"Looks like quite the party,"
Zoro, resting his hands on the hilts of his three swords, stood on the deck and swept his gaze across the battlefield.
His eyes, sharp as if he were picking out fresh fish at a market, made some of Blackbeard's officers instinctively look away.
But Zoro had already locked onto his target—standing opposite a blood-covered Smoothie was Shiryuu.
"Mind if I join in?"
Shiryuu simply responded with a sinister grin.
"Tsk, if I had known, I would've come sooner..."
Without even realizing it, Nami had grown so much stronger. She rubbed her forehead, adjusting her extravagant gown that shimmered with jewels.
Her armor, known as "Jewel Princess," was so dazzling that it nearly blinded the Blackbeard Pirates below.
Beauty and wealth—wasn't that what people chased their whole lives?
Too bad for them, they wouldn't be getting either.
"Looks like we made it in time."
The Blackbeard Pirates may have set up an ambush, but the Straw Hat Crew weren't pushovers.
Even caught off guard, they could hold out for a while—especially with the Charlotte family officers fighting alongside them. Holding the line until Nami and the others arrived was never a problem.
"Wow, I'm super excited!"
Fully armed, General Franky surveyed the battlefield below. His palm split open, revealing a cannon barrel glowing with golden light.
This was an upgraded version of the laser tech he had taken from Queen, turning his former "Franky Radical Beam"—once a slow-charging attack—into a rapid-fire weapon.
"*Ahem!* Listen up, all of you!"
Usopp, the last to step forward, cleared his throat and dramatically pointed at the Blackbeard Pirates.
"You're surrounded! My army of 8,000 men is on the way! With one word from me, we'll wipe the Blackbeard Pirates off the face of the earth!"
"Oh? The reinforcements are here already?"
Luffy looked genuinely surprised.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Straw Hat Crew remained expressionless.
They *had* to keep a straight face. No one could break character!
"...8,000 men, huh? If they're all bounty-level elites, that would be quite the force..."
"We'd better wrap this up quickly. If we get caught in a pincer attack, that'll be trouble—"
"Tsk, the guys on the perimeter better not fail us."
Hearing the Blackbeard officers seriously discussing the situation, even Usopp himself was baffled.
He had said things like this *so* many times before, but this was the first time...
"So this is the power of reputation?"
Even Zoro had to admit it.
Back when Usopp was just another unknown pirate, everyone knew he was full of hot air.
But now, with a bounty in the hundreds of millions, even a simple bluff wasn't something people could ignore anymore.
"Hahaha! This time, Usopp's not even really lying, is he?"
Franky laughed, and Nami nodded in agreement.
As long as they could rescue Roman and call in the Marines, the reinforcements wouldn't be just "8,000 fighters"—it would be far more than that.
But—
"Zehahaha! You think I'd be scared of that?"
Teach, with his two sisters sitting on his shoulders, spread his arms wide. One fist gleamed with the power of the Quake-Quake Fruit, capable of shattering anything.
On one shoulder was darkness, capable of nullifying all Devil Fruit abilities.
On the other, multiple Logia abilities fused together—his ultimate combination, developed to fight the so-called gods of the Celestial Dragons.
Did they really think they could scare *him* off with mere words?
"I'm not like the guys you've fought before!"
"I know all about your connections, Straw Hat Crew—The Grand Fleet, the Vinsmoke Family, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates… Every group linked to you is being closely watched by my people. Where exactly are you gonna find 8,000 men? You gonna pull them out of thin air—?"
"That's right."
Nami had already raised her hand toward Blackbeard. A freezing chill gathered around her as she pointed forward.
"Ice Spear!"
At her command, the moisture in the air instantly froze into a massive ice spear, as large as a battleship, and shot forward. The surrounding air spun rapidly around it, forming a huge vortex. The extreme cold caused the air itself to liquefy and solidify in an instant, creating a vacuum that triggered a powerful whirlwind. The raging storm closed in on Teach, leaving him nowhere to run!
