"What! You... how could you know…"
Adrian's sudden question immediately drew everyone's attention to him, especially Blackbeard. After being exposed by Adrian, his plump body trembled violently, and his ugly face showed an expression of extreme astonishment. What's wrong? How could he know this secret? Did that bastard Van Augur sell me out?
That's right, it must be that little punk. I saw him flirting with that guy before. Thinking of this, Blackbeard's bloodshot eyes widened, and he looked at Van Augur with resentment. "Bastard, you dare to betray me? I should have just killed you back in Mock Town!"
Van Augur: "What? What did I do? You always want to kill me? We've been eating and living together this whole time, what am I, a kid?"
Now that their relationship had soured, Van Augur didn't bother to explain. He knew that no matter what he said, Blackbeard wouldn't believe him. However, what made him even more uncomfortable was that Adrian didn't seem to have any intention of offering him a lifeline.
Brother! I'm begging you, take me! I'm in this miserable state, and it's all because of you! You love watching a good show so much, so why don't you just recruit me? I'd be happy to perform for you every day!
Facing the indifferent Adrian, Van Augur had to bite the bullet and warily look away from the Blackbeard Pirates.
"Hmph, I'll deal with you later." Blackbeard snorted coldly, then turned back to Adrian, his eyes filled with resentment. He roared like a wild beast, "Adrian, this must be your fault, right? Tell me, where did you hide my Gura Gura no Mi?!"
"Blackbeard, I'm warning you, it's best not to talk nonsense," Adrian said with a grin. "Otherwise... I will kill you."
Truth be told, Blackbeard's decisiveness was beyond Adrian's expectations. After realizing that the Gura Gura no Mi was gone, Blackbeard immediately decided to retreat and used a few words to stabilize Shiryu and the others, who were about to rebel. This composure was far beyond that of any Whitebeard Pirate division commander. The Summit War had always been Blackbeard's stage to rise. An ordinary person, after enduring such a huge setback, might have chosen to fight the Marines just to put on a "first show" and show off their strength to the world.
But Blackbeard did no such thing. Though he was furious, he maintained a clear mind and reason. At this point, even Adrian had to give him a thumbs up in admiration. Luffy would have to cheat to beat a man like this.
"Hey, Captain, this guy is not easy to mess with," Burgess reminded him in a low voice, still shaken.
"One second in heaven, one second in hell, is this the fate we have to face... Captain Teach, what choice will you make?" Doc Q, who looked sickly, muttered to himself.
"Hehehe, you guys seem to be very afraid of that handsome guy?" "Crescent Moon Hunter" Catarina said with a wicked smile. "Captain Teach, didn't you say you were interested in the Devil Fruit he had?"
Blackbeard: "Damn it, do you have to be so obvious? I haven't lost yet!"
"Tch, what a bunch of cowards, Blackbeard, if you abdicate now and give me the captain's position, I promise I can help you get rid of that brat, meow!" "Corrupt King" Pizarro made no secret of his ambition. He couldn't understand why Blackbeard would waste such a good "climbing" stage and run away like a coward. It was simply contemptible.
Of the whole group, only Shiryu of the Rain remained silent. He had noticed something different with, Adrian's body, a very dangerous aura.
"Shut up, I'm still the captain!" Blackbeard's expression changed, and he finally squeezed out a disgusted, fawning face. He looked at Sengoku in the distance and said, "Thie-shi-shi-shi-shi, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, don't take what happened just now to heart. It was just a small misunderstanding. I'll explain it to you later. How could I easily give up such an important identity as a Warlord? We are allies on the same front now. I'm going to help the Marines hunt down the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Blackbeard completely ignored the contemptuous glances from the Marines around him. After swallowing Whitebeard's body with the "Dark Tunnel," he tried to run away with his men.
