Divine Evasion!
With a single glance, Blackbeard recognized the origin of the sword.
He had witnessed both Roger's and Red Hair's strikes, and this brat's...
was no less powerful than either!
"Damn it!"
Blackbeard broke out in a cold sweat, terrified, and frantically flapped his wings, trying to dodge.
But...
he couldn't!
Overwhelmed by the overwhelming force of his Domineering Haki, he felt as if he were trapped by an invisible force, his movements becoming incredibly slow. He could only watch helplessly as the crimson blade approached.
"What a joke!"
Faced with life and death, Blackbeard's fear turned to rage, a glint of madness and resentment flashing in his eyes.
"I'm determined to surpass that old man and become the king of the world! How can I die here!!!"
Death at the hands of a teenage brat?
Absolutely!
Absolutely unacceptable!
"Move!"
He roared, his eyes bloodshot, and an unprecedented power suddenly erupted from the depths of his soul.
Buzz!
An invisible wave of air suddenly exploded with him at its center. Black-red lightning danced like mad snakes, instantly ripping through the stagnant air around him!
"Hahahahaha... Is this Domineering Haki? I've got it too!!!"
Blackbeard laughed maniacally.
While not as majestic as Shano's, this Domineering Haki was of immense quality, imbued with twisted ambition and brutality.
Like a ferocious demon crawling from the abyss, the moment the crimson blade flashed towards him, it tore a rift through the swampy air.
Finally, he could dodge to the side!
Swish!
The next moment, the blade's flash brushed past the green-headed fly's wing, severing half its thin wing.
Blackbeard grunted, but didn't have time to intervene. Without another word, he turned and soared away.
With half his wing missing and injured, his speed naturally slowed considerably.
But Blackbeard couldn't care less. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out the last ounce of potential from his body. His eyes were fixed only on the distant horizon.
There's no way, this brat...
is still too strong!
Even if he awakened his Conqueror's Haki, before he got the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, there was no way he could be his opponent. He could only keep running!
Don't bully... After all, there's a long way to go, and sooner or later, he'll pay back all the humiliation he suffered today!
"Can you get away?"
A sneer flashed in Shano's eyes, and he instantly activated his peak Moon Step, shooting straight towards Blackbeard's back.
In a few flashes, he closed most of the distance.
But, at this moment...
Boom!
A golden Buddha's palm descended from the sky, forcing Shano back several steps!
"Warring States! Is this going to end?"
Shano's eyes turned cold, and he looked up.
Zhan Guo, bathed in Buddha's light, had unexpectedly caught up. Floating above the sea, his appearance solemn and his voice awe-inspiring, he spoke in a deep, awe-inspiring voice:
"That's enough, Shano! Marshall Teach's identity is somewhat special. I'm afraid he can't die at your hands just yet! However, as compensation, we can make a deal. Spare him his life, and Marine Headquarters will..."
"Deal?"
Shano scoffed, his sarcasm barely concealed. "Hey, hey, this is hilarious! The guy you framed as a pirate is doing his best to punish the perpetrators, while the dignified Marshal of Marine Headquarters is desperately protecting the villains..."
He grinned.
"What Buddha Zhan Guo? Just a good dog raised by the Celestial Dragons! How dare you talk about justice?!"
With a snarl, he suddenly accelerated. Instead of trying to circumvent Zhan Guo and continue pursuing Blackbeard, he transformed into a stream of red and black light and headed straight for the golden Buddha.
Like blocking my way?
Like growing larger?
Then... just become my weapon!
The golden Buddha looked down at Shano, who was running towards him, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
What was he up to?
Was the young man, so hot-tempered and irritated by him, giving up on pursuing Blackbeard and instead seeking a duel with him?
Or did he believe he was truly as old and frail as the Golden Lion, and that it wouldn't take him long to defeat him?
"Hmph!"
Such wishful thinking! He'd give it a try!
The golden Buddha snorted coldly, clasping his palms together before thrusting them forward. A dazzling, blinding Buddha light suddenly erupted!
"Buddha Shockwave!"
A violent shockwave swept over. Zhan Guo's attack seemed not merely physical, but also carried a soul-shattering spiritual pressure.
Wherever the Buddha's light passed, the air twisted and trembled, as if even the light itself were devoured, leaving only a pure golden torrent pouring down towards Shano!
"That level of power can't stop me!"
Shano laughed wildly, showing no sign of retreating.
He immediately enveloped his entire body in Domineering Haki, using his formidable physique to forge a path through the Buddha's light, piercing it all the way through!
Snap!
Shano pressed closer, and as Zhan Guo stared in astonishment, his hands, shrouded in a mass of black and red lightning, simultaneously reached out and firmly grasped the golden Buddha's arm.
Immediately, he lifted it high, swung it in a perfect arc, and aimed at the black dot in the distance—
a breathtaking sight!
