So, Burgess was just one-shotted?
Even having witnessed the scene with his own eyes, Teach began to question his reality.
While Burgess wasn't exactly a powerhouse, he still possessed strength roughly equivalent to a Marine Vice Admiral. How could he have been killed instantly?
Of course, when Teach spoke of a "Vice Admiral," he meant a standard one. After all, this version of Burgess existed nearly a year before the start of the original story. He was far from his post-timeskip self, and even lacked the strength he had during the Paramount War.
In that sense, by equating Burgess to a Vice Admiral, Teach wasn't underestimating him—he was actually overestimating him.
In Sean's eyes, the man's strength was roughly on par with a top-tier Marine Rear Admiral who specialized in physical combat. A single slash to end him was a simple, effortless task.
Teach's expression shifted, his eyes darkening.
He realized that he had underestimated Sean—and not just by a little, but severely. Even if this man hadn't yet reached the level of an Admiral, he was likely very close.
'I... I have to take this seriously. Otherwise, I might actually be killed.'
However, as long as the opponent had a Devil Fruit ability, Teach knew he held the advantage. Whether that power came from Sean himself or his sword, it would be countered.
"Dark Water!"
With that thought, Teach stopped hesitating and struck.
An eerie black mist erupted from his right hand as he reached toward Sean. Although they were separated by about five meters, a strange and powerful suction force instantly seized Sean.
Sean frowned slightly.
It wasn't that he couldn't resist the pull, but he recalled the debates from his previous life regarding the mechanics of "Dark Water." Some argued it could only pull in ability users, while others believed it could attract anything regardless of their nature. The original story had never clearly settled the debate.
But now, Sean had his answer.
Because... he was not a Devil Fruit ability user.
A small smile played on Sean's lips. Instead of resisting, he allowed the suction to drag him forward.
In the next instant, Teach grabbed Sean's shoulder as he was pulled within reach, bursting into a loud, manic laugh.
"Zehahaha! Got you!"
"No matter how strong you are, once I touch a Devil Fruit user, they can no longer use their abilities!"
"Experience the brutality of the Dark-Dark Fruit! Zehahaha!"
However, just as Teach was reveling in his triumph, a flash of azure blade-light streaked across his vision.
Teach froze. He looked at Sean, whose shoulder was still gripped in his hand, but who wore a playful, mocking smile. Then, sensing something, Teach looked down at his own chest.
A deep, bone-deep gash ran from his right waist up to his left shoulder. A massive fountain of blood sprayed instantly.
The side effect of the Dark-Dark Fruit manifested immediately. The doubled pain hit him like a hammer, forcing him to release Sean and collapse to the ground. He began to roll and scream in agony.
"I have to ask... are you actually brain-dead?"
Sean looked down at the writhing Teach. "This ability can pull opponents in and nullify Devil Fruit powers, but it doesn't strip a target of their fighting capacity like Seastone does."
"If your opponent's physical combat skills are superior to yours, doing that is essentially a suicide mission."
"Furthermore, who told you I was a Devil Fruit user? And who told you my sword had eaten a Devil Fruit?"
"Arrogance and recklessness—those are your greatest weaknesses."
As Teach rolled on the ground in excruciating pain, a figure appeared silently behind Sean.
The doctor of the Blackbeard Pirates... Doc Q!
"Doc Q, do it!" Teach screamed through his agony.
Immediately—
"Bakudō #4: Hainawa!"
Sean didn't even turn his head.
In the next moment, just as Doc Q was about to activate his Sick-Sick Fruit ability, he was ensnared by a rope-like cord of energy and slammed to the ground.
Doc Q's ability was indeed potent, but like Magellan, any power involving poison usually carried severe side effects for the user. He was no exception. Despite his powerful fruit, his physical body was extremely frail. Even a basic fourth-level Bakudō was something Doc Q could not break through with raw physical strength.
Furthermore, the suppression of the Devil Fruit by Reiryoku meant that while he was bound, he could not activate his ability—just as Van Augur had experienced.
