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Weevil, no longer under the strict control of Miss Buckin, had found new indulgences in his life since Blackbeard Teach took her place as his "big brother." With Teach's guidance, Weevil had been exposed to pleasures beyond food—experiences that left him addicted to this new, dissolute lifestyle. This shift made Weevil far more loyal to Teach, who had filled the void left by his manipulative "mother."
Now, as Weevil stared at Hancock and Shirahoshi, his simple mind struggled to process his feelings. Their unparalleled beauty hit him like a sledgehammer, leaving only raw longing in his eyes.
"Brother.... these people... they're enemies, right?" Weevil asked, his voice trembling with excitement.
Teach smirked, understanding exactly what Weevil meant. He knew his "brother's" simplistic view of the world: enemies were just prey to be taken by force. Weevil had already proven this mindset time and time again, whether with treasures, enemies, or women.
"Zehahaha! That's right, my dear brother!" Teach declared, his eyes blazing with ambition. "They're enemies! And you know what that means—anything they have is ours for the taking!"
His gaze lingered on the snake-shaped ship, focusing intently on Shirahoshi. While Hancock's beauty was undeniable, Teach's true desire lay elsewhere.
The mermaid princess was no ordinary beauty—she was Poseidon, the Ancient Weapon capable of commanding the Sea Kings. That power was worth more than anything else in the world. Teach's mind raced, his thoughts growing more frenzied with every passing moment.
Poseidon. The mermaid who can control the Sea Kings. One of the three weapons that can destroy the world.
Teach's breathing quickened as he realized the opportunity before him.
If he could capture Shirahoshi and control her, the Sea Kings would be his to command. With such a force, even Alex, the ruler of the Sky Kingdom, would be powerless to stop him. What was one man's wrath compared to the power to dominate the seas?
Raising his voice to rally his crew, Teach shouted:
"Little ones! If you want to survive, there's only one way—attack those Sea Kings! They're being controlled by that mermaid! She's the key to all of this!"
The battlefield froze for a moment as his words sank in. The realization hit Teach's crew like a tidal wave.
The Ancient Weapon, Poseidon… Shirahoshi. The one who can command the Sea Kings. The power to destroy the world.
The enormity of this revelation was almost too much to believe, yet the sight before them—the impossible gathering of colossal Sea Kings—made it undeniable. The Sky Kingdom had somehow gained control of this world-ending power.
Gasps spread through the Blackbeard crew. Even Teach's usually brash commanders looked shaken, their confidence faltering in the face of such a revelation.
Meanwhile, Hancock stood calmly on her ship, her sharp eyes narrowing at Teach. His ambitions and greed disgusted her. His crude words about Shirahoshi's power didn't faze her—she already knew the pirates' fate was sealed.
"Shirahoshi," Hancock said coldly, "show them your abilities. Now."
The mermaid princess nodded obediently, her gentle nature still shining through despite the chaos. Closing her eyes, she reached out with her power, a gift passed down from her mother, Queen Otohime.
Shirahoshi's voice resonated, not just in sound but in essence, reaching the hearts of the Sea Kings around her. Her ability to communicate with these titanic creatures was far stronger than her mother's gentle influence—it was an unshakable command.
Her words rang out clearly, filled with determination:
"Please, everyone, let's stop these bad people."
The Sea Kings responded instantly. Their massive bodies shifted in unison, their movements causing the ocean itself to tremble. Waves rose like mountains as the colossal creatures closed in on the fortress.
Teach's grin faltered, replaced by a flicker of fear. Even he had to admit: the power to command the Sea Kings was far more terrifying than he'd imagined.
With Shirahoshi's command, the Sea Kings became a force of nature, their blood-red eyes glowing with ferocity. Like unleashed beasts, their colossal bodies churned the sea around the fortress island into chaos. Even a slight movement of their massive forms, as tall as hills, generated waves over ten meters high, crashing relentlessly against the island's shores.
The once-stable fortress island began to tremble under the assault, the ground shaking as if on the verge of collapse.
The snake-shaped Sea King coiled its body protectively beneath Shirahoshi, retreating a thousand meters to ensure her safety. Then, with a powerful motion, its massive tail broke through the sea's surface and lashed toward the island with terrifying speed and force.
Seeing this, the Whitebeard commanders couldn't remain idle. Though many of their crewmates lay unconscious after Hancock's earlier assault, they were determined to protect their family.
"Hold the line!" Vista, the master swordsman and captain of the 5th Division, leaped forward. Wielding his twin blades, he unleashed two brilliant slashes that streaked through the air, striking the tail of the snake-shaped Sea King. The impact was enough to cut through its thick scales, leaving a gash nearly a hundred meters long.
Vista's eyes narrowed. Even with that attack… it's barely a scratch.
He gritted his teeth as he marveled at the sheer durability of the creature. Even as a master swordsman with immense power, fighting a giant Sea King, especially without Haki, was a near-impossible task.
"That's just how monstrous these things are!" he muttered, preparing for another attack.
Jozu, the Diamond Man, rushed in next. Covered in his near-indestructible diamond form and coated with Armament Haki, he launched himself at the incoming tail with tremendous force.
BOOM!
The impact created a massive shockwave, pushing the thousand-meter-long tail back into the sea with a thunderous crash. The Sea King's colossal body recoiled, momentarily stunned by the combined efforts of Vista and Jozu.
"HISSSSS!"
The Sea King hissed angrily as its tail hit the cold seawater. However, its size and resilience rendered the attacks insignificant. The hundred-meter-long wound from Vista's slash was like a minor scratch on its several-kilometer-long body.
But the sting of being repelled by such small creatures was enough to anger the snake-shaped Sea King. It paused, realizing that these humans were not ordinary prey. They were strong enough to cause harm, and attacking recklessly might endanger Shirahoshi.
With intelligence honed by its ancient lineage, the Sea King made a decision. Its massive form sank beneath the waves, disappearing from view.
This sudden retreat left both the Whitebeard remnants and Blackbeard's crew uneasy.
"What are they doing?" one of the Blackbeard pirates muttered, gripping his weapon tightly.
"They're not gone," another replied nervously. "There's no way they'd leave us alive after that."
Van Augur, Blackbeard's sniper, had been watching the water closely through his scope. His expression darkened, and his voice trembled as he shouted:
"They're coming… from below us!"
Moments later, the ocean around the island exploded into chaos.
From beneath the island itself, a powerful force surged upward. The impact was so immense that the entire fortress was lifted off the ground, trembling violently as cracks raced through its foundation.
RUMBLE!
The island groaned under the strain as fissures tore through the land. Seawater gushed through the cracks, flooding the surface. The fortress seemed ready to crumble.
"Captain! This island doesn't look good!" Burgess, the fighting champion, shouted, his voice filled with panic as he struggled to keep his balance amidst the violent tremors.
Teach's face twisted in fear. As a Devil Fruit user, the prospect of falling into the sea was a death sentence. And with the Sea Kings lurking below, survival was unthinkable.
"Van! How much longer for the teleportation?!" Teach bellowed, his voice tinged with desperation.
Van Augur wiped the sweat from his brow, his usually calm demeanor shaken. "We need more time for a wide-range teleportation like this!"
"WE DON'T HAVE TIME!" Teach roared back, panic setting in.
BOOM!
The tension reached its peak as the fortress island, spanning tens of thousands of meters, finally gave way. With a deafening roar, it shattered into countless pieces, collapsing under the relentless assault of the Sea Kings.