Divine Departure!
With just one glance, Blackbeard recognized the origin of this sword technique.
He had witnessed it firsthand—whether from Roger or Red Hair—and this kid's version...
Was in no way inferior to either of them!
"Damn it!"
Cold sweat poured down Blackbeard's back as terror gripped his heart. He desperately flapped his wings, trying to evade.
But...
He couldn't!
Under the overwhelming pressure of Conqueror's Haki, he felt as though an invisible force had shackled him, slowing his movements to a crawl. He could only watch helplessly as that crimson blade light closed in.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
At the brink of life and death, Blackbeard's fear twisted into rage, his eyes flashing with madness and resentment.
"I'm the man who's going to surpass that old bastard and become the King of the World! There's no way I'm dying here!!!"
Dying at the hands of some brat barely in his teens?
Absolutely!
Absolutely unacceptable!
"Move, damn it!"
He roared, his eyes bulging with fury. From the depths of his soul, an unprecedented surge of power erupted.
Boom!
An invisible shockwave exploded outward from him, black-and-red lightning writhing like frenzied serpents, tearing through the stagnant air around him!
"Zehahaha... So this is Conqueror's Haki? Of course I have it too!!!"
Blackbeard laughed maniacally.
Though this Conqueror's Haki lacked the vast, overwhelming presence of Xiano's, its quality was still extraordinarily high, saturated with twisted ambition and brutality.
Like a monstrous fiend crawling out of the abyss, at the very moment the crimson blade light was about to strike, he forcibly tore open a fissure in the mire-like air.
Finally, he could dodge to the side!
Sssshhh!
The next instant, the blade light grazed past the green fly's wing, slicing off half of its thin membrane.
Blackbeard grunted in pain but had no time to dwell on it. Without hesitation, he turned and fled toward the distant horizon.
With half a wing missing and injuries slowing him down, his flight speed naturally dropped significantly.
But Blackbeard couldn't afford to care. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out the last remnants of his body's potential. His eyes were locked onto the distant sea.
There was no helping it—this brat...
Was just too strong!
Even after awakening Conqueror's Haki, without obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, there was no way he could be a match for him.
His only option was to keep running!
Don't bully... Well, there would be time for revenge later. Sooner or later, he would repay every ounce of humiliation he suffered today!
"You think you can escape?"
Xiano's eyes flashed with mockery. With flawless Moon Walk, he instantly shot toward Blackbeard's retreating figure.
In just a few blinks, he had closed most of the distance.
But right at that moment...
Boom!
A golden Buddha's palm descended from the sky, forcibly knocking Xiano back several steps!
"Sengoku! Are you serious?!"
Xiano's gaze turned icy as he looked up.
There, bathed in divine radiance, stood Sengoku, who had somehow caught up and now hovered above the sea's surface, solemn and dignified as he spoke in a grave voice:
"That's enough, Xiano! Marshall D. Teach's identity is somewhat special—he cannot die by your hand right now! However, as compensation, we can make a deal. If you spare his life, Marine Headquarters can—"
"A deal?"
Xiano sneered, not bothering to hide his scorn. "Well, well, how amusing. The man you labeled as a Pirate is out here doing his best to punish evil, while the esteemed Fleet Admiral of Headquarters is desperately protecting scum..."
He bared his teeth in a grin:
"What kind of 'Buddha' is this Sengoku?! Just a well-trained dog of the Celestial Dragons! How dare you prattle about justice?!"
Whoosh!
Amid his furious shout, he suddenly accelerated. Instead of trying to bypass Sengoku to continue pursuing Blackbeard, he transformed into a streak of red-and-black light, charging straight toward the golden Buddha.
You like blocking the way?
You like growing bigger?
Then... why not turn into my weapon instead?
The golden Buddha lowered its gaze, watching Xiano rushing toward him with a flicker of doubt in its eyes.
What is he planning...?
Is this hotheaded youth so angered by me that he's abandoned chasing Blackbeard to settle things with me first?
Or...
Does he really think I've grown as feeble as Golden Lion, that defeating me won't take much time?
"Hmph!"
What delusions. Let's see you try!
The golden Buddha snorted coldly, pressing its palms together before thrusting them forward. A blinding burst of sacred Buddha light erupted violently!
"Buddha's Shockwave!"
Huuuum!
The devastating shockwave surged forth. Sengoku's attack wasn't merely physical—it carried a soul-shaking spiritual pressure as well.
Where the Buddha light passed, the air twisted and trembled, as if even light itself was devoured, leaving only a pure golden torrent crashing down toward Xiano in an overwhelming deluge!
"At this level, you can't stop me!"
Xiano laughed wildly, showing no intention of retreating.
He enveloped his entire body in Conqueror's Haki Infusion, relying on his formidable physique to bulldoze through the Buddha light, forcibly carving a path straight through it!
Snap!
Xiano closed the distance in an instant. Under Sengoku's stunned gaze, his hands—wreathed in thick black-and-red lightning—shot out and firmly seized the golden Buddha's arms.
