Vrumm... Marco instantly transformed into the Phoenix, intending to rush forward, but Vista caught his arm.
"Vista, let go of me! I have to go see if he's—"
"No! Marco, you're severely wounded. Even if you go over there, you won't be able to help..." Vista shook his head, his grip tightening. "I'll go!" He was about to step out when someone moved even faster.
"I'll handle it!"
They followed the voice and saw Drake. He shot a glance at Aokiji and offered a faint smile. Aokiji immediately stepped into his path.
"Getting past me won't be that easy..."
Before the words had even fully left Aokiji's mouth, Drake vanished. A casual voice drifted back from the distance: "I think it was pretty easy, actually..."
In a single instant, Drake had teleported across a distance of a thousand meters.
Yes, a thousand meters!
In two years, Drake's cultivation had reached the level of a Great Swordsman, and his teleportation range had increased tenfold. That single leap was a qualitative breakthrough. And Drake's progress over those two years was far more than just increased range.
"How is this possible...?" Aokiji's face shifted violently. Drake had been right in front of him one second and was a kilometer away the next. Most importantly, he hadn't seen a single trace of movement—no physical exertion, no blur. Just a total disappearance.
Drake flickered again, covering the remaining distance to Blackbeard in two more jumps. Vibration energy gathered in his palm, but just as he was about to strike, a voice rang out from beneath the rubble.
"Drake, don't interfere! I'm settling this with Teach myself!"
Drake froze mid-motion, then slowly descended to the ground. A smile played on his lips as he murmured, "Understood..."
He suddenly spun around and shouted: "Dragon Flag Pirates! Captain's orders: Give the Whitebeard Pirates your full support and crush the enemy!"
With that, he flickered into the heart of the battlefield and slammed a fist into the ground.
BOOM!
The earth erupted in a spray of sand and stone, sending dozens of Blackbeard pirates hurtling into the sky.
The moment Drake's order was given, Bell moved. His chokutō became a blur of silver light. In a flash, multiple wounds appeared on Van Augur and Laffitte.
Fast! An incredibly fast blade!
This was the result of Bell's day-and-night training over the last two years—a pursuit of the absolute pinnacle of speed. He knew his limits; unable to master even basic Armament Haki, his raw power was significantly lower than others. However, by combining his unique Observation Haki with this lightning-fast style, he found his own path. If the force isn't enough, speed and precision will still kill!
"Heaven and Earth Staff: Earth Splitter!"
A massive golden staff descended from the heavens, cleaving the ice field in two. Large groups of Blackbeard's men tumbled directly into the freezing sea.
Splash!
"Help! Save me... I'm an ability user, I can't swim... glub..."
Screams echoed across the water as the Blackbeard fleet fell into total disarray.
Boom!
"Cloud-Crossing Sword Style: Condense Blade!" As the words left Kenshin's lips, a massive slash expanded across the field. Following the crisp sound of clashing steel, a figure was sent hurtling backward, coughing up blood.
"Lord Shiryu!"
Crash! Under the horrified gazes of the crowd, Shiryu slammed into the ground and didn't get back up. Kenshin slowly sheathed his blade, his aura sharp and unyielding.
"Don't be afraid! There are thousands of us! We can cut them down if we charge together! Move!" Avalo Pizarro roared.
Whiz-whiz-whiz... A series of whistling sounds filled the air, and the charging Blackbeard pirates began to collapse one by one. A beautiful figure appeared before the crowd. Ann stood with her fingers delicately poised, holding a cluster of silver needles. Clearly, the fallen men were her handiwork.
"Tee-hee... I wouldn't move if I were you. Otherwise..." Ann said with a playful smile.
"Ah... I can't move my body..." "Me neither... what's happening?"
The fallen pirates weren't dead; they simply lay on the ground, unable to twitch a muscle.
"What's wrong with you guys? Hey!"
The Blackbeard Pirates were seized by panic. How could healthy men suddenly become paralyzed? Every eye that turned toward Ann was filled with terror. This gentle, beautiful woman was a monster!
Drake walked toward them; Ann was using the Acupoint Sealing technique—the most basic skill in her medical manual for neutralizing an opponent.
At this moment, the Dragon Flag Pirates officially announced their presence to the world.
"They..." Many of the Blackbeard pirates swallowed hard, instinctively taking a step back.
"Whitebeard Pirates! Don't let them look down on us!" Vista's eyes shone with intensity as he wove through the enemy with his twin blades.
"ROAR!"
The morale of the Whitebeard fleet surged to its peak.
"Are you going to stop us?" Drake asked, raising an eyebrow at the approaching Aokiji.
"No. I want to know why you didn't help Fire Fist Ace," Aokiji replied, looking genuinely confused. He couldn't understand it; with Drake's strength, a combined assault would have surely overwhelmed Blackbeard. He believed Drake had missed a golden opportunity.
Drake looked at the confused Admiral and smirked without answering. He turned his gaze toward Blackbeard's massive form and whispered, "It's coming..."
Aokiji frowned, but followed his gaze.
Blackbeard, sensing the collapse of his forces, looked grim. He was about to act when something shifted beneath the massive fist still pressed into the ground.
Vrumm...
A torrent of flames erupted from beneath the fist, spreading rapidly in all directions.
"What!?" Blackbeard's bulging eyes went wide. His gargantuan arm was being forced upward against his will.
A figure wreathed in fire slowly emerged. With one hand held high, he was physically lifting Blackbeard's mountain-sized fist!
"I didn't think I'd have to use this move, but it seems Teach has actually become quite strong." Ace slowly lifted his head. Wisps of fire flickered from the corners of his eyes.
"Flame Emperor, Ace!"
BOOM!
A colossal explosion of thermal energy shot into the sky, saturating the entire battlefield.
A scorching sea of sand. That was the first thought that entered everyone's mind. Even those a thousand meters away felt a wave of intense heat as if they were about to be roasted alive.
But no one was more shocked than Drake.
Ace looked as if he had undergone a total transformation. His red coat was now wreathed in flickering sparks, appearing as if it were woven from the fire itself. His eyebrows and eyes glowed with an eerie crimson light, and his aura had spiked to a new level.
Is this... Second Gear? Drake marveled. What the hell did he go through in these two years?
Drake had known Ace was strong, but he had never truly felt this level of dread before. It was a dense, suffocating pressure. A truly powerful aura!
Drake felt that Ace's current strength was likely no longer inferior to Whitebeard's own!
The thought startled even him. Ace is going to break the world at this rate.
"Flame Pillar: Atlas!"
Ace's voice was barely a whisper, yet—
BOOM!
A gargantuan pillar of fire erupted upward, blasting Blackbeard's massive body straight into the clouds!
"AGH! WHAT IS HAPPENING!??"