"Teach, what do you mean by this? What's happened to Pops?" Thatch asked hurriedly.
Teach patted his stomach and replied, "Relax. As long as Pops is in my body, he'll be fine. But if I spit him out now, things could get messy. You all should know the consequences of forcing the awakening of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit in Pops' current state, right?"
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates fell silent. Teach continued, "By using my powers to swallow Pops, not only can I save his life, but I can also borrow his strength to get us out of this situation. Trust me, my brothers!"
As he spoke, Teach clenched his fist, and a translucent white halo—the signature shockwave of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—formed around it.
Witnessing this, everyone was astonished. Aside from Fleet Admiral Сarl no one in the world had been known to wield multiple Devil Fruit abilities!
Teach smirked smugly, then shifted his gaze toward Carl.
Carl's expression remained calm and composed, showing no surprise at Teach's display of dual abilities. Yet, even with the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Teach couldn't shake the strong sense of unease he felt facing Carl.
A bead of cold sweat slid down Teach's forehead as he thought, Damn it! This guy is a monster!
Admiral Akainu, having seen enough of Teach's antics, stepped forward, unleashing a magma fist. Teach gritted his teeth and struck the air before him, creating a powerful shockwave to counter Akainu's attack.
Teach's ability to wield the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power so soon after obtaining it spoke volumes about his latent strength. It was clear he'd been concealing his true abilities throughout his years with the Whitebeard Pirates.
In a flash of golden light, Borsalino appeared beside Teach, one hand on his chin and the other in his pocket. Pouting slightly, he said, "Oh~? How impressive, actually using the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's abilities?"
Before Teach could react, Borsalino's leg, glowing with golden light, swept across his face. The blinding flash sent Teach hurtling backward, skidding across the ground for dozens of meters before coming to a stop.
Despite the harsh impact, Teach quickly climbed to his feet, his battered face now sporting a charred black mark from Borsalino's light-speed kick. Spitting out a few bloodied teeth, Teach wiped his mouth, glared at Carl's group, and thought, No, even with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, I can't take on all three of them. I have to escape!
Taking a deep breath, Teach shouted, "Brothers! I'm taking Pops and getting out of here! Cover me!"
Without hesitation, Teach unleashed a massive shockwave, triggering another violent earthquake on Whole Cake Island before dashing into the crowd.
The Whitebeard Pirates hesitated briefly, thinking, Didn't you just say you'd use Pops' power to save us?
But regardless of their thoughts, the crew, ever loyal to Whitebeard, chose to fight. After all, with Whitebeard inside Teach, his escape meant Whitebeard's survival.
Thus, the crew launched themselves at Akainu and Borsalino, determined to buy time for Teach. Jozu, leading one group, confronted Akainu, while Thatch led another against Borsalino.
Though they stood no chance against the Admirals, they managed to delay them momentarily.
Meanwhile, Teach, focused solely on escape, didn't even glance back as his comrades' screams echoed behind him. Instead, he seized the opportunity to swallow Chiffon into his body.
Carl, however, made no move. Watching Teach flee, a faint, enigmatic smile appeared on his face. He had already decided—so long as Teach stayed out of trouble, he would let him go. After all, Teach's fate belonged to Shanks. This would offer his brother the perfect chance to return to the family.
...
A charred figure fell to the ground, still smoldering with traces of magma. It was Jozu, the Third Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Now, however, he resembled graphite more than diamond.
Moments earlier, Akainu had grabbed his diamond-clad body with his magma-infused hand, crushing him under immense heat and pressure.
Elsewhere, Borsalino wielded the Sword in one hand while holding Thatch's severed head in the other.
After a brief pause, Borsalino tossed the head into the air and kicked it like a ball.
Crack!
The head exploded mid-air, splattering blood and brain matter.
Borsalino blinked, startled. "Wait a second—Carl..."
"What's up?"
Carl emerged from a dark vortex beside Borsalino, arms crossed and smiling.
Embarrassed, Borsalino rubbed his neck. He had attempted to mimic Carl's signature move of using a head as a projectile but ended up botching it.
Carl shook his head with a chuckle. "What kind of head can survive your kicks? You need to coat it with Haki first."
With that, Carl vanished, reappearing moments later holding a massive, still-warm head.
The head belonged to Morley, Commander of the Revolutionary Army's West Army.
Morley, who had been tunneling beneath Whole Cake Island to create an escape route, met his end when Carl found him mid-dig.
Morley's face bore no sign of pain—he had died peacefully.
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+250 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg