Lurking Battlefield, Dark Ferocity
Brush--
A white seagull glided past against the blue sky and white clouds. Below, a huge sailboat lay quietly moored, causing it to tilt its head slightly, as if considering whether to rest on its mast...
Snap,
The scene shifts! A white seagull lands in the hands of a tall man on the deck, wearing a white trench coat, a white suit, and a mask with one black eye and one white eye.
Crackle, crackle,
After flapping its wings a few times with effort, the seagull seemed to resign itself to its fate, tilting its head to the side and turning into:
A lifeless model made of paper.
"·······"
He glanced at the paper bird in his hand, then looked up at the distant horizon. Although there was nothing in his field of vision, the white tuxedo-clad man's Observation Haki made a vibrant city clearly visible just a few dozen kilometers away.
Among them, two towering auras soared into the sky: one that could shatter mountains and break peaks, and the other that could freeze the sea!
"Garp, Aokiji..."
The masked man in the white top hat stood silently on the deck, like a stone statue. Until the pocket watch on his chest chimed.
Three days have passed.
Time to leave!
"Are we... just going back like this?"
Facing his unusually tall, Longarm Tribe colleague beside him, who wore a blank white mask, the man with one eye black and one eye white on the mask nodded.
"Just report the facts. With those two top-tier combatants here, the higher-ups will understand."
·······
Phew, they're finally gone.
On the other side, Roman, who had been closely watching his opponent, also breathed a sigh of relief. With the Straw Hat crew's current strength, encountering CP0 would be extremely dangerous; after all, CP0, known as the 'Shield of the Celestial Dragons,' had members who were at least Elite Vice Admirals!
It's even rumored that they possess combat strength comparable to Admiral...
The gap is too big; even running away might not be an option.
"Why do I need to exercise too...?"
Um?
As soon as Roman glanced at him, the masked Sniper King —who was actually Usopp— immediately shut up and began huffing and puffing as he did squats with heavy dumbbells.
"Haha, haha, Sniper King, your stamina isn't up to par..."
Luffy, wearing Seastone handcuffs, was also training nearby, carrying dumbbells. —CP9 is so generous, giving away seven pairs of Seastone handcuffs! The Straw Hat crew no longer needs to worry about running out of training equipment.
"Why do I feel like your stamina is about the same as Usopp's..."
Upon hearing Luffy's words, Sniper King paused for a moment before suddenly accelerating.
"I'm much better than him!"
·······
Roman raised his eyelids slightly. Usopp's main problem was his stamina; otherwise, the Sky Island Baku Baku Pages in Roman's hands—though not particularly powerful—could be used to craft items! Combining similar shells would yield more powerful ones!
Even if they can't synthesize the 'Impact Shell' into the 'Repel Dial', it will at least significantly increase Usopp's strength. Whether it's charging the Impact Shell or the Slash Shell, the Straw Hat crew has 'high-quality' laborers.
Furthermore, if any Straw Hat crew could train their Armament Haki to the 'entanglement' stage, they could attempt to create a 'black seashell'. The power of that would be...
Tsk tsk tsk, stop dreaming! -- Let's think about 'over there' first.
In the white training field, Roman sat Pang Lei on the ground and slowly closed his eyes.
Whoosh!
A strange, large white bird streaked across the sky, flying straight off in one direction! To avoid being spotted, the bird even flew close to the sea surface, as if it might be swallowed by a wave at any moment! Of course:
It's out of the question.
Splash—
As the bird's neck split and reassembled, it transformed into the head of the White Knight, and Roman's spirit also fell into it at the same time.
"We can't get any closer,"
On the horizon, an island was beginning to emerge. Although Roman didn't know the island's name, there was no doubt that his target was there.
Splash—
As the white paper fluttered, the 'fighter jet' rapidly transformed and reassembled into a 'submarine' that plunged into the water with a splash. With the Vivre Card isolating it from the seawater, most of the other papers remained unharmed.
Buzzing
The white submarine turned its propellers and silently slithered toward the distant island.
Roman was so cautious, of course, because of his goal:
The Blackbeard Pirates!
'Very good,'
As the submarine approached the island, it observed the iconic sailboat made of large logs, as well as the old and new logs beneath it. Back on Jaya Island, Roman had deliberately blown up half of Blackbeard's ship, and hidden in the intact half was a piece of paper belonging to Roman!
This is the moment I've been waiting for.
Of course, at that time, they were just doing their best and leaving the rest to fate. Unexpectedly Blackbeard and his crew actually used the remaining hull to make a boat for transportation. They were just lucky.
It's not Roman's, it's Ace's.
'Yes, it should be around this time.'
Fire Fist Ace encounters Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach, and after a fierce battle, he is defeated and captured, which leads to a series of major events such as the Marineford War and Whitebeard's death.
So at this point in time, Shanks rushed to persuade Whitebeard to recall Ace, because Shanks knew Blackbeard's strength and his patience!
