Chapter 270: The Settling of Scores (1)
The New World
A once-thriving island town had now become a living hell of ruins.
Bodies lay scattered across the streets in twisted positions, blood long since soaking into the cracks between the stones. The air reeked of gunpowder, charred debris, and thick blood, so heavy it made breathing difficult.
At the center of the ruined city, several figures rested amid the brief silence.
"Captain! No sign of the Whitebeard Pirates within visual range!"
At the top of the town's barely-standing clock tower, Van Augur knelt on one knee with his long sniper rifle Senriku perfectly stabilized.
Looking through the scope, his gaze calmly swept across the distant sea horizon without the slightest fluctuation in emotion.
"Hahaha! Don't tell me those Whitebeard leftovers got scared of the Blackbeard Pirates and ran away?!"
Jesus Burgess laughed loudly, waving his massive arms wildly as if trying to write arrogance directly across his face.
"Zehahaha!! Relax, Burgess!"
Blackbeard sat atop a collapsed wall, holding a bottle of strong liquor he'd found somewhere.
He tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls before grinning broadly, his trademark laughter dripping with cruelty and ambition.
"A true hunter knows how to patiently wait for the fattest prey to walk right into the trap!!"
Before his laughter fully faded, the expression hidden beneath his thick beard shifted slightly.
As though sensing something carried by the wind, he slowly turned his head.
Beneath the shadows, his eyes narrowed dangerously, greed and cunning almost materializing within them as he stared toward the distant sea.
At the line where ocean met sky—
A tiny black dot rapidly grew larger.
It tore across the calm sea with overwhelming killing intent sharp enough to tighten one's skin even from afar.
"See?"
Blackbeard suddenly rose to his feet, his massive frame casting a huge shadow over the ruins.
Spreading his arms wide as though embracing the slaughter he had long awaited, his grin became even more savage.
"They're finally here."
"The remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates have finally come to die."
Nearby, leaning against a charred pillar, Shiryu of the Rain slowly raised his head.
His crimson tongue licked across his dry lips while one hand gently stroked the sheath of his sword, Raiu, as tenderly as if caressing a lover.
The blade inside the sheath let out a faint hum, almost as if responding to its owner's bloodlust.
"Hmph… finally arrived?"
Shiryu's eyes gleamed with sick excitement as a cold grin spread across his face.
"My Raiu's been starving for a long time already."
"I just hope these bastards can entertain me a little before they die."
Whether it was the Whitebeard Pirates who came from afar or the Blackbeard Pirates lying in wait—
Both sides had only brought their core officers and strongest fighters.
Ordinary crewmates and subordinate forces would only become meaningless casualties in a battle of this level.
What was about to unfold—
Was a true clash between monsters.
A collision of willpower, strength, and schemes.
The victor would claim everything.
The loser…
Would likely leave behind nothing at all.
Above the ruins, the killing intent from both sides gradually became tangible, violently colliding in the air until even the atmosphere trembled.
"Flame-Flame Fruit, Phoenix Fruit, Glint-Glint Fruit… all of them are top-tier powers famous across the seas."
Laffitte leaned casually on his cane like a gentleman attending a theater performance, a greedy smile hanging across his face.
"If we could obtain all of them… just imagine how terrifying our crew would become."
"Zehahaha!! Exactly! They're all incredible prizes!"
Blackbeard roared with laughter, though his eyes held not the slightest trace of humor.
Only naked violence and endless hunger for power.
"What a shame! My body can't handle a second Devil Fruit anymore!!"
He clenched his fist tightly as black darkness seeped from between his fingers.
"So the rules stay the same!"
"Whoever captures the target personally gets first priority over the Devil Fruit!"
"If you want greater power… then fight for it yourselves!!"
His grin widened savagely.
It was precisely this brutal "survival of the fittest" system that allowed the Blackbeard Pirates to grow at terrifying speed.
But the instant his words ended—
SHOOOOOM—!!
A blazing orange-red streak suddenly tore through the distant sky at a speed beyond what the human eye could track.
In an instant—
It appeared directly above the ruined town.
BOOOOM—!!!
It was as if a miniature sun had exploded in midair.
A terrifying heatwave erupted outward instantly.
The clouds above were forcibly blasted apart, leaving behind a burning vacuum around the fiery figure.
Then—
The figure raised its right fist high into the air.
Endless flames gathered, compressed, and condensed toward that single point like rivers flowing into the sea.
A calm voice echoed through the scorching storm—
Yet carried enough destructive intent to burn everything to ash.
"Fire Fist!!"
RRRRRUMBLE—!!!
The compressed inferno exploded downward from the heavens, transforming into a gigantic pillar of orange-red fire dozens of meters wide as it crashed directly toward the Blackbeard Pirates below.
Before the flames even landed—
The horrifying heat and pressure alone shattered the ruins beneath and melted the surrounding stone.
Blackbeard and the others' pupils instantly shrank.
Within their vision remained only the colossal firestorm carrying the wrath and vengeance of the "Flame Emperor."
And then—
BOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!!!
A heaven-shaking explosion erupted.
Fire and shockwaves spread outward violently in every direction, pulverizing the already ruined buildings into dust instantly.
Scorching debris and ash spiraled upward into the sky, forming a monstrous mushroom cloud of smoke and fire that engulfed nearly the entire city.
"Zehahaha!!! Ace, it's been a long time!!!"
Blackbeard's rough laughter exploded from within the smoke.
Immediately afterward, thick darkness surged outward from the center of the explosion.
Wherever it spread, the raging flames rapidly dimmed and vanished completely.
Blackbeard slowly stepped out from the blackness.
Arms spread wide, he looked toward a half-collapsed building nearby.
Standing atop it alone—
Wearing his orange cowboy hat and the Whitebeard Pirates' emblem on his back—
Was Portgas D. Ace.
"Ace!"
Blackbeard grinned viciously through his missing teeth while cunning flickered within his eyes.
"We finally meet again! No need to be so angry right away, huh? How about we sit down and talk?"
"The New World's changing fast. Pops' territory is already falling apart."
"Neither you nor I can restore his former glory alone."
He suddenly spread his arms dramatically as though embracing the entire world.
"But if we join forces?"
"If the Whitebeard Pirates and my fleet become one—who in this sea would dare covet Pops' territory anymore?!"
"We'd become a new legend together! Isn't that exactly what you want too?! Zehahaha!!"
Faced with this shameless traitor—
Hearing him repeatedly speak of "Pops" while offering such a hypocritical alliance—
Ace's expression remained surprisingly calm.
He merely clicked his tongue lightly and revealed an ice-cold smile.
An alliance?
With Blackbeard?
This man's ambition had always been about devouring and conquering everything.
Any so-called "cooperation" was merely another stepping stone.
And this sweet-talking act now—
Was clearly meant to—
SHING—!!!
The air roughly a hundred meters behind Ace suddenly rippled unnaturally like disturbed water.
No warning.
No detectable killing intent whatsoever.
Then—
A shadow burst forward at a speed that nearly tore apart one's vision.
Wrapped in concentrated killing intent cold enough to freeze the soul, a crimson slash shot directly toward Ace's defenseless back at supersonic speed.
The timing.
The angle.
The speed.
Everything was flawless.
It was precisely the instant Blackbeard distracted Ace with false negotiations.
And thus—
The assassination hidden beneath this deception had finally begun.
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