Chapter 272: The Decisive Battle (3)
New World, an unnamed island reduced to ruins.
The life-and-death clash between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates had long descended into a hellish bloodbath.
BOOOOM—!!!
The entire island trembled violently like a dying beast, releasing broken wails from deep within its shattered frame.
At the center of the distant battlefield, boundless darkness writhed and expanded without end, greedily swallowing light, sound—even the air itself seemed crushed into stillness.
Occasionally, bursts of orange-red flames or azure phoenix fire erupted violently, trying to tear open the curtain of despair, only to be devoured moments later by even denser shadows, leaving not even a spark behind.
As they stared at that domain of destruction and devouring darkness, the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates felt a bone-deep chill rising in their hearts, mixed with disbelief and horror.
That Teach…
That once insignificant crewmate who used to grin foolishly and spout nonsense aboard the ship…
That scum who murdered Thatch through the most despicable means and stole Pops' power…
How had he become this terrifying… this suffocatingly powerful… in such a short amount of time?
Could that darkness that seemed capable of erasing everything in the world truly be controlled by human hands?!
"Zehahahaha!! Have you idiots finally realized it?! The era of the Whitebeard Pirates… is already OVER!!"
Jesus Burgess' arrogant laughter shook the battlefield.
His entire body was coated in Armament Haki, every step cracking the ground beneath him. His massive fist tore through the air with explosive force as he smashed it toward Diamond Jozu!
"The fate of the Whitebeard Pirates isn't for trash like you to decide!!"
Blood vessels bulged violently in Jozu's eyes as his upper body and arms transformed instantly into brilliant diamond.
With unstoppable determination, he charged straight into Burgess' iron fist without hesitation!
BOOM—!!!!!!!!!
Diamond collided head-on with Armament Haki-coated steel fist.
The impact sounded like two mountains crashing together. A violent shockwave exploded outward, sending rubble and debris flying in all directions.
"GAAAHH—!!!"
The savage grin on Burgess' face froze instantly, replaced by shock and agony.
The bones in his Haki-coated fist cracked apart with a sickening crunch. His entire body was blown backward like a discarded ragdoll, vomiting blood as he crashed dozens of meters away into a pile of ruins, unable to rise immediately.
"Cough…! Hah… hah…"
Diamond Jozu straightened his back and wiped the blood from his mouth.
Then he raised his bloodstained fist high into the air and roared with all his strength like a wounded lion:
"GET IT TOGETHER!!!"
His roar thundered across the battlefield, overpowering the clash of steel and explosions as it rang clearly in the ears of every Whitebeard Pirate.
"Look at the mark you carry!! We are the WHITEBEARD PIRATES!!"
"Pops entrusted this flag to us—not so we could hang our heads in despair, and certainly not so we could disgrace it here!!"
"Show them your pride!! Let these traitors see what true family means… what true honor means!!"
That roar was like a shot of adrenaline—like lightning splitting apart the storm clouds.
The confusion and fear in the commanders' eyes vanished, replaced by blazing fighting spirit.
It was conviction born from blood and faith—an unshakable will.
"OOOOOOHHHHH!! FOR POPS!!"
"KILL THE TRAITORS!!"
The battle cries erupted once more, louder and fiercer than before.
The Whitebeard Pirates—who had been pushed into chaos and despair by Blackbeard's overwhelming strength and schemes—suddenly united as one.
Meanwhile, the Blackbeard Pirates, despite their monstrous abilities and brutal power, mostly fought for themselves. Some even eyed one another warily, clearly scheming for personal glory.
As momentum shifted, the Whitebeard Pirates forcefully reclaimed part of the battlefield through sheer unity and explosive coordination.
"Hmph. The dying struggles of a mob like this… can't possibly change the final outcome."
A cold, hoarse voice suddenly sounded behind Jozu.
Like a ghost, Shiryu of the Rain emerged from the shadows. The blade of his sword, Raiu, crackled with blood-red lightning as he swung mercilessly toward Jozu's back.
CLANG—!!!!!!!
Relying purely on battlefield instinct, Jozu twisted at the last second and blocked with his diamond-coated shoulder and arm.
But the rushed defense could not completely stop Shiryu's carefully prepared slash.
Jozu's mountain-like body shuddered violently as he was sent flying across the battlefield, tumbling over rubble before smashing through half a ruined wall.
"Damn it…!!"
Jozu knelt on one knee, supporting himself with his diamond arm as he coughed violently, blood spilling from his mouth.