This attack had nearly the strength of Aokiji's ice, but Blackbeard didn't even bother looking at it because—
"Blazing Execution Blade!"
From his right shoulder, a girl with long black hair—Annie—reached out and grabbed a Homie infused with the power of fire. With a single swing, she conjured a massive flaming blade, stretching dozens of meters long.
A storm of fire roared to life, sweeping across everything in its path, colliding head-on with Nami's ice spear.
Crack!
The deafening sound of shattering ice echoed across the battlefield. Nami's ice spear was smashed into countless fragments, sending massive chunks of ice crashing down like a hailstorm. But to the powerful fighters present, it was nothing more than a light breeze.
"Zehahaha! That kind of attack is—"
"Watch out, Brother!!"
Annie's warning cut through the battlefield.
Because she and Liya were once part of the same entity, neither of them had ever trained their physical bodies. They didn't have Armament Haki, and their endurance was no different from that of an ordinary person. However, they had spent decades refining their Observation Haki—so much so that they had surpassed Teach himself!
For example, right now—
"What?"
Teach instinctively raised his guard, but he had no idea where the attack was coming from.
Thankfully, Annie's voice guided him.
"The mirror!"
A mirror? But how could there be—
Before Teach could make sense of it, he caught a glimpse of movement ahead.
He raised his fist, only to see that the figure in front of him had done the exact same thing.
Looking closer, he realized—
It was just his own reflection in the shattered ice!
Tch, so that's all it was…
A smirk was starting to form on Teach's face—until, in the very next second, his eyes widened in shock. His gap-toothed grin froze in place.
Because in the reflections of the massive ice shards around him, he saw himself.
One.
Two.
Four.
Eight.
No—dozens, maybe even hundreds of Blackbeards!
Every single one of them was staring straight at him, fists clenched, each hand glowing with the signature power of the Quake-Quake Fruit.
In an instant, Teach was completely surrounded!
The battlefield had transformed into a mirrored labyrinth—one where reality no longer existed. There was nothing but illusions, nothing but copies, nothing but pure hatred staring back at him.
"This is…?"
The next second, the reflections stepped forward.
They emerged from the ice as solid figures—an entire army of "Blackbeards," all charging at Teach with fists raised!
Even if they were fakes, the force behind their Quake-Quake punches was all too real!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of devastating punches crashed toward him from every direction!
For the first time, Teach—who always seemed untouchable—appeared to waver under the assault.
Or rather, it wasn't just a simple shake—his whole body seemed to distort, splitting into multiple afterimages like a wildly swinging pendulum.
Then, as if caught in a chaotic rift of space itself, the afterimages suddenly collided and merged together.
Splurt!
A huge mouthful of blood burst from Teach's lips.
Being pounded by dozens of "himself" all at once… It almost felt like getting punched by Pops—Whitebeard—himself.
"Get out of my way, you fakes!!"
A sudden explosion of Armament Haki erupted from Teach, surging like a tidal wave!
Liya, using her Dark-Dark Fruit to the fullest, amplified the effect—thick black energy crashed outwards, sweeping the mirrored clones away!
As they were flung back, one by one, the illusions shattered—revealing their true forms.
The children of the Charlotte Family.
"You brats—!"
But before Teach could even finish his threat, an even deadlier attack came at him from behind!
"Hmph."
A flash of movement.
Teach's pupils shrank.
A streak of gold and black filled his vision.
The next second, Roman appeared behind him, sword drawn.
Like a lightning bolt tearing through the night sky, his blade flashed as he leaped from a nearby ice mirror.
The battlefield, now nothing but ruins, was instantly bathed in golden light.
Under that overwhelming brilliance, the buildings, the ground, and every single person took on a golden hue.
And within that sea of gold—
The only thing that stood out was a single, dark line.
A black slash cut through the light.
And at the center of that slash, Teach slowly dropped to one knee.
"The White Knight… You…"
"Tch. Still not dead?"
Roman clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Seriously, what's with you Four Emperors? Why are all of you built like monsters?"
