A violent explosion erupted not far behind Marine Headquarters' original execution platform. Flames and magma intertwined in a deadly dance, releasing scorching shockwaves that spread rapidly in all directions.
"It's not that easy to kill us! Zehahaha!" The smoke and dust quickly dissipated, revealing the figures of Teach and his crew gradually emerging from spreading, endless darkness.
Even though Ace's compressed fireball had been released with tremendous power and searing heat, and despite the fact that the seriously injured Akainu was still gasping for breath while delivering devastating attacks, their combined assault had clearly failed to achieve its intended effect.
"Cough Captain, it seems we've accidentally become public enemies," Van Augur observed quietly as he surveyed the burn marks covering his body.
Faced with the sudden two-pronged attack, even though the Blackbeard Pirates had reacted quickly—their collective evasion and defensive measures managing to offset most of the incoming damage—they still inevitably suffered various minor injuries.
Before Teach and the others could formulate a response, Jerry's calm voice suddenly rang in their ears.
"You guys are pretty self-aware."
"Look out!" Teach and his crew spun around at the sound and cried out instinctively.
However, this warning changed nothing, because Jerry had already begun swinging his fishing rod before finishing his sentence.
"Water Blade: Thunder Strike!"
Jerry whipped his Haki-enhanced fishing rod with tremendous force, targeting Vasco Shot, who stood at the group's outer edge with no room to escape.
Vasco Shot was launched sideways at alarming speed, his head striking the ground with devastating impact and creating a massive crater instantly.
Before he could even cry out, he spat mouthfuls of blood, stared at Jerry for a single second, then collapsed limply to the ground.
Jerry's lethal attack had been aimed directly at Vasco Shot's skull.
Even though the Heavy Drinker had instinctively attempted an evasive maneuver at the critical moment, he couldn't escape Jerry's predictive capabilities.
The fishing rod followed him like a shadow. Jerry's overwhelming Haki combined with the powerful invasion of water element energy completely shattered his defenses in an instant, causing the most direct internal damage possible.
As for why Jerry had chosen Vasco Shot as his target, it was because the latter always positioned himself at the rear edge of their formation, while Teach remained in the center front—making him much more difficult to reach successfully.
"One down," Jerry murmured quietly, then fixed his cold stare on Teach and the others, who were now facing a truly formidable threat.
"Hey! Are you kidding me?!"
Seeing their attacked companion fall instantly, "Corrupt King" Avalo Pizarro and "Crescent Moon Hunter" Catarina Devon stared at Jerry in shock, their voices filled with disbelief.
At this moment, their once-fearless hearts were filled with an indescribable chill.
The reason was simple—they had already experienced Jerry's decisiveness and ruthless efficiency toward them once before in Impel Down.
As a result of that encounter, they had lost—or been forced to abandon—San Juan Wolf.
Now their pirate crew had just made their grand debut, but within moments of this confrontation, they'd already lost another comrade.
This made them wonder whether Teach's earlier question about whether they should emerge together back in Impel Down hadn't been a strategic inquiry, but rather a question that would determine who lived and who died...
The pirates and Marine officers scattered throughout the distant plaza witnessed this shocking scene, staring in amazement at the "Jerry" who was entangling with Aokiji, then shifting their attention to the real Jerry who had appeared behind the Blackbeard Pirates in the blink of an eye.
"Isn't he a Level 6 major criminal from Impel Down? How could he be so weak that he fell in just one blow?"
"Are you stupid? Even if he's a Level 6 criminal, how could he possibly be as strong as Admiral Akainu?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down..."
Countless Marine officers spoke in hushed, amazed tones throughout their ranks.
The Whitebeard Pirates cheered continuously. Even though most people still didn't understand the specific situation completely, they all understood that Teach was definitely their enemy.
Revolutionary Army members were equally shocked by the scene before them, but they generally didn't allow themselves to remain distracted for long. Instead, they seized the opportunity to escort Luffy's group several dozen meters closer to safety.
Obviously, if no more powerful top-tier combatants intervened, it was only a matter of time before Luffy and the others successfully escaped.
"Hmph!" Seeing this development, Garp—who had been lurking in the corner—finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since the execution had begun, his heart had been tense, his emotions riding up and down like a roller coaster.
At this moment, he clenched his fists until they crackled audibly, a long-absent smile appeared at the corners of his mouth, and he slowly took a step forward.
"Blackbeard, is it? You don't want to be a Warlord anymore? Very good!" Garp grinned, revealing his white teeth, and muttered to himself with obvious satisfaction.
Seeing Jerry charge into the enemy formation first, Ace planted his feet firmly on the ground, leaped into the air, and rushed forward without the slightest hesitation.
"Leviathan Jerry! You're absolutely determined to make things difficult for us, aren't you?" Teach glanced at Vasco Shot's fallen form, hatred surging in his heart, and spoke through gritted teeth.
Jerry casually swung his fishing rod, a mocking expression playing across his lips. "So what if I am?"
Then his eyes became as cold as the depths of winter, chilling observers to the bone: "You don't actually think you can still chat and laugh with me as if nothing happened after you hurt Kotatsu, do you?"
Kotatsu, who was now in the rear area, had recovered under Deuce's careful medical attention and had conveyed specific details of the attack to Jerry through their exclusive mental connection.
Earlier, Kotatsu had been concentrating on maintaining the live broadcast from his aerial position when a powerful sense of crisis had suddenly emerged.
But by the time he'd realized it was a long-range sniper attack, it had been too late to dodge or defend properly.
Under stress reaction, Kotatsu had only managed to twist his body to avoid vital areas, but was still struck hard by the precision bullet.
If it weren't for his Mythical Zoan abilities providing Kotatsu with tremendously enhanced vitality, and if it weren't for the immediate medical treatment from Deuce and the others, the outcome of that attack could have been far worse.
"Then let's show our true colors!" Teach spread his arms wide as dark energy flowed like thick smoke in all directions, creating an oppressive and terrifying atmosphere.
Seeing this development, Shiryu and the others took up combat positions and prepared to assault Jerry.
They weren't about to be intimidated just because Vasco Shot had fallen so quickly.
However, before the Blackbeard Pirates could launch their coordinated attack, two different voices filled with burning rage rang out almost simultaneously.
"Teach!" Ace's figure flew through the air as he threw a punch charged with overwhelming Haki, aimed directly at the traitor before him.
"Blackbeard!" Another figure in a Marine officer's coat also leaped high into the air.
"Meteor Impact!"
The legendary Marine hero Garp had finally entered the fray, his massive fist crackling with the same devastating power that had once cornered the Pirate King himself. His weathered face showed none of his usual joviality—only cold, professional fury directed at the man who had dared to manipulate the World Government's own systems.