Akainu, whose hatred for evil ran bone-deep, fixed Blackbeard with an icy glare and sneered,
"Hmph. As expected—flies always swarm around filth. Blackbeard, by pulling a stunt like this, you're clearly done pretending to be a Shichibukai."
Blackbeard threw his head back and laughed arrogantly.
"Zehahahahaha! That's right! I only became a Shichibukai to get into Impel Down. Now? That title's worth nothing to me."
"In that case…" Akainu's eyes burned with murderous intent. "Die."
"Great Eruption—!"
Without a shred of hesitation, Akainu hurled a magma-coated fist straight at Blackbeard.
"Dark Water!"
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Blackbeard reacted just in time. Darkness surged from his palm, swallowing the incoming magma fist whole.
"What?!" Akainu's pupils shrank as his attack vanished.
"So hot—damn, that burns!" Blackbeard cursed, frantically brushing off the sparks dancing across his body, his expression betraying a flash of fear.
Though his darkness had absorbed the magma, taking it head-on meant he still felt the searing heat. The splashing embers scorched his skin, sending sharp pain through him.
"So this is the Dark-Dark Fruit…" Sengoku murmured grimly. After Blackbeard became a Shichibukai, the Marines had already learned the nature of his Devil Fruit.
"Tch." Akainu clicked his tongue, magma bubbling over his fists once more. "A power that absorbs everything, huh? Then let's see how much you can really swallow…"
His arms transformed fully into molten magma as he prepared to unleash Meteor Volcano, intent on reducing Blackbeard and his entire crew to ashes.
"Hey, hey, hey—hold on!" Blackbeard suddenly shouted, raising both hands. "Admiral Akainu, are you trying to blow Marineford to pieces?!"
As a pirate, he knew Akainu's reputation better than anyone. Among the Three Admirals, Sakazuki was the most merciless toward pirates. Even with the Dark-Dark Fruit, Blackbeard wasn't confident he could survive a full-on clash.
"I didn't come here to fight you Marines!" Blackbeard declared loudly.
Sengoku narrowed his eyes. He had no desire to provoke another enemy—especially one who had brought along so many infamous prisoners. The Marines had already paid a steep price fighting the Whitebeard Pirates. If Blackbeard stirred more chaos now, the situation could spiral completely out of control.
"Then tell me," Sengoku said coldly, "why you are here, Blackbeard."
Hearing Sengoku's restraint, Akainu reluctantly withdrew his magma, though his glare never left Blackbeard. In his mind, dealing with Blackbeard would be quick work—Devil Fruit tricks aside, raw Haki and combat skill would crush him. The only truly troublesome opponent here was Whitebeard.
Blackbeard's grin widened into something grotesque.
"Zehahahahaha! Isn't it obvious? I came to settle old scores—with the Whitebeard Pirates… and with Whitebeard himself."
He turned his gaze toward the wounded giant below, eyes gleaming with greed.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Blackbeard continued smoothly, "you wouldn't mind handing Whitebeard over to me, would you?"
The air froze.
Blackbeard's proposal aligned perfectly with Sengoku's interests. After all, whether it was Whitebeard or Blackbeard, they were both pirates. Sengoku's voice was cold as he replied,
"Very well. Do as you please."
Blackbeard understood perfectly that Sengoku was using him—but that suited him just fine. Everything was unfolding exactly according to his plan. He strode toward Whitebeard, his grin stretching wide.
"Zehahahahaha! Pops, I know you must be dying to kill me!"
Whitebeard glared back, breathing heavily, his massive frame trembling yet unyielding. His voice was low and filled with frost.
"Teach… you alone were never worthy of being my son. You broke the one ironclad rule of my ship—never kill a crewmate. Today, I'll use your life to mourn Thatch's soul."
As he spoke, Whitebeard clenched his fist. Though his body was already on the brink of collapse, his resolve burned fiercely. Before he died, he would erase this cancer named Teach from the world.
"Zehahahahaha! Funny—you took the words right out of my mouth," Blackbeard replied, staring at the dying giant without the slightest fear. His grin twisted with madness.
"You know, Pops, I used to admire you. I even thought that if I never found that Devil Fruit, I'd stay on your ship for life. But then Thatch found it… the Dark-Dark Fruit. That was the treasure I waited decades for. For it, I'd betray anyone."
Whitebeard didn't respond. His gaze alone was enough—cold, filled with killing intent.
Blackbeard shrugged. "But words don't matter anymore."
He raised a hand and barked an order to his crew, "This fight is between me and Whitebeard. No one interferes."
Then he looked back at Whitebeard, eyes gleaming.
"Come on, Whitebeard…"
Outside Crescent Bay, Aokiji watched the scene unfold. Marco's earlier words echoed in his mind, sending a chill deeper than ice down his spine.
"Don't tell me…" he muttered grimly. "Was all of this really Blackbeard's scheme?"
His expression darkened. Turning to the Marine beside him, he called out,
"Momonga."
"What is it, Kuzan?" Momonga responded immediately. The two were old classmates—both disciples of Zephyr, from the same generation. Yet while Kuzan had always stood at the very top, Momonga knew their strength was worlds apart.
"I'm leaving this area to you," Aokiji said sternly. "I need to report something critical to the Fleet Admiral."
Momonga nodded gravely. "Is this about what Marco mentioned earlier?"
Many Marines had heard fragments of it, but the chaos of battle—and Sengoku's direct clash with Whitebeard—had made reporting impossible until now.
Aokiji nodded. "Yes. Whether it's true or not, we can't afford to ignore it. The sea is frozen anyway—the Pirates won't be escaping anytime soon."
Back at Marineford Plaza, Whitebeard and Blackbeard finally clashed.
Already grievously wounded and now facing an ability that nullified Devil Fruits entirely, Whitebeard found himself at a disadvantage. For a brief moment, he was forced on the defensive—an outcome that made both Sengoku and Akainu narrow their eyes in surprise.
Blackbeard's power… was far more dangerous than expected.
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