While Blackbeard and Luffy fought fiercely in the island's central area,
in another relatively intact area, the officers of the Blackbeard Pirates, whom Luffy's rubber giant "sweeping hand"
had sent flying in every direction,
were struggling up from their respective "landing spots" and gradually regrouping.
The first to reunite were Van Augur, Jesus Burgess, and Shiryu, whose chest was wrapped in bloodstained bandages. His face was pale, but his eyes remained sinister.
The three stood on the platform of a half-collapsed building, gazing toward the central battlefield in the distance, where dull tremors kept rumbling out. None of them looked happy.
"Hey, Augur," Burgess scratched his head, pointing at the outrageous shock waves from the battle over there.
"Judging by all that... the captain... he's not actually losing to that Straw Hat Boy, is he?"
After all, he had personally witnessed the terrifying sight of Luffy turning into a giant in an instant
and sending all of them flying with a single slap.
He had also felt Luffy's suffocating Conqueror's Haki.
Although he had blind confidence in his captain's two-Devil-Fruit ability, he was starting to feel uneasy.
Van Augur held his signature Long Sniper Rifle, his dead-fish eyes showing little emotion as his hand ran over it.
He worked the bolt, producing a crisp click.
Only after making sure it would not jam did he reply in his usual flat tone.
"Captain Teach is no weakling.
With the Two-Devil-Fruit Ability, he won't go down that easily."
Then his tone shifted, his gaze passing over Burgess and Shiryu. "But this isn't the time to stand around watching."
"If there are no objections, we'd better hurry over and back him up.
My Devil Fruit ability, Teleportation, can get all of us there in no time, as long as I lock onto the