A Fierce Battle

As they slowly approached, Turner's expression suddenly changed, sensing a crisis. "Get out of here! Danger!" Turner shouted, but it was too late. A whooshing sound came from their ears, followed by a deafening boom as the ground in front of them suddenly exploded. The powerful impact sent a small object flying from a distance, which crashed to the ground.

It was already night, but the streetlights were still on. They could see clearly that a small crater in the ground had been made by a stone. The guards trembled; the stone had been incredibly powerful. If it had landed on them, they would have been crippled or killed.

Turner stepped forward; he had already discovered something. Reaching the small crater, he picked up the still-warm stone. Wrapped in the stone was a piece of paper, imbued with residual Haki, protecting it from damage by the powerful impact—a feat requiring exquisite Haki control. Turner understood immediately. He unwrapped the paper, glanced at it, then put it in his pocket, turned, and walked away.

"Let's go back."

"General, aren't we on a mission?" a guard asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The mission is complete," Turner said, walking back towards the palace. The guards were somewhat puzzled, but it was an order, so they followed behind Turner.

Turner, however, was still thinking about the words written on the paper, "Tomorrow morning." He felt a chill; just as Norman had said, their conversation was being monitored by Teach. Before, it was just speculation, but now it was true.

It was Teach who made the move, sending Turner packing. This was their second meeting. Teach had naturally noticed Erik and Turner's attention before, but hadn't paid it any mind. This was just him giving them a little greeting.

"What's wrong, Boss Teach?" Mobius asked, having naturally noticed Teach's actions.

"There's a duel tomorrow, between me and General Erik of the Chaos Kingdom —no, he's now a pirate captain. This is going to be one of the biggest battles on the high seas, so you'd better watch out." Teach was looking forward to tomorrow's fight, but training wouldn't stop.

Night fell. Pito was fast asleep, and Mobius and Wos had fallen asleep immediately after finishing their training. Teach, however, was still training. The room lights flickered, and beads of sweat streamed down Teach's forehead and chin, dripping onto the floor.

The next morning, Mobius woke up to find Teach already dressed in clean clothes and had washed. Teach had made thorough preparations for the battle: her long, slightly wavy black hair was draped over her shoulders, she wore a black overcoat over a blue-purple plaid shirt with the top three buttons undone, and a black tricorn hat with gold trim.

This was the first time Teach had removed his bracers. Although he was used to their weight, he wanted to be in the best possible shape for the fight. After removing the three-ton steel bracers, Teach felt much lighter.

Soon, Pito woke up, had a hearty meal at the tavern, and then Teach headed towards the palace.

They arrived at the palace quickly. The gates were already open, and Turner was already waiting there. He seemed to have been standing there for a long time. When he saw Teach, his eyes lit up. "Come with me," Turner said with a smile, and went inside. Teach nodded and followed, with Mobius and the others following Teach.

The guards stationed at the city gates and inside the palace were all very surprised to see Teach. They knew that this was the first time someone like Teach had been personally received by a general. They wondered who this important person was, since General Turner had been waiting at the gate for over two hours.

Arriving at the palace training grounds, the very place where Erik and Norman fought yesterday, they found only eleven other people besides them: ten generals and King Norman.

Erik stood on the training field, while the others stood on the sidelines watching. They had already been informed of Teach's arrival and were waiting here. As soon as he arrived, their eyes were drawn to Teach.

"You guys go over there and watch." Turning to Mobius and the others, Teach slowly walked forward towards Erik. Soon, their gazes towards Teach changed. A transformation seemed to have occurred within Teach. At first, he appeared somewhat ordinary, but Teach aura was growing stronger. Soon, they felt an extremely powerful sense of pressure emanating from Teach, and it didn't stop there; Teach's aura continued to intensify.

This was the aura of a strong person. Teach was still somewhat immature at first, but in the process of growing over the past two months, Teach gradually gained control over his aura and presence, which was mixed with a terrifying killing intent. This killing intent was accumulated on Pet Island, and Teach incorporated it into his own aura, making them feel fear. Looking at Teach was as if they were seeing a demon.

