The air trembled with unease.
Crackle, crackle…
The power of the Tremor‑Tremor Fruit, capable of destroying the entire world, pulsed outward from its epicenter.
"What! What on earth is happening?!"
"How can Pops' ability be used by him?!"
To the utter shock of both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines, it wasn't Whitebeard using the Tremor‑Tremor Fruit's power.
It was Blackbeard Teach.
"Zehahahahaha! Pops!! So what if you came back to life?!"
Blackbeard Teach's right fist vibrated violently, sending a shockwave that intercepted the incoming slash. He stared smugly at the astonished Whitebeard and cackled.
"What do you say now! You already felt your world‑shattering power vanish, didn't you?"
"Gurararara, so it was your scheme, brat!"
Whitebeard (Shirogai) sneered, and a violent surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body as he swung Murakumogiri with terrifying force.
"Even without the Tremor‑Tremor Fruit, do you think you can stand against me now, Teach?!"
Crack!!
The Haki‑infused blade struck the ground, blasting an enormous crater into the earth.
"Damn it! Someone who's already died still has this much strength! Can't you just rest in peace?! This infernal resurrection ability must be tied to that freak!"
Blackbeard Teach awkwardly dodged to the side and plopped onto the ground, glaring fiercely at Whitebeard (Shirogai).
"Pops, do you really want to kill your own son?!"
"Son?"
Whitebeard (Shirogai) cast a contemptuous gaze at Blackbeard Teach.
"Teach, have some shame! You are not worthy to be called my son!"
Murakumogiri, infused with Haki, slashed downward again — only to be blocked by a long sword that appeared at an angle.
"Whitebeard, if you intend to kill my Captain, let me be your opponent!"
The cigar‑smoking swordsman stood before him.
"Rain Shiryu…"
Whitebeard recognized him instantly.
"I never imagined that Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, would know my name. What an honor!"
Shiryu grinned wickedly, bloody and fierce, lowering his stance as he prepared to strike.
"Come on! Let me see the strength of Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors!"
In the next moment, Shiryu's pupils contracted and he violently swung Raiu, his blade crackling with Haki energy.
Clang!
Crack!
One strike from Murakumogiri, reinforced by Whitebeard's Haki, sent Shiryu hurtling through the air.
Sizzle…
The Haki‑coated strike carved an unfathomably deep pit into the earth.
"What kind of trash thinks he can witness my true power?!"
Whitebeard Shirogai retrieved Murakumogiri and rested it on his shoulder, sneering disdainfully at the flying swordsman.
Blackbeard Teach looked on speechlessly at his subordinate, blasted into the sky. Teach had been imprisoned too long and was accustomed to preying on weaker foes, so he actually believed he could stand against Whitebeard. Teach sighed.
"I hope he's still alive…"
Suddenly, dark, eerie smoke spread from Blackbeard Teach's body, diffusing through the battlefield. He cackled with cruel delight.
"Pops, you haven't even experienced all my abilities yet! It looks like I'll be the one to finally send you off!"
Seeing the strange power Teach was activating, Marco urgently shouted.
"Pops! I'll help you!"
Marco had accepted the reality that Pops had truly died. He also guessed why Shirogai was controlling Pops' body, impersonating him in battle.
Shirogai did not want the Marines claiming credit for killing Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors — he wanted that truth to remain hidden. This gave the Whitebeard Pirates a bittersweet sense of comfort, both inwardly and outwardly.
Whitebeard Shirogai, however, spoke in a deep, authoritative voice.
"Stand still!"
Whitebeard Shirogai drove Murakumogiri into the ground abruptly, and a pulse of Haki shattered the creeping magma beneath it.
Boom!!!
Nearby, patches of molten magma erupted into blazing flame.
"Whitebeard, I didn't think you'd come back to life…"
Behind Whitebeard, a burly figure, his body wrapped in burning magma, stepped forward with a cold glare fixed on Shirogai.
"It doesn't matter. I can send you back again!!!"
"Zehahahahaha! Admiral Sakazuki, it seems we share a common target to kill! We can form a temporary alliance!"
Blackbeard Teach laughed triumphantly.
"Teach, former Shichibukai who assaulted Impel Down…"
Akainu looked at Blackbeard Teach, whose clothes were ignited by a strange black aura in the distance.
Boom!!!
Suddenly, bursts of scorching magma erupted around Teach, burning the cloth on his body.
"Ah ah ah, I'm burning alive!!!"
Blackbeard Teach wailed, rolling on the ground as he desperately tried to extinguish himself.
"Blackbeard Teach…"
Admiral Sakazuki watched with cold disdain as Teach flailed about.
"I will never ally with pirates! You are also on my kill list!"
"Damn dog!"
Blackbeard Teach cursed, rising to his feet with savage eyes, glaring at both Whitebeard and Akainu, teeth clenched and cackling.
"How dare you underestimate me! This era belongs to me! Zehahahahaha, let's just completely destroy this island!!!"
"Wehahahahaha!"
Burgess, the Champion of the Blackbeard Pirates, laughed behind him.
"Captain! Don't destroy the entire island! If you do, we'll have nowhere to live!"
Whitebeard Shirogai and Admiral Sakazuki ignored Blackbeard's clownish outburst and instead locked gazes.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!!!
Conqueror's Haki surrounded Whitebeard Shirogai, replacing the lost Tremor‑Tremor Fruit's destructive force, condensing and wrapping Murakumogiri in dark, crackling power.
What he was using now was not the Tremor‑Tremor Fruit, but his own Haki — summoned through careful control. It simulated Whitebeard's terrifying aura without accidentally revealing Shirogai's own unique Haki essence.
He feared that releasing too much could kill Akainu outright.
"Gurgle, gurgle…"
Akainu stood firm, magma blistering across his body, ready to annihilate everything in a blaze of volcanic fury.
"Sakazuki! Stop!"
In the distance, Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha commanded in a deep voice.
"Stop?"
Akainu growled, not turning his head.
"How can this battle stop now that it has reached this point?! If the Marines fail to fully crush the Whitebeard Pirates here, what will become of Marine prestige?!"
"Stop! I have already agreed to this!"
Sengoku frowned, raising his voice.
"As Fleet Admiral, I command you to stop fighting immediately. There is no need for further bloodshed. All Marine personnel, hear this order — stop fighting!"
Akainu's body, ablaze and primed to erupt, trembled and halted abruptly.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku…"
Akainu turned his burning gaze toward the calm Sengoku.
After a tense moment, he spoke with bitter resolve.
"Once this battle ends, I will bring charges against you before the World Government! Your weakness, your constant compromise with the enemy, this brand of justice has broken Marine justice completely!"
Sengoku drew a steady breath.
"As you wish. I have a clear conscience, no selfish motives. Only justice."
Suddenly, a masked figure appeared beside Sengoku.
No one noticed when he arrived.
It was CP‑0 No Name, the leader of CP‑0.
"Don't let anyone escape…"
In his hand was a Den Den Mushi, through which came the cold, emotionless voice of Saint Saturn, God of Defense, one of the Gorosei.
"Kill everyone."
"But…" Sengoku's expression tightened further, disbelief creasing his brow.
"There are no 'buts'!"
Saint Saturn interrupted coldly through the Den Den Mushi.
"This is the World Government's command."
===
Look up "_Zeph" on Patreon to get access to chapters in advance.