Chapter 334

"Teach!"

Ace, now safely on the main plaza, roared with pure, unadulterated hatred. His eyes were locked on Blackbeard, and every fiber of his being screamed for him to charge forward and attack.

"Calm down, Ace," Sabo said, placing a steadying hand on his brother's shoulder. "We can't start another fight here. Besides," he gestured toward the wall of Marines separating them from the bay, "do you really think they'll just let you pass?"

Nearby, Bai Ye felt a knot of dread tighten in his stomach. He'd had a bad feeling ever since Buggy and the Impel Down escapees had appeared. If they made it out, it meant Blackbeard had succeeded in his own plan.

And that guy Tokikake ... he didn't make it, did he?

But now was not the time to voice those fears.

In the original timeline, Blackbeard arrived at Marineford after recruiting his new crew, but he remained hidden, waiting for the opportune moment. In fact, if not for the colossal size of giant Sanjuan Wolf giving away their position, he would have waited until Whitebeard was dead before making his grand entrance to steal the spoils.

This time, things were different. Though delayed by Vice-Admiral Tokikake's interference, he had still accomplished his primary goal of gathering his crew. The next step was to wait for Whitebeard's inevitable fall. Blackbeard, having served on Whitebeard's ship for decades, knew better than anyone the old man's deteriorating physical condition. He was certain Whitebeard would not survive this war.

But then he arrived and saw Whitebeard fighting Garp with enough force to shake the heavens, yet remaining composed and in control. He knew at that moment his original plan was impossible. He could no longer seize the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. So he pivoted, shifting his target to the Golden Lion, who was locked in a brutal battle with Sengoku. He waited, and just as Shiki was on the verge of death, Blackbeard struck, claiming his prize.

His choice of location was brilliant. By positioning his crew atop the Naval Headquarters building, he had the entire inner bay and the execution platform before him, with the World Government officials and the pirate armies even further away. This created a delicate stalemate. For the pirates to attack Blackbeard, the Marines would have to let them through—an impossibility. And the Marines, fearing a mass escape if they diverted their forces, were unable to move. At this moment, Blackbeard held all the cards.

Of course, "unable to move" did not mean "unable to attack."

"Meteor Volcano!"

"Gekishin!" (Severe Earthquake)

Two of the most destructive forces on the battlefield, one from the Navy and one from the pirates, launched their attacks simultaneously. Whitebeard moved to punish the betrayer. As for Akainu... he never needed a reason to attack a pirate.

To counter Whitebeard's unrivaled shockwave, Sanjuan Wolf, the "Colossal Battleship," made his move. At 180 meters tall, his strength was as immense as his size. He dug his hands deep into the bedrock of Marineford and, with a guttural roar, ripped a tenth of the island free. In his eyes, this symbol of Marine justice was nothing more than a large stone. He hefted it like a shield, meeting the shockwave head-on.

The stone shield disintegrated under the force of Whitebeard's power, and even the giant was knocked back several steps, sending massive waves crashing against the island's shores. But he had blocked the attack.

As for the magma fists raining down from the sky, Shiryu of the Rain, calmly smoking his cigar, stepped forward. He drew his cursed blade, Raiu, its crimson steel glowing with an even more ominous light than before. With a series of blood-red slashes, he carved through the magma, neutralizing the threat.

"Patience, everyone," Lafitte announced to the stunned crowd, his voice and posture as elegant as a stage performer's. "Our captain has prepared a truly special show for you."

Behind him, Jesus Burgess and the others unfurled a massive black cloth, covering both the dying Golden Lion and Blackbeard from view.

Seeing this, Bai Ye moved to Whitebeard's side.

"We need to go, Pops," he said, looking the Emperor directly in the eye. He could see the inferno of rage still burning there, but he pressed on. "With the Navy and the World Government here, you have no chance of killing him. You know what a monster that man is. And I think you've already guessed what's about to happen when he emerges from under that cloth."

"So..."

Before Bai Ye could finish, Whitebeard spoke, his gaze still fixed on the black-shrouded building. "Do what you must, brat." His tone had grown eerily calm. "The Whitebeard Pirates will see to it that Teach pays for his blood debt."

A wave of relief washed over Bai Ye. He had feared Whitebeard's quest for vengeance would drive him to order another suicidal charge, rendering all their efforts meaningless. He smiled.

In the end, it always came down to strength. A sense of powerlessness pricked at him. The Straw Hat Pirates still had a long, long way to go.

Pushing the thought aside, Bai Ye took advantage of the global distraction. Activating the prepared formation on the Sunshine Merry and the one linked to his own crew, he enveloped the allied pirates in a swirling, multicolored mist. Just as Kizaru launched a volley of light beams, the fog vanished, taking everyone with it. Bai Ye had even been kind enough to deposit Crocodile, Buggy, Mr. 3, and Mr. 1 far outside of Marineford's range.

"You bastards!" Akainu's roar of fury shook the island. He was, without a doubt, the angriest man in the Navy. Not only had they failed to eliminate a single high-value target, but they had even lost Ace. The Navy's absolute justice had been utterly trampled.

And at that moment, Blackbeard stepped out from under the black cloth.

"Zehahahahahaha!" he laughed, surveying the scene of chaos. "Things didn't go exactly according to plan, but..."

He placed a hand on the headquarters building beneath his feet.

"I am still invincible! Zehahahahaha!"

With a deep, grinding rumble, the entire Naval Headquarters building began to lift off the ground. It was floating.

"That's... that's the power of the Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit!" someone screamed.

"But Blackbeard is the user of the Dark-Dark Fruit! How can he have another Devil Fruit ability?!"

In that instant, the world itself seemed to hold its breath. The sea was boiling once again.