—That catch was completely random.They used the same method on him.
He was a bit more troublesome than Doc Q, even nearly managing to use his fruit ability to escape…
But just as he tried, Zoro's Pressure trait washed over him.His mind blanked for a moment.
Sanji and Usopp instantly seized the opening, striking together to finish him off.
With Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp working as a coordinated trio—Anyone fished fresh out of seawater stood no chance of using any Devil Fruit power. Not even for a breath.
And against fighters whose strength already exceeded Paradise-level limits, these Blackbeard Pirates were effortlessly wiped out.
In the blink of an eye, only three members of the Blackbeard Pirates remained:Blackbeard himself, helmsman Burgess, and Doc Q's sick horse, Stronger.
A result perfectly aligned with Red's expectations.
After all, he was certain Burgess didn't obtain his Devil Fruit until two years later.
As for Stronger…
It wasn't that Red looked down on the Blackbeard Pirates' animals.
It was simply that compared to Chopper… and Laboon…This "member" of the Blackbeard Pirates hardly seemed worth caution.
Hovering midair, Red flipped his hand and pulled out a bottle of Ether, drinking it in one go to refill his internal energy.
But he allowed his control over the surrounding currents to gradually weaken.
With Doc Q and the others eliminated, Burgess and Stronger posed no threat. He no longer needed to use seawater to imprison the rest of the crew.
If he dragged this out too long and Blackbeard somehow found a loophole to escape along the currents…That would be troublesome.
As Red released his hold, the raging sea settled back into calm.
And the moment it happened…He was proven right to stay cautious.
For the Blackbeard who had been helpless and weakened in the sea, the instant the vortex calmed—He abruptly twisted his body!
Devil Fruit users couldn't move freely underwater, and he was no exception.But using the last trace of the vortex's momentum, he shot toward Laboon's massive tail fin.
Splash—!!!
Grabbing the tail fin at just the right moment, he used the inertia to rocket himself upward, bursting above the surface before scrambling onto the enormous fin.
Laboon was an Island Whale.Even just the tail fin alone spanned several entire streets.
And the exact place Blackbeard climbed up…Was the spot farthest from Zoro and the others—Giving him just enough time and space to catch his breath.
It was difficult not to suspect…
That he had planned this from the start.
"No wonder he's the man capable of plunging the world into chaos,"Red muttered in the air, genuinely impressed.
But the next moment, his gaze shifted toward the Going Merry.
Ripples spread across the sea once more.
Laboon slowly rose from the water, revealing his massive body—creating yet another foothold in the middle of the ocean.
Tap.
Luffy leapt forward, landing directly on Laboon's back, his eyes locked onto Blackbeard.
"From here on… this is the real fight."
His voice brimmed with fighting spirit.
Using tricks to thin out the enemy beforehand wasn't Luffy's usual style.But after Red had hammered this point into him over and over, he finally understood—
If you don't strike ruthlessly at your enemies…They will strike ruthlessly at your friends.
At the same time, as if hearing Luffy's whisper, Blackbeard turned his gaze toward him.
One man stood at Laboon's highest point.The other at the lowest.Sunlight shone behind Luffy, outlining him in a dazzling glow—In stark contrast to Blackbeard, shrouded in shadow.
"Straw Hat Luffy… Straw Hat Pirates…"
"Good… very good!!!"
His voice dropped low, hoarse and chilling.
Watching everything the Straw Hats had done, the arrogance and twisted grin vanished from his face.
The next instant, Blackbeard lifted his head coldly.Dark mist surged around him.
Then he snapped toward Red, the air turning icy around his voice:
"I underestimated you!"
"I finally understand…"
"Your Devil Fruit is the Float-Float Fruit, isn't it!?"
"I never expected that fool Golden Lion to die without explanation—only for his fruit to fall into the hands of someone who can control seawater itself. Your compatibility with that fruit is downright monstrous!"
As a fanatic of Devil Fruits, Blackbeard's knowledge far exceeded ordinary pirates.
He knew the sea contained a unique element:
PYROBROIN.
When its concentration became high enough, it weakened Devil Fruit users—And at extreme levels, it could even seal Devil Fruit abilities.
Seastone cuffs were created using this very principle.
Even though the sea itself wouldn't seal one's powers…Its PYROBROIN levels were so overwhelmingly vast that—Aside from indirect manipulation (like freezing or heating the ocean),It was essentially impossible to control seawater directly.
Unless…
A Devil Fruit user's ability had reached an absurd, awakened level.
Blackbeard's eyes deepened with shadow.A trace of fear flickered there.
Such a person was never simple prey.
However—
Having personally tasted the despair of helplessness underwater, something inside him twisted.
Even the famed Quake-Quake Fruit, hailed as one of the world's strongest abilities…Suddenly felt less appealing.
But a fruit that offered mobility and overwhelming power at sea—The Float-Float Fruit—Had become his new obsession.
If he could steal that fruit…Then he, Blackbeard, would have no weaknesses left in this world!
Greed burned in his eyes.
The deaths of his men were troublesome—but discovering a fruit more suited to him was exhilarating.
"Zehahahahaha—!!!"
Fresh from losing his comrades, Blackbeard suddenly erupted into wild laughter.
BOOM!!!
Without warning, he stepped forward.
Instantly, the black mist around him surged like a tidal wave, shooting across Laboon's surface straight toward the Straw Hats.
At the same moment, a frenzied, violent pressure exploded outward from him—A shockwave sweeping in all directions.
A power far more terrifying than the darkness mist itself.
In an instant, clouds cracked, waves churned, and the entire sea trembled.
On Laboon's back, the Straw Hats staggered beneath the weight of Conqueror's Haki.
Luffy and Zoro's brows tightened.
One possessed equal—or perhaps superior—Conqueror's potential.The other had honed the Pressure trait that naturally attuned him to Conqueror's Haki.
Neither was shaken.
Sanji, however, standing beside them, faltered for a moment.
Though affected, the very fact he could withstand it meant—
The power sleeping within him was finally beginning to awaken.
Otherwise, with his current strength, he would have been instantly crushed.
Beside him, Usopp took a full direct hit—Stumbled—And nearly collapsed forward.
But just before he fell unconscious, he regained a sliver of clarity and dropped to one knee, slowly steadying his mind.
"So this… this is the king's power Red talked about!?"
Watching his crewmates endure the shockwave, he clenched his fists tight.
Another item was immediately added to his future growth plans—
Spiritual strength training!
Meanwhile, high above the battlefield, Red and the crew aboard the Merry remained mostly unaffected.
Aside from little Chopper, who wavered for a moment,Nami, Robin, and Smoker endured the Conqueror's blast without falling.
Vivi, with her Psychic typing, and Merry in her ship form, felt nothing at all.
Before this world-shaking shockwave—
The Straw Hat Pirates…remained completely intact.
(End of Chapter)