Blackbeard's head was a bloody mess, but he still struggled. Whitebeard's all-out attack hadn't killed him. What an unbelievably tough man.
"Hey! What are you waiting for?!" Blackbeard yelled, and his crew immediately aimed their guns at Whitebeard.
Whitebeard paid them no mind and continued to hold Blackbeard down. A volley of gunfire erupted. The Whitebeard Pirates screamed in terror, praying that their father was okay.
The gunfire suddenly stopped. A young man with black hair, holding a giant sword, slowly descended from the sky. The bullets that were inches from Whitebeard hung suspended in the air.
"Straw Hat Pirate... the Lightning Swordsman, Ikki!"
Burgess clutched his fake left arm, the memory of his last encounter with Ikki sending shivers down his spine. Ikki waved a hand, and the bullets clattered to the ground. Using his electrical powers to manipulate the magnetic force and stop the bullets had been effortless.
Whitebeard glanced at Ikki. "Boy, I told you not to interfere!"
"I'm not part of the Whitebeard Pirates," Ikki said indifferently. "Why would I listen to you? Besides, Marco and the others are too obedient. They'd rather stand there and watch you die than step in. That's not filial. I'd rather you chew me out later than just watch this happen."
Marco, Ace, and Jozu stared at him for a moment, then rushed forward and formed a line in front of Whitebeard.
"You brats!" Whitebeard sighed, but his voice held a hint of amusement.
"Pops, you can chew us out later!" Jozu said.
"We won't get in your way. We'll just keep the rest of the Blackbeard Pirates from bothering you!" Marco added, quickly thinking of an excuse.
"We'll handle the revenge for Thatch, and we'll fight with you!" Ace said, getting into a fighting stance.
The rest of the Whitebeard Pirates surrounded Blackbeard's crew. It was a standoff between two massive pirate crews. Seeing his family ready to fight with him, Whitebeard turned his attention back to Blackbeard.
Blackbeard's heart was filled with hate for Ikki. He released a wave of black mist from his hand, attempting to swallow Whitebeard. Whitebeard was forced to let go, and Blackbeard scrambled to his feet.
"Hah! Hah! Hah! I thought I was a goner!" Blackbeard said, his body battered.
"You really are tough. You didn't die from that," Ikki said, hovering next to Whitebeard.
"Teach has always had a strange body," Whitebeard said. "Even Kaido would have been brought to his knees by that punch, but Teach is fine!"
Whitebeard remembered that Teach used to be a quiet guy. Even after Shanks warned him about Teach's strangeness, Whitebeard didn't take it seriously, confident in his own strength. When Ace went after Teach, Whitebeard had a bad feeling, and he now realized he had underestimated him.
Blackbeard wiped the blood from his forehead. Seeing his crew surrounded, he realized no one could help him. He glared at Ikki. The brat had almost killed Burgess and was now ruining his grand plan.
"Pops, I truly respected and admired you once. But you're just too old," Blackbeard said. "If I hadn't found the Dark-Dark Fruit, I would have been content to serve you until the end of my life. But when I saw Thatch with the fruit, I couldn't hold back."
He continued, with a chillingly arrogant tone, "You have no interest in ruling the seas, but I do. So why don't you give up your title as an Emperor and die with some dignity?"
The Whitebeard Pirates were enraged. The Marines, meanwhile, thought it was a brilliant spectacle. The scene was broadcast live, and everyone watching was on the edge of their seats. No one had expected so many twists in a single battle.
"You're not good enough to take my head, Teach!" Whitebeard roared, punching him again.
Blackbeard instinctively caught the punch. This time, however, Whitebeard's fist wasn't wrapped in a Devil Fruit ability. Instead, it was surging with Armament Haki, which slammed into Blackbeard and sent him flying.
The strongest man in the world was not a man to mess with.
Blackbeard screamed in pain as he lay on the ground. Taking advantage of the moment, Ikki moved forward and stepped on Blackbeard's eyes. In his hand was a mysterious Devil Fruit.
Garp, Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and the three Admirals all trembled at the sight. Ikki was a truly ruthless man who would do whatever it took.
With a powerful squeeze, Ikki crushed the Devil Fruit and shoved the small pieces of pulp into Blackbeard's mouth. Blackbeard tried to yell, but the disgusting taste shocked him. Before he could react, Ikki punched him in the chest, forcing him to swallow the pulp.
Ikki immediately returned to Whitebeard's side, watching Blackbeard for any changes.
The entire battlefield fell silent. Everyone, including those watching the live broadcast, was waiting for Blackbeard to explode.
"Ikki, you brat... what was that?" Whitebeard said, annoyed at Ikki's interference.
"Just wait and watch the show, Uncle Whitebeard!" Ikki said, waving his hand.
Blackbeard suddenly stood up, clutching his throat, trying to spit out the pulp. But all that came out was bitter water. To everyone's shock, he didn't explode.
"What's going on? They said you can't eat two Devil Fruits!"
"Is that a lie? Is it possible for someone to eat more than one Devil Fruit? That can't be!"
"But Blackbeard is a Devil Fruit user, and he just ate another one without dying. Could it be that Ikki's fruit was a fake?"
The crowd buzzed with questions, their eyes fixed on Blackbeard. Even the Straw Hats were surprised, as they knew the Devil Fruit Ikki used was real.
"Ugh! Agh! You bastard, Ikki! What did you feed me?! Don't tell me that was a Devil Fruit!" Blackbeard cried out, his voice filled with despair.
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