The smoke of battle had yet to clear from Honey Island and Liquor Island, but the Empire's Three Armies had already joined forces on the main island of Hachinosu. A million soldiers surrounded Blackbeard's Royal Palace like a black tide. The once-arrogant pirate stronghold was now besieged on all sides, with no hope of escape.
Before the Royal Palace square, Blackbeard led his three remaining core officers in a final, desperate resistance, their backs to the ruined castle. Marshall D. Teach stood at the forefront, his lone eye gleaming with mingled madness and fear. All-devouring darkness swirled around his left hand, while serpentine energy coursed over his right. Black Armament Haki flickered around him, carrying a cold aura that seemed to plunder everything. Behind him, Van Augur held his sniper rifle and surveyed the battlefield with icy eyes; Doc Q rode a sickly black horse, carrying a basket full of poison; Lafitte spread his black wings, a cane sword in hand and an eerie smile on his face.
"Zehahahaha! Chen Yu! You think you can beat me like this?" Blackbeard roared with laughter, though a trace of trembling crept into it. "I have two of the strongest Devil Fruits! And Haki I've trained for decades! I'm the strongest man in the world! Today, I'll take every last one of you to the grave with me!"
As his words fell, a savage surge of black Conqueror's Haki shot skyward from his body. Black lightning crackled around him, and dark clouds instantly filled the sky. The weaker pirates and imperial soldiers in the square immediately foamed at the mouth and fainted.
Chen Yu stood before the imperial ranks, his dark imperial robe untouched by dust. He watched the hysterical Blackbeard with calm, unruffled eyes. The next second, an even more terrifying surge