The Ice Bird, a technique formed from condensed ice, was the most impactful and fastest attack in Aokiji's arsenal.
After witnessing how Blackbeard effortlessly nullified Ace's Great Flame Commandment with his Dark Vortex, Aokiji deemed the Ice Bird his best option.
Whoosh!
The ice bird, carrying immense force, shot toward Blackbeard at breakneck speed.
"In my presence, all abilities are meaningless. And more than that..."
A crimson glint flashed through Blackbeard's eyes as he raised his right palm, aiming directly at the incoming Ice Bird.
Liberation!
A swirling vortex of darkness abruptly emerged from Blackbeard's palm. A faint flicker of fire ignited within the void, and in an instant, it erupted into a blazing inferno, surging forward to meet the oncoming ice attack.
Fire and ice clashed violently in midair.
Boom!
As flames and ice intertwined, a massive cloud of steam billowed upward.
Moments later, both fire and ice dissipated almost simultaneously, leaving only thick mist lingering in the air.
"Zehahaha! Returning everything to its origin—that's the most unique trait of the Yami Yami no Mi!"
By absorbing Ace's Great Flame Emperor for just a few seconds and then using it to counter Aokiji's Ice Bird, Blackbeard laughed triumphantly.
Unlike his cautious approach during the Summit War, Blackbeard now boldly showcased how the Dark-Dark Fruit could nullify the overwhelming attacks of both Ace and Aokiji. Every strong fighter present witnessed firsthand the terrifying potential of his ability.
Absorb everything. Return everything.
No wonder the Dark-Dark Fruit was hailed as the most sinister Devil Fruit in history.
On the mushroom-shaped rock formation, Marco, Ace, and Vista glared furiously at the laughing Blackbeard.
The root of all their misfortune began when Blackbeard murdered Thatch and stole the Dark-Dark Fruit.
"Do you finally understand why I took the Yami Yami no Mi from Thatch back then?"
Blackbeard cut his laughter short and looked up at Marco, Ace, and Vista atop the rock.
Ace's eyes narrowed as he glared at Blackbeard. "Teach, you bastard…"
"Why the anger, Ace?"
Blackbeard sneered. "I waited over twenty years for this fruit. Killing someone for it—what's the big deal?"
"!!!"
Ace trembled with rage, flames flaring up around his body.
Marco and Vista's expressions darkened as they fixed their enraged gazes on Blackbeard.
Having provoked Ace and the others enough, Blackbeard shifted his attention to an even more troublesome trio in the battlefield—Maude, Fujitora, and Aokiji.
Despite flaunting his Dark-Dark Fruit's abilities, Blackbeard never intended to engage in a life-or-death battle here.
As Blackbeard's gaze met his, Fujitora slowly opened his blind eyes, revealing the whites. While locking onto Blackbeard, he quietly activated his Observation Haki, scanning the battlefield.
Upon confirming that no civilians were within the attack's range, Fujitora finally made his move—after Ace and Aokiji. Raising his blade, he slashed toward the sky, sending out a spiraling wave of violet energy.
Summoning meteors to crush his enemies had always been his signature move.
Seeing Fujitora's action, Blackbeard furrowed his brows and instinctively looked upward.
Through the dense, dark clouds, a fiery glow suddenly emerged. Then, a massive, flaming meteor burst through the clouds, plummeting toward the battlefield.
"Hmm?"
Blackbeard's expression stiffened slightly, his eyes reflecting the incoming meteor.
"A meteor…"
Van Augur, looking up at the descending fireball, asked, "Captain, at this distance, I can shoot it down."
"I'll handle it myself. It's easier that way."
Dark mist spread across Blackbeard's shoulders, arms, and palms.
It didn't matter what it was—in the face of his infinite gravitational pull, everything would be swallowed into the abyss.
Hearing Blackbeard's response, Van Augur nodded and redirected his rifle toward Maude.
Shiryu of the Rain also abandoned the thought of cutting down the meteor with his sword.
"Mururururu… Our captain is certainly reliable."
The Catarina Devon rested her right hand on her sword hilt, smirking with narrowed eyes.
In the brief exchange of words, the meteor had already arrived.
Dark Vortex!
With a sweep of Blackbeard's hand, waves of black mist surged upward to meet the meteor.
The meteor, carrying tremendous force, crashed into the darkness, but instead of an explosive impact, it gradually sank into the abyss.
"…Even impact force can be absorbed?"
