Crisis: Blackbeard and the Marines Join Forces, Ace Appears!

On the warship, Gion's face instantly turned deathly pale and then ashen. She gripped Kompira tightly, her knuckles turning white, and she almost deformed the hilt of the sword.

Embarrassment and humiliation surged into her heart like a tide. She was a candidate Admiral in the Marine Headquarters, representing justice and order in the Navy.

Now, however, he is ordered by the World Government to join forces with a treacherous pirate who murdered his comrades to hunt down a group of people who have never even plundered a merchant ship.

For her, this was a disgrace etched into her naval resume, a shame she could never wash away for the rest of her life.

The Momonga and the Hōshō beside them also looked extremely ugly. They looked at each other and saw undisguised frustration and helplessness in each other's eyes.

They had fought their entire lives in the Navy, capturing hundreds, if not thousands, of pirates. Now, however, they were to become accomplices with pirates. But the Five Elders ' orders were right in their ears, and as Navy personnel, they had no choice but to obey.

Even Onigumo, who had just been clamoring to completely wipe out the area, was now clenching his teeth, his face beneath the mask so gloomy it could drip water, the veins on his hand gripping the hilt of his sword bulging, and his eyes filled with an inescapable shadow.

He shouted that he wanted to eliminate the uncontrolled forces in the Four Blues in order to maintain the rule of the World Government and the prestige of the Navy, but now he has to join forces with pirates to do so, which is the biggest irony of the Navy.

On the sea, Uchiha Fugaku took in everything. His Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly, and in his crimson pupils, he clearly saw the Marines and the Blackbeard Pirates surrounding him.

The Susanoo of his Chakra fluctuated slightly, and a heavy pressure instantly weighed on his heart.

Facing only five capital ships, four Vice Admiral, and one Admiral candidate from the navy, his people had already given their all, many of them were injured, and their physical strength was nearing its limit.

Now, with the sudden appearance of this powerful and cunning group of pirates, the already precarious situation has been exacerbated by being attacked from both sides.

He glanced back at his clansmen in the various battle circles. Tekka's arm was hastily wrapped with bandages, Taoho's breathing was already out of rhythm, Qi and Yashiro both had several deep wounds that exposed bone, and even Yaoyu and Yakumi were almost unable to withstand Onigumo's fierce attack of the Eight-Sword Style.

Fugaku clenched his fists, the crimson in his eyes growing even more intense. He raised his Susanoo Blade once more, the blade aimed at both the Marines in front of him and the Blackbeard Pirates flanking from behind.

Even if he was attacked from both sides, even if the odds of victory were slim, he would never surrender with his people.

This is their only home on this vast sea.

Blackbeard's hand, raised in mid-air, was about to strike, the order to attack already choking him. But at that critical moment, a pillar of fire, carrying devastating heat, suddenly tore through the thick fog from the horizon!

The orange-red flames roared like a giant dragon, instantly boiling and evaporating the seawater wherever they passed, even burning away the lingering smoke.

This Fire Fist, powerful enough to sink a capital warship, was swift and decisive, with only one target— Blackbeard, who was standing in mid-air at the very front!

"What the hell?!"

Blackbeard's maniacal laughter abruptly stopped, his excitement instantly replaced by horror.

He was all too familiar with this move; the hatred and fear that ran deep in his bones surged up instantly. Without thinking, he activated the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, and a pitch-black gravitational black hole spun wildly and unfolded in his palm.

"Boom--!!!"

The Fire Fist slammed into the dark cave, and the explosive flames spread in all directions.

Blackbeard's massive body was forced back by the immense force, and the sea beneath his feet erupted with scalding water several meters high. Even though the Dark-Dark Fruit had absorbed most of the attack, he was still grimacing from the heat, his eyes filled with a mixture of shock and rage.

Everyone was stunned into stopping in their tracks by this sudden turn of events.

On the Marine warship, Gion gripped Kompira's hand tightly, staring in astonishment at the figure riding on flames on the horizon. "Fire Fist Ace? The Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates? What's he doing in the West Blue?"

The Momonga and the Hōshō tensed instantly, their hands already on the swords at their waists.

The sudden appearance of a captain under Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors, on this battlefield was completely unexpected.

Above the sea, Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan spun rapidly, its crimson pupils locking onto the figure engulfed in flames.

He could clearly sense the immense, volcanic power emanating from the other party's body. This sudden arrival of a fourth force instantly introduced an unpredictable variable into the already dire situation of being attacked from both sides.

Just then, a small sluice ship bearing the Whitebeard Pirates' insignia broke through the last thick fog and came to a steady stop in the center of the battlefield.

Ace stood at the bow of the ship, orange flames surging around him, his short black hair whipping wildly in the heat.

He chased Blackbeard all the way from the New World to the West Blue, his bloodshot eyes filled with a chilling coldness. His gaze was fixed on Blackbeard without wavering, as if the tense Marines and Uchiha Clan around him didn't exist.

"Teach."

Ace's voice was icy, filled with suppressed rage, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. "I've finally found you."

The moment Ace finished speaking, the flames around him suddenly surged, and he transformed into an orange-red fire meteor, heading straight for Blackbeard's face.

He pushed the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit to its limit, unleashing a rain of fire like a meteor shower, each flame carrying an unyielding hatred, relentlessly locking onto Teach's figure.

"Zehahaha! Ace! You really are a persistent ghost!" Blackbeard was both shocked and furious. He had originally planned to use the Navy to take down the Uchiha Clan and then naturally obtain the position of Shichibukai, but he did not expect to be blocked here by this brat who had chased him for most of the world.

But he had no way out. The dark gravity of the Dark-Dark Fruit spun wildly in his palm as he roared, "Black Hole!"

Dark matter, as black as a tide, spread across the sea, engulfing the flames and Ace's attacks.

The collision of the Flame-Flame Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit instantly ignited the entire sea area. The deafening explosion was so loud it hurt people's eardrums. The aftershocks of the explosion and dark matter swept outwards, forcing the surrounding marines and pirates to retreat one after another, creating an independent deathmatch zone in the center of the battlefield.