Ace spat up several mouthfuls of blood and collapsed onto the ground. Other than the ragged sound of his breathing, he couldn't muster even a shred of strength.
"Zehahahaha… Ace, now you've seen the power of darkness, haven't you?"
"Do you still have the strength to move?"
Blackbeard laughed as he walked over, grabbed Ace by the collar, and hauled his blood-soaked body off the ground.
"Join me," he said. "You're a rare talent. Whatever you could get under Whitebeard—if you follow me, I'll double it for you."
"Once I take down Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and the rest of those fossils, this world will be mine to rule!"
"When that time comes, you'll have more money and power than you could ever dream of!"
"We've come this far already… Ace, are you still going to be so stubborn?"
Blackbeard still hadn't given up on recruiting him.
He'd spent over twenty years on Whitebeard's ship, serving under Ace's division. He knew Ace's strength better than anyone. Ace was only twenty now and already this powerful. In another few years, he'd be a monster, easily on par with the three Marine admirals.
There was no way Blackbeard was going to pass up the chance to recruit someone like that.
"Hah… hah… hah…"
"Blackbeard… you want me to be your subordinate? Keep dreaming."
Ace forced a weak, pale but stubborn smile—no hint of surrender in his eyes.
"What a tough bastard."
"But don't get cocky, Ace. I've already figured out a much better way to make use of your life."
"Others might not know… but I know very well who you really are—and just how valuable that makes you to the Navy."
Blackbeard's grin turned sinister.
"You bastard… What are you planning?!"
Seeing that expression, a bad feeling surged through Ace's chest.
"You're a smart guy—you'll figure it out."
"Boys! We've got ourselves one hell of a bargaining chip! The world is about to be ruled by me, Blackbeard! Zehahahahaha!"
Blackbeard threw his head back, laughing madly.
"Captain, we've found someone insane over there," one of his crew said suddenly.
"Never thought we'd run into someone that big out here…"
"He's not here specifically for us, is he?"
"H-hey! Don't joke like that!!"
Blackbeard's crew were staring off into the distance—at the figure standing casually atop a nearby rooftop.
Whiteflame.
As the crew's sniper, Van Augur had the sharpest eyes. He spotted Whiteflame first and immediately recognized who he was.
Hearing his men shouting, Blackbeard turned to look in the same direction.
The moment his eyes fell on Whiteflame, his expression changed.
"Zehahahaha… To think I'd get to see you with my own eyes—the man with a 1.568 billion bounty who made fools of the Navy. Truly an honor."
Blackbeard's laughter rang out.
"Seems you're not completely clueless," Whiteflame said.
Since he'd been spotted, there was no reason to hide any longer. He floated up from his vantage point and flew over, hovering high above Blackbeard and his crew.
Van Augur tightened his grip on his rifle, his gaze locked warily on Whiteflame, not daring to relax.
"Of course I know," Blackbeard said.
"The Navy's expeditionary force never saw you even once. Obviously they couldn't catch you. To save face, they had to lie to the world instead."
"But what I didn't expect… was for you to get a bounty of 1.568 billion in one go."
Even knowing that the man before him was a monster with a sky-high bounty, Blackbeard showed no fear.
"In fact, I've also heard… you're a Devil Fruit user, aren't you?" he said, his tone shifting slightly, a hint of malice creeping in.
"Looks like you're not just after Ace," Whiteflame replied coolly. "You're thinking about making a move on me too."
"Zehahahaha… Imagine it," Blackbeard said, eyes gleaming. "If I took the head of a man worth 1.568 billion… my name would echo across the entire world."
A dark smile spread across his face.
"Then go ahead," Whiteflame said, flicking his cigarette away. "Try it."
"Zehahahaha… Just kidding! Don't take it so seriously," Blackbeard said quickly, laughing it off. "Even the Navy and the World Government can't handle you right now. I'd rather not pick a fight at this moment."
