The battle continued.
Heckle endured the pain as he fought Bassas, launching continuous attacks. However, facing the frenzied Bassas, Heckle couldn't defeat him quickly.
In other directions, Lafitte and Mr. Christmas, and Hachi and Van Augur were locked in equally fierce battles.
Cecilia and Doc Q were also in a stalemate, both injured. After clashing, they separated again.
The battles remained undecided.
Yet, no one was worried.
The members of the Blackbeard Pirates were temporarily at a disadvantage, but they believed Blackbeard would defeat Ace and come to their rescue.
Hachi, on the other hand, believed Ace would win.
As for the three from Baroque Works, they were absolutely convinced that their side would ultimately achieve victory.
Everyone waited for the outcome of the distant battle.
...
Boom.
Ace was hit by a punch from Blackbeard, but he pushed off with his right leg, striking Blackbeard's chest, and leaped backward. Mid-air, he crossed his index fingers, aiming at Blackbeard.
Cross Fire.
A pillar of fire appeared and shot towards Blackbeard, instantly hitting his chest and leaving a scar.
Blackbeard raised his left hand, black smoke swirling and generating a powerful suction. Ace was pulled towards him uncontrollably, and Blackbeard's right fist swung out.
But Ace also raised his right arm, blocking the blow.
Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit could draw opponents in and nullify Devil Fruit abilities, but it couldn't incapacitate enemies.
Even without his ability, Ace still possessed formidable combat power.
At the same time, Blackbeard couldn't elementalize like other Logia users. If Ace's flames were unleashed, Blackbeard would still be harmed in areas not protected by his black smoke.
The two fought back and forth, each inflicting damage on the other.
"Ace, you have to win."
Nami prayed from afar. She wanted to help but was helpless. Her Clima-Tact had been destroyed, and with her physical condition, she couldn't possibly join the fight.
In such a situation, she could only watch the battle unfold.
Ace began to fall behind.
"Cough, cough."
Ace coughed up blood and looked at Blackbeard not far away, his expression grim.
The opponent's ability countered his own, rendering most of his powers ineffective, while the opponent's abilities could nullify his powers and inflict damage simultaneously.
Furthermore, his physical techniques were also strong, perhaps even stronger than Ace's.
In terms of both physical technique and ability, he was slightly inferior to Blackbeard. With both factors combined, his disadvantage was gradually appearing.
Unable to win.
As his injuries worsened, Ace reached this conclusion.
His ability can nullify flames it touches, but is there a limit?
Ace looked at Blackbeard and thought, And you said your ability doubles your pain. I wonder if you can still withstand it when the pain reaches a certain level.
At this rate, he would be slowly worn down.
He couldn't let Blackbeard wear him down. Moreover, even if he lost, he had to ensure Nami and those who helped him could escape.
Therefore, Ace decided to push Blackbeard to his breaking point and injure him in one decisive move.
"Then I'll use my strongest technique."
As Ace spoke, rings of fire appeared around him, expanding from the ground and covering a vast area.
The flames then slowly rose, filling the surrounding space before condensing into a giant fireball.
Flames continuously flowed from Ace's body into the fireball, which kept shrinking. Its color turned whiter and whiter, eventually becoming a massive white fireball.
"Great Flame Ring, Flame Emperor."
Ace said softly, and the next moment, he threw the fireball.
Meanwhile, Blackbeard Teach also extended his hands. Black smoke billowed, forming a huge black vortex around his body, which then spread backward and gradually rose upward.
The moment the fireball was thrown, the black smoke surged forward madly.
Boom.
The fireball collided with the black smoke, rising rapidly and creating a bizarre spectacle.
A line appeared between the sky and the earth, as if someone had torn open space.
To the left of the space was flame, and to the right was darkness.
The flames burned the black smoke, and the black smoke devoured the flames. In their collision, they extended backward, then exploded.
Rumble.
The ground shook.
Flames and darkness spread slowly, eventually mixing.
"Not good!"
Nami quickly retreated, leaping off the hill and hiding behind it. She could still feel the heat from the flames above.
