A Bountiful Harvest

(A slight revision: Based on a friend's suggestion, Ace's cooperation period with the protagonist is set at four years. Serving as a subordinate for so long is too much. Originally, I planned for Ace to fight for the protagonist three times, but because the story was too long, I intended to cut two of those battle scenes. Even three battles wouldn't be enough to repay the debt of gratitude, so I didn't consider limiting him further. However, constantly serving as a subordinate isn't suitable, so I've changed it to four years of service.)

"What was the outcome of the battle?"

With the clash of flames and black smoke, the battle between the Blackbeard Pirates, Hachi, and Heckle gradually came to a halt, and they retreated into the distance.

Having retreated to a safe area, the eight did not immediately begin fighting.

Their strengths are roughly equal, making it difficult for them to gain an overwhelming advantage.

Bασσας suffered the most severe injuries, with his right arm crippled, his left hand broken, and his body covered in wounds. However, after his desperate struggle, Heckle had reached his limit and could barely lift his arms.

Hachi and Lafitte were hit by bullets, but they both maintained a certain level of combat capability.

As for Van Augur and Mr. Christmas, both were unharmed, but they were on edge and dared not relax for a moment.

As for Cecilia and Doc Q, the latter actually has the upper hand, while Cecilia is suppressed by his strange weapon and is temporarily at a disadvantage.

"Why don't we wait a bit?"

Lafitte laughed and said, "If Ace wins, then we naturally won't be able to escape, but if Blackbeard wins, you will all surely die."

Hachi felt uneasy upon hearing this. He believed in Ace's strength, but judging from the results just now, Blackbeard clearly had the upper hand in terms of the amount of black smoke at the end of the battle.

Therefore, he hoped to continue fighting, strive for victory, and then go to help Ace.

There was no reply on Mr. Christmas, so Cecilia looked at Heckle, who was flexing his injured arm and said, "Then let's wait a bit."

They weren't worried at all about who would win between Blackbeard and Ace. Because the president was there, victory was inevitable for him.

The eight people waited there, and as time ticked by, none of them dared to relax, keeping a close watch on each other.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from the darkness.

Thump, thump, thump.

The loud noise drew closer and closer.

"This is?"

The members of the Blackbeard Pirates and Hachi all showed surprise, but Heckle showed delight.

Something's not right.

Lafitte noticed the other party's expression, his face changed, and then he said, "With a third party involved, let's leave first."

With his words, they immediately decided to leave.

However, Hachi and the others had already grasped their movements.

Just as Lafitte took flight, Cecilia leaped high into the air and kicked out.

Left with no other choice, Lafitte could only land slowly.

Van Augur tries to rescue Lafitte, but Hachi has already pounced on him, while Doc Q tries to stop Hachi, and Mr. Christmas bullets are already being fired.

As for Heckle, he walked up to Bασσας and stopped him.

As the eight fought, a colossal creature approached from afar and slowly appeared before them.

"What kind of monster is this?"

Bασσας gritted his teeth and stared into the distance. The terrifying Giant Beast, exuding a suffocating aura, was growing faster and faster.

boom.

The Giant Beast rammed directly into Bασσας.

"Die."

Bασσας raised his left arm, bent his elbow, and slammed it down on the Giant Beast.

Bang.

The Giant Beast's horn collided with Bασσας's elbow, producing a deafening crash.

Swoosh.

Bασσας's left arm exploded, sending him flying backward and crashing into the distance.

The instant he landed, Heckle appeared behind him, his right arm bulging, and he struck Bασσας hard in the back.

boom.

As if struck by a shield, Bασσας coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

Xia Qiu slammed it away with a single blow, but did not pursue it. Instead, she lashed out with her tail at Lafitte, who was trying to take flight.

"Not good."

Lafitte sensed the approaching wind and dared not fight it head-on. With a flap of its wings, it leaped diagonally upwards.

But in the instant he dodged, Cecilia appeared above him and slammed her foot into his head. The fierce wind swept in, and the force emanating from it alone was enough to shatter a boulder from a distance.