"Hey, what's going on? The battle hasn't even started yet, and it's already this terrifying." The younger, weaker generals trembled. "Facing him, I feel like I'll lose all desire to fight," said Lute, the one with the weakest physique.

However, Erik was no less formidable. He exuded a powerful aura, which, in contrast to Teach, seemed to divide the entire training ground into two distinct areas: one dark red and the other silver-white. The sky was filled with changing colors, and one could sense from the outside that something was amiss within the palace.

Teach's aura reached its peak, dark red lightning flashing around him, causing the ground to tremble. His powerful Conqueror's Haki erupted, pressing down on Erik opposite him and the onlookers. The intense mental pressure relentlessly assaulted their minds; the weaker ones trembled uncontrollably, their legs trembling as if they were about to kneel—this was the pressure of a superior on an inferior.

He gripped the railing tightly with both hands for support; only in this way could he feel a little more at ease. Teach's powerful mental strength and strong will made his mental impact far exceed that of ordinary people.

"What is this? How can such a monster exist?" Conley, an ability user, had already begun to transform into a beast and exclaimed in astonishment. This was too terrifying; he couldn't fight it; he couldn't fight it. That was the only thought in his mind.

"This is the aptitude of a king, which is Conqueror's Haki," Norman said slowly, his expression quite solemn. He hadn't expected Teach to be so terrifying. Teach's control over his body, his use of aura, combined with Conqueror's Haki, had achieved an extremely terrifying effect.

"Is this Conqueror's Haki? Is it really that terrifying?" These young generals all knew about Conqueror's Haki; although they hadn't seen it, they had heard of it. "It's not that Conqueror's Haki is strong, it's that this person is too strong, combining his aura and spirit together." Norman said, his eyes filled with shock. How did he manage that?

He once possessed Conqueror's Haki, but he has never used it since. Although he can release it, it is far too weak compared to Teach's Conqueror's Haki.

"Erik, how are you going to handle this? Please don't let us down," Norman thought to himself, worried about Erik.

In terms of momentum, Erik lost, especially as he was suppressed by Teach's Conqueror's Haki, feeling that he couldn't even unleash 90% of his strength. However, he was unwilling to give up, gritting his teeth and constantly resisting. In particular, the feeling of wanting to kneel down angered him. Teach's aura was like a large net, surrounding him completely, like a hunting spider.

He was unwilling to accept defeat, unwilling to lose before even fighting, especially with his brother and companions watching him. How could he lose like this? He harbored ambitions to reach the pinnacle.

Driven by intense emotions and a burning sense of resentment, he refused to lose to his opponent in terms of spirit. Finally, he Awakening, and a hole was pierced through the dense spiderweb. The same spirit erupted from Erik, and he began to contend with Teach's power. However, Teach still held the advantage. Compared to Teach's spirit, Erik's newly Awakening Conqueror's Haki was slightly inferior.

However, this surprised Teach, and the others were also very surprised. They didn't expect Erik to Awakening Conqueror's Haki. Not only did they have more confidence in Erik, but with Erik's resilience, their pressure was also greatly reduced, and they began to look forward to the upcoming battle.

The two remained locked in this standoff for a full three minutes, the shockwaves from their opposing forces radiating outwards. Finally, Teach stopped first, followed closely by Erik.

Teach smiled and looked at Erik, saying, "Marshall D. Teach is now a member of the Whitebeard Pirates." Teach's words startled them. A member of the Whitebeard Pirates? The Whitebeard Pirates were, after all, a dominant force in the New World. This was something they hadn't expected.

Erik was somewhat surprised by Teach's introduction, but since they were now opponents, Erik said, "Caffuslin Erik, Teach of the Erik Pirates."

"Well then, the battle begins, so be careful," Teach laughed, his body vanishing from his spot in an instant. The next moment, he appeared above Erik, wielding the greatsword Dragon Abyss, and slashed fiercely at Erik with a powerful impact.