"Bastard, Blackbeard, saying the word 'ally' from your mouth is the greatest insult to the Marines. Do you think this old man still believes your nonsense?" Sengoku shouted angrily, his face pale with fury. "Today, I'll personally solve your problem!"
Blackbeard's shamelessness refreshed Sengoku's worldview. He never thought someone could be so shameless. If I, Sengoku, don't beat you today, I'll abdicate after the war. He wanted to get rid of this man who had disgraced the Marines with his own hands.
In the next second, Sengoku's body was filled with a golden light. His stature soared to a terrifying height of nearly 100 meters. Surrounded by bursts of golden light, the terrifying coercion emanating from him made Blackbeard feel uneasy.
"Thie-shi-shi-shi-shi, I say, Marshal Sengoku, don't be so ruthless. Didn't I just say it was all a misunderstanding?" Blackbeard pretended to be innocent, but deep in his blood-red eyes, the luster of greed was rekindled.
This mythical zoan fruit on Sengoku seems pretty good! Maybe I should... take it?!
Sengoku couldn't have imagined that Blackbeard would be so bold as to set his sights on him in the blink of an eye.
"Hmph! Do you really think I'm so easy to deceive?" Sengoku snorted coldly and pushed down with his giant palm.
Hum!
A flawless, jade-like white halo instantly appeared at the front of the giant palm and swept toward Blackbeard and his gang.
Boom!
A terrifying shockwave raged, and the ground exploded inch by inch. The entire island trembled violently.
"Ugh…"
Blackbeard's group was sent flying. Sengoku's blow in his Buddha form was no weaker than Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi. Everyone seemed to have forgotten that Sengoku wasn't just "The Strategist." In his youth, while Garp and Roger were fighting, Sengoku was also fighting alone against the rest of the world's powerhouses. He had earned his position as Marshal through hard-won military achievements.
"Thie-shi-shi-shi-shi, as expected of the man standing at the top of the Marines, Sengoku the Buddha! What amazing power!" Blackbeard climbed out of the ruins, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth with an amused smirk. "By the way, why do all you old guys from the old days look like monsters?"
Now that his cover was blown, Blackbeard no longer pretended. Endless darkness rose from within him, and a pitch-black sky formed in midair.
"Even if I don't get Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi, I still have the power to swallow everything." Blackbeard spread his arms wide, a wild smile on his face as he provoked, "Then, let me sink Marineford into the sea before I officially evacuate!"
"Stop dreaming!" Sengoku was instantly furious. "This island, located in the center of the world, is the symbol of 'justice' for those who fear evil. It's absolutely impossible to sink!"
In the next second, the giant palm with the shockwave pushed down again.
"Thie-shi-shi-shi-shi, then you can watch me... Dark Water!"
A windmill-shaped spiral of black mist suddenly appeared in Blackbeard's palm. The moment it came into contact with Sengoku's giant palm, it completely absorbed the shockwave within it.
"Hehehe, it seems our Captain Teach is still a bit capable. We shouldn't have to disband for now." "Crescent Moon Hunter" Catarina said with a smile.
Pizarro and Vasco Shot nodded silently. Both of them had been sent to Impel Down by Sengoku himself and were very afraid of him. Of the group, only Shiryu of the Rain remained silent. His eagle-like eyes stayed fixed on Adrian. The playful smile on the other man's face always gave him a creepy feeling. In his opinion, the real problem wasn't Sengoku but the guy across from him.
"Thie-shi-shi-shi-shi, it's useless. In front of my ability, all Devil Fruits are invalid. That is to say, your power is not enough to be a threat to me at all." Blackbeard's face was filled with a smug smile as he continued to provoke, "How about it, Marshal Sengoku? Do you want to obediently let us go? That way, the Marines won't lose face in front of the whole world!"
"Don't talk big! I won't let you leave here today. I will personally send you, the most heinous of criminals, back to Impel Down." Sengoku let out a yell, and his tall figure soared into the sky. Then, his giant palm, surrounded by a white halo, swooped down.