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The battle began with an explosion that sent flames and smoke surging wildly, while blood splattered amidst the deafening roars of combat.
The dense crowd of pirates sprang to life, their shouts and battle cries rising above the clashing of weapons.
One side fought for plunder.
The other side fought for protection.
This was the climactic confrontation between the remnants of Whitebeard's crew and Blackbeard Teach. Joining the chaos was none other than Edward Weevil, the son of Whitebeard.
Weevil wielded a naginata with terrifying power, mimicking the overwhelming strength and shockwave-producing abilities of Whitebeard himself. His ferocious attacks caused devastating tremors with each strike, earning him the moniker "Whitebeard II." Yet, for those who had followed Whitebeard out of love and loyalty, this title was a blasphemy they refused to acknowledge—especially since Weevil had slaughtered many of their brothers during the Summit War.
"Kill him! Avenge our fallen brothers!"
Seeing Weevil enter the fray, Atmos, the captain of the 13th Division, roared with fury. Brandishing his twin sabers, he charged headlong at the towering adversary.
Weevil's fighting style was brutally straightforward: overwhelming strength paired with sharp precision. He relied on an almost primal mastery of Observation Haki, not to predict his opponent's movements but to lock onto them with unerring accuracy. Once his target was in sight, he would unleash a single, devastating blow.
"Raaah!"
As Atmos closed in, Weevil swung his naginata with shocking speed. In an instant, the weapon that had been held behind him was already slicing forward. A ripple of white energy—eerily reminiscent of Whitebeard's Quake-Quake Fruit power—gathered along the blade.
BOOM!
The shockwave from Weevil's attack was cataclysmic. The ground and air trembled violently as the naginata struck. Atmos had no chance to counter—the impact shattered his sabers and hurled him backward with incredible force.
The battlefield erupted as a spiderweb of cracks spread across the ground, hundreds of meters wide.
"Atmos!!"
Witnessing the devastating blow, Jozu, the captain of the 3rd Division, roared in fury. His entire body transformed into diamond as he charged at Weevil with unstoppable momentum.
Weevil met Jozu head-on, his naginata once again glowing with power as he infused it with Armament Haki. The collision was thunderous. Though Jozu was capable of tossing icebergs with ease, he found himself pushed back by Weevil's overwhelming strength. The condensed shockwaves from the attack forced Jozu to retreat step by step.
"That guy!" Marco shouted from above, keeping a wary eye on the battlefield even as he fought. Seeing Jozu, one of their strongest fighters, being overpowered filled him with unease.
Meanwhile, Teach, grinning wickedly, paused his pursuit of the Phoenix. He couldn't resist taunting Marco.
"Look at that, Marco! I don't know if Weibull is really Whitebeard's son, but doesn't he fight just like Pops? Even the great Admiral Zephyr fell to that guy's strength!"
Teach's laughter echoed through the battlefield, mingling with the sounds of destruction and chaos as the fight raged on.
"An arm was cut off by his power just like that!"
Teach's smug laughter echoed across the battlefield.
"It's impossible for you to win this so-called war, Marco. Didn't Dad give everything to send you out of the last war alive? And here you are, about to fall again!"
Teach sneered, his grin widening. "I won't deny it—Dad created an era, but that era is over. His glory is a thing of the past, and I've already paved the road to my own hegemony!"
His voice boomed with self-assurance, his outstretched arms a display of his twisted charisma.
"Zehahahaha! Marco, why don't you join me? With our combined strength, there's no dream we couldn't achieve. Together, we could rule these seas!"
Marco's fiery blue gaze remained fixed on Teach. He didn't flinch at the offer, his blue flames surging more violently in response.
"That guy is nothing more than a pawn to you, Teach!" Marco snapped. His tone turned sharper, his voice filled with contempt. "And who do you think Dad entrusted this crew to, huh? You shameless bastard!"
With those words, Marco's form erupted into flames. Transforming into his full phoenix form, he launched himself at Teach, the azure firestorm engulfing both of them in an instant.
The heat was so intense that the air around them shimmered, warping from the sheer temperature. Teach roared in pain, thrashing like a trapped beast as the flames seared his body. His guttural screams filled the air, sounding almost like the cries of a roasted pig.
But Teach was not one to go down so easily. Gritting his teeth, he activated Armament Haki to boost his defenses and unleashed a devastating counterattack, sending Marco flying backward.
The phoenix was forced to retreat, his flames momentarily fading, leaving Teach panting heavily as he assessed the damage. His skin was scorched, and the stench of burnt flesh lingered, but his wicked grin remained.
"Zehahaha! Thick skin? I don't mind that, Marco. As long as it gets me to the top!" Teach bellowed, his voice dripping with malevolence. "But since this is your answer, I guess I'll have to crush you! In the end, I will be the victor—Marshall D. Teach!"
Hearing the name "D," Marco's expression faltered for a moment, and his lips parted as if to speak.
Suddenly, a deep rumble shook the battlefield.
The once-calm sea outside the fortress churned violently, waves rising tens of meters high. The turbulent waters seemed to pulse with a foreboding energy, as if something monstrous stirred beneath.
"What's happening?!" one pirate shouted, his voice trembling.
The water heaved upward, forming a massive bulge hundreds of meters long.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of deafening explosions erupted as colossal jets of white water shot into the sky like dragons, sending thousands of tons of seawater crashing down with apocalyptic force.
The fortress island fell silent as the stunned pirates turned their gaze toward the port.
Then, they saw it.
Seven massive shapes emerged from the sea, their titanic forms dwarfing even the largest ships in the fleet.
Sea Kings.
But not just any Sea Kings—these were the lords of the deep, each one a rare and terrifying ruler of their kind.
The pirates froze in terror. The thousand-meter-long creatures loomed like moving islands, their massive bodies encircling the fortress, trapping everyone within their deadly reach.