He was able to leave a scar on Shanks' face, yet he maintained a low profile with a zero bounty. Such mindset and strength are far beyond what the young and impulsive Ace could handle.
Unfortunately, the World's Strongest Man didn't want to listen to the kid on Roger's ship who used to flush toilets while dragging the deck, and rejected Shanks' suggestion.
Those who dare not show respect to red-haired people...
Roman could have chosen to have Garp rescue them, but— Luffy is his comrade, Ace isn't! With CP0 watching, Roman has absolutely no intention of 'sacrificing himself for others,' at most only now:
'Although the' White Knight's is only at the level of Rear Admiral, a surprise attack might be enough to rescue Ace.'
Let's do our best and leave the rest to fate.
So, what needs to be done now is:
Wait--
Meanwhile, in the island town called 'Banaro Island', Ace finally caught up with Blackbeard and his crew.
"Yo, Captain Ace!"
Faced with Blackbeard's respectful address, Ace simply shook his head calmly.
"No need, that's a title only for partners."
"You, on the other hand, have become quite a remarkable captain. Marshall D. Teach of the Blackbeard Pirates '!"
Facing Ace, who exuded a palpable killing intent, the towering Blackbeard remained unfazed and instead began attempting to 'recruit' him.
"Hehehe, Ace, listen to me—"
"Join us... let's conquer the world together!"
Even though he knew the other party was an enemy who had come to kill him, Blackbeard still confidently told them about his dream.
"I have devised a meticulous plan. The era of 'Whitebeard' is over! And I will become the King of the Pirates!!"
"Our first step is to capture Luffy's Straw Hat Luffy crew in Water 7 and present them to the government as a gift in exchange for Shichibukai status..."
However, Teach was unaware that he had stepped on two of Ace's most vulnerable points!
He admired Whitebeard like a father, and his beloved younger brother Luffy—
"Luffy? That's my little brother!"
??!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
In an instant, several bullets pierced Ace's body! Van Augur, the Blackbeard Pirates' sniper, shot through Ace's heart, throat, and forehead in a flash... but for Ace, who was already on guard, it was just a futile test.
Even if the opponent's bullets were imbued with Haki!
"It seems your people have very little manners—"
Boom!
A multi-story building next to them was forcibly lifted up by Gizas Burgess, who then carried the building and leaped over it, slamming it down on Ace!
"Fire Ring - Pillar of Fire."
A towering inferno instantly engulfed the falling building, forcing Blackbeard to abandon his recruitment plans! Moreover:
"Damn it, don't you dare attack! Get back, you're not his—"
"Fire Fist!!"
A chilling voice echoed from within the flame-ravaged building! A torrent of flames roared out and hurtled towards Blackbeard and his men!
It was a fist of fire, tens of meters thick, condensed into a massive flame. Like a blazing sun, it unleashed a fiery storm that stretched across the sky and covered the earth, engulfing Blackbeard and his crew in its domineering force, burning everything in its path!
With this punch, all the air in the entire town seemed to be burned away in an instant, turning into a vacuum. Then, an extremely strong suction force was generated, causing the surrounding air to surge in like a raging torrent. The aftershocks caused countless buildings around to collapse mercilessly!
The Blackbeard Pirates, caught in the crossfire of this punch, instantly felt parched and suffocated! Their skin seemed to be rapidly drying and tearing, and even the surrounding air was violently trembling, instantly engulfed by the dazzling sea of fire, giving them the illusion that they were about to be burned and destroyed.
Boom--!!!
With a single punch, Ace unleashed a fiery path tens of meters long! It blasted the Blackbeard Pirates Haki, this punch would have reduced them to ashes on the spot!
"Ahhh, it's so hot! So hot!"
"Captain?!"
Amidst the cries of alarm from the other crew members engulfed in flames, Blackbeard, writhing in pain on the ground, rolled over and got to his feet.
"Shut up! Get out of here!"
"Ace, I know you're here to kill me! But you're destined not to kill me."
Although Teach's rolling around and yelling on the ground was a bit uncool, he wasn't actually injured: the Dark-Dark Fruit doesn't make Elementalization, but it grants Blackbeard the ability to absorb all damage! In other words, as long as it doesn't exceed his tolerance level, Teach won't get hurt.
"Your body is fire, isn't it—"
As Blackbeard stood up, layers of ominous darkness began to emanate from him, revealing his madness!
"Then I am darkness!!"
I'll extinguish you!
·······
It's here!
Meanwhile, the White Knight, who had been 'idling' in the submarine underwater by the sea, suddenly opened his eyes. Two undisguised auras emanated from the island: one burning everything, the other devouring all! Without a doubt:
'It's a battle between Ace and Teach.'
Splash!
A figure leaped out of the water; Roman, controlling the White Knight, looked towards the towering flames and darkness in the center of the island.
"Ace..."
With a push of his foot, the White Knight silently slipped away in that direction.