Both Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Whitebeard froze, their eyes fixed on the new arrivals. Sengoku's mind raced. He knew that if Blackbeard had suddenly shown up at this moment, his intentions had to be malicious. A man who abandoned his Warlord duties before the war, only to return now that both sides were exhausted, was up to no good.
Whitebeard, meanwhile, was filled with a primal rage. This whole ordeal was because of Teach, the ungrateful brat who had turned against his own family.
Marco, Ace, and Jozu also heard Ikki's words and gritted their teeth, especially Ace, who hated Blackbeard to the bone.
Many people followed Ikki's gaze. At first, a strange fog obscured the view, but as the powerful individuals on the battlefield used their Haki, they saw through it. A group of extraordinary people stood in the distance behind Marineford.
The fog quickly dissipated, and the figures became clear.
"That's the Battleship San Juan Wolf?! How did the prisoners from Impel Down's Level 6 get here?!" Someone recognized the massive giant wading through the sea. He was so enormous, even bigger than Little Oz, that some people thought "battleship" was a poor name and that he should just be called an "island."
Everyone on the battlefield stopped, their attention fixed on San Juan Wolf. They also saw the group of people standing in front of him.
"It's the new Warlord, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach and his crew!"
"And that's Impel Down's ex-Vice Warden, Shiryu of the Rain!"
"There's Avalo Pizarro, the Corrupt King! Catarina Devon, the Crescent Hunter! And Vasco Shot, the Heavy Drinker! Plus the Battleship, San Juan Wolf! These four notorious criminals from years ago have escaped from Impel Down!"
A collective shock spread through the Marines. Sengoku's fury boiled over. He finally understood Blackbeard's plan. While the Marines were preoccupied with the war, Blackbeard had broken into Impel Down to recruit the most dangerous criminals and strengthen his own crew.
"He really has the guts to do something like this!" Sengoku raged, "But why is he coming back here now? To reap the spoils of war?"
Sengoku then noticed that Shiryu was now with the Blackbeard Pirates. "Shiryu! You traitor! What happened to Magellan?! What happened to Impel Down?!"
Shiryu took a puff from his cigar. "If you want to know, go see for yourself later," he said indifferently. "I've decided to join these guys. Please, teach me well from now on!"
Sengoku turned his attention back to Blackbeard. "Is this what you wanted, boy?!"
Blackbeard spread his arms and laughed loudly. "Thief-hahahaha! That's right! I've chosen the strongest prisoners from Level 6 to be my crew. From today on, the Blackbeard Pirates will make their name on the high seas! And of course, there's a main event coming up. Just you wait, thief-hahahaha!"
Sengoku and the other Marine executives glared at him, their eyes full of murderous intent.
"That's enough!" Whitebeard boomed. "Teach, you are the one person not worthy of being my son! You violated the only rule on my ship: you don't kill your comrades!"
"Pops, don't be so heartless..." Blackbeard started, but before he could finish, Whitebeard raised his left fist in a familiar, muscular pose. Blackbeard's eyes went wide.
Ping! Whitebeard's fist, wrapped in a shimmering white light, struck the air. The atmosphere shattered, and a violent shock wave shot toward the Blackbeard Pirates, instantly engulfing them. The crew didn't have time to react.
After a long pause, the dust settled. The Blackbeard Pirates slowly became visible, and Blackbeard himself pushed away a piece of wreckage that had been on top of him. He looked ragged and bruised.
"Phew! That was brutal! But of course, you wouldn't hold back, thief-hahahaha!" He laughed, but the laugh died in his throat when he looked up. Whitebeard had appeared right in front of him, as if teleporting. The fear that had been buried deep inside him for years surged to the surface.
Marco, Ace, and the others began to rush forward, but Whitebeard's voice rang out. "Marco! Listen up! None of you are to interfere!"
They stopped in their tracks, their hatred for Blackbeard burning, but they had to obey their father's command.
Whitebeard glared at Teach. "Teach, let's end this! As your father, I'll give Thatch, the Fourth Division Commander, the justice he deserves!"
Blackbeard regained his composure. "Thief-hahahaha! Pops, you're badly injured now. Do you really think you can beat me? Look at my power! This is the strongest Devil Fruit, the one I killed Thatch to get! Don't be surprised, old man!"
He placed a hand on the ground, and a black mist gushed out, covering the area. Whitebeard didn't hesitate, swinging his fist at Blackbeard.
"Oh, no, Pops. It won't work." Blackbeard was triumphant. The black mist on his palm swirled into a vortex, completely absorbing the shock wave from Whitebeard's fist. Whitebeard realized he couldn't use his Devil Fruit powers.
Bang! Blackbeard hit Whitebeard with an uppercut to the stomach and then another that sent him flying backward.
"Pops was hit head-on by Teach!" the Whitebeard Pirates cried out in disbelief.
Whitebeard scowled. He tossed his Murakumogiri, Murakumogiri, into the air and hit Blackbeard again with his right hand, the fist now wrapped in a shockwave. Blackbeard, with a relaxed smile, met the attack with his black mist-covered palm.
"How pathetic, Pops!"
Blackbeard's smile was wiped from his face as Whitebeard suddenly caught his Murakumogiri. With a terrifying speed, he swung it and slashed Blackbeard across the chest.
Blood spattered as Blackbeard screamed and fell to the ground.
"Arrogance... and carelessness... those are your weaknesses, Teach!"
Whitebeard pressed his foot down on Blackbeard's stomach and pinned his hands to the ground with the hilt of his weapon. Then, he placed his right hand directly on Blackbeard's head.
"Pops! Are you going to kill your own son?!" Blackbeard cried out in a panic.
Whitebeard ignored him. A powerful vibration coursed through his hand, and the ground around Blackbeard's head began to crack. It was clear Whitebeard was putting his all into this attack.
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