"So fast!" The weaker ones didn't even see Teach's movements clearly; the speed was too fast. Erik couldn't dodge either, but he wasn't worried. Streams of chaotic-colored sulfuric acid flowed from his body, condensing into a circular shield above his head. Armament Haki covered the shield, enhancing his defense.

Teach slashed down with his sword, colliding directly with the shield Erik had conjured. The powerful force surged down the sword, causing Erik's shield to tremble and the ground beneath his feet to shake. The force created a large crater, and the hard ground cracked incessantly. Erik had withstood the attack.

The next moment, Teach's body flashed, stepping on the Mooncloth, and appeared directly to Erik's side, slashing at Erik with his sword. Erik frantically tried to defend, but Teach used his speed to take the initiative, while Erik was put on the defensive. Erik's ability was troublesome, and his attack power was very strong, so Teach had to seize the advantage first.

As a Logia Devil Fruit User, Teach possesses strong survivability. Wielding a sword in one hand, lightning and fire intertwine as he relentlessly attacks Erik. His Observation Haki always allows him to find the best angle to strike. Erik tries to turn the tables, but Teach won't give him that chance. That's what battle is all about.

In the blink of an eye, Teach had already unleashed hundreds of sword strikes, but every single one was blocked by Erik's abilities. Teach's swordsmanship was so powerful that his constantly shifting attack angles dazzled them. Yasuo, being a swordsman himself, watched with rapt attention.

"Both are incredibly strong, evenly matched," Hufu exclaimed. "No, Erik is at a disadvantage," Norman said, noticing their puzzled looks. "Erik's abilities are better suited for offense, while he's currently focused on defense. By constantly using his abilities, Erik is expending stamina much faster than Teach. In the short term, they seem evenly matched, but in the long run, it's Teach's victory."

Erik knew this wouldn't work. Sulfuric acid continuously flowed from his body, covering the surrounding land and turning it into his domain. The sulfuric acid flowed, and "Hand of Corrosion" once again blocked Teach's sword. Erik transformed into sulfuric acid, constantly growing larger, eventually becoming a giant sulfuric acid hand. His body directly elementalized, growing even larger, becoming a sulfuric acid giant.

Faced with such a powerful sulfuric acid giant hand, Teach quickly dodged with Geppo, retreating dozens of meters. This place had now become Erik's domain. Stepping on the sulfuric acid, Teach could feel his Haki being consumed faster, as the sulfuric acid was corroding Teach Haki.

At the same time, the air is filled with a strong acidic gas, which is toxic and harmful to the human body. However, Teach can use his Life Return expel these gases from his body.

This is a tough battle, Teach is fully prepared to fight with all his might.

"Erik used such a powerful move so quickly. I thought we'd have to spar for a while, but it seems like a big battle is about to begin so soon," Turner said slowly, carefully observing the situation.

"Yes, this is the only way to avoid being put on the defensive. We need to use powerful tactics to Teach to retreat," another general said.

"This is really troublesome, this ability." Teach thought to himself, feeling somewhat constrained in the face of such an ability user. But, this is just right, let's settle this once and for all.

Teach smiled. His swordsmanship was still a bit lacking to hurt a strongman like Erik. After all, Eric was just a Swordmaster. With his powerful strength, he could enhance the power of his slashes, like a Big Mammoth with a monstrous physique, capable of unleashing slashes like Great Swordmaster with his own strength.

Sheathed his Dragon Abyss Sword, Teach spread his arms wide, lightning and fire intertwined, and black Armament Haki covered Teach claws. "Demon Claws." Black fire and black lightning, along with the control of Life Return, made Teach's claws even more aggressive, truly deserving of the name Demon Claws, like the Demon Claw.

He took the initiative and charged directly at Erik. At this moment, Erik had transformed into a ten-meter-tall sulfuric acid giant, and the surrounding dozens of meters became his domain. Teach did not expect Erik to use such a powerful move so quickly. It seems that Erik is also an active player.

The suddenly transformed Teach became even more terrifying. Erik also entered battle mode, unleashing a powerful punch—a massive sulfuric acid fist—directly attacking Teach. The sulfuric acid on Erik's body seemed to transform into a suit of armor, covered in barbs, providing him with all-around, flawless defense.

