As the light dissipated, what appeared before them was Shanks, encased in ice.
Lafitte and the others were overjoyed at the sight, while Teach wore a wicked grin, thinking that the contraption made by that damn cat was actually quite effective.
Naturally, he wouldn't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away. He immediately threw a punch imbued with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit at Shanks.
The space around Shanks shattered like a mirror. With a sharp cracking sound, ice shards scattered in all directions.
However, the joy quickly vanished from Teach and his crew's faces. The only thing that had shattered was the thin layer of ice covering Shanks' body.
Instead, Shanks was now the one grinning. With his level of Haki, how could he possibly be frozen so easily? He was merely intrigued and had played along for fun.
Seeing that Shanks was completely unharmed, Teach knew things had taken a bad turn. Just moments ago, he had been praising the freezing gun in his mind—now, he was cursing it as a worthless piece of junk.
Shanks noticed Teach's gapped teeth and recalled the scene from years ago when Buggy had kicked Teach in the face.
He smirked, leaped into the air, grabbed the barrel of the freezing gun, and wrenched it from Teach's grasp.
Without giving Teach a chance to retreat, Shanks delivered a heavy punch squarely to his face.
Teach let out a miserable scream, spitting out several blood-stained teeth.
Shanks took a glance at the freezing gun in his hand before casually tossing it into the sea. Then, his fists rained down on Teach like a torrential storm, making him vomit blood repeatedly. The scene was utterly brutal.
Lafitte and the others, however, were powerless. The gap in strength between them and Shanks was as vast as a chasm.
Fortunately for Teach, his endurance was formidable. Despite taking so many of Shanks' punches, he hadn't lost consciousness. In fact, he could still summon the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit to counterattack.
At this point, Teach had gone all out, engaging in a fierce aerial battle with Shanks. But after only a few exchanges, he was sent crashing onto the deck by another of Shanks' devastating punches, nearly splitting the ship apart.
When Teach reappeared, he had already used the powers of the Fruit to modify his body, entering his so-called "Muscle Form."
However, compared to Shanks' dragon-human transformation, Teach looked more like a scrawny mutt.
Even so, this transformation significantly enhanced Teach's physical capabilities. When he clashed with Shanks again, he no longer seemed as helpless as before—but that was the extent of it.
Among the Emperor-class combatants, Teach was still on the weaker end. The gap between him and Shanks remained considerable.
Realizing this, he abandoned the idea of a direct brawl and instead retreated strategically, creating distance before using the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power to summon tsunamis.
The already battered pirate ship couldn't withstand the raging waves any longer. A massive surge struck, and with a thunderous crash, the ship was torn apart, its remnants floating on the sea.
Teach had no time to worry about the ship. A vessel could always be rebuilt or stolen, but if he died here, everything would be lost.
Yet, as the battle dragged on, Shanks grew more and more energetic, whereas Teach was visibly struggling, his tremor waves flickering unsteadily.
The destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was undeniable, but it came with harsh limitations, consuming an immense amount of stamina. Using it inflicted severe internal injuries, even on someone like Whitebeard. His deteriorating condition in his later years was partly due to the burden of the fruit's power.
Thus, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit wasn't suited for prolonged combat. If not for Teach's unique physique, he would have collapsed by now.
On the other hand, Shanks' Mythical Zoan Fruit was different. Zoan-types were known for their endurance, and the dragon model was among the best. Even after fighting for so long, Shanks remained in peak condition.
With the situation tilting heavily in Shanks' favor, Teach's defeat was becoming inevitable.
Van Augur, his shoulder severely injured, sat cross-legged on a piece of wreckage, his expression surprisingly calm.
Staring into the distance, he muttered under his breath, "Captain won't last much longer."
Lafitte flapped his winged arms mid-air, his face grim.
With his ability to fly, he considered escaping, but the Red Force was right behind them. He wasn't naive enough to think that Benn Beckman and the others would let him slip away. The sniper Yasopp was likely already taking aim at him.
Nearby, Doc Q's horse carried the unconscious Burgess, while Chiffon stood with teary eyes, gently stroking her belly, whispering, "Daddy will be fine…"
But just as she spoke, Teach's agonized scream rang out.
Chiffon looked up in a panic, only to see Teach being hurled high into the air by a barrage of razor-sharp green wind blades. His body was covered in deep cuts, blood pouring from his wounds.
Shanks flashed beside Teach, glanced at the floating wreckage where Chiffon and the others were, and then delivered a precise kick, sending Teach flying toward them.
Teach crashed onto the deck in a spread-eagle position, groaning in pain. Chiffon fell to her knees beside him, her tears streaming uncontrollably.
Shing!
Shanks appeared in a blur. Lafitte and the others were too terrified to move. Only Chiffon, in a desperate act, threw herself over Teach, shielding him with her body as she cried out,
"Please don't hurt my husband!"
Before Shanks could respond, Teach suddenly gagged and, with a sickening retch, vomited out… Whitebeard.
Everyone froze in shock.
Shanks frowned as he gazed at the figure lying in a pool of saliva. Whitebeard's eyes were closed, his chest barely rising and falling—far from the imposing Emperor he once was.
Teach's face was pale as death. He looked at Whitebeard's lifeless form beside him and let out a bitter laugh, muttering,
"Zehahaha… Old man, we meet again so soon…"
Whitebeard remained motionless. His body had already been pushed beyond its limits before being swallowed. The only thing keeping him barely alive was the Munch-Munch Fruit's power. Now that he was out, his life was hanging by a thread.
Shanks studied him for a moment before signaling toward the Red Force. Benn Beckman and the others immediately steered the ship closer.
Teach and his crew were taken prisoner.
Back on board, Shanks immediately ordered the ship's doctor to tend to Whitebeard. Then, he swiftly pulled out a black-shelled Den Den Mushi from his coat.
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+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg