While Kaido and Garp were locked in their battle above, Blackbeard was seizing his opportunity below to eliminate his former captain and take his power. He knew this was his best chance.
Ace and Marco were blocked by the Marines. Kaido was fighting Garp and Sengoku. No one would pay attention to him. The rest of the Whitebeard Pirates were engaged in a chaotic fight with the Marines. Furthermore, there was a massive chasm separating him from the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates. No one could disturb him now. It was simply the Blackbeard Pirates versus Whitebeard alone.
"You're old, old man!" Blackbeard sneered.
Of course, defeating the former strongest man in the world was no easy task. Although Whitebeard was severely wounded, he had only taken one treacherous sword strike from a "filial son" and one attack from an Admiral's magma fist. Thus, a fierce battle erupted between the two pirate crews.
However, the outcome seemed predetermined. Whitebeard's body was simply too frail and aging. After being injured, he couldn't even utilize his Conqueror's Haki effectively. On top of that, the power of his Tremor-Tremor Fruit was being neutralized by Teach's Dark-Dark Fruit.
In his Dark-Dark Fruit state, Teach repeatedly landed punches on Whitebeard. Although Whitebeard managed to capitalize on Blackbeard's arrogance to counterattack , Blackbeard's body was far hardier than Whitebeard's deteriorating frame. Even after taking a solid air tremor and a blow from his Murakumogiri naginata, Teach only coughed up blood and was quickly able to stand up again.
Whitebeard was different. What's more, Teach wasn't fighting alone. He had the entire Blackbeard Pirates—a group of vicious criminals—and facing the strongest man in the world, none of them held back. Various weapons and attacks were aimed at Whitebeard's massive body.
"Old man!"
Ace, watching from afar, had his face twisted with anxiety and pain, but he couldn't move a step closer. Aokiji, a Marine Admiral, stood firmly in his path.
Aokiji looked back at the unfolding scene, a hint of a sigh on his face, but he had no intention of moving aside. "A-la-la-la, is Whitebeard's fate ending here?"
Aokiji now clearly understood the situation. From the moment Kaido arrived at Marine Headquarters and took the Den Den Mushi, the public execution of Fire Fist Ace had already failed. For the Marines to maintain their standing with the world and the World Government, Whitebeard dying here was now the most convenient outcome.
Of course, this was also because, until now, no one on the seas knew that the Dark-Dark Fruit had the unique ability to strip others of their Devil Fruit powers. Otherwise, Aokiji would not have been so relaxed. After all, Aokiji alone would be enough to wipe out the entire Blackbeard Pirates, excluding Blackbeard himself. Even fighting Blackbeard one-on-one, Aokiji had no fear whatsoever. And there were five such combat powers present, including Vice Admiral Garp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
However, not everyone was completely unaware of the threat. Flying in the sky, King and Eneru's gazes turned toward the chaos below.
"It seems they truly have the ability to strip Devil Fruit users of their powers?"
King looked at Eneru strangely. Behind them, Moriah, who had been electrocuted into unconsciousness, lay slumped on a flame cloud.
Eneru, seeing the questioning look, replied coldly, "That guy has his eyes on my Rumble-Rumble Fruit".
Only then did King understand. King himself had only learned about the Dark-Dark Fruit's bizarre ability to steal powers from Kaido during their journey here. This was an unprecedented concept for him.
"So, this Teach can truly possess two Devil Fruit abilities by himself?" King looked at Eneru and could see the eagerness in his eyes. King understood. He had also been shocked when he learned about this from Big Brother Kaido.
"We'll know for sure if we just keep watching," King said.
"If that's true, should we intervene? If we can capture him, perhaps we can uncover the secret of how he ate two Devil Fruits?" Eneru asked.
King shook his head. "No need. Big Brother Kaido gave orders not to interfere. This guy is more useful to us alive than dead. As for his ability..." King looked at Eneru. To be honest, he wasn't very familiar with this recent addition to the Beasts Pirates, but he could tell Big Brother Kaido paid close attention to Eneru.
He thought for a moment and said, "Although Onigashima doesn't have much research on a single person eating two Devil Fruits, maybe there's a way to help you gain new abilities?"
"Oh!" Eneru's eyes lit up. Eneru, who had been in this sea for almost three months, had fully realized its vastness, so he was no longer satisfied with his current strength.
"Queen has already figured out how to make inanimate objects 'eat' Devil Fruits. When we go back this time, maybe you can have him modify your weapon!" King suggested.
"Oh! Any Devil Fruit?"
"Currently, only Paramecia and Zoan types," King confirmed.
"That's enough. I'll have to think carefully about this then," Eneru said, shaking his golden staff.
At the same time, Garp and Kaido had jumped out of the deep pit and were ascending to the sky for their second round of battle.
The scene below shocked both King and Eneru. Eneru was already highly skilled in Observation Haki, and King's current strength had also reached the Admiral level.
"What kind of power is this?" Eneru finally asked, looking at King, who was also in a state of shock.
Below, the Three Admirals looked at Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who was injured again—and clearly not lightly this time. Feeling the immense power emanating from Kaido, their expressions were extremely grim.
"What kind of power is this?" Akainu asked through gritted teeth.
Kuzan seemed to recall something. "Borsalino, is this the new power of Kaido you mentioned last time?"
This immediately caught Akainu's attention.
Kizaru frowned, his expression gloomy. "It feels somewhat similar, but this time it's clearly more terrifying!"
What did this indicate? It indicated that Kaido was growing increasingly terrifying. Even Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp combined couldn't defeat him. To what extent had Kaido's strength reached now, and did he still have other hidden moves?
Just then, another joyous laugh once again attracted everyone's attention.
"Zehahahahaha, old man, your power is mine..."
Everyone turned to look, instantly pushing aside the shock Kaido had just inflicted.
In the battlefield ahead, under the sunlight, Whitebeard stood there, covered in wounds, like a statue. Only his now motionless aura confirmed the truth.
As one of the Four Emperors of the New World, once renowned alongside Roger, a legendary pirate of this sea, the Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates: Edward Newgate, nicknamed Whitebeard, was declared dead at the age of seventy-two.
"Old man!"
"Uncle Whitebeard!"
Ace, Marco, and Yamato, seeing the scene, couldn't help but rush forward in grief. This time, the Three Admirals did not stop them. They were eager for the Whitebeard Pirates and Blackbeard to fight each other.
Blackbeard, seeing this, simply said to his subordinates, "The rest is up to you. Half a minute is all I need. Once I succeed, the position of Pirate King will be within reach!"
With that, a black cloth covered Teach and Whitebeard's body.
Countless people watched this scene, all strangely bewildered, not understanding what Blackbeard intended to do with Whitebeard's corpse.
Only Kaido, seeing this, knew that the war was almost over. He immediately left the battlefield and flew into the sky.
The stage belonged to him now...
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