Teach, who had barely managed to catch his breath, was completely stunned.
'If he doesn't have a Devil Fruit, then where the hell did these strange powers come from?'
While Teach was spiraling in confusion, the sound of massive boulders being shattered echoed from nearby. Debris flew everywhere, with several large shards crashing down near them.
"Sean, it's handled!"
Hancock's voice rang out. Coupled with the fact that he could no longer sense Laffitte's presence through Observation Haki, Teach finally realized the truth.
Those boulders... that was Laffitte.
'Damn it!'
He had painstakingly gathered four subordinates, yet in less than a minute, two were captured and two were killed. Even he had been gravely wounded.
It was no longer a question of how to continue the plan, but how to escape.
"Teach, let's make a deal," Sean said calmly, still looking down at the fallen pirate. "Don't worry. If we reach an agreement, I'll let you leave. How does that sound?"
"You'd let me go?"
"Of course. This deal requires your cooperation. If I kill you now, how would the deal get finished?" Sean smiled.
Teach was bewildered. He couldn't fathom what this absurdly powerful Marine actually wanted.
"It's simple. I know your plan. You want to recruit a group of powerful allies from Impel Down to lay the foundation for becoming one of the new Four Emperors."
"Then, after completing the raid on Impel Down, you'll lead them to the Headquarters. You'll stay hidden until Whitebeard is at the end of his rope, then you'll strike, kill him, and steal the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"Am I correct?"
Teach's eyes widened in shock.
Impossible. This was absolutely impossible!
Aside from himself and his four crewmates, no one knew this plan. Had Doc Q or Van Augur betrayed him? Otherwise, how could Sean know every single detail so precisely?
As for Laffitte and Burgess, Teach didn't suspect them. They were dead; they couldn't have been the traitors.
"Alright, stop glaring. I'm going to lay out the terms of our deal. Agree, and you live. Refuse, and you die!"
"First, don't even think about playing tricks here in Impel Down. After all, if something happens while I'm the one guarding this place, it would be a major dereliction of duty. Do you understand?"
Hearing this, Teach nodded.
Sean was quite satisfied with Teach's reaction.
"Good. Let's move on."
"Your plan to kill Whitebeard later and seize the Tremor-Tremor Fruit... that can proceed."
"In fact, I can personally step in and wound Whitebeard so severely that you'll be able to kill him with ease. How does that sound?"
What?
He's letting me continue with the plan to kill Whitebeard and steal the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?
He's even offering to cripple Whitebeard just to ensure I succeed?
What on earth is this guy planning?
"Do you find it strange that I'm helping you?"
Blackbeard nodded.
'Yeah, this is way too weird. I have no idea what his motive is.'
"It's actually quite simple. For hundreds of years, why has the World Government never completely eradicated pirates? Even during eras when pirate forces were incredibly weak... I think you know the reason."
"It's because... the World Government needs pirates to exist. They use them as a tool to maintain their rule over the world."
"But after this battle, the Whitebeard Pirates will be annihilated. Guess what happens then?"
The result...
Teach had actually never considered this. He wasn't like that hypocrite Shanks; he didn't spend his days pondering the global balance of power. However, Teach wasn't stupid. After Sean's hint, he began to realize the implication.
"It would weaken the Marine to maintain the balance of power?"
"Exactly. You're smarter than you look!"
Sean smiled with satisfaction.
In the original timeline, after the Paramount War, the World Government didn't weaken the Marine; instead, they initiated the World Military Draft. There were four primary reasons for this.
First, the Marine's grassroots combat strength had suffered too many losses; they needed to recruit tens of thousands of men just to return to pre-war levels.
Second, while Whitebeard was gone, Blackbeard had emerged—and he was a super-combination of the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. This gave the World Government an even bigger headache.
Third, a massive number of terrifying pirates had escaped from Level 6 of Impel Down.
Fourth, the top-tier combatants of the Marine had either retired behind the scenes or left entirely.
Therefore, while the Marine claimed victory in that war, from a structural perspective, the result was the exact opposite.
