Sulfur Fire Island in the New World, formerly the territory of Whitebeard, Four Emperors, is currently the site of a major battle.
"Hahaha! Marco! Your Pops is dead. You can't hold onto these territories. Why don't you hand them over to our Blackbeard Pirates? You can also join my crew; I've always admired you!"
" Teach! You bastard! How dare you lay a hand on Pops! We will never forgive you!"
Blackbeard was nearly scared out of his wits by Whitebeard and Vic at Marine Headquarters last time, and immediately fled to the New World after leaving Marine Headquarters.
Whitebeard is alright, he's dead beyond any doubt, but Vic is still alive. Even without the title of Shichibukai, he's still carefree and could target him at any time, so he's always been very careful and on guard.
He himself was in a much worse state. He had been hunted down by former Navy Admiral Zephyr and Garp the Hero recently, looking like a stray dog. This was mainly because his previous behavior was too egregious and was a direct slap in the face to the Navy, so the Navy naturally wouldn't let him off easily.
Fortunately, they stopped pursuing him during this time, and Blackbeard didn't know what had happened within the Navy. So, while searching for the Tremor- Tremor-Tremor Fruit Tremor-Tremor Fruit or someone who had eaten it, Whitebeard Pirates.
He wouldn't give up on the Tremor-Tremor Fruit so easily. Even if he didn't get it from Whitebeard, he would still find that Devil Fruit of Rebirth. Of course, finding Devil Fruit is a long process, and it all depends on fate.
He infiltrated the Whitebeard Pirates for decades to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, so he urgently needs to take over Whitebeard's former territory. This way, more people will search for clues about Devil Fruit for him. He's not afraid that others will find it and eat it immediately, because even if they die, the power will still be his!
Blackbeard found Marco and his crew on Sulfur Fire Island. Most of the Whitebeard Pirates ' officers were there, along with some of their captains. The two sides clashed immediately upon meeting!
One side wants to eliminate the other to gain territory, while the other side wants to eliminate the first side to avenge their Pops. Marco faces off against Blackbeard, Vista against Shiryu, Jozu against Shot and Jesus Burgess.
Izo faced Van Augur, Little Oars Jr. and Blamenco (team captain 6) and several captains faced Sanjuan Wolf, Rakuyo (team captain 7) faced Lafitte,...
In terms of manpower, the Whitebeard Pirates definitely had more, with over ten division commanders alone. The Blackbeard Pirates didn't lack rivals and originally had more, but they couldn't return from the Paramount War.
However, in terms of strength, the Blackbeard Pirates are still stronger, especially Blackbeard himself. His Dark-Dark Fruit is too effective against other abilities, and in terms of Haki, Marco is no match for him and is always at a disadvantage.
Marco can only fight from a distance; if he gets too close, he's likely to be sucked in by the Dark-Dark Fruit. He almost suffered a great loss before, but luckily Vista interrupted Blackbeard's spellcasting with Flying Slash.
The battle between the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates was quite intense. Many on both sides were Devil Fruit users, and their strength was among the top in the New World, so the commotion was considerable. The civilians on the island were terrified and dared not approach that area, so they could only hide and await their fate!
"Where's Captain Ace? I haven't seen him. Did he leave the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Actually, Blackbeard hadn't used his full strength at all; he was just on guard against Ace, afraid that Ace would suddenly appear out of nowhere and attack him. Blackbeard is quite afraid of fire; being burned really hurts!
That's the downside of the Dark-Dark Fruit; it doesn't allow for elemental transformation. It's called Logia ability, but it looks more like Paramecia. Blackbeard must be really frustrated!
Fortunately, his body can still accommodate other Devil Fruit abilities. The Dark- Dark-Dark Fruit Dark-Dark Fruit is not the only option, and it can also absorb the Devil Fruit abilities from other users. This is the foundation for him to strengthen himself and his power. Overall, he won't regret it.
" Ace has been taken away by Thunder God to train. When he returns, it will be the day he settles his score with you. Fear it, Teach!"
" Phoenix Brand!"
Marco, unaware of Blackbeard's intentions, revealed Ace's location and launched a long-range attack, sending a massive Fenghuang claw imprint engulfed in blue flames flying towards Blackbeard.
Blackbeard showed no fear upon seeing this. His palm, wreathed in black flames, reached out to grab the Phoenix Brand. As their palms collided, the claw mark immediately shrank and became invisible, absorbed by Blackbeard's Dark Water.
