"Captain!"
"Everyone coming to this Pirate Expo should be a Devil Fruit User. There's no Devil Fruit User in this world who can match you. This will be a piece of cake-we'll wipe out all that trash!"
Jesus Burgess was still flattering Blackbeard.
The sniper, however, had already stopped in place and raised his musket.
Their captain, Blackbeard, stood frozen as well.
They were no longer far from the finish line.
Their strongest competitor at present was Katakuri.
But they had never expected this man to block their path.
He had come alone.
Marine Headquarters Admiral, Akainu!
Before the Great Pirate Era arrived, that title had carried tremendous weight. But as a Marine, Sakazuki did not have as much time as they did to search for new Devil Fruits.
As a single Devil Fruit User, he had fallen an entire major update behind, while the Teach before him had honed himself for decades and possessed three Devil Fruits.
Against this enhanced version of Blackbeard, even Akainu, who was qualified to contend for the position of Headquarters Fleet Admiral, seemed inadequate.
But he had no choice.
If he wanted to defend justice, then winning this first stop, the Pirate Expo, became a necessity.
"Sakazuki? Before the Great Pirate Era arrived, I really wouldn't have dared challenge you. But times have changed. Showing up here can only end one way for you-defeat!"
"Of course, I wouldn't mind giving your Devil Fruit to one of my crewmates, or eating it myself to become that one-in-ten-thousand Four-Devil-Fruit User."
Blackbeard felt that the road to becoming the King of Fruits was too difficult, and that ultimately, three Devil Fruits were the most anyone could have. But he would surely be the most exceptional one!
If that fourth Devil Fruit were the Mag-Mag Fruit, all the