"Smash it... for me!"
With a roar, the golden Buddha crashed down like a meteorite towards the fleeing Blackbeard!
Huh?
Blackbeard, sprinting at full speed, suddenly noticed a shadow covering the sky and the sun, enveloping him.
What was this?
He turned his head in confusion.
Just then, the golden Buddha statue suddenly magnified in his field of vision...
Boom!
Amidst the earth-shattering crash, a powerful shockwave swept across the sea, unleashing a tsunami hundreds of meters high. Countless massive columns of water shot skyward.
The entire island of Coron began to tremble violently. The remaining half of the G-14 fortress building, finally reaching its limit, collapsed with a resounding boom.
The Marines trembled in fear, lying flat on the ground, refusing to move.
Vice Admiral Dor, who had just evacuated his men and confirmed there were no casualties, breathed a sigh of relief when he saw this scene. His pupils shrank, and he hurriedly pulled out his Den Den Mushi and began dialing for help from headquarters.
...
The sea surface.
Ripples still reverberated, but the raging tsunami had subsided.
Amid the crashing waves,
Blackbeard had transformed back into his human form, sprawled on the surface, his bones shattered, blood pouring from his mouth and nose.
His consciousness was already hazy, and the extensive exposure to seawater by a Devil Fruit user only exacerbated the feeling of exhaustion and weakness.
But his instinct for survival kept him struggling, trying to get up.
"Thief... Hahaha..." Blackbeard forced a grin, revealing bloodied teeth. "I... can still move, so there's still... a chance..."
"Sorry, no,"
Shano said softly as he descended from the sky, landing steadily in front of him.
He slowly drew the katana Masamune from behind him, the blade gleaming with an icy cold in the sunlight.
This also made Blackbeard's heart tremble, and an unprecedented sense of despair and fear surged over him.
"No, no, no, no..." He burst into tears, and reached out a trembling hand. "Hey, wait... Shano, there's no mortal enmity between us, right? I can help you, help you deal with Whitebeard... help you replace him as the most powerful emperor of the sea..."
"You're a true and pure villain."
Shano shook his head slightly, not even wanting to answer.
Swish!
The blade flashed.
The slender blade plunged into Blackbeard's chest, twisting back and forth. Blackbeard's body froze instantly, his pupils losing focus as he stared blankly at the sky.
Dead?
This is the so-called representative of the pirate lord?
Shano drew his katana in disappointment.
Crocodile, Mingo... even the Tyrannosaurus Rex Hanafuda, before dying, knew to use all means, fight to the death, and then face death calmly.
And this guy, no matter how powerful he is, he has never thought of resisting him from beginning to end.
When death is approaching, he cried and begged desperately, even trying to betray his father who had adopted him for many years...
Boring.
What kind of hero?
Just a clown.
Shano remembered something again, flicked Masamune's finger, and casually opened his chest again, taking a closer look.
Oh, there really were three hearts. The one in its normal position had been shattered beyond recognition by him, but the other two were still beating at a barely perceptible pace...
If it weren't for his exceptional static vision, he might have overlooked them at first glance.
Was this how he could consume multiple Devil Fruits?
Without hesitation, he shattered both hearts with his knife. Then, feeling unsure, he simply launched a flying strike, decapitating Blackbeard.
Finally, he opened the Marauder's Map and quickly searched for Teach's name.
Seeing the "No such result" pop up, he felt completely relieved.
With a swish, he shook the knife, clearing away the blood, and sheathed it.
Clowns be clowns, but this guy was, after all, a child of the same plane as Nika, possessing some kind of ridiculous destiny.
Since we're eradicating the problem, we'd have to go to extremes to be completely sure.
From now on, there'll be no more Blackbeard.
Shano cast one last glance at the headless corpse.
This way, the Summit probably won't happen again, after all, the source of the incident has been cut off.
Even if there truly is a Summit, the protagonists and the script will be changed. There won't be another scene where Whitebeard truly rescues Ace, only for Ace to turn around and give him away for nothing. It's kind of funny, actually.
In the original timeline,
both were great pirates who threatened the World Government and dominated their eras.
Rocks' son, treacherous and brutal, could transform into one of the Shichibukai, hold meetings at Marine Headquarters, and stroll through Impel Down.
Meanwhile, Roger's son, besides being a bit foolish and reckless, the worst he'd ever done was eat a free meal, yet he was taken to the execution platform and punched through the heart.
Comparing the two,
it's quite ironic.
"It's even more ironic, Zhan Guo."
Shano turned, looked up at the golden Buddha across from him, and spoke calmly, "I told you, you can't stop me from killing someone I want to kill. You didn't believe me before, but what about now?"
His last impressive display against Hancock was merely a minor performance. This time, he went all out, truly showcasing the power of this finishing punch.
