"Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit failed?"
"Does Kaelen Tsukishiro have some kind of immunity to it? Don't forget, he's wielding multiple Devil Fruits."
"A monster... an even bigger monster than Blackbeard himself!"
The crowd watching in stunned silence could hardly contain their shock.
Once again, Kaelen shattered their understanding of power.
On the battlefield, Kaelen didn't care what anyone thought. He didn't hesitate, even as Blackbeard writhed and rolled across the ground, screaming in agony.
Without pause, Kaelen vanished with a flicker and reappeared above Blackbeard, lifting his leg and slamming it down with overwhelming force.
It was like a god descending from the heavens to crush a mortal.
The very air within dozens of meters turned heavy, thick with pressure.
Blackbeard's breath caught in his throat, his eyes going wide. For a second, even the pain in his body vanished—replaced by sheer dread.
Sensing mortal danger, Blackbeard instinctively rolled aside, moving with surprising agility for someone of his size. Like a giant rat escaping death, he barely dodged the blow.
BOOM!
Kaelen's foot landed, and the ground exploded beneath it. The entire island shook, rubble flying, a massive crater forming where Blackbeard had been. Deep cracks split the terrain around it.
"Too fast!"
Even after missing, Kaelen didn't slow down. He stepped forward again, leaving a sharp sonic boom behind him as he chased after Blackbeard.
His fighting style—an integration of Whitebeard's brutal force and the Golden Lion's aerial movement—had evolved. Combined with combat techniques he'd honed in bloodshed, Kaelen now fought with precision and ruthlessness.
Fast, accurate, and lethal.
Every move was meant to kill, without hesitation.
Unfortunately for Blackbeard, he was the test subject for this perfected style.
Swish!
Kaelen's silhouette blurred, appearing directly in front of Blackbeard. His right hand clawed forward, aimed at Blackbeard's face.
White energy pulsed around his fingers—the destructive force of the Shockwave Fruit.
The air itself twisted from the power. Space warped between his fingers. If that hand connected, Blackbeard's skull wouldn't survive.
Blackbeard felt it. A chill surged down his spine. Cold sweat drenched him.
Desperate, he twisted to the side while swinging his left fist at Kaelen's arm, hoping to break the motion.
The two exchanged a flurry of blows, vanishing and reappearing across the battlefield. Only afterimages could be seen by anyone watching.
Within seconds, they'd gone from the island's center to its edge, and then from the edge back to the heart of the island.
Wherever they passed, the ground cracked and collapsed. Mountains shattered. Darkness devoured pieces of the terrain. The very island cried out in pain.
They weren't fighting like men anymore—it was like watching two gods clash, tearing the world apart.
Even the frozen sea, once sealed by Aokiji's power, had long shattered from the shockwaves. The ice broke into shards that now floated aimlessly on the waves.
Thankfully, Aokiji had frozen the sea beforehand. Otherwise, the aftermath of this battle might have triggered a tsunami that devastated the entire region.
---
Thud! Boom! Crash!
The sounds of their collision, the destruction of the land, the shockwaves—it all continued endlessly.
For tens of minutes, Kaelen and Blackbeard clashed in an unrelenting dance of violence.
They'd exchanged countless moves by now.
But only one of them was truly chasing the other.
Kaelen had gained the upper hand from the very beginning. And since then, Blackbeard had done nothing but dodge, block, and retreat.
"You're not escaping today, Blackbeard!"
Kaelen stepped forward like a storm on fire, each move bursting with destructive intent. No matter where Blackbeard tried to run, Kaelen followed, his presence inescapable.
He had to admit, though, Blackbeard was tenacious.
Despite the overwhelming difference in power, Blackbeard managed to survive. He had been struck more than once, yet somehow always avoided a fatal blow.
Like a slippery eel, he knew how to escape death.
Kaelen had to admit—he was crafty.
That was Blackbeard's true talent. Not strength or courage, but the uncanny ability to stay alive.
"Zehahaha! You talk big, but you haven't beaten me yet!" Blackbeard shouted, blood dripping from his lips as he fled from another devastating attack.
"Maybe it's time we call this fight off, what do you say?"
He laughed again, but his eyes were cautious, wary, and serious.
If he hadn't been so skilled at slipping away, Kaelen's barrage would've crushed him by now.
"Stronger than Whitebeard… way beyond a Yonko. Just my luck to run into this monster..."
Dark thoughts flickered behind Blackbeard's forced grin.
Still, he tried again, "Kaelen! Let's stop here. We can work together."
"You, me… We can rule the seas."
BOOM!
His voice echoed across the battlefield, heard by every fighter—pirate and Marine alike.
The fighting paused for a moment.
Even Aokiji, Marco, Shiryu, and the rest stopped mid-motion.
Blackbeard's words carried a clear signal.
And now… everyone waited for Kaelen's response.
All eyes turned to him.
What would he choose?
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