Watching the meteor vanish into the black mist, Aokiji gained a deeper understanding of Blackbeard's ability.
His earlier attempt to injure Blackbeard with the Ice Bird was based on the technique's inherent impact force.
But if Blackbeard could absorb even the shockwave of a meteor, then an ice attack was meaningless.
"Hm…"
Sensing the situation with Observation Haki, Fujitora hummed thoughtfully.
Like Aokiji, he had just confirmed the fundamental nature of Blackbeard's ability through the way he neutralized the meteor.
It no longer mattered whether Blackbeard absorbed a massive fireball or a meteor—it was all the same to him.
In other words, no matter how many meteors Fujitora summoned, they would pose no real threat to Blackbeard.
"Zehahaha!"
Having effortlessly neutralized the attacks of formidable foes, Blackbeard's arrogance swelled.
And rightfully so.
After all, his opponents included Fire Fist Ace, former Admiral Aokiji, and current Admiral Fujitora—monsters of the highest caliber.
Bang! Bang!—
Just as the meteor was about to be completely swallowed, Maude launched his attack.
He raised his flintlock pistol—transformed from Bailey—and fired at Blackbeard.
Scorching hot lead bullets whizzed through the gunpowder smoke, heading straight for their target.
However, the moment the gunfire rang out, Van Augur, having anticipated the attack, instinctively lifted his rifle and pulled the trigger with lightning speed, aided by advanced Observation Haki.
Bang! Bang!—
Bullets clashed in midair, shattering into sparks.
In the span of just a second or two, the night sky flashed seven times with fiery bursts.
And then, Van Augur's rifle ran out of bullets.
Ever since he suffered a loss to Maude during the Summit War, Van Augur had relentlessly upgraded Senriku, increasing its magazine capacity to hold up to seven rounds.
Yet, even with modifications, Senriku was still no match for the weapons created by Bailey's Arms-Arms Fruit.
"Heh."
Noticing that Van Augur had deliberately enhanced the magazine capacity of his firearms, Maude scoffed and continued pulling the trigger. With each successive shot, he infused the bullets with Armament Haki.
The lead bullets, now faster and deadlier, cut through the air with an icy killing intent, heading straight for Blackbeard.
At that moment, Van Augur, who was hastily reloading his rifle, once again experienced the crushing disparity between himself and Maude.
Clang—!
With Van Augur unable to intercept the bullets, Shiryu of the Rain drew his famed blade, Raiu, stepping forward without hesitation to shield Blackbeard.
His upper body leaned slightly forward as he swung his sword, unleashing a crescent-shaped slash that intercepted all of Maude's Armament Haki-infused bullets.
"Stay out of my way."
Seeing this, Maude gripped the hilt of his sword, Shusui, with his free right hand. While continuing to fire his gun, he unleashed a blinding white Hakoku slash at Shiryu.
Rather than flinching, Shiryu smirked coldly. Facing the overwhelming force of the Hakoku slash, he met it head-on with a powerful swing of his own blade.
Raiu, coated in Armament Haki, clashed directly against the Hakoku slash, stopping its advance completely.
However, from the bulging veins on Shiryu's forehead and the back of his hand, it was clear that withstanding Maude's Hakoku slash was no easy feat.
With Shiryu momentarily suppressed, Maude mixed a few Shadow Bullets into the barrage aimed at Blackbeard.
At the same time, Blackbeard finally succeeded in absorbing the falling meteor into his Dark-Dark Fruit's black hole. With a slight twist of his body, he dodged the incoming bullets.
Phase Shift!
Maude activated his ability instantly, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared right beside Blackbeard.
Shadow Flow—Extreme Darkness.
A blade as dark as ink carved a pitch-black arc through the air, slashing toward Blackbeard's side.
At the last moment, a crescent-shaped western blade thrust into the attack's path, intercepting the deadly strike.
It was Catarina Devon, who had stepped in just in time, wielding her blade, Mikazuki, to shield Blackbeard from Maude's assault.
Clang!
Sparks burst forth as Shusui and Mikazuki clashed, a fleeting glint reflecting in Blackbeard's now serious gaze.
"The Yami Yami no Mi may be a Logia, but unlike other Logia abilities, it can't nullify physical attacks through intangibility. That's its biggest weakness."
"Looks like you've figured that out, Bacardi Maude!"
"But you're too damn cocky!"
