An Unexpected Move

"Damn it..." Sengoku muttered angrily, veins bulging on his forehead.

Blackbeard laughed arrogantly, "As a pirate, I'll be ostracized by the government, unable to open the Gates of Justice or infiltrate Impel Down's hell. The only reason I joined the Shichibukai was for this... That title? I don't care about it anymore, bastard hahaha--"

Whitebeard slightly raised his head to look up. "Your goal is to liberate these people, isn't it, Teach..."

"Of course, there has only been one purpose from the beginning! And this will determine everything, you will soon understand."

Buggy, who was watching from afar, finally understood Blackbeard's words. Blackbeard originally intended to exchange Luffy's head for the position of Shichibukai. Even later, he did not intend to make Ace the fuse of this war, but rather to have him join him.

If things had unfolded this way, the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy would never have clashed. In other words, Blackbeard's original plan after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit was to find a group of powerful crew members to help him gain territory and gradually develop his power, rather than hoping to seize Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability. However, as events unfolded, he changed his plans midway, which led to his rapid takeover of Whitebeard's territory and his rise to become one of the Four Emperors.

All of this could be said to be his destiny... had come to an end!

"Teach ..." Ace clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot, his mind filled with Whitebeard's final warning. He knew that now that he had regained his freedom... he no longer had the right to be willful...

Beside the Execution Platform, the Whitebeard grunted and threw a punch. The powerful shockwave instantly blasted the entire Execution Platform and surrounding buildings to a standstill, turning the area into a scene of utter devastation.

Blackbeard stood amidst the ruins, his smile vanishing. "You still show no mercy, huh? Oh, but there's no way I could..."

Whitebeard said coldly, "Only you, I will not call my child. You broke the only rule on my ship, murdering a comrade... For the sake of the wronged soul of Fourth Division Commander Thatch, I will personally kill you, you bastard, to put an end to this!"

"Zehahaha--I couldn't be happier!" Blackbeard unleashed a torrent of darkness from behind, engulfing all the surrounding debris. "I once sincerely respected you... admired you... but you're old now. You sacrificed so many of your men just to save Ace. Look at what you have left—just a bunch of pathetic, defeated soldiers!!"

Whitebeard's arm muscles bulged, and he was about to unleash a punch imbued with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. However, Blackbeard's palm was shrouded in darkness, drawing Whitebeard's fist towards himself and dispelling the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power. "Useless. Before me, all abilities are ineffective!!"

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes slightly, and his naginata suddenly slashed down, striking Blackbeard's shoulder. Blood spurted from the latter's shoulder, and he rolled on the ground in pain.

Without hesitation, Whitebeard pressed his large hand, imbued with the power of Tremor-Tremor, onto Teach's neck, a body riddled with openings. "Rashness... arrogance... are your weaknesses..."

Blackbeard's heart tightened, and he immediately begged for mercy, "Stop, Pops!! Do you really want to kill your son?!"

As he finished speaking, Whitebeard's powerful punch, carrying Blackbeard's body, shattered the entire ground into countless fragments; however, this was his last bit of strength...

This move still didn't kill Blackbeard...

"Tempest Kick. Ten Thousand Ants!"

At that very moment, Buggy's right foot transformed into countless dust particles the instant it kicked out, sending a dense barrage of air currents slashing towards Blackbeard, who was rolling on the ground.

"Black Hole!!"

Despite the intense pain, Blackbeard sensed the danger, but it was too late to dodge the attack. Vice Admiral his haste, he enveloped the surroundings in darkness, instantly absorbing tens of thousands of ant-sized slashing air currents. However, the pain in his body intensified, causing him to scream uncontrollably.

Countless particles gathered around the Whitebeard, following the sound of the wind. In an instant, they enveloped his body and flew rapidly, carrying him to the other side of the natural barrier formed in the center of the square in a short time.

Buggy placed Whitebeard on the ground, reformed himself into human form, and glanced slyly at Blackbeard on the other side, "Didn't manage to finish him off? What a pity..."

"Pops!!"

The Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders and their crew rushed over, tears streaming down their faces as they watched Whitebeard struggling to stay afloat with his naginata, though he was practically on the verge of death. Marco was frantic. "Quickly, call a doctor!!"

Ace, Vista, and Jinbe were all choked up and speechless, staring blankly at Whitebeard.

"Damn it..." Blackbeard finally stood up, touched the blood at the corner of his mouth, and glared at Buggy with a sinister expression. "This is absolutely terrible..."

The prisoners in Blackbeard Pirates were also devoid of smiles. They never expected that this Red Nose would make such an unexpected move, stealing Whitebeard's life right under their noses... What should have been a grand spectacle had turned into a laughingstock known worldwide...

"To take his body back... that's going to be difficult..." Shiryu, a cigar dangling from his lips, his right hand gripping the sword at his waist.

"My first battle after being released from prison..." Buster Jolt took a gulp of sake, wine dripping from his lips, "But being caught in the middle between the Navy and the Whitebeard Pirates isn't a pleasant experience..."

Lafitte pulled his hand down politely. "Then we can't start the magic show..."

Standing not far away, Sengoku frowned deeply. "It's you again... Buggy the Clown!!"

"Waaaaah~~~" The escaped prisoners were moved to tears. "Former enemies are now friends! Captain Buggy risked his life to save Whitebeard. This is true compassion! No wonder he's a man who can rival the Four Emperors. What a great heart and courage he has!!"

Meanwhile, in the square on Sabaody Archipelago, countless people watching the screen screamed wildly.

"I finally thought Whitebeard was going to die, why... why was he saved!"

"Buggy the Clown, that was Buggy the Clown's doing... Oh my god, this is Big News Morgans, write it down!"

"He really stole the show..." Eustass Kid said coldly from the platform. "Killer, let's go... there's nothing more to see..."

"It's about time the world's attention started to focus on us..." Apoo, half-crouched on the ice cream roof, looked at Drake beside him. "Although he was a little late, this action speaks volumes, right, Red Flag X Drake?"

Drake turned and left, casually uttering a nonsensical remark, "Lost..."

"It's not over yet, not until the very last moment..." Hawkins sat quietly. "The course of war is always shrouded in mystery..."