The tragic news of the legendary captain, Yonko Whitebeard, dying in battle shortly after Fire Fist Ace, instantly spread across the world.
The Whitebeard Pirates' mission to rescue Fire Fist Ace had failed!
"The World's Strongest Man, truly worthy of the title!" Aeridar gazed intently at Whitebeard's unyielding, standing corpse.
"Fufufufufu~ This is too interesting! This will undoubtedly cause a monumental shift in the era!"
Doflamingo spread his arms and grinned sinisterly: "But I don't believe this is going to end easily. He even brought the world's most ferocious criminals and the Head Jailer of Impel Down!"
"What exactly is that bastard Blackbeard plotting?"
"What a persistent old bastard! Did he finally kick the bucket?!" Blackbeard Teach looked at Whitebeard's corpse, letting out a small sigh of relief.
"Everything is according to plan so far," Laffitte adjusted the black top hat on his head, looking at Teach. "So, Captain..."
Teach grinned and laughed excitedly: "Zehahahaha~ The real show..."
"I said, are you that excited to steal my kill, Blackbeard?"
Suddenly, a voice interrupted Teach's laughter.
"Hmm?"
Blackbeard was stunned, turning his head to look, and his face instantly froze, his pupils rapidly contracting.
He saw Aeridar suspended in mid-air, slowly approaching.
"Golden Ring Aeridar!"
Teach narrowed his eyes, his expression recovering. He chuckled menacingly: "Zehahahaha! My apologies! It seems Pops's head is very important to you!"
In truth, within Marineford, the person Teach feared most was Aeridar. Figures like Sengoku, Garp, and Kizaru did not cause him such particular apprehension. With his high-speed flight, instant teleportation, super-strong Impact Wave, and the same tremor ability as Whitebeard, this man before him was arguably the closest person to the Yonko throne.
He was also one of the biggest existing obstacles in Teach's plan, especially the double Devil Fruit ability, which shocked Teach beyond measure. This ability was supposed to be the most crucial part of his plan, yet someone else had already achieved it long ago.
"Whitebeard's head means nothing to me, and stop disgusting me!" Aeridar sneered, disgusted that Teach was still calling Whitebeard "Pops."
"Zehahahaha~ You really don't mince words!" Teach laughed dismissively.
At this moment, the Blackbeard crew members were also tensely watching Aeridar. They had been here for a while and had clearly witnessed Aeridar's monstrous strength and his dual-fruit ability, causing them to eye Teach curiously more than once.
The iron rule of Devil Fruits was that one person could not consume two. This meant every user was limited to one power. However, that iron rule had already been broken once. Was it about to be broken a second time, back to back, today?
"You're not the only one who can put on a world-shocking performance!" Teach stared intently at Aeridar, then waved a hand toward his crew behind him. "Let the world open its eyes!"
Shwoosh!
Laffitte, Burgess, Van Augur, Shot, and Pizarro all simultaneously produced a large black cloth and covered Whitebeard's body, completely concealing the corpse.
"What trick are those guys trying to pull now?!"
"That bastard Teach..."
"What more does he want to do to the dead Pops?"
Marines and pirates alike were confused.
Teach gave Aeridar a deep look, then silently lifted a corner of the large black cloth and slipped underneath.
"In that case, I apologize, but entry is temporarily prohibited!"
Laffitte watched Aeridar nervously, and the Blackbeard Pirates all took up defensive stances.
Aeridar's eyes flashed, but he neither spoke nor made a move.
While his crew's strength was considerable, and some individuals were very powerful, they couldn't stop him. However, he didn't want to carelessly alter history, as the variables would become too great.
It wasn't out of fear, but simply to avoid unnecessary complications. His goal wasn't the Yonko position anyway, so what did it matter if Blackbeard became a Yonko? Perhaps they could even cooperate in the future.
Meanwhile, Akainu and numerous Marines were still relentlessly pursuing the Whitebeard Pirates and the pirates from the New World.
For Akainu in particular, Luffy was no less a super-criminal than Whitebeard or Fire Fist Ace. If he wasn't killed now, the consequences would be endless.
"Aeridar, what should we do?"
Hancock walked up to Aeridar and asked. Doflamingo, not far away, also looked over.
"Wait and see," Aeridar shook his head, a cryptic expression on his face.
Though Hancock was puzzled, she didn't press the matter. Doflamingo, surprisingly, settled down leisurely on a raised rock, crossing one leg over the other.
A short time later, Laffitte looked up at the sky, checking the time. He pinched the brim of his black top hat between his thumb and index finger and said, "It looks like preparations are just about complete."
Hearing this, Burgess immediately shouted in his booming voice: "Let us see it, Captain!"
"Then, thank you for waiting, everyone. Our Captain Teach of the Blackbeard Pirates proudly presents a world-class performance!"
"Please enjoy it to the fullest!"
Laffitte politely bowed with the others and dramatically pulled off the large black cloth that was covering Whitebeard and Blackbeard.
There was a stir among the Marines.
"Marines! Let me show you my power!" Blackbeard Teach stepped out, pointing at all the Marines present, and laughed wildly.
"Which means we are officially enemies again!"
"Zehahahaha! Black Vortex!!!"
A plume of black smoke rose from Teach. He pressed one hand to the ground, and darkness instantly covered the area. Marines all around began to sink continuously into the earth.
"This is the power of my Dark-Dark Fruit! And..."
Teach stood up, a look of madness on his face. One hand radiated darkness, while his other arm was raised and held in a position that was strangely familiar—Whitebeard's signature pose.
"Here it comes!"
Aeridar's eyes gleamed, a sinister expression appearing on his face.
Crack~
Teach punched the air, and the atmosphere instantly shattered into dozens of fissures. The horrifying power of a quake once again transmitted through the air.
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
The ground fractured, and a wave of violent tremors pulsed through the earth. In a flash, countless Marines were flung into the air. The terrifying tremor force spread outward, shattering countless bricks and stones, toppling cannon towers, and causing the gigantic, already devastated Marine Headquarters fortress to completely collapse and disintegrate under this fearsome power. The shockwave kicked up a boundless cloud of dust.
"The Marine... Headquarters..."
Sengoku gaped, unable to believe the sight.
The Marine Headquarters fortress, the symbol of 'Absolute Justice,' had collapsed and been destroyed!
"That's..."
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's ability!"
"But, by all accounts, Whitebeard is dead, and only Golden Ring Aeridar should possess the ability to cause tremors!"
"Why?! Why does that guy have the power of the dead Whitebeard?!"
The Marines were filled with terror and incomprehension.