Furthermore, this skill inherently possesses the characteristic of "the larger the size, the greater the damage taken," making it a specialized weapon for dealing with the golden Buddha's form.
Therefore,
even someone as formidable as Zhan Guo suffered significant internal injuries. He clutched his chest for a long time before catching his breath. For a moment, he couldn't even free his hand to prevent Shano from slaying Blackbeard.
Of course, this was only a temporary suppression; defeating Zhan Guo so easily was impossible.
Perhaps from sitting at his desk too long and being out of combat, the old man's strength had indeed declined more rapidly than Garp's.
But he was still a true Emperor.
Unless they were to sink him into the sea, as they did with Kizaru, it would be difficult to definitively determine the outcome without fighting for days and nights.
"Shano."
The golden Buddha ignored Shano's sarcasm and slowly straightened, his eyes blazing with fury.
"You killed the candidate Shichibukai right before my eyes and destroyed the naval base. Such outrage, such provocation... Aren't you afraid I'll declare the previous armistice agreement null and void?"
"Your navy was just chasing me for no reason, and I just destroyed a branch base, and you can't stand it?"
Shano raised an eyebrow. "As for the agreement, that's the Holy Land's decision, right? Without the Celestial Dragons' permission, do you have the right to do that?"
Zhan Guo's breath hitched slightly.
He wanted to refute it, but he had to admit it was true.
The Holy Land's current attitude towards the Fallen Ones was to allow them to stir up trouble in the depths of the New World while they sat back and watched the fight unfold.
But to him, known as a "wise general," this was completely unreliable.
Less than twenty years old, and already on par with the emperors of the sea, his future prospects are truly undeniable!
Unfortunately, the Holy Land's orders cannot be disobeyed, and the Navy Headquarters is far from reach in the depths of the New World, leaving them helpless to watch the Fallen grow stronger...
"Let's continue the fight, Shano!"
Zhan Guo suddenly roared, his entire body aglow with golden Buddha light. "This is a duel between you and me! The Fallen and the Navy are irrelevant. On the scalp of my name, the Buddha Zhan Guo, I will fight to the death to take you down!"
"My goal has been achieved. As for fighting you, old man? Sorry, I'm not interested,"
Shano shrugged.
This old man, full of evil schemes, really thinks he's some hot-blooded idiot.
Garp suddenly shouted about risking his personal glory and fighting to the bitter end, and he actually believed it.
Zhan Guo?
Humph, the G-14 branch is so close to the entrance to the New World. If you fly higher, you can even see the Red Earth Continent in the distance.
If the Navy Headquarters dispatched emergency reinforcements, they would arrive in a few hours.
This old man was simply trying to delay me while secretly dispatching the Navy Admirals to blockade and encircle us.
"No use, no use. No fight, no fight, let's go!"
Shano waved his hand and turned to leave.
"Stop!"
Zhan Guo's forehead veins throbbed, and he roared, striking with his golden Buddha's palm again. "Do you think this is a place where you can come and go as you please?"
"What else?"
Shano laughed heartily, his domineering aura suddenly condensing on his legs. He suddenly turned and kicked out. The kick, wrapped in black and red lightning, collided with the Buddha's palm with a loud bang!
Boom!
The violent shockwave exploded on the sea, creating huge waves. Zhan Guo groaned and retreated more than ten meters.
When he looked up again, there was no trace of Shano on the vast sea.
"Asshole..."
Zhan Guo gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment and anger.
And when he saw the red airship drifting away in the distance from the corner of his eye, he became even more annoyed...
——————
Over the next few days,
news of Marshall Teach's death spread like a hurricane across the ocean.
Upon hearing the news, bewildered citizens asked, "Who was this Teach?"
Indeed...
no matter how powerful or terrifying a figure might be in the future, if one dies early, they will be treated like the rest of the unknown.
No one cared about his origins, or why he was protected by the Admiral and hunted by the Emperor of the Sea.
They vaguely knew he was a traitor who had escaped from the Whitebeard Pirates, but that was about it.
Thus, Teach, one of the protagonists of the incident, was quickly forgotten. The story that people talked about most, and spread everywhere, was ultimately about the Emperor of the Sea, Shano, who had brazenly invaded the Marine G-14 branch and engaged Sengoku in pursuit of him.
While the outcome of the duel was inconclusive, the outcome was clear to everyone.
Teach, protected by the Navy, was dead, the base fortress building was destroyed, and what happened to Shano?
Nothing happened, just like a party, eating their fill, then patting their butts and returning to their own territory.
Meanwhile, the Navy was once again humiliated...
————
A few days later.
"Huh, it's finally refreshed!"
Early in the morning
on the End, Shano, fresh from a lazy sleep, woke up comfortably and opened the trading market. A cheerful smile immediately appeared on his face.
After a whole month,
it was finally time for his third favorite shopping session!