When the island took flight, the sea below instantly formed a massive whirlpool from the sudden void.
Those on the island were fine, but the ships docked at the port suffered.
The sea always embraces the dreams of seafaring men, but at times, it also destroys them without mercy.
Facing the sudden influx of millions of tons of seawater, even the strongest warships were instantly crushed.
This was the terrifying power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi!
It has the 'cataclysm-level' ability no less formidable than Gura Gura no Mi's!
"Ze ha ha ha ha ha!!"
Blackbeard laughed heartily. This was his first time using his ability on such a large scale.
Seeing the pitiful state of those palm-sized ships mercilessly swallowed by the sea, the frustration in Blackbeard's heart for failing to obtain the Gura Gura no Mi finally dissipated.
With this power, he could finally launch his plan for domination!
But precisely at that moment, discordant voices arose from the crowd.
"Blackbeard! You think eating Golden Lion's Devil Fruit makes you invincible?!"
"Damn you! I'll kill you!"
"Bastard! Get down here!"
With a few starting, the remaining pirates erupted into noisy clamor.
Watching their own ships sink was one thing… more crucially, their 'pride' was being trampled underfoot without a care.
This was hard for these guys to accept.
Of course, they weren't brainless. Having witnessed such earth-moving, sea-shifting power, no one rashly stepped forward, still just standing below, blustering and cursing fiercely.
As if louder curses proved they hadn't been scared by Blackbeard earlier.
Yet now, a white figure silently leaped from the crowd, riding a white horse, jumping back and forth across protruding parts of the colossal skull rock, rapidly approaching the 'eye' where Blackbeard stood.
"Hmm?"
The wildly laughing Blackbeard also noticed the approaching figure, raising an eyebrow to look down.
"Damn you! What did you do to my ship?!"
Seeing he was spotted, the man gave up silence, roaring furiously as he urged his mount to speed up.
Blackbeard somewhat recognized this man… someone somewhat famous.
'Cavendish?'
'Looks like those fools' miserable deaths still didn't make you see the gap between us!'
Meanwhile, Cavendish's eyes almost spat fire.
He originally just came to see if the 'great plan' could boost his exposure again, helping him stand out from the post-Summit War aftermath, regaining everyone's attention.
But he never expected to not even see a shadow of the plan before his beloved ship was swallowed by the sea.
How could Cavendish tolerate this?
"Beautiful Sword: Bluebird!"
Cavendish's figure vanished from the horse's back, reappearing before the Blackbeard Pirates the next moment.
Seeing the enemy charge, Van Augur, Lafitte, Burgess, even Doc Q instinctively prepared for battle.
But Blackbeard directly stopped them with a hand.
"Perfect. Killing a few trash isn't enough to show my strength. Someone of this caliber makes a sufficient stepping stone for me."
Then, his ring-adorned hand clenched tightly. The hard ground beneath Cavendish's feet rapidly deformed, quickly forming a hand over twice a man's height.
The Fuwa Fuwa no Mi made the entire Hachinosu an extension of Blackbeard's body. Wherever Cavendish was, he could attack effortlessly.
Crunch!
The stone hand clenched fiercely but didn't burst with blinding blood like before.
"Oh? Dodged?"
Blackbeard didn't even move, his eyes shifting sideways, meeting Cavendish's gaze who narrowly avoided disaster.
"Bastard!"
Looking at his torn cape, Cavendish cursed, but his heart kept sinking.
The Fuwa Fuwa no Mi's power was more troublesome than he imagined.
His swordsmanship excelled in speed, but this ability, which could attack regardless of distance, severely restricted his speed.
'Damn it!'
Before Cavendish could think further, the ground beneath his feet turned into claws and fangs again, assaulting him.
At such close range, even he needed to exert 120% to avoid being grabbed.
In contrast, Blackbeard remained composed, casually waving as if toying with prey, constantly compressing Cavendish's dodging space.
'Could it be... time to let that guy out?'
Another slash failed to hit Blackbeard, blocked by a deformed giant hand from the ground. Cavendish considered using his trump card.
Actually, regarding his 'second personality', Hakuba, the Kamaitachi of Rommel… Cavendish had always been aware.
He knew well that much of his current fame came from his other self.
Simultaneously, he often restrained his other self's killing urges.
After the massacre of civilians in the Rommel Kingdom, Cavendish only allowed Hakuba to emerge against truly worthy enemies.
But... there were exceptions.
Like now.
Blackbeard didn't give Cavendish more time to think, manually deciding for him.
"Such a nimble insect. How about this!"
Blackbeard punched the ground. Countless rock fists densely blanketed the area toward Cavendish.
Relying on his Observation Haki and exceptional speed, Cavendish initially dodged with ease.
But soon, the increasingly dense attack frequency left him struggling.
Thump!
Unsurprisingly, his dodging slowed just enough. A rock fist bigger than Cavendish's head hammered him, sending him staggering back.
"Ze ha ha ha... such a convenient ability!"
Seeing Cavendish knocked down, Blackbeard wasn't in a hurry to finish him. Instead, he raised a hand, showing off to his companions.
This was true.
Compared to Yami Yami no Mi, which was 'super effective against Devil Fruit users', the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi's indiscriminate terrain control was more versatile.
Swish—
The moment Cavendish fell, Hakuba was unleashed.
Even the sniper Van Augur included, almost no one in the Blackbeard Pirates reacted to the man moving like a gale.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Hakuba, having taken over, laughed wildly. The sword Durandal in his hand spun like a whirlwind, releasing spinning slashes.
Just as Burgess and Lafitte were about to be instantly slain by Hakuba, Blackbeard snapped back to reality at the last moment.
After all, he was a man who had fought on the seas for years, even battled the Roger Pirates. His combat experience was richer than imagined.
[Kurouzu!]
Abyss-like darkness instantly spread, covering the ground beneath Cavendish's feet in an instant.
At such close range, even Hakuba couldn't react in time. His steps on the black ground suddenly slowed.
Then, Blackbeard's other hand clawed forward.
Instantly, air, dust, and soil were compressed into solid form by immense force, forming a giant claw.
Hakuba instinctively blocked with Durandal.
But he overestimated his strength… or underestimated the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi.
The giant claw directly knocked the sword away, simultaneously gouging a huge gash across Cavendish's chest.
'Whew... that was dangerous. A moment's carelessness almost let you succeed.'
A drop of cold sweat still on his face, but Blackbeard's expression remained arrogant.
Those below witnessed firsthand how a strong individual fell powerless before Blackbeard. The villains who had been shouting earlier instantly quieted down.
Clearly, compared to those unknown cannon fodder earlier, Cavendish's life sufficiently proved Blackbeard's strength.
Blackbeard understood this too. So, he manipulated the giant claw to hold Cavendish mid-air, prepared to do the same and turn him into mincemeat.
"Now, any objections?!"
Saying so, the claw began to close. Immense pressure was about to crush Cavendish to death.
And at that moment, another sudden change occurred.
A brilliant golden light shot from afar, shattering the claw formed of earth, stone, and air.