Blackbeard's lips curled into a cold, merciless smile as his gaze shifted to Killer and the others. From the very beginning, he had never planned to kill them. These were powerful pirates—exactly the kind whose shadows could be turned into fearsome zombies. Letting them die now would be nothing but a waste.
Trebol stepped forward at once, his voice dripping with flattery.
"As expected of Lord Teach! Using that brat to hunt down members of the Phoenix Pirates… if everything goes according to plan, it might truly be possible to ignite another Marineford War."
Though the Donquixote Family had only recently pledged themselves to the Blackbeard Pirates, Trebol and the others had already witnessed Teach's terrifying strength firsthand. More importantly, they had glimpsed something even more valuable—potential.
If revenge for their Young Master was ever to be realized, then following Blackbeard was unquestionably the correct choice.
In truth, these former executives had already sensed it: the future Blackbeard represented far surpassed anything Doflamingo could have achieved. Once the timing was right, Teach would inevitably soar to unimaginable heights.
Blackbeard threw his head back and laughed.
"Zehahahahaha! Don't worry. As long as you follow me, I'll avenge Doflamingo for you—and I'll let you witness a world far grander than anything you've ever known."
His eyes gleamed with unrestrained ambition as he continued, voice brimming with madness and confidence.
"Once I obtain a third Devil Fruit… no one in this world will be able to stand against me!"
"Lord Teach is amazing!" Baby-5 exclaimed without hesitation, her eyes instantly filling with hearts as she stared at Blackbeard in open admiration.
Blackbeard clearly enjoyed Baby-5's adoring gaze. After all, he had spent more than twenty years aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, most of that time at sea. Opportunities to indulge himself were rare—only when the crew made landfall did he get the chance to enjoy such pleasures.
And truth be told, aside from a handful of women in the medical unit, the Whitebeard Pirates were nothing but burly men. Day after day, it was feast after feast, drinking and brawling, with little interest shown toward women at all. But now that he had left the Whitebeard Pirates behind, Blackbeard was finally cutting loose—so much so that he needed several women every day just to satisfy himself.
Shiryu, watching from the side, curled his lips into a faint smile. He didn't doubt Blackbeard's ambition in the slightest. A man who already wielded the power of two Devil Fruits was terrifying enough. If Teach truly managed to obtain a third, then surpassing the Yonko—perhaps even the Pirate King—would no longer be an empty fantasy.
Still, Shiryu poured a bucket of cold water on the excitement.
"That said, using a captain like Whitey Bay to provoke another war on the scale of Marineford won't be easy."
Burgess tilted his head, curiosity written all over his face.
"Why's that, Shiryu?"
Exhaling a slow ring of smoke, Shiryu explained, "The Marineford War happened because of Fire Fist Ace. He was the son of the Pirate King and showed terrifying potential at a young age. Whitey Bay is different. She's just a captain under the Phoenix Pirates. On top of that, the Marines suffered enormous losses during the last war—they won't rush into another full-scale conflict so easily."
"Zehahahahaha!" Blackbeard laughed, utterly unconcerned.
"Of course I've thought about all that. What I really want to know is this—after Whitebeard's death, do Marco and the others still value their comrades as much as they claim?"
His grin widened.
"And even if it fails, we lose nothing. The Marines are short on Seven Warlords anyway. We can repeat this trick again and again—weakening the Phoenix Pirates while strengthening ourselves."
Shiryu nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. The Phoenix Pirates and our Blackbeard Pirates are already destined to clash. The more weakened they are before that day comes, the better it is for us."
—
Meanwhile, on Nanku Island…
For eighteen long days, the Beasts Pirates and the Phoenix Pirates had been locked in a relentless spectacle of battle. Aside from the first three days—during which Marco and Kaido fought without food, drink, or rest—the remaining days followed a brutal rhythm: over ten hours of combat each day, followed by brief periods of recovery.
By now, Nanku Island had been reduced to a wasteland. Trees were uprooted, the earth was torn apart, and even the roots beneath the soil had been crushed flat. What began as awe-inspiring had gradually turned into visual exhaustion for those watching.
"This fight's gone on way too long!"
"Captain Marco only fought Big Mom for ten days, but he's been battling Kaido for eighteen—and there's still no clear winner!"
"So this is what a Yonko-level battle looks like? Eighteen days is just absurd. Even Admirals only fought for ten days and nights!"
Both crews whispered among themselves in disbelief.
While their captains clashed at the very top, the rest of the crews also engaged in friendly sparring. Yet when it came to high-end combat strength, the Phoenix Pirates overwhelmingly dominated.
Ace, brimming with youthful aggression, was the most active of all—challenging both Jack and King. Jack stood no chance against him, and only King was able to fight Ace to a standstill.
Elsewhere, the Tobiroppo tested themselves against the Phoenix Pirates' captains. Who's-Who challenged Jinbe and was decisively defeated. Sasaki went up against Fossa and met the same fate. Ulti and Page One confronted Kingdew, only to be soundly beaten.
Only Black Maria and Vergo—the former Marine Vice Admiral turned Tobiroppo—remained undefeated. Not because they were overwhelmingly powerful, but simply because they chose not to participate.
By the end of these exchanges, the Beasts Pirates had gained a sobering understanding of the Phoenix Pirates' true strength. This was once the strongest pirate crew in the world—and its foundation remained terrifyingly solid. Every captain was at least Tobiroppo-level, while the strongest among them rivaled the All-Stars themselves.
Jozu watched the devastation unfolding across the island, his expression grave.
"Kaido truly lives up to the title of 'Strongest in a One-on-One Fight.' Marco's Devil Fruit has clearly awakened, and by all logic, he should hold the advantage in stamina. Even so… I never imagined Kaido could push him this far."
Vista, however, smiled faintly.
"True—but Marco's edge is steadily growing."
During the first three days of the battle, Marco had been at a clear disadvantage, forced onto the defensive by Kaido's overwhelming pressure. But the moment Marco grasped Conqueror's Haki Infusion, Kaido's ability to suppress him vanished entirely.
From the fourth day onward, the fight became evenly matched. And after the tenth day, the balance began to tilt—slowly but unmistakably—in Marco's favor.
The reason was simple.
After the tenth day, it was always Kaido who called for a break.
On the battlefield, both warriors panted heavily, their bodies pushed to the brink. Yet Marco's confidence only grew with each exchange. Since awakening his Devil Fruit, his recovery and stamina had undergone a dramatic leap. In prolonged battles, his endurance had reached a terrifying level—after a single night of rest, his strength would all but return, leaving him unafraid of any war of attrition.
Kaido was no slouch either. As an Ogre, his physique dwarfed that of ordinary humans, and stamina had always been his greatest weapon. However, his recovery could not match Marco's. Though both were Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, their strengths lay in different areas.
Kaido possessed superior attack power and explosive force.
Marco, on the other hand, utterly eclipsed him in recovery.
Marco wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at Kaido with a teasing glint in his eyes.
"Kaido, looks like you're hitting your limit again. What is it this time—another halftime break?"
They were both all-rounders in combat, but where Kaido's abilities were broadly balanced, Marco's overwhelming regeneration made him far better suited for drawn-out battles.
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