Logia solidification, like Sakazuki's Hell Hound and Borsalino's Ame-no-Kage, requires extremely strong control to condense elements. Kuzan's ice is solid, and Sakazuki's lava is semi-solid, so it's relatively easier for them to do this. However, Borsalino's method of condensing invisible light into a sword is much more difficult.

Fists and claws clashed, Teach's body dodged repeatedly, activating his armor to avoid being touched by Erik's sulfuric acid. A powerful claw tore Erik's giant hand apart, but it had little effect; he could recover from elemental transformation in the blink of an eye.

Teach turned his attention to Erik's true form. His massive size granted him astonishing strength, and he swung a claw at the head of the sulfuric acid giant. Suddenly, two giant hands sprouted from the giant's shoulder and slammed directly at Teach. Taking the hit head-on, Teach felt an immense force that sent him flying. He managed to regain his balance, his feet barely touching the air, and charged at Erik once more.

Erik's development of his abilities has reached an extremely high level, making him very difficult for Teach to handle.

But the battle continued, with the two attacking each other relentlessly. Teach's Observation Haki always found the right angle to dodge, while Erik's strength was immense. He had transformed into a six-armed sulfuric acid giant, making it impossible for Teach to evade each attack, leaving him no choice but to withstand it.

A series of collision sounds rang out, and cracks and craters appeared on the ground. But more than anything, there were traces of Erik's sulfuric acid corrosion. Teach was in a sorry state, his clothes were torn and damaged, and there were faint traces of corrosion on several parts of his body. Erik opposite him had returned to his original form, a four-meter-tall body with parts of his body acidified.

While the Acid Giant is strong, it faces some trouble against a speed-type opponent like Teach with powerful Observation Haki Teach, and maintaining this form requires a great deal of stamina.

However, he had no injuries; elementalization was indeed quite disgusting.

However, the battle continued tirelessly. "Claws, claws!" Teach laughed, becoming more and more excited and stronger with each battle, seemingly without any loss of stamina. Erik was the same, maintaining his peak fighting strength as he engaged Teach in combat, combining his Haki with his physical skills.

Erik and Teach fought fiercely, with neither gaining a clear advantage. Thanks to his Observation Haki, Teach was able to dodge most of Erik's attacks. Although Erik was stronger than him, neither of them had a clear advantage.

They fought from morning till afternoon, still battling fiercely without stopping. "Are these two monsters? They haven't stopped yet," onlookers exclaimed in amazement. It was too intense. Teach swung a claw, and Erik blocked it with his arm, while simultaneously kicking Teach.

Teach's Armament Haki covered his claws, transforming them into armor, like the claws of a monster. Through repeated use, Teach gradually mastered the release of Armament Haki, and with a sharp sword light, he attacked Erik. The slash was an impact, while the sword light was a cutting motion.

Teach was panting heavily, his stamina rapidly depleted, but his energy was still abundant, and his fighting spirit had not diminished. Teach launched a frenzied attack, but Erik was no less formidable, his fist, imbued with sulfuric acid, constantly clashing with Teach's claws.

Erik had the upper hand in terms of strength, but thanks to his Observation Haki and strong will, Teach maintained a near-peak condition. Although his injuries were aggravating, they were all superficial wounds that Teach could recover from quickly if he wanted to. However, Teach did not want to waste extra energy treating injuries that would not affect his combat ability.

After fighting for so long, Erik's condition has declined. The two are still locked in a stalemate, seizing every opportunity to attack each other. This is something they didn't expect. What they thought would be a few hours of fighting has turned into almost a day.

Mobius and the others watched Teach's battle intently, their eyes growing tired, but they still forced themselves to stay focused and watch attentively. This was a battle between strong individuals, which would greatly benefit their progress and broaden their horizons. Pito, on the other hand, couldn't help but fall asleep during the fight, a pair of cat ears sprouting from her head. The cat ears curved and covered her ears, blocking out the sounds and noises of the battle from disturbing her rest.

When I woke up in the morning, I found that Teach and the others were still fighting.

