The Straw Hat Pirates spent a considerable amount of time in the Alabasta Kingdom afterward, primarily recovering from their injuries.
However, they did not encounter Princess Vivi during their arrival. Even though they had become Supernovas, they were not afraid of a country like Alabasta.
Meanwhile, according to the intelligence, Ace did not stop at all and got closer and closer to Blackbeard.
Finally, on a deserted island, Ace intercepted Blackbeard and his crew.
However, Blackbeard seemed to have been waiting for Ace's arrival all along, and the two were extremely hostile towards each other when they met again.
"Hahaha, Ace, son of Roger, you've finally arrived, but you've made me wait even longer."
Ace looked at Blackbeard with a flash of disgust in his eyes. The other man had injured his companions and caused the deaths of several crew members for a mere Devil Fruit.
" Teach, why did you betray your Pops and cruelly murder your comrades? Come back with me, or I'll have no choice but to execute you."
Blackbeard's eyes widened in surprise, then a hint of disdain flashed across his face before he burst into maniacal laughter.
"Hahaha, Ace, don't think you're so great just because you're Roger's son. I don't even consider you a threat."
"Besides, as I just said, I've been waiting for you for a long time. You're the most important part of my plan! Hahaha!"
Ace was taken aback, his face turning grim. However, he was surprised by Lin Yuan's prediction, not expecting that Blackbeard's target was indeed him.
Thinking about the series of plans that followed, Ace couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Although he was also a pawn in Lin Yuan's hands, he did not refuse.
Now that it's proven Blackbeard did indeed have designs on him, Ace isn't nervous, because he never intended to win this time anyway.
As for Blackbeard's so-called plan, Ace scoffed at it, looking at Teach as if he were a clown.
Although the specific plans are unknown, Uncle Lin Yuan and his own Pops are both involved. The alliance between the current world number one and the former world number one provides an absolute sense of security.
" Teach, you want to capture me! What are your motives?!"
Blackbeard looked at Ace with a cruel gaze, his eyes full of mockery.
"The goal, of course, is to capture you and hand you over to the Navy. I believe they'll be very satisfied with this gift from me. And Pops shouldn't abandon you; with his body riddled with hidden injuries, he should be able to fight the Navy to a standstill!"
Blackbeard did not reveal his full plan; his target was Whitebeard Newgate's Tremor-Tremor Fruit. If he could obtain it, he would instantly become the strongest emperor.
To be honest, Blackbeard actually wanted Lin Yuan's Devil Fruit more, but he didn't have any way to get it.
It wasn't just because of Lin Yuan's strength—the navy had suffered several major losses at his hands—but more importantly, because the " Abyss " Merchant Guild had too many powerful members.
Teach was somewhat confident in dealing with an old, sickly, Whitebeard Newgate, but he had no way to deal with Lin Yuan. His defection was because of Lin Yuan.
For some reason, Blackbeard always felt that Lin Yuan saw right through him, and even felt a sense of fear. Moreover, he estimated that once Lin Yuan had his eye on him, he would have no choice but to run away.
Suppressing his discomfort, Blackbeard looked at Ace again, his excitement rising at the thought that his plan was about to begin.
If he could obtain the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, his strength would reach a terrifying level. At that time, he would not fear Lin Yuan or the Five Emperors.
"You bastard, you actually want to use me to make Pops fight the Navy! Teach, how could there be anyone more vicious than you? He's still your Pops!"
Ace was filled with rage. He hadn't expected that the other party's real target was his Pops. How could he possibly contain himself?
"Hahaha, nothing is off-limits for my ambition. If I hadn't obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, I might have stayed on the ship under my Pops's protection forever."
"But I finally got it! After waiting for twenty or thirty years, I've finally got it. The future is mine! Hahahaha!"
Seemingly imagining his future world domination, Blackbeard burst into maniacal laughter once more.
" Fire Fist..."
Ace was already furious at Blackbeard's shamelessness and was no longer willing to say anything. He just wanted to beat him up badly, and if he could kill him, he wouldn't hold back.
"Boom..."
Caught off guard, Teach was struck in the chest by Ace's sneak attack, flying more than ten meters away, clutching the spot where he was hit and screaming in agony.
"Ouch, it hurts so much!"
While the Dark-Dark Fruit is powerful, it exponentially increases the pain Teach experiences.
Ace ignored Blackbeard, who was dramatically rolling around on the ground, and instead emitted countless green fluorescent lights from his hands.
"Firefly · Fire Daruma..."
Instantly, the surroundings were covered in green fireflies, which then surged towards Blackbeard.
"Boom..."
A deafening explosion rang out, and Blackbeard was engulfed in a towering burst of flames.
Lafitte and the others, who were watching this scene from a short distance away, were also startled.
"Haha, I hope the captain wasn't killed off. That would be great! I could become the new captain immediately."
Jesus Burgess showed no concern for Blackbeard; instead, he shouted excitedly.
Lafitte, Van Auger, and the others ignored this clown who had nothing but muscles and no brains.
Similarly, they weren't worried about Blackbeard; an attack of that magnitude wouldn't be enough to take down their captain.
Sure enough, as the flames slowly died down, a hint of wariness flashed in Ace's eyes; he had naturally sensed something was amiss.
Looking closely, in the gradually dying embers, a black substance exuding an evil aura completely enveloped Teach; the explosion hadn't harmed him in the slightest.
"Hehehe, as expected of Fire Fist Ace, are you trying to kill me? But you're still not good enough, hehehe!"
"Hmph, we'll have to fight first!"
Ace was not discouraged at all. If it were too easy to take down Blackbeard, it would be a gross underestimation of Lin Yuan and Whitebeard Newgate's plan.
" Cross Fire..."
"Fire World·Fire Pillar..."
At that moment, Ace transformed into an automatic turret, unleashing countless fiery attacks towards Blackbeard.
" Black Hole..."
Blackbeard was suffering from the terrifying heat, and the black substance on his body resisted Ace's attack. At the same time, he slammed his hand on the ground, releasing countless streams of darkness that spread towards Ace's location.
A hint of wariness flashed in Ace's eyes, and he quickly retreated, as the evil darkness was devouring everything it encountered.
"Is this the Dark-Dark Fruit's properties that Uncle Lin Yuan was talking about? It's indeed incredibly evil, and you can't let the opponent catch you, otherwise you'll never be able to use the fruit's power again."
As he retreated, Ace pondered how to defeat his opponent.
"Hahaha, you're scared of a mere brat?"
A flame suddenly burst forth from Ace's eyes, and his body burst into flames.
"I'm not afraid of your sister!"