"What did you say? You're going to make me 'wake up'? Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard laughed uproariously, his massive hands beating against his chest with violent, booming thuds.
His movements seemed to drag the surrounding air with them, creating gusts of wind that whistled through Ace's coat. Ace, however, remained entirely unmoved.
"In that case, witness the power of this form!" Blackbeard's gargantuan palm curled into a fist and swung toward Ace with crushing force.
To everyone's surprise, Ace showed no intention of dodging. Instead, he met the massive incoming fist head-on with a punch of his own.
BOOM!!
A colossal shockwave knocked back the ordinary crew members of both sides. People were sent flying through the air as a terrifying aura instantly saturated the battlefield.
Dark red lightning crackled in the sky, trailing in thin threads between the two combatants as they clashed. It was another blow delivered through the air without direct contact!
Standing to the side, Drake was utterly stunned. Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
Another instance of Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
Does Blackbeard know how to infuse Conqueror's Haki as well?
Since when did he possess Conqueror's Haki? And when did he learn to infuse it?
Had Conqueror's Haki Infusion become so common and cheap?
"Look at the sky!"
"The sky... is splitting!"
Following the shout, Drake's pupils constricted. High above, a rift emerged within the thick layer of clouds, growing deeper and more profound by the second.
Heaven-Splitting!
It was the natural signature of a battle between the world's top-tier powerhouses.
To trigger a heaven-splitting event meant that both Blackbeard and Ace now belonged to that small circle of elites standing at the very pinnacle of the world.
"Teach!" Ace suddenly roared, ascending instantly to the height of the giant golden ape's face.
"Flame Meteor!"
With his clothes fluttering and flames erupting, a pillar of fire shot straight through the air.
"Zehahahaha..."
Blackbeard's voice shook the earth. He swung his arm, smashing it directly against the Flame Meteor.
Crack!
Faint fractures appeared, but Blackbeard didn't even flinch as he batted Ace's punch aside.
The slight cracks on his armor healed instantly.
Ace's strike had failed to break his defense; the defensive and offensive power of the Perfect Form had significantly increased.
Rumble...
The diverted pillar of fire leveled a small mountain peak in the distance.
Boom! Blackbeard stomped the earth and swung a fist at Ace.
Despite his massive size, he moved with the agility of an ordinary man, launching a lightning-fast assault.
Slash! Slash! Ace used his fingers as blades, sending countless crimson streaks across the sky that transformed into razor-sharp slashes against Blackbeard's enormous body.
Even the shockwaves from the slashes carved deep trenches into the ground below.
Boom!
Clang!
Moments later, the two collided again. The hurricane and intense pressure generated by their clash made it impossible for ordinary people to draw near.
"Ace, you have indeed become much stronger, but at this rate, you'll never break my current defense!" Blackbeard's cavernous mouth twisted into a triumphant grin.
After the exchange, Ace realized that while his attacks could cause fractures in the armor, he couldn't actually shatter it.
He couldn't help but frown.
"Ace! His armor has three layers! Be careful!" Drake shouted, noticing the disadvantage.
The entire battlefield was focused on the fight between Ace and Blackbeard. Drake and Aokiji were only casually trading blows.
Drake could tell that Aokiji had no intention of fighting him seriously, which was good news for his side.
The two maintained a tacit understanding, half-heartedly going through the motions while their attention remained on the main duel.
"Three layers?" Ace paused, then a look of realization crossed his face followed by a relaxed smile.
He had thought there might be something more complex about the armor's ability, but it seemed he had overthought it.
It made sense; the armor's defensive power was already staggering. Anything more would be unnaturally overpowered.
Having cleared his mind, Ace smiled. "Teach, this form must be a massive drain on your body, isn't it?"
Maintaining such a huge body while supporting three layers of armor had to consume an extraordinary amount of energy.
"Hmm?" Blackbeard blinked, then replied, "So what if it is? These three layers of defense aren't so easy to break, and I have plenty of stamina right now..."
Blackbeard didn't deny it. Even if Ace knew, what could he do? In this form, both his destructive and defensive capabilities were world-class.
In his mind, even the "Strongest Creature" Kaido might not match his current defensive power.
This was Blackbeard's absolute confidence!
"Then let me see just how strong your defense really is!" Ace erupted with fire, his entire body—save for his face—transforming into a roaring inferno.
He flickered in front of Blackbeard. "Flame Scythe Strangling!"
Countless plumes of fire shot out from Ace's body, condensing into razor-sharp blades that lunged toward Blackbeard's massive form with incredible speed.
Slash! There was only the sound. Blackbeard felt nothing, but a fracture suddenly appeared on the armor of his right arm.
The first layer was broken!
However, it quickly began to heal.
Slash-slash-slash-slash-slash...
Fast! Too fast!
Before Blackbeard could react, a whirlwind of strangling force slammed into him.
Boom-boom-boom-boom...
In an instant, the armor was covered in a network of jagged, terrifying cracks.
Seeing this, Ace frowned again. He had struck the same spot multiple times, yet he still hadn't pierced the final layer of defense!
Despite the terrifying appearance of the attack, Blackbeard's third layer remained intact.
Blackbeard, however, was privately shaken. He hadn't expected Ace's offensive power to reach such a level.
His gaze toward Ace grew colder. Blackbeard understood that the relationship between him and the Whitebeard Pirates was now purely "kill or be killed."
Ace was too great a threat; he had to be eliminated as soon as possible!
To gain this much strength in just two years... such talent was horrifying. If he were given another two years...
God only knows what he would become?
"Giant Vajra Fist!" A cold light flashed in Blackbeard's eyes as a fist arrived in front of Ace.
BOOM!
At the last second, Ace narrowly evaded the strike. Channeled fire solidified into a flaming spear in his hands.
But before he could act, Blackbeard's other hand transformed into a vast, all-consuming darkness, dragging him inside.
"Break for me!"
Within the darkness, Ace's flames surged violently, pushing against the void. Just as he erupted with full power, a sense of crisis washed over him.
The massive Vajra fist descended from above, slamming directly into his head.
BOOM!
With the strike connected, the corner of Blackbeard's mouth curled upward as he followed up with another heavy punch!
The onlookers only saw Ace being hammered into the ground by a fist the size of a small mountain. The earth collapsed instantly, sending debris flying everywhere.
Rumble...
"Ace!!" Marco's eyes went wide, his mind momentarily blanking.
Even Drake lost his composure. If he were in that position without using his spatial powers to defend, he would certainly be severely wounded.
And he couldn't tell if Ace had managed to defend himself at all...