Blackbeard spoke with absolute confidence.
"Old man… I once admired you too.
But now? How much strength do you even have left?"
"How about it… hand that power over to me!"
Most people didn't understand the meaning behind Teach's last sentence.
Whitebeard couldn't be bothered to think about it at all.
He charged straight at Blackbeard.
Terrifying vibrations gathered around his left fist, making the air hum violently.
"It's useless! Completely useless!"
Darkness surged from Blackbeard's right hand as he directly met Whitebeard's punch, shocking everyone present.
In that instant, everyone thought Blackbeard had gone insane.
That was an attack from the strongest man in the world.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was known as the strongest Devil Fruit in existence.
Even Sengoku wouldn't dare to block Whitebeard's attack with his body.
So how could Blackbeard possibly do it?
Blackbeard roared with confidence.
"Dark Water!"
A mass of darkness burst forth, wrapping completely around the tremor sphere on Whitebeard's fist.
To everyone's disbelief, that power said to be capable of destroying the world began to shrink, fading away inside the darkness until it vanished completely.
"Hahahaha! Didn't expect that, did you?!
This is the ability of the Dark-Dark Fruit! It nullifies all Devil Fruit powers and absorbs them!"
Blackbeard grinned smugly, savoring the shock on Whitebeard's face.
At the same time, darkness coated his left fist as he slammed it straight into Whitebeard's chest.
Cough!
Whitebeard staggered backward.
Blackbeard was viciously precise — the punch landed exactly on Whitebeard's existing chest wound.
"Teach!"
Whitebeard's eyes burned with fury.
Both fists gathered tremors as he launched a relentless assault.
"Zehahahaha! It's useless, old man!
This helpless look on your face… it really disappoints me!"
Blackbeard laughed wildly, greedily blocking Whitebeard's tremors with Dark Water again and again.
Without exception, every shockwave was swallowed whole.
Nearby, Sengoku was content to watch pirates kill each other and chose not to interfere.
The Blackbeard Pirates had gathered a group of legendary criminals.
If a fight broke out now, the risk would be enormous.
They weren't the Marines' strategic objective anyway.
As long as Whitebeard died, that was enough.
Escaped criminals could always be hunted down later.
However, watching Blackbeard's performance, Sengoku's expression gradually turned serious.
"This ability… it's terrifying."
Sengoku saw further than most.
If even Whitebeard's tremors could be nullified and absorbed, then his Mythical Zoan: Buddha form, as well as the Admirals' Logia abilities, would likely suffer the same fate.
Blackbeard had obtained a Devil Fruit capable of suppressing all ability users.
"No… a Devil Fruit this powerful must have a weakness.
Whitebeard, with your experience, you should be able to find it…"
Sengoku stared at the battlefield without blinking.
Blackbeard was a dangerous schemer.
If possible, it would be best to bury him here.
Of course, if the two of them could kill each other, that would be ideal.
Blackbeard laughed uncontrollably after easily suppressing the so-called strongest Devil Fruit.
Victory seemed within reach.
But he failed to notice —
Whitebeard caught the airborne Murakumogiri, and in the instant Blackbeard let his guard down, slashed him across the chest.
"AH! It hurts! It hurts!"
Blackbeard rolled on the ground in agony.
Sengoku's eyes lit up.
"So that's it… he can't turn intangible.
And his pain tolerance is far lower than normal."
"That means pure Haki users counter him perfectly!"
"As expected… this is the Dark-Dark Fruit's weakness!"
True to his title as the 'Strategist', Sengoku identified Blackbeard's fatal flaw in an instant.
"Teach, arrogance and recklessness are your greatest weaknesses!"
Whitebeard roared and smashed a rage-filled punch downward.
Blackbeard's soul nearly left his body.
"Old man! Please! I'm your—"
BOOM!
Whitebeard showed no mercy, smashing Blackbeard straight into the ground.
Whitebeard staggered back two steps, breathing heavily.
Yet Blackbeard twitched… and climbed back out of the crater.
"Zehahahaha! Thought I was dead for a second!
Looks like you've hit your limit too, old man!"
Blood streamed from Blackbeard's forehead.
He looked miserable, yet he was still very much alive.
A trace of sorrow flickered through Whitebeard's eyes.
"Teach… the one who will inherit Roger's will… will never be you."
"Zehahahaha! Who cares about that kind of thing?!"
Blackbeard truly didn't care.
As long as his ambition was fulfilled, he would do anything.
Whitebeard spoke softly.
"A man's dreams never die.
Sengoku… do you Marines really think killing Roger stopped people from chasing their dreams?"
"Don't kid yourselves."
"The thing you fear most… will arrive sooner or later.
There will definitely be such a day!"
Whitebeard planted Murakumogiri into the ground, straightened his body, and roared toward the sky.
"ONE PIECE… IS REAL!"
"Damn you, Whitebeard!"
Sengoku's heart sank.
In a single careless moment, he had been played again.
The existence of One Piece had always rested on Roger's word alone.
True or false, no one knew.
But with Whitebeard's confirmation, Sengoku could already imagine the storm that would engulf the seas.
What he didn't yet realize was —
Whitebeard's declaration had already spread across the world through Buggy's live broadcast.
The Great Pirate Era, begun by Roger, reached its peak in Whitebeard's time.
Just as Sengoku was about to curse Whitebeard again, he fell silent.
Because Whitebeard's presence… had completely vanished.
A gentle breeze blew.
Whitebeard's cloak fluttered.
Edward Newgate, seventy-two years old.
He had fought over a hundred battles in his life.
His body bore countless wounds.
His back remained pristine and untouched.
At Marineford, he fought three emperor-level forces and never retreated.
Standing tall like a king, he died on his feet.
Blackbeard stared at the corpse, momentarily afraid to approach.
Another great hero of the sea had fallen.
Oguro watched Whitebeard's body in silence.
Though he disliked pirates, he couldn't deny Whitebeard's unique charisma.
Very few people could encounter him without being affected by his presence.
"Zeh… zehahahaha! He's finally dead!"
Blackbeard stared for a long time before confirming Whitebeard's death, then burst into triumphant laughter.
He waved his hand.
The people behind him immediately pulled out a large black cloth and covered Whitebeard's body.
"What is he planning to do…?"
Sengoku felt an ominous chill.
Oguro, however, stared at the scene with glowing eyes.
At last…
The most critical moment had arrived.