He had just watched Teach take a direct hit from an army of mirrored clones using Quake-Quake punches.
And then, Roman had followed up with a full-force slash.
If it were Luffy, he'd be out cold by now.
But Teach…
Even after all that, he was still kneeling—still holding on.
"Hah… You've really pissed me off."
Teach, completely unharmed, stood up. But at the same time, on the chest of Anne, the long-haired girl sitting on his right shoulder, a sword wound suddenly appeared out of nowhere!
"Brother, little sis, be careful…"
As the second sibling among the three slowly sank into Teach's body, Roman's expression turned serious.
What kind of cheat ability was this? Three users of top-tier Devil Fruits, split into three bodies but able to fight as one… And now, it seemed they could even *share* a health bar, transferring damage to one of the sisters?
Teach… you're really starting to look like someone chosen by fate.
But in my crew—
"Waaah~~ Roman~~~"
A figure shot through the air, crashing into Roman and bursting into loud sobs, making his face darken instantly.
Seriously? Right in front of Teach's crew, the Charlotte family, and so many others? What the hell are you yelling for, you empty-headed fool?!
"How many times do I have to say—my name is—"
"Waaah! I thought you were dead~~"
"You're the one who's about to be gone! Let go, let go! And don't wipe your snot on me—"
...??
The battlefield fell into stunned silence as everyone—some of the strongest fighters present—just stood there, dumbfounded.
We're in the middle of a life-and-death battle here! Could you two take this a little more seriously?!
Meanwhile, the *Straw Hat Crew* collectively covered their faces, unable to watch.
What do we do? We really want to pretend we don't know that embarrassing captain of ours…
"…Are you guys *mocking* me?!"
BOOM—
A massive figure moved in a flash.
Teach, seething with rage, lunged straight at Roman, who was still being clung to by Luffy!
Twisting his waist, he swung his fist forward, the white-hot energy on his knuckles tearing through everything in its path!
"Quake Shock: Space Shatter!"
The punch landed—its impact faster than sound itself. The force was so intense that even gravity couldn't keep up.
Everywhere Teach stepped, it was like the world had lost its weight, the air itself shattering apart, breaking down into nothingness.
The surrounding young members of the Charlotte family were frozen in horror—their faces hadn't even finished forming an expression of shock before the vibrating air sent waves rippling through their facial muscles.
And then, in the next instant, Teach's charge sent them all flying like paper dolls!
But his real target—
"Void Guard!"
Roman threw a punch!
A double-layered Haki defense exploded outward, blowing away the black smoke that had surged toward him!
At the same time—Luffy had already stretched his arm back, twisting it for extra force.
Just as Teach's fist was about to hit Roman—
Luffy's arm, covered in two types of Haki, snapped forward like a spring!
"Gum-Gum… Spinning Lion Cannon!"
BOOM!!
A massive explosion engulfed everything in its wake!
The sky above was torn apart, clouds ripped to shreds!
The entire Cake Island shook violently, hurling everyone nearby into the air!
The ocean around the island erupted into towering waves, crashing outward in every direction like a massive *Doukai* roar!
"Hehehe~~"
After the clash, Luffy—now in *Gear Second*—braced his hands against his knees, grinning with excitement as he stared at Teach and the girl standing on his left shoulder, Leah.
"As long as Roman is with me, I'll never lose! We're the best team!!"
"Don't get careless."
Standing beside him, Roman wasn't nearly as confident.
The *Dark-Dark Fruit's* ability to suppress Devil Fruit users was way too strong.
So—
SWOOSH—
Roman's entire body transformed into a swirl of white paper, wrapping itself around Vice Admiral Luffy.
"I'll handle defense with *Armament Haki* against his darkness—"
"*Gear Fourth!*"
…Well, okay then.
Luffy had already activated *Gear Fourth* at the same time.
A towering, armored Luffy now stood in the middle of the battlefield.
"Gum-Gum… Paper Dance… Bouncing Knight!!"
(End of Chapter)
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