Blackbeard's Escape

Onigumo clutched his severed arm, leaning against the mast, watching the Origin Island coastline recede into the distance, and the two figures still locked in combat in mid-air. He exhaled a long breath, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Hōshō stood at the stern, his gaze fixed on the nearly 100-meter-tall Majestic Attire: Wood Golem, fearing that it might suddenly catch up. He never loosened his grip on his sword.

Seeing that the Marines were about to flee, Uchiha Fugaku and the others on the shore immediately prepared to lead their clansmen to chase after them across the waves.

But just as they took a few steps, several dense laser beams fell from mid-air, accurately striking the sea in front of them and creating several giant waves tens of meters high, forcing them to stop in their tracks.

Looking up, Kizaru used his elemental transformation to evade Natsu's attacks while simultaneously unleashing lasers to block their pursuit. He didn't even glance down, yet he precisely cut off all their chances of pursuit.

Fugaku's face turned ashen, but he was helpless.

He knew very well that even if they rushed forward, they wouldn't be able to stop the warships that were speeding away. Instead, they would be held back by the Marine Admiral admiral in mid-air, resulting in the needless loss of their people. They could only grit their teeth and watch helplessly as the naval fleet disappeared little by little on the horizon.

Meanwhile, Blackbeard, seeing that the Marines had vanished without a trace, also considered retreating. Just as he was about to use the gravity of the Dark-Dark Fruit to escape, the raging flames instantly blocked all his escape routes.

Ace's eyes were bloodshot, and the flames around him surged several times over. He didn't care whether the Marines had left or how terrifying the Uchiha Clan was. In his eyes and in his heart, there was only one thought: to kill Teach.

"Teach! Don't even think about running!"

Ace's roar shook the sea, and his Fire Fist, carrying a temperature high enough to melt steel, smashed straight at Blackbeard's face, once again binding the fleeing Blackbeard tightly in place.

Blackbeard's eyes were fixed on the imposing Wood Golem Majestic Attire: Susanoo in mid-air, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

The navy fleet has completely disappeared at the horizon, and there is no longer any force in this area that can restrain the Uchiha Clan.

Natsu's terrifying strength—enough to relentlessly pursue Marine Admiral —once he has a free moment, the first person he'll eliminate will undoubtedly be this uninvited guest who came along with the Marines to take advantage of the situation.

At that point, let alone the Shichibukai position he'd been scheming for so long, it's uncertain whether he'll even be able to leave the West Blue alive.

"All of you, charge! Stop Ace! Cover my retreat!"

Blackbeard gritted his teeth and roared, his massive body suddenly taking a step back.

Jesus Burgess, Lafitte, and the others were already terrified from the fight, and upon hearing this, they dared not delay any longer. Their eyes turned red, and they pounced on Ace — Jesus Burgess swung his iron fist, which was covered in Armament Haki, and fearlessly smashed it towards Ace's flank;

Lafitte spread his wings, and a mixture of hypnotic gas and wind blades sprayed towards Ace's face;

Even the sickly Doc Q gritted his teeth and threw out several apples coated with deadly poison, blocking Ace's escape routes.

Ace, whose mind was entirely focused on Blackbeard, roared angrily upon seeing this, and flames surged around him, sweeping out orange-red waves of fire that instantly blocked all of their attacks.

But this brief moment of delay gave Blackbeard an opportunity.

"Teach! Don't even think about running!"

Ace saw through Blackbeard's intentions at a glance. The moment he broke free from the encirclement, his fists were wrapped in earth-shattering flames, and he delivered a powerful Fire Fist straight towards Blackbeard's back!

But Blackbeard didn't dodge. Instead, he suddenly turned around, a fierce glint in his eyes. He stretched out his left hand, and dark matter surged wildly.

"Hahaha! Dark Water!"

He took the Fire Fist with his bare body!

The raging flames were mostly consumed by the dark matter, but the remaining flames still burned through his cloak, scalding a large, grotesque blister on his chest.

The double pain from the Dark-Dark Fruit instantly swept through his body. Blackbeard's face contorted in agony as he let out a shrill scream. However, using the recoil from the impact of the flames, his massive body flew backward like a cannonball, landing steadily on the deck of the pirate ship behind him.

"Set sail! Full speed ahead!!"

Blackbeard clutched his burning chest, leaning on the ship's railing and roaring until his voice cracked.

The crew at the helm dared not delay, frantically turning the rudder, instantly raising the sails to full capacity, and the massive ship, aided by the sea breeze, shot off into the open sea like an arrow.

Upon seeing this, the group that was besieging Ace instantly lost their will to continue fighting.

Jesus Burgess used brute force to withstand Ace's fiery kick, and using the recoil, he leaped into the air and slammed heavily onto the stern deck.

Lafitte spread his wings and flew back to the mast in a few flashes;

Doc Q, riding on Stronger, stumbled onto the boat as the wind pushed him, and scrambled into the cabin.

In just a few breaths, everyone had boarded the ship, leaving only Ace standing there, trembling with anger.

"Teach!! You coward! Come back here!!"

Ace's roar shook the sea, and his Geppo instantly erupted, transforming him into a fiery meteor as he chased after the enemy.

With a series of punches, huge Fire Fist rained down on Blackbeard's pirate ship like a meteor shower. The orange-red flames dyed half the sky red, and even the sea was scorched and boiled.

But Blackbeard stood at the stern, his left hand gripping the gunwale tightly, while his right hand continuously activated the Dark-Dark Fruit. His Black Hole was like a bottomless abyss, swallowing all the flames that were thrown at him.

Even though each time he was engulfed by flames, the doubled pain caused him to convulse and break out in a cold sweat, he gritted his teeth and held on tightly without letting up for a moment.

The pirate ship was moving faster and faster, and the distance between it and Ace was getting farther and farther.

When Ace's Fire Fist could no longer reach the ship, Blackbeard, leaning on the gunwale, let out a maniacal laugh at Ace in the distance, his eyes filled with relief at surviving the ordeal and sinister malice. "Zehahaha! Ace! You're a hundred years too early to kill me! Just stay in the West Blue and play with those monsters!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the pirate ship had become a small black dot on the horizon and completely disappeared into the Dusk.

Ace stood on the churning sea, flames raging uncontrollably around him, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, his nails digging deep into his palms.

He had chased him across half the world, only to watch helplessly as the traitor who had killed his comrade escaped right before his eyes.

Overwhelming anger and resentment choked him, causing him to let out a deafening roar. A rain of fire crashed down, blasting countless giant waves tens of meters high into the surrounding sea.

Since the exact date of the debut is uncertain, I'll be adding two extra chapters today.