Then, with a mighty heave, he lifted it high and swung it in a perfect arc, aiming at the distant black speck in the distance—
Spectacular!
"Now… CRASH!"
With his roar, the golden Buddha was hurled like a meteor, smashing straight toward the fleeing Blackbeard!
Huh?
Blackbeard, sprinting for his life, suddenly found himself engulfed in an all-encompassing shadow.
What the—?
He turned his head in confusion—
Just in time to see the gleaming golden Buddha rapidly expanding in his vision...
BOOOOOOM—!!!
In the deafening impact, a violent shockwave swept across the sea, kicking up tsunami-like waves over a hundred meters high. Countless massive water pillars erupted skyward.
The entire Corlon Island trembled violently, and the remaining half of the G-14 branch fortress finally reached its limit—collapsing with a thunderous crash.
The marines trembled in terror, pressing themselves flat against the ground, not daring to move.
Vice Admiral Duo Er, who had just finished evacuating her subordinates and confirmed minimal casualties, barely had time to sigh in relief before witnessing the scene. Her pupils contracted sharply as she hastily pulled out a Den Den Mushi to call Headquarters for reinforcements.
...
The sea.
Ripples still spread across the surface, but the raging tsunami had subsided.
Amid the sound of crashing waves—
Blackbeard had reverted to human form, sprawled limply on the water, his bones shattered, blood gushing from his mouth and nose.
His consciousness was already blurred, and the large-scale contact with seawater as a Devil Fruit Ability User intensified that feeling of exhaustion and weakness.
Yet, his survival instinct kept him struggling, trying to crawl back up.
"Zehahaha…" Blackbeard forced a grin, revealing bloodstained teeth. "I… can still move… so there's still… a chance…"
"Sorry, but no."
Xiano's figure descended from above, landing steadily in front of him as he spoke calmly.
Slowly, he drew the Greatsword Masamune from his back, its blade reflecting a cold, merciless gleam under the sunlight.
It sent a shudder through Blackbeard's heart, as an unprecedented wave of despair and terror surged within him.
"No, no, no…" Tears and snot streamed down his face as he tremblingly reached out. "Hey, wait… Xiano, there's no real blood feud between us, right? I can help you—help you deal with Whitebeard… help you replace him as the strongest Sea Emperor…"
"A true and utter scoundrel."
Xiano shook his head slightly, not even bothering to respond.
Swish!
A flash of steel.
The slender blade pierced Blackbeard's chest, twisting once inside. His body stiffened instantly, his pupils losing focus as he stared blankly at the sky.
Dead?
This was the so-called epitome of pirate overlords?
Disappointed, Xiano pulled out the Greatsword.
Crocodile, Mingo… even that Tyrannosaurus Hanafuda—before death, they at least fought with everything they had, facing their end with dignity.
But this guy, despite possessing strength at the level of a Yonko's right-hand man, didn't even think of resisting from start to finish.
At death's door, he bawled like a child, begging desperately, even trying to betray the man who had raised him for years…
Pathetic.
What overlord?
Just a clown.
Xiano suddenly remembered something and flicked Masamune, casually slicing open Blackbeard's chest to take a look.
Huh. Three hearts, just as rumored. The one in the normal position had been pulverized beyond recognition, but the other two were still faintly beating, almost imperceptibly…
Had it not been for his exceptional static vision, he might have missed them at first glance.
Was this how he could consume multiple Devil Fruits?
Without hesitation, Xiano used the blade to shred the remaining two hearts. Still unsatisfied, he swung the sword once more, cleanly severing Blackbeard's head.
Finally, he opened the Marauder's Map and quickly searched for the name "Teach."
Only after seeing the result—"No Match Found"—did he fully relax.
Swoosh!
With a flick, he shook off the blood and sheathed the sword.
Clown or not, this guy was a so-called "Chosen One" like Nika, blessed with some ridiculous destiny.
Since he was uprooting the problem, he might as well do it thoroughly.
From this moment on, Blackbeard no longer existed in this world.
Xiano cast one last glance at the headless corpse.
With this, the Summit War likely wouldn't happen—after all, he had cut off the source of the incident.
Even if, by some twist of fate, a "Summit War" still occurred, the lead actors and script would be different. There'd be no repeat of Whitebeard rescuing Ace, only for Ace to turn around and throw his life away.
It was almost laughable.
In the original timeline.
Both were great pirates who threatened the World Government and left their mark on an era.
The son of Rocks, treacherous and ruthless, could transform into a Warlord of the Sea, attend meetings at Marine Headquarters, and stroll through Impel Down at will.
Meanwhile, Roger's son, aside from being a bit foolish and reckless, had committed nothing worse than skipping out on a meal bill—yet he was dragged to the execution platform and met with a fist through his heart.
Comparing the two.
It was rather ironic.
...
"And even more ironic is you, Sengoku."
Xiano turned around, lifting his gaze to the golden Buddha standing opposite him, speaking calmly, "I told you—the people I want to kill, you can't stop. You didn't believe me before. What about now?"
The last time he had used Sunset on Hancock, it had been little more than a warm-up. This time, he was going all out, truly unleashing the full power of this ultimate fist technique for the first time.