From the perspective of the factions: What did the pirates lose? They lost the Whitebeard Pirates. But in exchange, the Blackbeard Pirates arrived. The Four Emperors remained the Four Emperors. Even more absurdly, the legendary pirates once locked in Level 6 had all escaped.
And the Marine? Their elite grassroots were decimated, Sengoku stepped back to take responsibility, and Aokiji left after his clash with Akainu, among other losses.
Consequently, the Marine's overall strength had plummeted. Far from weakening the Marine as originally planned, the Five Elders had to launch the World Military Draft, otherwise, the Marine would have been completely overwhelmed by pirate forces.
But now?
Because of Sean's presence, Impel Down would not have any issues. And during the Paramount War, thanks to the 16th Branch, the Marine's grassroots combat strength would not be heavily depleted.
Clearly, after easily wiping out the Whitebeard Pirates, the Marine's prestige would echo across the seas. Consequently, the power dynamic between the Marine and the pirates would shift completely—from the pirates being the stronger force to the Marine being the dominant one.
In such a scenario, the World Government's natural reaction would be to find ways to weaken the Marine to maintain the balance.
Having figured this out, Teach nodded, finally understanding Sean's intent.
"So, you want me to replace Whitebeard?"
"Precisely. Whitebeard might be gone, but you'll be there with both the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. The appearance of the world's first dual-fruit user is a far greater threat, isn't it?"
"I get it! Ze-hahaha! You want to use me so that the World Government can't weaken the Marine—instead, they'll be forced to find ways to strengthen the Marine's power, right?"
"Exactly. So, are you interested in cooperating?"
"I am! Absolutely! Although being used by you pisses me off, I love this deal!"
Not far away, Hancock let out a small sigh as she watched the two of them chatting happily.
'Is Blackbeard actually being fooled by Sean?'
'What kind of ridiculous reasoning is that... Sean just wants to use Blackbeard to take out Whitebeard and then let him eat the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.'
'He's even intentionally crippling Blackbeard now to make sure there are no surprises later.'
Perhaps later at Headquarters, Sean would simply beat Whitebeard into a pulp and hand-deliver him to Blackbeard. But once Blackbeard—currently heavily injured—ate the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, how could he possibly escape Sean's hunt?
In the end, whether it was the Tremor-Tremor Fruit or the Dark-Dark Fruit... both would eventually end up in Sean's hands.
"Alright, Teach, you can leave and continue with your plan!"
"No problem, ze-hahaha! But Sean, shouldn't you release Doc Q and Van Augur now?"
"No. They stay as hostages. I'll return them once the cooperation is complete. Otherwise, how do I know you won't betray me? After all... betrayal is your specialty!"
Sean flatly rejected Blackbeard's request, providing a perfectly valid reason.
"Tch... fine. But you'd better make sure Whitebeard is completely stripped of his fighting capacity. In my current state, I can't go head-to-head with that old man!"
"Of course!"
'''
Half an hour later.
An energy portal suddenly opened within Infinite Hell, and a figure stepped through.
"Vice Admiral!"
"Mm. How is the situation upstairs?"
"It's handled. A total of 58 Devil Fruit users have been processed. Their bodies have all been returned to their original cells!"
"And Hawkeye?"
"He's still fighting Dragon. Although he has the upper hand, there are several Revolutionary Army executives present. It will likely take some time before a winner is decided!"
"Fine. While Hawkeye is keeping them occupied, we'll finish cleaning up Infinite Hell. After that, we're heading to Headquarters. First, let's send these two on their way!"
Nodding, Sean pointed to the restrained Van Augur and Doc Q.
'Send us on our way?'
Hearing this, the two of them were momentarily stunned.
Hadn't they agreed they were just hostages?
Blueno, however, didn't care what they were thinking. He grabbed them both, opened a new portal, and stepped through.
As for where they were going...
Naturally, they were taken to the battleship Sean had left outside.
And their fate...
Would be exactly the same as those fifty-odd people from the upper levels: they would die first, and then their Devil Fruits would be stripped from them.
That was all.