Chapter 232: The Battle Heats Up—Blackbeard Retreats in Fear!
The clash had reached a fever pitch. On one front, Admiral Green Bull was restrained—but Admiral Fujitora had no time to capitalize on it.
His gaze was locked upward, brows furrowed.
A rain of massive meteorites descended from the sky, hurtling toward the warships like divine punishment. If left unchecked, the entire naval fleet would be annihilated.
Not just that—it would throw the entire battlefield into chaos.
---
"Hahaha… Ryuunosuke, you little pirate scum! If you think you can kill me, then go ahead and try!" Green Bull laughed maniacally as his body crackled with gathering energy. "If you can't… then you're next to die!"
He grinned viciously, muscles bulging as his power continued to surge.
He knew it. Ryuunosuke couldn't finish him off in a short time.
But once his power reached its peak—he could crush Ryuunosuke in one blow.
And if he could kill the Captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates right here…
His status in the Navy would skyrocket. He'd be called a naval hero. Revered. Feared.
---
Meanwhile, on another part of the battlefield, Conrad faced off against Smoker.
The white-cloaked Vice Admiral had come far over the years, pushing his strength to new heights. From a relentless Marine chasing pirates in Loguetown… to one of the Navy's rising stars.
But in front of Conrad, now fully transformed into his Perfect Sulong Form, Smoker was struggling just to survive.
His Logia powers were the only thing saving him—phasing into smoke again and again, barely dodging Conrad's razor-sharp claws and sky-splitting roars.
Without that, he'd already be in the dirt.
Conrad's speed, power, and Haki mastery were far above Smoker's.
This wasn't a duel. It was a hunt—and Smoker was the prey.
---
BOOM!
A sudden explosion echoed across the sea.
Mine had entered the fray.
Her target—Vice Admiral Tsuru, the legendary tactician of the Navy.
Enel, the self-proclaimed "God," had been struggling against her. Her strange ability could cleanse even lightning—literally washing it away with a touch.
Combined with her taijutsu and Haki, she was far more dangerous than she looked.
Enel had been on the back foot, his speed barely keeping him from being folded like laundry.
So Mine took aim.
With the mighty Tsukuyomi—her towering humanoid spirit guardian—she unleashed a barrage of attacks like a mobile fortress of destruction.
Her romantic turret-style cannon blasts forced even Tsuru to retreat.
The entire battlefield entered a sudden deadlock.
---
But not far from the chaos, on a lonely island just over a thousand square meters in size…
The Blackbeard Pirates were watching.
"Teach… aren't we a little too close?" Lafitte said, his expression tense as he scanned the battlefield in the distance.
"Their Observation Haki might pick us up," he continued. "If they find us... we'll be wiped out."
He wasn't wrong. At this level, even the tiniest ripple could draw attention—and death would follow swiftly.
Blackbeard, however, remained calm.
"We're inside my Dark Space. As long as no one sweeps this place with strong Haki, they won't sense us."
He stared into the distance, licking his lips.
"But if both the Navy and Dragon Hunters lose… then I—Blackbeard—will become the strongest pirate in the world!"
His eyes gleamed with ambition.
"Ryuunosuke definitely has a powerful fruit… if I can get my hands on it…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't have to.
His greed was written all over his face.
The meteoric rise of the Dragon Hunter Pirates could only mean one thing—Ryuunosuke's Devil Fruit must be a god-tier power.
If Blackbeard could obtain it, the world would kneel before him.
This era? It wouldn't belong to Luffy or Ryuunosuke…
It would be the Era of Blackbeard.
The Navy had gone all-in—sending its top dogs. They wouldn't back down easily. So once both sides were bloodied, Blackbeard planned to swoop in, eliminate their strongest fighters… and become untouchable.
Even Whitebeard would be powerless.
And with the old man's health failing, it was only a matter of time.
He could devour everything—the Navy, the Dragon Hunters… even the Whitebeard Pirates.
---
"Hahaha! The captain's right!" said Burgess with a dumb grin, pounding his fist into his palm.
"We'll wipe them all out in one move!"
Lafitte sighed.
Arguing with this muscle-headed moron was pointless.
But deep down, Lafitte knew—this was dangerous.
One misstep, and they'd be ashes caught in the crossfire between gods.
Suddenly, Van Augur rushed toward them, his face pale.
"Teach!!"
"There's a ship approaching!"
"Only one person onboard… but the moment he looked at me, I felt it. He locked onto me."
"I've never… felt killing intent like that before."
His hands trembled.
This was the second time Van Augur had felt so helpless. The sniper's confidence—the one thing he'd built his life on—was cracking.
How could he aim straight… when his hands wouldn't stop shaking?
---
"One person?" Burgess scoffed. "Heh! If he comes here, we'll just kill him!"
"We're the Blackbeard Pirates!"
He grinned stupidly, already dreaming of glory.
As First Division Captain, he saw himself commanding entire fleets under Blackbeard's rule.
"You idiot…" Lafitte muttered under his breath.
But before anyone could say more…
He arrived.
A lone figure, boat gliding across the waves like a ghost.
He didn't speak.
Didn't roar.
Didn't show off his power.
He simply approached—with a calmness that terrified the soul.
"That's… No, it can't be—GO!"
Blackbeard's voice cracked.
He recognized that aura. That power.
He tried to activate the Dark Acupoint—his trump card to escape.
But just then—
SLASH!
A slash so massive it split the entire island in half.
The sheer shockwave disrupted the ability.
They were exposed.
"You pirates," the man said as he floated past. His tone was quiet. Cold.
"Are you here to watch?"
Blackbeard, sweating bullets, forced a smile.
"Yes, Your Excellency. We're just… spectators. We have no intention of interfering."
Even his voice trembled.
The pressure this man emitted… was suffocating.
"You're not my target," the swordsman said. "Leave. Now."
Then, without sparing them another glance, he sailed toward the G-5 Marine Branch.
As soon as he vanished from sight, Blackbeard didn't hesitate.
He immediately activated the Dark Acupoint, vanishing with his entire crew.
Jōraku Fūgetsu.
He was alive.
Still young.
Still terrifying.
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