With the advantage of Devil Fruit abilities, Blackbeard wasn't worried about Marco at all. For others, Marco's Mythical Zoan ability was quite troublesome; he could fight, retreat, and fly, and most importantly, his regenerative abilities were ridiculously strong!
However, Blackbeard poses no threat to him whatsoever; his ability is a natural counter to Marco's. If he could capture Marco, he would definitely want to obtain that ability. But Marco doesn't even get close to him right now, and just launches a ranged attack out of nowhere.
"Hahaha! Thunder God Vic? One day I'll get my hands on him. This world shouldn't have someone like him!"
Blackbeard was stubborn. Since Vic wasn't there, he could say whatever he wanted, so he naturally had to be Haki. Besides, he hadn't said when he would go find him; who could predict the future?
However, Blackbeard genuinely felt that Vic shouldn't exist. This person's existence didn't conform to the laws of this world because he couldn't understand Vic's behavior at all. Such a person was too dangerous for Blackbeard and shouldn't exist in the world at all!
Moreover, when Vic brought his men to find Whitebeard, he glanced at him, and that glance made Blackbeard feel completely seen through, which was a terrible feeling!
Ambitious and intelligent people would not allow such a person to live, because in the end they would become enemies. It's just that the other party is too powerful and they can't beat him. Borrowing his strength is useless. The other party's strength breaks all laws!
"Keep being stubborn! If you hadn't run fast enough back at Marine Headquarters, you would have been dead long ago! When Ace returns, the Whitebeard Pirates will be glorious again!"
Marco knew what kind of person Blackbeard was—a coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong. He would immediately beg for mercy when his life was threatened, showing no backbone whatsoever. He was no different from a lowly scoundrel. Did Blackbeard really think he could take on Vic? Even if Ace came back, he would be in big trouble.
Marco flew through the air, occasionally showering his companions with Pineapple Pebbles to heal their injuries.
"As expected of a strongman who could fight Hawk-Eye at the top, Vista! You're very strong!"
Vista and Shiryu are not Devil Fruit users; their battle is purely a contest of swordsmanship and Haki. They are evenly matched and it's difficult for anyone else to join their fight. They are probably the strongest swordsmen besides Hawk-Eye, except for Vic and his gang, of course.
Therefore, the others are still far behind in strength. If they get involved in the battle between the two, they are likely to be injured or torn apart by the powerful Sword Qi. The two have already exchanged ranged attacks and are now engaged in close combat. It is a rapid battle between dual swords and a single sword. If they are not careful, they will lose an arm or a leg!
" Jesus Burgess! The New World isn't your stage to run rampant. Get over here!"
Jozu is quite strong. With Vic's micro-management, he returned from Marineford unscathed, without losing an arm like in the original story. So he is really strong after using his powers. It takes two people to restrain him, otherwise he would have rushed in front of Blackbeard and done a Roki Port.
However, Heavy Drinker and Jesus Burgess were not having an easy time either. Jesus Burgess had only recently Awakening Armament Haki, and his Observation Haki was nowhere to be found. He also hadn't had time to work on his Devil Fruit ability. He was beaten so badly by Jozu, who was covered in diamonds. Even though he was stronger, it was useless. He was just showing off his skills in front of Jozu.
Heavy Drinker wasn't much better. Although he was a Devil Fruit user, his abilities weren't particularly outstanding. He was badly beaten by Jozu in the early stages, and later he only dared to sit on the alcohol bubble and breathe fire for long-range attacks, making him the main force for restraining others.
" Oars! Hang in there! This guy is just big, we can hold him off!"
Oars alone couldn't stop the Wolf at all; the size difference was too great. Although the Wolf was an ordinary Giant Race, he was Paramecia Inflate Devil Fruit User, and due to the fruit's power, he was much larger than the Ancient Giant Race.
This is without even using his Devil Fruit powers. Once he uses them, his size will expand even further, making him a veritable city destroyer. To deal with such a gigantic creature, one must use Ryuo) to be effective.
It's obvious that Oars doesn't know Ryuo, or even Armament Haki. Demons are known for their brutality and ferocity, and they're not very bright, so it would be very difficult for them to Awakening Haki.
Furthermore, it's much harder for giants to Awakening Haki than for ordinary humans, so Oars will most likely never have the chance to Awakening Haki in his lifetime!