A deep slash cut across the diamond armor on his shoulder—so deep that bone was visible beneath it. Strange crimson energy lingered around the wound, causing even the diamond to tremble faintly.
"The remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates… will be completely erased here today."
Amid the dust and smoke, Shiryu stepped forward slowly with blood dripping from Raiu, like the Grim Reaper himself.
"NOT A CHANCE!!"
A furious roar exploded like thunder.
Nearby ruins burst apart as rubble scattered everywhere.
A silver figure drenched in blood shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
It was Flower Sword Vista, who had previously been heavily wounded by Blackbeard.
Flames of vengeance burned in his eyes as he crossed his twin swords, transforming into a silver tempest that pierced straight toward Shiryu.
CLANG—!!!!!!!
Their blades collided violently once more, sparks cascading like a waterfall.
Vista and Shiryu locked eyes at point-blank range.
Through the crossing blades, Shiryu stared into Vista's blazing gaze and slowly curled his lips into a twisted, bloodthirsty grin.
"Idiotic hero worship. Cheap friendship. This pathetic little 'family' game you people play…"
He shook his head lightly, his voice dripping with mockery and contempt.
"Who would've thought that the mighty Whitebeard Pirates were secretly just playing children's games all along?"
"True power comes from devouring. From taking. From trampling everything beneath your feet!"
"That outdated, rotten ideology of yours… should've been buried alongside Edward Newgate long ago!!"
At the center of the battlefield—the core of that all-consuming darkness.
BOOM—!!!
The black tide exploded violently once more.
Two figures were blasted out from the heart of the darkness like broken kites, crashing heavily onto the scorched battlefield and carving deep trenches into the earth.
It was Ace and Marco.
"ZEHAHAHAHA!!!"
Marshall D. Teach slowly emerged from the darkness, casually brushing off his clothes with a cruel grin full of contempt.
"Commander Ace! Commander Marco! See it now?! You two are WEAK!! So weak I can barely even get excited!"
"Inside my Dark Domain, all Devil Fruit abilities are heavily suppressed!"
"The flames and regeneration you rely on are nothing more than dying embers here!"
"So? How does it feel to have your powers stripped away? To feel helpless like ordinary humans?!"
He clenched his fist sharply as darkness coiled around it like a living creature.
"In this domain, I am the absolute ruler!"
"I am the king of darkness itself!!"
Meanwhile, Ace and Marco struggled to their feet while supporting each other.
Their condition was miserable.
Ace's orange shirt had long since been torn apart, revealing a muscular chest covered in burns and blood. His breathing was ragged and unstable.
Marco looked no better. Dust and blood stained his blond hair, and the blue flames surrounding him had dimmed considerably. One arm hung unnaturally at his side, his face pale from blood loss.
As they stared at Teach standing within the darkness like a demon god, even their battle-hardened hearts sank toward despair.
"This monster-like growth rate…"
Ace muttered hoarsely through gritted teeth.
"Other than Luffy… this is the first time I've ever seen someone like this…"
Marco swallowed heavily, his expression equally grim.
Since when had the seas started producing monsters that broke all common sense and climbed to the summit at unimaginable speed one after another?!
"Ace…"
Marco glanced sideways at his younger brother and captain, concern impossible to hide in his voice.
"Can your body still handle this?"
Ace inhaled deeply, the air thick with blood and smoke burning his lungs.
"Of course… it can!!"
Every word came out like molten iron forced through clenched teeth.
"At this point… ordinary methods won't work against this traitor anymore!"
"We'll have to risk our lives to win this fight!"
Marco slowly smiled.
Though exhausted and battered, the pride and will of the Phoenix had never faded.
"Yeah… you're right."
He fixed his sharp gaze back onto Teach.
After awakening the Dark-Dark Fruit, combined with Teach's terrifying physical strength and Haki, Blackbeard's power had already reached the level of a true Marine Admiral.
In fact, against fighters who relied heavily on Devil Fruit powers, he was even more dangerous than that.
"For Pops' honor… for Thatch's revenge… for ourselves, and for every family member still alive…"
Marco's voice was low, but unwavering.
"This is the moment where we have to stake everything we have!!"
As his words fell, the two stood shoulder to shoulder once more.
Their bodies trembled. Their wounds screamed in agony.
But their eyes burned brighter than ever before.
Like two blades prepared to burn themselves away just to pierce the darkness itself—
They locked onto the abyssal figure ahead.
The final charge…
Was about to begin.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → /Chakraflow789