"But… how about this instead? Are you interested in conquering the world together? If we join forces, nobody could stop us!"
"Kaido, Big Mom, Whitebeard, Red-Hair—they're all outdated relics. This sea doesn't need four Emperors. One is more than enough."
He extended the invitation openly.
"You're not wrong about one thing," Whiteflame said with a nod.
Blackbeard's eyes lit up.
If he could get Whiteflame on his side, his plans would be almost flawless.
"But your goal is too small," Whiteflame continued. "Ruling the New World? My goal… is the entire world."
"And to conquer the world, I don't need anyone's help. I alone am enough."
With those words, Blackbeard's face instantly fell.
"You really think a lot of yourself, don't you…?" came a rasping voice.
Even among the Emperors of the New World, not a single one had the guts to boast about ruling the entire world.
The one who spoke was Doc Q, slumped weakly on his sickly donkey. He let out a faint, mocking chuckle.
SPLAT!
Before he even finished his scoff, a long, sharp claw came down.
In an instant, both Doc Q and his donkey were ripped cleanly in half.
Blood sprayed. Flesh flew.
The others went pale.
BANG BANG BANG!
Van Augur fired instantly, bullets punching through Whiteflame's body—yet not even kicking up dust.
Bzzzzzt—
[50 Million Volts: Thunder Bird]
With a casual sweep of his arm, Whiteflame sent a thunderbird screaming through the air.
It smashed into Van Augur, lightning surging through his body, charring him and knocking him out of the fight in an instant.
The others immediately moved to attack—but before they could even fully react, Whiteflame flicked his fingers.
Several beams of laser light shot out, punching holes cleanly through their bodies.
"You dare—!"
"Dark Water!!"
Blackbeard jerked his arm up, trying to activate his ability and drag Whiteflame toward him.
But before the black vortex could fully form, he felt something sharp and deadly press against his neck.
Blackbeard's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He looked down.
Pressed against his throat was a claw wrapped in bandages, gleaming with razor-sharp menace. With just a slight push, it could easily puncture his neck.
"N-no! No! I was wrong! I was wrong!!"
Blackbeard shouted in terror, raising both hands in surrender, not daring to move a muscle.
Terrifying.
So this… was the strength of a man worth 1.5 billion.
Even as a Devil Fruit user, he hadn't had a single opening to attack.
And what the hell was this monster in front of him? What were these bandaged beasts he'd summoned?
Blackbeard's mind was in turmoil.
"Blackbeard, this is how you discipline your crew?" Whiteflame asked coldly. "If I weren't in a good mood today, I would've already slaughtered every last one of you."
Lafitte, Burgess, and the barely conscious Van Augur clutched their scorched wounds in silence.
They'd never truly met a monster of this level before.
Now they understood: when a real powerhouse decided to move, there was no room to breathe, no chance to fight back.
Just a flick of his fingers, and he could wipe them out.
In front of Whiteflame, they were nothing but ants.
"Y-yes, yes! You're absolutely right!" Blackbeard babbled, forcing a smile. "Doc Q deserved it, that bastard! To dare insult someone like you—he got exactly what he deserved!"
Despite his usual arrogance and swagger, at life-or-death moments, Teach was still the kind of man who clung to life above all else, willing to throw away his pride if it meant surviving.
Just like at Marineford, when he'd challenged Whitebeard—thinking himself invincible after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit—only to have Whitebeard grab him by the throat in a matter of seconds.
If not for Whitebeard's moment of hesitation out of sentiment, Blackbeard would've died right there.
Blackbeard was the definition of a schemer.
To realize his ambitions, he'd hidden in Whitebeard's crew for over twenty years, murdered a comrade, and betrayed his captain without a second thought.
And to stay alive, he'd gladly discard his pride and kneel to anyone.
For him, living, and becoming the Pirate King—that was the only "pride" that mattered.
"Hmph."
Whiteflame snorted coldly.
He really did feel like killing Blackbeard here and now, and ending it all in one stroke.
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