Moreover, the skill itself carried the trait of "the larger the target, the greater the damage inflicted," making it a specialized weapon against the golden Buddha form.
So.
Even someone as physically formidable as Sengoku had suffered considerable internal injuries, clutching his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. For a moment, he had been completely unable to free himself to stop Xiano from executing Blackbeard.
Of course.
This was only a temporary suppression. Defeating Sengoku so easily was impossible.
This old man might have spent too many days behind a desk, growing rusty on the battlefield, and indeed, his strength had declined faster than Garp's.
But in the end, he was still a genuine Emperor-Admiral-level fighter.
Unless Xiano could sink him into the sea like he had with Kizaru, it would take days and nights of battle to truly determine a victor.
"Xiano."
The golden Buddha ignored Xiano's mockery, slowly straightening his posture as flames of fury burned in his eyes:
"Killing a Warlord candidate right in front of me, destroying a Marine base—such arrogance, such provocation… Do you not fear that I will declare the previous ceasefire agreement null and void?"
"You Marines were the ones who inexplicably started chasing after me like rabid dogs. I just happened to destroy a branch base in passing—and now you can't take it?" Xiano raised an eyebrow. "As for the agreement, wasn't that the will of the Holy Land? Without the Celestial Dragons' permission, do you even have the authority?"
Sengoku's breath hitched slightly.
He wanted to refute, but he had to admit—it was true.
The Holy Land's current stance toward the Curtain Closer was still to allow him to stir chaos in the depths of the New World, then sit back and watch the tigers fight.
But in the eyes of someone hailed as the "Tactician," this was utterly unreliable.
Not even twenty years old, yet already standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Sea Emperors—no matter how high one estimated his future potential, it wouldn't be an exaggeration!
Yet the Holy Land's orders were absolute, and the depths of the New World were beyond Marine Headquarters' reach. All they could do was watch helplessly as the Curtain Closer grew stronger…
"Then let us continue this fight, brat!"
Sengoku suddenly roared, his entire body radiating golden Buddha light. "This is a duel between you and me! Unrelated to the Curtain Closer or the Marines—I stake the name of the Buddha, Sengoku! Even if it costs me my life, I will capture you here today!"
"My goal is already achieved. As for fighting you, old man? Sorry, not interested."
Xiano shrugged.
This old fox was full of schemes—did he really think Xiano was some hot-blooded idiot?
If it were Garp suddenly shouting about staking his personal honor in a one-on-one duel, he might have believed it.
But Sengoku?
Hmph, the G-14 branch is so close to the entrance of the New World. If you fly high enough and look into the distance, you can even see the Red Line.
If Marine Headquarters dispatched emergency reinforcements, they could arrive within a few hours.
This old man is clearly just trying his best to stall me while secretly summoning Marine Admirals to blockade and surround the area.
"Boring, boring. Not fighting, not fighting. I'm out!"
Xiano waved his hand dismissively and turned to leave.
"Halt!"
Sengoku's veins bulged on his forehead as he roared, his golden Buddha palm striking out again. "Do you think this is some place where you can come and go as you please?"
"And why not?"
Xiano burst into laughter, suddenly concentrating his Conqueror's Haki into his leg. He spun around and delivered a kick, his black-and-red lightning-wrapped strike colliding violently with the Buddha palm!
BOOM!
A savage shockwave erupted across the sea, sending massive waves crashing. Sengoku grunted and was forced back over ten meters.
When he looked up again, the vast ocean showed no trace of Xiano.
"Damn it…"
Sengoku gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with frustration and anger.
And when his peripheral vision caught sight of that red airship drifting leisurely into the distance, his fury only intensified…
——————
In the following days.
News of Marshall D. Teach's death spread like a hurricane across the seas.
Upon hearing the news, the common folk wore expressions of bewilderment, asking around—who exactly was this Teach?
Indeed…
No matter how formidable or terrifying a figure might become in the future, dying early means being treated the same as any other nameless nobody.
No one cared about his origins, why he was under the protection of the Fleet Admiral, or why a Sea Emperor was hunting him down.
At most, people vaguely knew he was a traitor who had fled from the Whitebeard Pirates.
And so, Teach, one of the central figures of the incident, was quickly forgotten.
What people eagerly discussed and spread everywhere was the news of how the Sea Emperor Xiano had boldly stormed Marine G-14 branch to hunt Teach down and clashed with Sengoku.
Though their duel had no clear victor…
The outcome spoke for itself.
Teach, who was under Marine protection, was dead. The fortress building was destroyed. And what about Xiano?
Completely unscathed, as if he had just attended a banquet, eaten his fill, and casually returned to his own territory.
Meanwhile, the Marines were left humiliated once again…
——————
Several days later.
"Whew, finally refreshed!"
On the deck of the Sunset in the early morning, Xiano, who had just slept in, woke up comfortably and casually checked the trading market. A cheerful grin spread across his face.
After a full month…
It was finally time for his third favorite activity—shopping spree!
(End of chapter)