The fiery wings behind Ethan didn't disappear immediately but folded behind him like real wings.
They radiated intense heat, making the pirates surrounding Ethan extremely uncomfortable. They instinctively backed away several steps, with some at the edge nearly pushed into the sea by their retreating comrades.
Blackbeard withstood the heatwave that felt like it could roast flesh, standing firm in place without moving, even as his zombie subordinates, transformed by dark magic, couldn't endure it and chose to retreat.
"I am Blackbeard, Edward Teach."
As a notorious pirate who once ruled the seas, Blackbeard had his pride. He wouldn't bow easily. Puffing out his chest, he met Ethan's gaze directly.
"Tsk."
Ethan didn't care at all for this man's attitude.
If it had been a heroic figure striking this pose, Ethan might have shown some respect, maybe even offered a few words of praise, or sat down for a friendly chat.
But Blackbeard? A villain guilty of burning, killing, plundering, and every conceivable evil? There was nothing admirable about him. This was also why Ethan had no reservations about making an enemy of him. Killing someone like Blackbeard came with no moral burden.
If Ethan hadn't been interested in obtaining some of his dark magic, he would've sent him straight to hell the moment he laid eyes on him.
"Who are you?"
Ethan didn't speak, but Blackbeard couldn't just stand there staring in silence. Enduring the oppressive pressure, he had to ask who this mysterious man was and what he wanted.
"My name is Ethan. I want something from you."
Hearing that Ethan wanted something from him, Blackbeard felt slightly relieved. At the very least, the man seemed to be here for something. That suggested there might be room for negotiation.
Despite his posture, deep down he didn't want to become enemies with Ethan.
He didn't know who Ethan was, nor what those flaming wings behind him were, but he knew one thing for sure: this man was incredibly powerful—far beyond his ability to fight.
As long as Ethan stayed airborne, he had no real way to deal with him. The man could attack from above at will. Even if he retaliated with gunfire, it would be meaningless.
"What do you want?"
"That dark magic you use to put ships into bottles."
Blackbeard was stunned. He hadn't expected that this was what the other party wanted.
He had assumed Ethan was here for the Queen Anne's Revenge, or perhaps the magical cutlass at his waist, or even his life. He never imagined someone would covet that particular spell.
In his own hands, that spell was just a way to collect trophies. Whether it was pirate or merchant vessels, once defeated, their ships would be shrunk into bottles and added to his collection—a symbol of his victories.
Blackbeard slowly raised his left hand, aiming to rest it on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
"What if I refuse?"
He wanted to talk with Ethan. He couldn't just hand over something to a stranger who appeared out of nowhere and demanded it. Where would that leave his reputation?
The subtle movement was meant to prepare for either defense or a surprise attack. If Ethan wasn't as strong as he appeared, Blackbeard wouldn't mind killing him right then.
But that small movement didn't escape Ethan, who had been watching him closely.
With a mocking smile, Ethan lightly raised his hand. Instantly, Blackbeard felt his left hand lock in place.
"You don't have the right to refuse."
Blackbeard looked down and saw a sphere of blue light wrapped around his left hand. It felt like a giant invisible hand was gripping his arm, completely immobilizing it.
This was a control spell. With sufficient magic output, it could restrain an entire person, rendering them unable to move.
Its advantage was its simplicity. It required no incantations or preparation. As long as the magic power was strong enough, it could suppress nearly any target. Its disadvantage was that it needed continuous output and couldn't easily be used with other spells simultaneously.
Even with Ethan's control, while maintaining his fiery wings, he could only restrain one of Blackbeard's hands. To immobilize him entirely, Ethan would need to dispel the wings and increase the spell's power.
But in this situation, this was already more than enough.
Ethan lightly waved his hand, a gesture as casual as calling for a check at a tavern. In response, Blackbeard's restrained arm was yanked forcefully to the side, pulled straight as if by an unseen force.
