"Xiehahahaha, Dad, it's been a long time!" Blackbeard cackled. "I was hoping to see you one last time before you died, but I didn't think you'd be so useless and get killed by that lightning boy."
Blackbeard's eyes greedily circled Whitebeard's body. Behind him, alongside his original crew, were a group of notorious criminals he had recruited from Impel Down's Level 6:
"Colossal Battleship" Sanjuan Wolf
"Corrupt King" Avalo Pizarro
"Heavy Drinker" Vasco Shot
"Crescent Moon Hunter" Catarina Devon
And "Rain" Shiryu, the former warden of Impel Down
They had all arrived in a brazen display, with no attempt to hide. The Marines were stunned. These were some of the most heinous criminals, whose very existence had been erased from the world's records by the World Government. What had happened? Why were they with Blackbeard?
"Shiryu, you bastard... What happened to Magellan?" Sengoku roared, his eyes filled with suspicion. "What the hell happened at Impel Down? How did you bastards get here?"
"You'll have to check that out yourself later," Shiryu said, puffing on his cigar with a defiant smirk. "Anyway, I'm with these guys now, Marshal Sengoku, so I hope you'll give me some pointers in the future." He showed no respect for the Fleet Admiral.
At that moment, a Marine soldier rushed over to report. "Marshal, I didn't have a chance to report before, but a Marine warship passed through the Gates of Justice."
"Damn it! It must be them!" Sengoku clenched his fists, his expression growing grimmer. "How could there be an abnormality when only Marines are in the control room?" The sudden appearance of Blackbeard's crew made him suspicious. He knew Blackbeard had a hidden agenda for showing up with these criminals.
"Hohohoho! I apologize, but it was actually quite simple..." Lafitte, standing behind Blackbeard, tipped his hat and explained smugly. "I hypnotized the sailors in the control room before we set sail. They were ordered to open the gates for any passing warship!"
"Thie-shi-shi-shi-shi! You'd never get a pirate to pass through the Gates of Justice, so it's impossible for us to sneak into Impel Down!" Blackbeard's grin widened as he looked down at Sengoku. "The only reason I joined the Warlords was for this... otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered!"
"Bastard!" Sengoku scanned the criminals behind Blackbeard. "Blackbeard, are you recruiting these heinous people to openly declare war on the Marines?"
"Thie-shi-shi-shi-shi! Marshal Sengoku, I think you have a misunderstanding. Even with my title, we've always been enemies of the Marines!" Blackbeard spread his hands, showing no fear of the Fleet Admiral. His true goal was to gather a strong crew, use this opportunity to take over, and replace Whitebeard as one of the Four Emperors. Like Adrian, he just needed the title of Warlord as a stepping stone.
Sengoku felt as if he had been slapped multiple times across the face. Blackbeard's words were a direct insult to him and the entire Marine Headquarters. Yes, even if he hasn't officially betrayed us yet, he has never been on our side! But we still had to rely on his power and acknowledge his existence. What an irony!
"Thie-shi-shi-shi-shi! Marshal Sengoku, let's save the reminiscing for later!" Blackbeard's eyes flashed with excitement and greed. He couldn't wait to give the order. "Boys... you can start now!" His performance was about to begin.
Burgess and the others ignored Sengoku and Garp and rushed toward Whitebeard's body with a huge black cloth.
"Damn, what are they trying to do?"
"Teach, you bastard! What are you doing to our dead father?"
As the black cloth covered Whitebeard's body, everyone was confused by the Blackbeard Pirates' actions.
"Stop that guy!" Sengoku roared. He didn't know Blackbeard's abilities, but he knew this ambitious man had a terrible plan.
"Thie-shi-shi-shi-shi! Marshal Sengoku, don't worry, I'm about to give you a great show!" Blackbeard lifted the black cloth and slid under it. "Dad's corpse looks terrible. I wonder if it will work with all those injuries!"
He had been pretending to be a fool for over 20 years, and today he would finally be exalted. Once he had the Gura Gura no Mi, nothing would stand in the way of his path to supremacy. He couldn't wait.
However, a mocking voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Hey, Blackbeard, you have no shame, do you? Trying to steal someone else's kill?"
'VIP plundering, start!'
[Ding! The system has detected the body of the newly deceased 'Edward Newgate' within one day, which meets the conditions for ability plundering. The system has automatically deducted 1 billion Berry...]
"Wait a minute, system, besides the 'Golden Coffin from the Sky' special effect, are there any other extraordinary effects?" Adrian asked casually.
[Ding! Replying to the Host, there is also a paid special effect service: the "Seven Dancers of Death" coffin-carrying service, which requires an additional 700 million Berry to activate!]
[Note: This paid service includes an exclusive one-minute invincibility buff, and the Host is not affected by any other form of attack!]
"Hmph... 700 million Berry for one minute? Why don't you just rob a bank?" Adrian's chest tightened. But he quickly made a decision. After deducting the 1 billion for plundering Whitebeard's ability, he had 1.5 billion Berry left. Although it seemed like enough to just plunder the fruit, that wasn't the whole truth.
He had just used two-thirds of his energy fighting Whitebeard. He was in no condition to fight top-tier fighters like Dragon or Akainu. Taking a risk now was not worth it. If the Marines, pirates, and the Revolutionary Army teamed up, he could be in big trouble. His harvest had already been incredibly rich today.
"Whitebeard, this is all I can do for you... System, give me the full package. Don't leave out any of the extras!"
[Ding! Would the Host like to activate the paid special effect: the top-tier luxury visual feast, "Seven Dancers of Death" Coffin-Carrying Service?]
"Activate it. It's time for the world to experience the charm of the 'Dancers of Death.' Everyone... get excited!" Adrian chose without hesitation.
[Ding! The system has automatically deducted 700 million Berry. The top-tier luxury visual feast, "Seven Dancers of Death" Coffin-Carrying Service has begun!]
The moment the notification ended, a golden light suddenly appeared above Marineford. A huge, luxurious golden coffin descended from the sky.
BOOM!
The ground of Marineford trembled.
CRASH!
The lid opened, and six golden chains as thick as arms shot out, yanking Whitebeard's body directly from under the black cloth.
"What... what's going on here?" Everyone looked on in confusion. Only Blackbeard, filled with rage, stormed out from under the cloth. "Damn it, Adrian! Give Whitebeard's body back to me!"
How could he watch the Gura Gura no Mi he was about to get fly away like this? In a rage, a black whirlpool appeared on his right hand, ready to pull in any Devil Fruit user.
But to his horror, the black hole's pull had no effect on Whitebeard's body. The corpse was dragged into the golden coffin without any resistance.
"This..." Blackbeard was stunned, his mind in a state of bewilderment. He knew that the Yami Yami no Mi had absolute control over Devil Fruit users. But neither Whitebeard's body nor the smirking boy seemed to be affected by it. What is going on?
Before Blackbeard could figure it out, another shocking scene occurred. As the golden coffin closed, a cheerful and rhythmic beat suddenly filled the air.
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
At the same time, seven men in black suits and white shirts, looking like golden saints, descended from the sky. A sacred and solemn aura of the dead emanated from them, stunning everyone in the audience.