The pirate island of Hachinosu.
This island had once belonged to the Rocks Pirates, before the legendary pirate Wang Zhi seized it.
Now in Blackbeard's hands, the massive skull-shaped island lay beneath an oppressive atmosphere.
The enormous skull, formed by the Island-Island Fruit user, "Corrupt King" Avalo Pizarro,
seemed to stare coldly down at the town through its hollow eye sockets.
In the main town at the island's center, the normally raucous taverns and casinos had grown considerably quieter.
Pirates gathered in small groups, speaking in low voices and occasionally glancing toward the tallest building in the center.
Inside that building, Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, reclined on a broad sofa large enough to seat several people.
His arms rested on the armrests, his ring-covered fingers tapping absently against the leather.
Unlike two years ago, he now wore a captain's hat bearing the Blackbeard Pirates' emblem.
The thick black beard on his chin had been carefully woven into three heavy braids that hung over his chest.
Unfortunately, his signature arrogant grin was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a deeply furrowed brow and gloomy eyes.
Blackbeard lowered his gaze and habitually raised a hand to scratch at his bare chest,
over the enormous X-shaped scar stretching diagonally from both shoulders down to either side of his abdomen.
Back during the Paramount War, that earth-shaking blow from Golden Lion Shiki
had really, truly come within a hair's breadth of killing him.
Without the properties of the Dark-Dark Fruit and the Curse Doctor's Mushroom-Mushroom Fruit ability, he would have died before making it back.
"Damn it!"
Blackbeard suddenly let out a low roar, grabbed the enormous wooden mug of liquor beside him, and slammed it viciously onto the heavy wooden table in front of him.
The mug shattered, sending liquor and splinters flying.