The moment they saw who had arrived, every member of the Whitebeard Pirates instantly had bloodshot eyes!
Marco, Jozu, Vista—every one of them erupted with murderous intent, locking their rage onto the man laughing maniacally in the distance.
Teach.
"You goddamn traitor!!"
"You killed Captain Thatch, and you dare show your face?!"
"I'm gonna kill you!!"
A chorus of furious roars erupted from the crew.
Were they not in the midst of battle with the Marines, they would've charged in unison and torn apart the one who murdered Thatch.
Yet, Teach, faced with those killing glares from his former comrades—didn't even flinch.
He didn't even glance their way.
He casually straightened his tattered captain's coat, then swaggered arrogantly toward the Five Elders, who were still entangled with Nika Luffy and Lucian Thorn.
"Zehahahahahaha!"
Grinning widely, he sauntered forward with arrogant swagger.
"Zehahaha! Lords of the Five Elders… you look rather pathetic, don't you?"
"Need a hand?"
Saturn, in his Ushi-Oni form, stopped moving, his cold gaze locking onto Teach.
"Teach, what are you up to?"
His voice was frigid, tinged with suspicion.
"Nothing too complicated,"
Teach shrugged with a wicked grin.
"I'm just saying, I can help you kill the Straw Hat brat, take down the two Whitebeards, and wipe out all the leftover Whitebeard pirates below!"
"Oh?"
Venus, in Bakotsu form, dodged a wild punch from Nika Luffy as he let out a raspy voice.
"But surely not for free?"
"Of course not!"
Teach didn't bother hiding his ambition.
"My demand is simple."
"Once this war is over—Whitebeard's territory, and his Emperor title… belong to me!"
The Five Elders exchanged glances.
A decision was made in an instant.
They barely hesitated.
The current situation was not in their favor.
That monster Lucian, with his soul-burning flames, completely countered their regeneration.
And Sun God Nika was a lunatic who played with them like toys.
If things kept going this way—they really might die here.
"Fine!"
"We accept!"
"So long as you eliminate them for us, the Four Emperors title is yours!"
To them, that title meant nothing compared to eliminating the threat of the Sun God.
"Zehahahahaha!"
Getting the deal he wanted, Teach laughed even louder.
He suddenly turned.
"Crew! You heard the man!"
"Support the Marines! Kill them all!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Shiryu and the others laughed coldly as they launched into the chaotic battlefield like shadows.
Meanwhile, Teach marched toward the battlefield's other side—toward the two towering titans.
Elder Whitebeard, and Prime Whitebeard.
"Zehahaha! Pops!"
"And… younger Pops?"
He stared greedily at the two Whitebeards, excitement glowing in his eyes.
"Not sure how that version of you came back, but…"
His smile twisted into a sneer.
"Your era is over."
"This is my time!"
"You talk too much."
Prime Whitebeard didn't even waste words.
He vanished.
In the next second, he appeared before Teach—his massive Murakumo Giri cloaked in black lightning—and brought it crashing down!
Too fast!
Teach's pupils shrank. All he could do was cross his arms, coating them in Armament Haki to block.
One strike.
Just one.
And Teach was sent flying like a cannonball, slamming into the ruins of Marine HQ and kicking up a storm of dust!
"Cough…! Gah!"
Teach staggered up from the rubble.
"Zehaha…! Not bad… younger Pops!"
But before he could rise—Elder Whitebeard arrived with another devastating slash!
This time, his naginata came from above—empowered by the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
BOOM!
Double strike!
The combined assault of two Whitebeards turned Teach into a bloody mess instantly!
But as Prime Whitebeard was about to unleash the Tremor ability to finish the job—something changed.
He felt the vibration energy from his blade get… absorbed.
It was swallowed by a strange dark power the moment it touched Teach!
Elder Whitebeard noticed it too.
Both men were stunned.
"Zeh… Zehahahaha…"
From within the rubble, covered in blood, Teach rose slowly, grinning wickedly.
"Useless, Pops."
"My Dark-Dark Fruit can absorb anything!"
"Your Tremor-Tremor Fruit is worthless against me!!"
Prime Whitebeard's gaze turned cold.
"Is that so?"
He slowly raised Murakumo Giri once more.
This time, a surge of pure Conqueror's Haki—far more terrifying than before—exploded from him!
"Brat…"
"Did you forget how I kept up with Roger back in the day?"
He nodded at Elder Whitebeard, signaling him to step back.
Then—he swung.
No Tremor-Tremor powers.
Just the purest form of Conqueror's Haki, infused into his slash.
Teach's twisted grin vanished.
Replaced by sheer, primal terror.
He tried to dodge—
—but he couldn't.
BOOOOOM!!!
The Haki-wrapped slash hit squarely.
Teach screamed as he was blasted away like a missile, smashing through every remaining building in his path before finally being embedded deep into the ruins of Marineford's main fortress!
And yet, even after all that—
Prime Whitebeard could still sense a faint, flickering presence.
The bastard…
was still alive!
"What a monster…"
At that moment—two figures burst out of the Marine ranks.
"Great Eruption!"
"Iron Fist!"
Akainu and Steel Bone Kong had seized the opportunity, launching simultaneous attacks at the two Whitebeards!
Elsewhere, Shiryu and the Blackbeard Pirates' commanders clashed with the Whitebeard Pirates' division captains.
The battlefield had devolved into total chaos.
A massive, all-out brawl.
Yet strangely—neither the Marines nor Blackbeard's men dared step near one specific area:
The place where Nika Luffy was still playing with the Five Elders like toys.
They would rather face two Whitebeards…
than provoke the Sun God bouncing world leaders around like rubber balls.
High in the sky—
Lucian Thorn silently observed the ruined Marineford below.
Everyone meant to appear…
had arrived.
All except…
the Face King.
This farce…
was ready to end.
He raised both hands slowly, palms facing the sky.
Golden divine energy surged into his hands—
forming a radiant orb as brilliant as the sun itself.
Its light eclipsed the very sun above.
"Go."
He said it softly—
then tossed the "sun" upward into the clouds.
In that moment—
the sky changed color.
The world went silent.
The entire firmament turned blinding gold.
Then—
A massive golden sword of light slowly emerged from the clouds above, its tip glowing with a divine brilliance that could make gods tremble.
Its scale…
was a hundred times greater than the one that had appeared at the Whitebeard Pirates' home base.