A burst of black smoke billowed out from Blackbeard Teach and, in the blink of an eye, covered the ground.
The battle between Whitebeard and Blackbeard had begun.
Neither Aeridar nor Borsalino wanted to interfere in this vendetta, as anyone who meddled in such a deeply personal grudge would severely tarnish their own reputation.
This fight was strange from the outset. Teach's Dark-Dark Fruit ability completely neutralized Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit power. Any touch on Whitebeard's body caused his Devil Fruit ability to temporarily vanish, much like touching Seastone.
With his Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability nullified, Whitebeard was struck by a series of heavy punches from Teach, and his naginata was knocked flying into the air.
It must be remembered that Teach made his debut using martial arts; the scars on Shanks's eye were left by Teach's iron claws. Ace barely managed to withstand one of Teach's punches, nearly having his shoulder broken, which spoke volumes about the weight of his strikes.
However, the veteran Whitebeard was not one to be outdone. He deliberately continued to use his ability to attack Teach to deceive him, then seized the opportunity to catch his naginata as it fell from the air, instantly delivering a slash.
"It hurts! It hurts so much! Damn it! Ah—" Teach clutched his wound, the double pain making it unbearable.
"Arrogance and carelessness, that is your weakness!" Whitebeard grabbed hold of the convulsing Teach on the ground, gripping his face with one hand as a faint white sphere of pressure appeared.
"Stop! Pops, stop it! I'm your son!" Teach screamed in terror. "Are you really going to kill me?!"
Boom!
Rumble, rumble, rumble…
With two successive tremor attacks, the ground instantly broke apart, shattered stones flew, and the resulting shockwaves immediately spread out, kicking up a towering cloud of dust.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit's ability is absorbing the damage!" Aeridar frowned slightly as he saw Blackbeard Teach, still alive, through the smoke.
Whitebeard was exhausted, and combined with the damage he had previously sustained, it was safe to say he was beyond saving. This unfortunate moment gave Teach a chance to catch his breath.
But Whitebeard was Whitebeard after all. Steam began to rise from his entire body, and his skin turned pink, much like Luffy's state in Gear 2. He walked, step by step, toward Blackbeard Teach.
"Accelerating the flow of blood within his body... This technique... is it the final strike?" Aeridar recognized Whitebeard's state instantly, as it was a method he had also used in his fight against Redfield, a way to completely squeeze the body's potential.
This method was rarely used because it was prone to causing immense physical damage and long-term consequences. Only a rubber body like Luffy's could adapt to it. After Aeridar used this technique, he had to take substantial restorative measures for a period of time to truly recover.
The fact that Whitebeard was using this now clearly indicated it was his final attack.
"You monster!"
Teach was enveloped by Whitebeard's towering figure, causing his heart to nearly burst with terror as he stumbled and fell to the ground.
Whitebeard remained silent, his fist, encased in the faint white sphere of pressure, hammered directly toward Teach.
Teach cried out in fearful unwillingness: "You're already dying! Can't you just die quietly!"
Instinctively, he drew the large-caliber flintlock pistol from his waist.
Bang!
The gun fired.
The bullet violently tore into Whitebeard's chest, splashing blood outward.
"Ergh—"
Whitebeard's body froze, his final reserves of strength vanishing.
"Finish him! All of you!"
Teach pulled the trigger again, shooting at Whitebeard while simultaneously shouting for the Blackbeard Pirates.
Clang, clang, clang...
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...
Spears stabbing, swords slashing, guns firing—the Blackbeard Pirates assaulted the now defenseless Whitebeard. Blood continued to spray out, prompting Teach to laugh hysterically again.
Putting aside the Blackbeard Pirates' siege of Whitebeard, Aeridar, suspended in mid-air, was now deep in thought.
The war had reached its climax and was about to end. Shanks was probably not far off.
Aeridar's main concern was whether Blackbeard would obtain the Tremor-Tremor Fruit ability as he did in the original timeline.
This war had forced Aeridar to expose much of his strength, but he had also gained a lot. Although he failed to kill Whitebeard in the end, his reputation had been genuinely established, especially with the appearance of the Float-Float Fruit ability, which made countless people wary of him.
Similarly, the World Government and the Navy would become even more cautious of him.
Therefore, allowing Blackbeard to obtain the power would ensure that the historical trajectory remained unchanged. Blackbeard would take over the Yonko position, Aeridar would not be the only multi-Devil Fruit user, and Blackbeard would passively help Aeridar bear some of the resulting pressure.
If he prevented Blackbeard from obtaining it, Aeridar would be the sole multi-Devil Fruit user, enduring immense pressure from all sides. However, he would eliminate a great enemy in the future, and history would change from this point. The Yonko position would be vacant, leading countless pirates to fight for it, which would result in a chaos far greater in scale and potential uncontrollability than the original.
Both choices had their pros and cons, which caused Aeridar to hesitate for a moment.
He did not intend to take the Yonko position, so there was no immediate conflict of interest between them. Allowing Blackbeard to take it was acceptable; this way, the era would not spiral into such violent chaos, and the situation would not become uncontrollable.
Although Aeridar was not afraid of constant provocation from mindless pirates, it was still a persistent annoyance and a bother.
"THE ONE PIECE IS REAL!!!"
Suddenly, Whitebeard's voice thundered throughout Marineford, startling Aeridar out of his contemplation and spreading via video feeds across the entire world!
"You utter bastard!"
Sengoku's eyes were bloodshot.
First the Pirate King, Roger, decades ago, and now Whitebeard Edward Newgate, the two kings of the sea, simultaneously declared the existence of the ONE PIECE to the world once again.
"Zehahahaha~ What an incredible dying message!"
Blackbeard Teach laughed maniacally.
"Heh heh heh~ The new era... has arrived!"
Laughing softly, Aeridar closed his eyes and stretched out his hands to the sky, as if embracing the world.
Whitebeard was dead.
The legend of the sea, the World's Strongest Man, the head of the Yonko, Whitebeard - Edward Newgate, had fallen in battle!
"He's dead, and yet he still stands!"
Blackbeard Teach stared in horror at the perfectly upright, lifeless body of Whitebeard.
"Pops!"
The Whitebeard Pirates and the pirates from the New World were all weeping uncontrollably, overwhelmed by grief.
At the age of 72, the man who had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Pirate King on these seas, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Great Pirate - Edward Newgate, known as Whitebeard, unfortunately died in the climax battle between the Whitebeard Pirate Fleet and the Marine Headquarters and the Seven Warlords of the Sea in Marineford Bay!
Though dead, his body was unbowed. His magnificent figure, riddled with wounds, fighting ferociously until the end, was truly that of a monster!
The number of sword wounds he sustained in this battle totaled 267! The number of bullet wounds was 152! The number of cannonball hits was 46!
Despite all this, his back remained full of dignity. In fact, throughout his entire life as a pirate, he never once displayed the shame of running away.
The wind blew Whitebeard's great coat open, revealing his back, which was completely without a single scar.