"So terrifying."
Looking at the deep darkness and bright flames in the distance, the eight people fighting felt wary.
With this destructive power, even if the eight of them teamed up, they probably couldn't even injure one of them.
This was the strength of a Shichibukai.
"Who will win?"
As this question lingered, the flames and darkness separated, the victor emerging as they slowly disappeared.
Ace's fist struck Blackbeard's chest. Blood trickled from the latter's lips, his expression one of extreme pain, his body bearing burn marks and the injuries from the blow.
Meanwhile, Blackbeard's fist had landed on Ace's chest. Ace stood rooted to the spot, his body covered in wounds, his left arm hanging uselessly. Yet, he gritted his teeth and glared fiercely at Blackbeard.
Both had hit their opponent, but there was a difference.
Ace's fist was no longer wreathed in flames, while Blackbeard's fist was still shrouded in black smoke.
Puff.
Ace spat out a mouthful of blood and took a step back. He braced himself with his right foot and lunged forward again with his left leg, throwing a punch.
Boom.
Blackbeard's fist connected with Ace's head. Ace's body shuddered, his vision went black, and he slowly collapsed onto the ground, his hat falling off.
"Lost."
Ace's back slammed heavily onto the ground. He tried to clear his head, but his mind was a fog, his body battered and bruised, too weak to stand again.
"Hehehe."
Blackbeard laughed. Defeating Ace, and given Ace's position as Whitebeard's second division commander, was enough to earn him a Shichibukai position.
Of course, the Shichibukai were already full, so he would have to kill one of them.
However, the "pledge of allegiance" was already prepared, and his next steps would be much simpler.
"Ace."
At this moment, Nami ran down the hill and came to Ace's side, her eyes red as she looked at him.
"Nami, why... why did you come here?"
Ace looked at Nami, his face etched with despair. "Why didn't you run away?"
"You're still here, how could I run away?"
Nami cried, her voice choked with tears. She then looked at Blackbeard and pleaded, "Teach, I'll join your pirate crew as a navigator. Please, spare Ace."
"Sorry, after I got Lafitte, you're no longer as valuable as Ace," Blackbeard said with a sinister grin.
"You..."
Nami fell into despair. She had hoped to use her joining Blackbeard Pirates to save Ace, but it seemed her value had plummeted.
"You die."
Nami suddenly stood up, flicking her left hand. A cloud of dust flew up, instantly covering Blackbeard.
Then, Nami lunged at Blackbeard, a dagger in her right hand, stabbing towards his abdomen.
This dagger was one Nami had hidden. Teach knew this but didn't stop her, because a dagger couldn't harm him.
But now it was different. After his battle with Ace, Blackbeard was at the end of his rope.
Seeing that Blackbeard hadn't agreed to her plea, Nami resolutely decided to act.
Thwack.
The dagger struck Blackbeard, but only grazed his arm, the blade sinking into his muscle.
"That really stings,"
Blackbeard said coldly. He raised his right leg and kicked Nami in the chest.
Bang.
Nami was sent flying as if hit by a shield, landing beside Ace. She tried to push herself up but let out a cry as she vomited blood.
"I remember you have a bounty too. I can hand you both over to the Marines then," Blackbeard said with a smile.
Hearing this, Ace and Nami fell into despair.
Were they going to die here today?
But just then, a huge sound suddenly came from the distance.
Thump, thump, thump.
The enormous sound grew closer, and the ground trembled.
"Huh?"
Blackbeard looked behind him and saw a colossal figure appearing in the distance, flickering in and out of sight.
"What is that thing?"
Blackbeard slowly turned around. As the figure approached, a massive, ferocious beast emerged before them.
It had a gigantic body, a head with a huge ramming horn, a mouth like a crocodile's, and sharp teeth that glinted terrifyingly in the firelight.
It possessed a towering dorsal fin that pointed straight towards the sky.
It moved on six legs, stepping closer and closer, its terrifying aura preceding it as it arrived before the three of them.
"ROAR."
A deafening roar erupted, making their ears ring and their hearts pound, shaking them to their very core.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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