"Your ability to swap places with shadows—I've seen it countless times before!"
In a flash, a sinister grin spread across Blackbeard's face as he conjured swirling black mist in his palm, swiftly unleashing Dark Vortex.
"You probably never imagined this—my 'Dark Vortex' doesn't just nullify Devil Fruit abilities. It also suppresses a Devil Fruit user's powers, just like Seastone!"
Seizing the moment while Catarina Devon kept Maude occupied, Blackbeard lunged forward with his black mist-covered right hand, reaching past the crossed blades of Shusui and Mikazuki to seize Maude's wrist.
Maude's body tensed slightly. His gaze shifted downward, locking onto Blackbeard's grip on his wrist.
"Zehahaha! Bacardi Maude, are you wondering why you can't use your ability?"
Blackbeard erupted into crazed laughter, not bothering to explain further. Instead, he bellowed to his crew, "Kill him, now!"
Van Augur, having just finished reloading, Shiryu, who had struggled to counter the Hakoku slash, and Doc Q, now gripping his scythe, all wasted no time launching an all-out assault on Maude, whose abilities were now sealed by Blackbeard.
Bang! Bang!
Poison Thunder!
Cold Slice!
Their attacks rained down on Maude simultaneously.
Not just them—on a nearby mushroom-shaped rock, Ace saw the fleeting opportunity and took it. His lower body transformed into roaring flames as he shot skyward.
Fire Fist!
A tidal wave of fire erupted downward, engulfing both the Blackbeard Pirates and Maude.
It was an indiscriminate attack.
Gaya's eyes widened slightly as she gazed at the flaming comet-like fist plummeting toward them. With a mere thought, the surrounding sand and rubble instantly coalesced into a barrier, intercepting the Fire Fist.
The high-temperature flames crashed against the sand-and-stone barrier, exploding into a fiery curtain that spread in all directions.
"Huh?"
Ace furrowed his brows as he identified Gaya as the one who had blocked his attack.
Meeting his gaze, Gaya's expression remained calm.
If Ace were targeting the Blackbeard Pirates alone, she would not interfere.
But Maude was within the blast radius as well. There was no way she would let Ace's reckless attack harm him.
Meanwhile—
Shiryu and the others' attacks landed directly on Maude.
"Die, Bacardi Maude!"
Under Blackbeard's expectant gaze, Maude's body was torn apart by the combined assault of the Blackbeard Pirates.
The sheer swiftness of the moment left everyone in stunned silence. No one could believe that Maude had been so easily shredded to pieces by Blackbeard's crew.
Seeing Maude seemingly annihilated, Blackbeard couldn't contain his elation, as if he had just pulled off an impossible feat.
However, within a single heartbeat, his excitement froze.
Before his eyes, Maude's shredded body disintegrated into countless dark fragments that fluttered through the air like scattered willows.
The one responsible for restraining Maude—Crescent Moon Hunter Catarina Devon—was just as dumbfounded.
"His shadow abilities… should have been sealed, right?"
"How could this be?"
Shock gave way to unanswered doubt.
In the mere fraction of a second that Blackbeard and his crew hesitated, a shadow behind them swiftly reformed into Maude's figure.
"What's there to be surprised about, Blackbeard? I've known your abilities inside and out for a long time. Do you really think I'd put my real body right in front of you?"
Maude murmured internally, tightening his grip on Shusui's hilt.
Shadow Flow—Twin Blade Wheel Slash.
In an instant, Shusui was drawn from its sheath.
Maude's figure blurred as he dashed past Blackbeard's crew, his blade slicing through them in a storm of silent, razor-sharp slashes.
"!?"
The crimson glow in Blackbeard's eyes flickered as he and his crew saw Maude's back turned toward them.
Shhhk!
At the same time, Blackbeard, Shiryu, Van Augur, Catarina Devon, and Doc Q all shuddered in unison.
Thin streaks of blood sprayed from various parts of their bodies.
"Was that just… a shadow I grabbed?"
As the pain surged through his body, Blackbeard let out a tortured scream.
From afar—
In mere seconds, the battle had taken a dramatic turn, leaving everyone watching—Lafitte and the others included—utterly shocked and bewildered.
From Maude's reckless charge, to Blackbeard seizing his chance, to Maude's apparent destruction, and finally, the stunning reversal.
It all happened so fast that the onlookers barely had time to process it.
Only when blood sprayed from Blackbeard's crew did they finally snap back to reality.
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