"What…?"
Blackbeard was genuinely shaken by her words.
How could the Marines possibly know his plan?
He would rather believe they were simply here to arrest him than accept that they had already uncovered the truth behind his abilities. Because if the Marines did know… they would never allow him the time to grow unchecked.
Seeing the shock written plainly across Blackbeard's face, Sengoku allowed himself a faint, smug smile. He stepped forward and said coldly,
"In the end, you're still too naive, Blackbeard. Every move you made was seen through by Whitebeard long ago. You thought you were manipulating both the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates—but in reality, you were the only one being played."
Blackbeard's brow furrowed, a chill creeping into his spine.
"What… do you mean?"
Meanwhile, aboard the Paddle Steamer—
A crewman hurried over to Jozu.
"Captain Jozu! A Den Den Mushi call—from Captain Marco!"
Jozu was momentarily surprised. It had been quite some time since Marco had been blasted away by Kizaru. That kind of injury shouldn't have been a problem for him. If so, why hadn't Marco simply flown back? Why call instead?
He picked up the Den Den Mushi.
"This is Jozu."
"Jozu, it's me," Marco said, his voice low and steady. "Once everyone's on board, set sail immediately. Don't wait for me."
Jozu's expression tightened.
"What are you planning to do, Marco?"
"I'm near the Marineford plaza," Marco explained calmly. "The Blackbeard Pirates and the Marines have already started fighting. I'm going to look for an opening to take Pops' body back. Don't worry—I'll be fine."
Hearing Marco's intention, Jozu fell silent for a moment before finally replying,
"…Be careful, Marco."
"That's all," Marco said. The Den Den Mushi clicked off.
"Now… all that's left is to wait."
Marco had already changed into an ordinary Marine uniform. A Marine cap sat low on his head, and dried blood was smeared across his face, making him look like nothing more than a battered soldier who had barely survived the chaos. Without close inspection, no one would recognize him.
Marco didn't particularly care whether Blackbeard succeeded in stealing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
If the Marines managed to stop him, all the better.
If they didn't—it wouldn't matter.
This Marco was no longer the Marco of the original story. With the system backing him, he feared no version of Blackbeard born of this world. Even if Teach became a wielder of multiple Devil Fruits, Marco was confident he could defeat him.
For now, neither the Marines nor the Blackbeard Pirates noticed the disguised Marco calmly blending in among the Marine ranks.
Back in the plaza, Sengoku looked down at Blackbeard with open disdain.
"You still don't understand?" he snorted. Then, turning slightly, he said, "Kuzan—explain it to him."
Aokiji nodded.
"Simply put… all of your actions have been within Whitebeard's expectations."
"What?!"
Blackbeard's face went pale. "What do you mean by that, Aokiji?"
Aokiji sighed faintly.
"Do I really need to spell it out?" he said, sounding almost weary. "Fine—I'll make it clearer."
He fixed Blackbeard with a steady gaze.
"Everything you did—capturing Fire Fist Ace, handing him over to the Marines, becoming a Shichibukai—every single step you took after that… was already within Whitebeard's predictions."
"He foresaw it all," Aokiji continued calmly.
"He anticipated that we Marines would use Fire Fist Ace as bait to draw out the Whitebeard Pirates. He anticipated that you would accept the title of Shichibukai for one reason only—to enter Impel Down and recruit the monsters of Level Six as your subordinates."
Aokiji's gaze hardened.
"He anticipated this war. And he also anticipated that you would come to Marineford to seize his Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
Hearing this, Blackbeard's eyes widened in disbelief. Fear surged through him, and he roared,
"Impossible! How could that old man know all of this?! He's dead now! If everything truly went according to his predictions, then why was he the one killed by me?!"
Aokiji's expression turned solemn.
"I didn't want to believe it either," he admitted. "But Marco told me everything earlier."
He continued, each word striking like a hammer.
"You possess three hearts, which allows you to wield up to three Devil Fruits. And your Dark-Dark Fruit has the ability to plunder the powers of other Devil Fruit users."
Aokiji looked straight at Blackbeard.
"Which means… every step you took was already within Whitebeard's expectations—including the fact that we would be waiting for you here."
He paused, then added quietly,
"Even as a Marine, I'll say this—Whitebeard truly deserved the title of the world's strongest. The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit should never fall into the hands of someone like you."
Cold sweat drenched Blackbeard's back.
He had never imagined that even his deepest secret had been exposed—that Whitebeard had seen everything.
Akainu snorted disdainfully.
"The only remaining uncertainty," he said coldly, "is whether you can truly become a multiple Devil Fruit user. Don't worry—once we capture you and send you to the laboratory, we'll find out."
Blackbeard finally understood.
He had believed himself the mastermind—using both the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates as pawns to reap the final reward. Yet in the end, it was he who had been outplayed.
He cursed himself for underestimating Whitebeard.
The old man hadn't just possessed the world's greatest power—he had possessed foresight and strategy to match.
Though Blackbeard refused to fully accept the truth, the reality before his eyes left no room for denial.
Two Admirals.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Hero Garp.
And countless elite Marines.
They had completely surrounded him.
There would be no stealing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit today.
Survival came first.
Still, Blackbeard straightened his back and forced a grin onto his face, laughing wildly.
"Zehahahahaha! I never imagined this! In the end, I was outplayed after all."
He looked skyward.
"You really were something, Pops. Even in death, you calculated me down to the smallest detail."
Then his eyes turned sharp.
"But you still underestimated me. Until I reach the top of the world—I will not die!"
"Dark Vortex!"
Darkness erupted from Blackbeard's palm, warping the space around him.
The Marines instantly went on high alert. Through Blackbeard's earlier clash with Whitebeard, they had already learned the terrifying nature of the Dark-Dark Fruit. Anyone caught by it would be unable to use their Devil Fruit—and even an Admiral could suffer if they were careless.
As the Dark Vortex expanded, Blackbeard pulled in the frozen forms of Burgess, Doc Q, and Vasco Shot. These were the comrades he had gone to great lengths to recruit—he wouldn't abandon them now.
Once they were swallowed by the darkness, Blackbeard roared,
"Brothers—retreat!!"
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