However, after a day and a night, the battle was gradually coming to an end. Teach was in good condition, but he was running out of Haki and his Haki was almost depleted. Erik was in the same situation, with a deep scratch left by Teach on his right arm.

The battle is over; it could be said that neither side won nor lost. It was just a fight, not a life-or-death struggle. Teach didn't use some of his powerful moves, and I believe Erik did the same, holding back some of his trump cards. Such powerful trump cards should only be used when facing truly powerful enemies.

The two exchanged a glance, Teach chuckled, "Hahaha! That was a really enjoyable fight. See you next time, we'll have another match then." Teach laughed loudly, then turned and left. The battle was over, and Mobius and the others jogged over to Teach, following behind Teach.

Erik was no longer strong enough to fight. Watching Teach and his companions walk away, Lute, one of the gunmen, couldn't help but say, "That guy is too strong. Should we leave them here while he's not in good condition after fighting Captain Erik?"

Norman and the generals remained silent. Two of the younger generals' eyes flashed as if they were somewhat interested. Suddenly, two loud bangs rang out, followed by a scream from Lute, who had been speaking earlier. Two bullets had struck his wrists.

Fear flashed in Lute's eyes. He knew who had done it— Teach. He had overheard his words and was so ruthless, shooting him in the hand. As a gunman, one's hand is extremely important.

The others were equally surprised, not expecting Teach to possess such formidable marksmanship; they hadn't even noticed. "Now you understand? Even in his current state, Teach could kill you all with a single move. Erik is stronger than Teach, but in a true life-or-death battle, Erik's chances of winning are less than 30%," Norman said slowly. "Even if we all attacked together, we couldn't stop him."

"Go and recover from your injury. Don't let it fester, or you'll be ruined," Norman said to Lute.

Erik carefully recalled his battle with Teach and gained a lot from it. The battle with Teach was somewhat difficult. Unlike before, when the enemies he faced were too weak and he always had a significant advantage, this time, Teach put a lot of pressure on him, especially in his Observation Haki, where he was completely suppressed.

Of course, Teach also gained a lot. He retrieved the gun he had used to teach the arrogant general a lesson, used his Life Return, and his wounds were healing rapidly. The small patch of skin that had been corroded quickly grew back, shedding the old skin and growing new skin.

Using energy to temporarily boost strength or life force to unleash powerful attacks is merely a basic application of Life Return. More advanced forms of Life Return, such as limb regeneration, can be achieved, provided there is precise control over energy and a sufficient understanding of the human body.

They ate a big meal, after all, Teach had been fighting for a day and a night and needed to eat to recover his strength. Mobius and the others had also not eaten for a day and a night, but they were so focused on watching Teach's battle that they forgot about their hunger. When they passed a restaurant, their stomachs growled loudly, and they realized that they were hungry.

The four of them went into the restaurant and had a hearty meal. Patting their round bellies, they walked towards the harbor, ready to leave.

Inside the palace, Erik was having his wounds treated by a doctor. His body was wrapped in bandages and covered in scratches of varying sizes, but none of them seemed to have any effect. The scratch on his right arm, however, was quite severe.

"Erik, are you alright?" Turner and several generals were all there, looking at Erik with concern.

"Haha, how could I be in any trouble? These are just minor injuries." Erik laughed heartily. After Awakening his Conqueror's Haki, or rather, after deciding to set sail, Erik had undergone a significant change. Before, he was very serious, but now his mind had become more open, because he had a more ambitious goal, and as the captain, he couldn't let his crew worry.

"However, he really is strong. I can sense that his strength is somewhat inferior to mine, but he managed to fight me to this extent, resulting in both of us being seriously injured. I lost. It won't be long before his strength catches up with mine. I still need more training." Although he lost, Erik was very happy. Through this battle, his strength had improved somewhat.

Having stayed in this area of the sea all this time, I've become somewhat narrow-minded and still have a long way to go. I can't help but look forward to my future journeys and encounters with more powerful people. My memories of the sea are mostly from my childhood, when I sailed on the high seas with my brother.