"How is this possible?"
God Zesu's eyes went wide as he shouted in disbelief. His most confident attack had been absorbed so easily.
He could tell it was Teach's ability at work, but what kind of power could simply swallow another person's attack? The truth was right in front of him, yet he refused to accept it.
Shock flashed across his face, but it did not stop him. Instead, it pushed him further.
Then I'll use it. My strongest move.
Teach watched quietly and could not help but feel amused. This so-called god was clearly a bit dramatic. His expressions were exaggerated, eyes bulging, mouth hanging open. Compared to his earlier calm arrogance, he now looked almost comical.
Enel had worn the same kind of expression back then.
Zesu took a deep breath and forcibly steadied himself. His posture straightened, and the divine air he had lost returned.
"I didn't expect the people of the Blue Sea to possess such a trick," he said coldly. "Then bear witness. This is the grace bestowed upon you by God. To die beneath it is the greatest honor of your lives. Since its creation, you are the first to see it."
His eyes burned with fanatic confidence.
"Even if you possess a power similar to that of a god, you are still a false god. Before a true god, all must sleep."
"Divine Domain: Supercritical!"
A terrifying pressure gathered inside Zesu's body, swelling as if ready to burst. Steam erupted beneath his feet, lifting him into the air.
The moment his voice fell, power exploded outward.
Extreme heat and extreme cold fused together, surpassing critical limits. Everything within its reach was scorched and frozen at the same time. Matter warped, shattered, and collapsed under the violent clash of forces.
This was not simple steam. It was the ultimate expression of the Steam-Steam Fruit.
High temperature and low temperature. Compression and expansion. Explosive impact layered upon impact. All of his abilities refined and compressed into a single domain.
This was Zesu's strongest technique.
Supercritical.
Teach could clearly sense it. The temperature fluctuated wildly, soaring past six hundred degrees Celsius in some areas while plunging below seventy degrees below zero in others. And this was not even its limit.
As his ability continued to develop, those extremes could climb even higher. The explosive force could grow even stronger.
For the first time, Teach grew slightly serious.
A faint purple gleam flickered in his eyes as he glimpsed the future through Observation Haki. He had already seen the devastation this move could cause.
It was terrifying. There was no denying that.
But it still was not enough.
As the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users, Teach's darkness could devour nearly any ability-based attack. With his current strength, there was little that could truly threaten him.
Even Edward Newgate's tremors or Sengoku's shockwaves could be swallowed by his darkness. If he made contact, he could temporarily suppress their abilities entirely and crush them with raw physical power.
The world dimmed.
A white barrier erupted outward from Zesu's body, rapidly expanding. This was his domain, the area completely engulfed by his power. At full output, it could cover most of Birka Island.
This was the terror of a Logia ability, a natural disaster given form.
Steam itself, in his hands, rivaled top-tier Logia fruits like the Ice-Ice Fruit or the Mag-Mag Fruit in raw destructive force.
Zesu still restrained himself. This was his kingdom, after all. Even so, the power remained overwhelming.
Red and blue intertwined, instantly flooding the domain with light. From afar, the entire area glowed a gem-like purple, ice and heat fusing into a brilliant, unreal color.
Beautiful.
And utterly deadly.
Inside the domain, it was hell. Scorching heat and freezing cold alternated without warning, layered with crushing pressure and violent shockwaves. Armament Haki offered little protection, as the temperature itself conducted through it.
Worse still, this was steam.
It invaded the body through skin, breath, and pores, attacking from the inside out.
Supercritical truly lived up to its name.
At the center of it all, infinite dark gravity surged.
Teach raised his hand.
"Black Hole."
The dark vortex expanded instantly, swelling to nearly twenty meters across. It spun violently, devouring air itself. Purple light was torn away piece by piece as the domain was eaten alive.
From a distance, the once-complete domain now looked as if a massive chunk had been ripped out.
The ground within the affected area sank deeply. The palace behind Zesu and the surrounding buildings were reduced to rubble under the crushing force.
"No… impossible…"
Zesu stared in horror. The black vortex did not fade. It continued to spin, devouring everything he created. Steam, heat, cold, even the air itself vanished into darkness.
He felt it clearly now. A powerful pull was dragging at his body, threatening to tear him into that abyss.
Even with steam propulsion, he could barely stabilize himself.
For the first time since gaining divine power, Zesu felt fear.
He had used everything. Every trump card. Yet he still could not understand what kind of power stood before him.
Long-range attacks were useless. Close combat was worse. His Mantra screamed danger, and he could sense the many powerful presences among the Blue Sea intruders.
If he rushed in, he would be torn apart.
If he was swallowed by that darkness, he did not even know what would remain of him.
He had reached his limit.
"What do you want?" Zesu bowed his head, his voice strained. "Why have you come to Birka? If you need something, perhaps I can help."
He could not abandon Birka. This was the kingdom he had ruled for years.
Teach smiled faintly.
"Heh. End it."
Redyat nodded.
In the next instant, he vanished.
There was no flash of light, no sound. Just raw speed.
Zesu sensed him. He knew Redyat was there, but his body could not keep up.
Before he could react, a presence appeared behind him.
Instinctively, Zesu's body turned into colorless steam, searing hot and intangible. Normally, this would have avoided any physical attack.
But this was not normal.
Boom!
The air itself roared.
Redyat kicked him squarely in the waist, hands still in his pockets. Armament Haki crushed through the steam, forcing Zesu back into solid form mid-impact.
Zesu's body bent violently, frozen in midair for a split second.
Then he was launched like a cannonball.
Blood sprayed from his mouth as he flew helplessly toward Teach.
Redyat had held back. With his strength, he could have killed Zesu instantly. But the god was still useful.
A loud crash echoed as Zesu smashed into the ground, carving out a deep pit. His body rolled several times before Wallace stepped forward, grabbed one of his legs, and stopped him cold.
Zesu had already lost consciousness.
The god who once ruled Birka now lay broken and silent.
Around them, the crew was calm.
Only Enel stood frozen.
He stared at Redyat, his mind blank. He had barely seen the kick, but the power behind it was unmistakable.
One kick.
That was all it took.
Was that really something a human could do?
Moments earlier, he had been terrified by Zesu's divine power. Then he had watched it be swallowed whole. And now, he had seen a god defeated in a single blow.
His heart raced.
What kind of pirate crew had he stumbled into?
He remembered the words spoken to him earlier. About Devil Fruits. About power. About the Blackbeard Pirates.
Now, he wanted to understand.
But first, he had to pass their test.
Enel clenched his fists, fire burning in his eyes.
Today was different. Today, the door to a new world had opened.
He would step through it.
He would become stronger.