"Don't try anything foolish... Let me remind you, your tricks are nothing but child's play to me."
Blackbeard's face turned red. Not out of shame from being humiliated, but because the blue light seemed to apply even more pressure. The pain was so intense he wondered if his arm had been crushed.
Fortunately, the throbbing pain reminded him that his hand was still intact. More importantly, he realized that this man likely knew all his tricks. Things were only getting worse.
"Who exactly are you?"
"Just passing through." Ethan withdrew his right hand and released the spell. "I just happen to be interested in something you possess."
Blackbeard's left hand was free again. He didn't reach for his sword but instead gently rubbed his arm to ease the lingering pain.
"I'll give you what you want. And then?"
Ethan was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Blackbeard to yield so easily.
But thinking it over, it wasn't surprising. No matter how infamous, Blackbeard was still a pirate—not a hero, not a fearless warrior, not someone who would stubbornly resist a superior opponent.
To a pirate, nothing was more important than staying alive.
Just look at how he later betrayed even his own daughter just to extend his life. That alone showed his true character.
Ethan shook his head. He hadn't thought much about what to do after finding Blackbeard. Based on the man's reputation, he figured he'd resist. In that case, Ethan would beat him half to death, interrogate him, and then kill him.
He didn't expect Blackbeard to surrender the moment he showed a bit of strength. Judging from his tone, it seemed like he was trying to trade the spell for his life.
"Why do I feel so unsatisfied with that?"
A transaction wasn't impossible. But Ethan didn't want to let Blackbeard go just because he gave up what Ethan wanted. If he did that, wouldn't he be no different from the likes of Blackbeard?
"Forget it. I'll find what I want myself anyway."
With that decision made, Ethan felt much more at ease. The fiery wings behind him suddenly unfurled and expanded. The heat they emitted surged dramatically.
With one powerful flap, the entire Queen Anne's Revenge became engulfed in flames. The structures on deck caught fire in an instant, and the sails were reduced to ash.
Back on the Black Pearl, which had been watching from afar, Jack saw the flames erupt and knew immediately that Ethan had made his move.
"Could Blackbeard actually have dared to fight Ethan?"
As a pirate, Jack understood exactly what kind of people pirates were. He figured that once Blackbeard witnessed Ethan's power, he would obediently hand over what was asked and try to exchange it for his life. Given Ethan's character, once he made a deal, he'd keep his word.
So the current situation…
"Maybe Ethan didn't bother negotiating with him at all."
That seemed like the only explanation. Both Jack and Elizabeth felt that was very likely.
Based on Ethan's earlier attitude toward Barbossa, it was obvious that he had little fondness for pirates.
As that thought crossed their minds, Elizabeth, Will, and Gibbs all turned to look at Jack Sparrow—clearly thinking he was the exception in Ethan's eyes.
"Why are you all looking at me? You should be watching over there. What's happening there is far more interesting than me."
And it was. The legendary Blackbeard and his Queen Anne's Revenge had just become history. The entire ship turned into a blazing inferno, and then Ethan took to the sky again and returned to the Black Pearl.
"Looks like it's settled?"
As Ethan landed, Jack glanced again at the burning wreck in the distance. As a fellow pirate, he didn't know whether he should tip his hat in farewell. But he worried such a gesture might offend Ethan, who clearly disliked pirates. He decided against it.
Getting into trouble for Blackbeard? Jack Sparrow would never do something so foolish. So he decisively looked away and changed the subject.
"Although it was a bit troublesome, I got what I came for."
To Ethan, killing Blackbeard and his crew was easy. He didn't even need to lift a hand. The fiery wings alone were more than enough to destroy all of them.
The only slightly troublesome part was spending some energy and time extracting Blackbeard's soul and interrogating it.
At this moment, Ethan felt rather grateful that he had previously studied soul magic under Imhotep. Thanks to that knowledge, he was able to get what he wanted.
(To be continued.)