Damn it.

Behind them, Giant Beast's tail swept in, while above, Cecilia delivered a kicking attack.

If you continue upwards, the opponent's leg will come crashing down, and even if you manage to block it, you will still be whipped by its tail.

In that case...

Lafitte shifted his weight to dodge the kick, while simultaneously thrusting his longsword at the tail with his right hand.

clang.

The longsword pierced the bony plate of the tail, but it did not stop the tail from advancing in the slightest, and it still attacked with tremendous force.

Bang.

Lafitte was hit directly, spitting out blood, but at the moment of impact, his wings trembled and his feet pushed off, using the force to fly away into the distance.

Swoosh.

Lafitte flew close to the ground, but Cecilia suddenly landed, stepping on the tail end of Xia Qiu, and then used Shave.

Swoosh.

Cecilia followed up instantly, kicking out and smashing it into Lafitte's head.

asshole.

Lafitte was blocked again, and raised his longsword to slash forward.

Cecilia's foot naturally wouldn't kick the sword's edge, and she stopped immediately. Lafitte, feeling the wind whistling behind him, immediately turned around.

A huge tail had already silently arrived, lashing towards his back.

And from behind, Cecilia kicked again.

Just when Xia Qiu thought he would resist him, his tail struck Lafitte's chest without any obstruction.

puff.

Lafitte stumbled backward and was then kicked by Cecilia, his wings snapping off with a crack.

But at the same time, Cecilia's expression changed.

A long sword was seen piercing her lower abdomen.

This sword strike was a backward thrust from Lafitte. He couldn't withstand the combined attack of the two men, and even if he survived for a moment, he would surely die.

In that case, it's better to hurt one person.

Unfortunately, it failed to strike a vital point.

Lafitte collapsed heavily to the ground, while Cecilia bled profusely from her lower abdomen.

Xia Qiu saw Lafitte fall to the ground and had already shifted the battle.

Van Augur dodged Hachi, turned around, and gradually increased the distance between them.

But at that moment, the Giant Beast pounced on him.

"Perfect."

When Van Augur saw the Giant Beast approaching, he remained calm and, upon getting close, suddenly leaped backward.

He dodged Xia Qiu's attack, but Xia Qiu's massive size blocked Hachi.

Just as Van Augur was about to take this opportunity to escape, two tentacles suddenly attacked.

"This is?"

Van Augur dodged a tentacle, aimed his spear at the tentacle, and pulled the trigger.

Bang.

The bullet struck the wrist, but the wrist remained unharmed and swung away effortlessly.

boom.

Van Augur was hit directly, flew backward, and landed on the ground, coughing up blood.

He's a gunman, fast on his feet, but physically weak.

As soon as he landed, Xia Qiu took a bite.

Faced with the enormous mouth, Van Augur raised his gun and fired, but before he could pull the trigger, a blade flashed, Van Augur's body stiffened, several bloody gashes appeared, and a look of unwillingness flashed in Van Augur's eyes as he fell backward.

And behind Van Augur, Hachi stood there.

"It's him."

Xia Qiu slowly withdrew her head, never expecting to encounter Hachi again, especially since he had grown to this extent.

Xia Qiu glanced at Hachi, intending to go help Doc Q, but found that Heckle had already gone to help, and with Mr. Christmas approaching, he was already showing signs of defeat.

The four of them were tense again.

Although the Reinforcement Energy of these four people could not compare to the heat flow provided by Blackbeard in Xia Qiu's belly, which was no less than that of Vice Admiral, it was still a considerable improvement.

This was a very rewarding experience.

The Reinforcement Energy provided by the Blackbeard Pirates.

Ace became his subordinate.

This is the biggest gain of the day, but the gains don't stop there. If nothing unexpected happens, there's another Dark-Dark Fruit in store.

Although fruit was prepared in the submarine, it cannot be ruled out that it might be transferred to other types of fruit.

This fruit must be obtained.

Xia Qiu has found the most suitable user.