Chapter 436 - 275

Chapter 276: The War of Retribution (5)In the deepest part of the dark curtain!A bitter slaughter lasting an hour, too tragic for words, had long since drained every ounce of physical strength and will from "Phoenix" Marco.The focus of his eyes began to blur uncontrollably, and everything in his sight was covered with a hazy, bloody double image.'Is it... going to end...?'Too strong... Marshall D. Teach, this traitor, is so strong it's despair-inducing!Whether it was that bottomless Conqueror's Hakiwith its swallowing properties;Or the monster-like physique and strength enhanced by a mutated soul;Or that "Darkness Curtain" that had developed the Dark-Dark Fruit to the realm of Awakening, which could be called the natural enemy of ability users... the opponent completely crushed his current self in every aspect.It could be said that facing the current Blackbeard, he couldn't see a single glimmer of hope for victory.Reason coldly told him that the defeat was set, and death was the only destination.But—Why, inside his chest, did that soul-burning unwillingness and anger not extinguish as his power faded, but instead surge even more violently like a volcano suppressed to the extreme?!Why did this body, on the verge of shattering, still refuse to fall?!In his blurred and scattered vision, light and shadows flickered.Gradually, the distorted darkness and Teach's figure seemed to fade, replaced by an incomparably clear and majestic phantom!!That man wore a pure white Captain's cloak, standing like a mountain at the bow of the ship, his long golden hair flying wildly in the sea breeze.He didn't look back, but that back, as broad as a continent, seemed to carry the fate and trust of the entire family.It's Pops... Edward Newgate...!"Gurararara... Marco, my son, I'll leave the rest to you..."The hallucinatory voice, carrying familiar boldness and unreserved trust, crossed through life, death, and time, heavily striking the heartstrings that were about to fall silent!Boom—!In an instant, countless images long buried deep in his heart, like a flood breaking a dam, burst through the blockade of darkness and despair, frantically surging into his mind!It was the rough smile, scrutinizing but ultimately turning into acceptance, when he first boarded the Moby Dick;It was the nights during countless banquets when he sat at his feet with a wine glass, listening to him tell legends of the sea;It was that insurmountable back that always stood in front of all his sons when facing powerful enemies;It was the final look of entrustment and farewell when he pushed himself and Ace away from the battlefield at the end of the Marineford War... "Pops...!!"Hot tears could no longer be suppressed, mixing with blood, pouring out like a burst dam, instantly wetting his blood-stained eyes.That's right... Pops believed in him until the very last moment, placing the heavy burden of guarding the family's future into his and Ace's hands!How could he... fall here?!How could he... let Pops' entrustment go to waste?!He still has to... protect Ace, and protect all the family members who are still alive—!!!"Ugh... Aaaaaah——!!!"Suddenly!A hot and surging power he had never felt before erupted violently and without warning from the deepest part of his body that was on the verge of exhaustion!————————On the other side,Blackbeard Teach's greedy and cruel gaze stared fixedly at Ace, who had already fallen into a deep coma."Zehahahaha... Captain Ace, what a pity, what a waste!!""With your talent and strength, if you could have been sensible back then and assisted me wholeheartedly... even the position of Vice Captainof the Blackbeard Pirates, I might not have been unable to offer it with both hands!""If we joined forces, wouldn't this sea be within our grasp?"The next second, his eyes turned completely cold and ruthless:"But I know... that's impossible!""You fools who were brainwashed by that old man Whitebeard, your heads are only filled with those ridiculous things like 'family' and 'righteousness'..."He slowly raised his right hand, which was wrapped in thick darkness.Within his palm, the deep gravitational pull of darkness began to frantically interweave, compress, and condense!The black hole rotated silently, as if it could swallow even one's gaze!"So... since you cannot be used by me..."Blackbeard's eyes were completely icy, without a hint of hesitation left:"Then... disappear completely!!""Black Hole: Annihilation!"The black hole, carrying a trajectory of absolute destruction, shot rapidly toward the defenseless Ace!At the critical moment——Chirp—!!Whoosh!A blazing blue light and shadow flashed past in the thick darkness at a speed exceeding thought, like the light of dawn piercing through the eternal night!The next moment, the light and shadow had already manifested into the full Phoenix form, its brilliant blue fire wings nearly ten meters wide suddenly spreading out.Like the strongest rampart, and like the gentlest feather quilt, it completely protected the unconscious Ace under its wings!The blue undying fire highly condensed, compressed, and layered on the wings, forming a flame barrier flowing with golden ancient patterns!"Blue Underworld: Heart-Protecting Barrier!"Marco's determined low shout and that miniature black hole arrived at the same time!Boom-buzz————!!!!The pitch-black power of annihilation and the blue-gold fire of protection frantically interwove, contested, and eroded each other!The blue-black energy turbulence instantly expanded, filling the entire sky! It even tore a huge rift flowing with destructive light and flame in the dark curtain!"Are you kidding me—?!"Below, Blackbeard Teach suddenly looked up, the cruel smile on his face instantly freezing, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief as if he had seen a ghost!Above that energy turbulence, within the torn dark sky!!A mythical giant bird with a wingspan exceeding hundreds of meters, its entire body burning with brilliant blue-gold flames, stood proudly suspended in the sky!Every one of its feathers was as clear as life, flowing with flames and ancient light patterns, its posture elegant and holy, yet emitting a terrifying majesty that could burn the eight directions!That solid body of flame had a qualitative difference from the previous Phoenix form!"This... this aura... this form..."Blackbeard Teach's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and a term that made his soul tremble blurted out uncontrollably:"Mythical Zoan: Phoenix Fruit...""Awakened?!!""How is that possible?!!"He almost roared out!Marco had possessed this fruit for over twenty years and had not taken that step despite countless major battles!Why did he complete this nearly impossible ultimate transformation right in this desperate situation, at the moment he was about to be completely defeated?!However, reality did not give him any more time for shock.In the sky, the completely awakened PhoenixMarco, his eyes burning with blue-gold flames, coldly locked onto Blackbeard below.It slowly flapped those pairs of flame wings that were enough to cover the sky—Whoosh——!!!!As the wings flapped, countless blue-gold flame feathers, each containing terrifying high temperatures and the power of regeneration, rose up.In an instant, they densely and endlessly filled the entire torn sky! Like a sea of blue-gold flame stars!"Secret Technique: Blue Feather Heaven-Fall!!"Marco's voice, full of majesty, resounded through heaven and earth like a divine oracle!Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh...!!!In the next moment, the countless blue-gold fire feathers that occupied the entire sky, carrying ear-piercing whistles of breaking air and trajectories that burned everything, poured down frantically toward Blackbeard on the ground!!For a time, the sky was completely covered by a rain of blue-gold meteor fire, the light reflecting off the heavens as if doomsday judgment had arrived!"Damn it——!!!"Blackbeard's face changed drastically; he could clearly feel that every flame feather contained the power of the awakened Phoenix, possessing both extreme burning and hard-to-erase characteristics!He didn't dare to be the least bit negligent and roared:"Black Hole: Full Expansion!!"Buzz——!!!With him as the center, a majestic and thick wave of darkness surged out like a volcanic eruption, instantly expanding to form a huge dark swamp, meeting the rain of blue-gold fire feathers falling from the sky!Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle! Boom! Rumble...!The blue-gold fire rain and the darkness wave that swallowed everything frantically collided, annihilated, and exploded in mid-air!Above the entire island, a doomsday fantasy picture appeared, clearly divided into blue above and black below, yet intensely interwoven!Energy turbulence raged, and the ground constantly cracked and melted!"Zehahahaha——!!!!"Despite the sudden change in the situation, Blackbeard burst into wild laughter again after the initial shock, though his laughter now contained a bit more excitement and greed:"Marco!! I didn't expect you to actually awaken at this time!! You've really given me a surprise!!""However, in this darkness that I dominate, you can't run away!!""Do you see? This is power!! Join me, Marco!!""With your awakened power, plus my darkness, we are enough to conquer everything!""What Whitebeard could give you, I can give you double! Why be buried here for a dead man and a group of trash destined to die?!!"...However, just at this moment.Boom——!!!!A purely crude and physical explosion roared, suddenly blasting less than twenty meters away from Blackbeard Teach's side!Bombardment!?This sudden attack from a third-party force caused all the pirates currently fighting in pairs on the battlefield to shake violently!Before they could recover from this sudden situation—Boom boom boom boom boom...!!!More and more bombardments, as dense as rain, sounded like the drumbeats of death, suddenly echoing from the direction of the island's coastline!"Over there is...?""Warships!!""It's Marine warships——!!!""How could the Marines be here?! How could they know..."Incredulous cries and roars rose one after another across the ruins of the battlefield.Whether it was the Blackbeard Pirates or the Whitebeard remnants, they all felt a bone-chilling coldness surge up their spines!The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?!And among them, Blackbeard Teach's facial expression changed most spectacularly."The Marines... those persistent scumbags...!!"The cooked duck was about to be in his hand, the Whitebeard remnants were about to be wiped out, and he was about to awe the sea... and at this exact moment, the Marines came?! And they appeared in this posture of reaping the spoils!However, what made his heart shake even more, and even feel a bit of absurdity, was—The one coming was an exceptionally large warship with a dog-head figurehead!!!And right at the very front of that Dog-head Warship's deck, a figure wearing a dog-head hat was holding a cannonball in each hand, swinging them like a windmill!"Hahahahaha——!!!"That figure let out a reckless laugh, his voice even overpowering the gunfire and the battlefield clamor, clearly spreading across the entire coast and ruins!"Ace——!! You troublesome little brat!! Your grandpa is here——!!""Aren't you going to hurry up and roll over here to welcome me?! Do you want to be beaten?!"That iconic dog-head hat, that incredibly arrogant throwing method, that familiar roar that made one's blood pressure soar... on the battlefield, countless eyes focused on that figure in unison, followed by the sound of collective gasps!Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, marine hero!!"Iron Fist" Monkey D. Garp——!!!Blackbeard's expression looked as if he had just eaten a pile of crap!Not only had the cooked duck flown away, but it might even be taken away, pot and all, by this most difficult old man in front of him!