"Ugh—"
Jesus Burgess pushed the massive falling rock away with a sudden burst of strength from his arms.
He had single-handedly held back most of the collapse just now. Amplified by the Riki Riki no Mi, his already formidable strength was further enhanced. (T/N: Strong-Strong Fruit.)
Rocks comparable in size to a warship were nothing before him.
In past battles, Burgess always used his power combined with his excellent wrestling techniques to crush enemies, or relied on his massive body to tank damage for his teammates.
But this time, facing the enemy's terrifying size, even the normally arrogant Burgess's voice was subdued.
In fact, not just him… Lafitte and Van Augur were also on high alert. Even the perpetually sickly Doc Q had taken out his apple bombs, glaring sinisterly at the divine bird in the sky.
From Blackbeard's earlier words, they had recognized Karin's identity.
—Actually, seeing this divine bird form even larger than during the Summit War, it was hard not to remember.
'Could we really kill such a monster?'
Doubts like this only lingered briefly in their minds before being dispelled.
It must be said, although the Blackbeard Pirates were all scoundrels, villains, and scum, they genuinely admired and believed in Blackbeard's dream.
They could be unscrupulous, devoid of any moral bottom line, except for one thing… they wouldn't flee or betray Blackbeard.
"Captain..."
Van Augur's monocle reflected cold light as he quietly reminded Blackbeard.
Subduing those pirates was no longer the priority. The urgent matter was dealing with this suddenly appearing powerful enemy.
Just give the word, and they would swarm without any regard for 'combat honor'.
If they dared to covet Whitebeard's power, what was just a Mythical Zoan?
Blackbeard didn't respond to Van Augur's reminder. The pain from his forehead made his eyes red.
As the most special Logia fruit, the Yami Yami no Mi not only prevented its user from becoming intangible to evade physical attacks but also doubled any pain inflicted.
The pain not only fueled Blackbeard's killing intent but also stimulated his mind, making him quickly formulate a plan.
The hand he hid behind his back made a few quick gestures. The Blackbeard Pirates immediately understood.
"Ze ha ha ha ha... you really are strong, aren't you?"
A sudden smile appeared on Blackbeard's ugly face, as if he hadn't been the one yelling and screaming for blood just moments ago.
"Ew... disgusting. You, fight if you're going to fight!"
Clearly, Blackbeard's smile couldn't lower Karin's guard… it even gave her goosebumps.
Being called 'disgusting' didn't faze Blackbeard at all. His patience and endurance surpassed anyone's imagination.
For the past thirty-eight years, he had played the role of a 'good son' every day, following Whitebeard's orders.
Even before finding the Yami Yami no Mi, he had prepared to live his whole life in disguise.
This little bit of verbal abuse was less than a breeze to Blackbeard.
"I think you've misunderstood something—"
Blackbeard suddenly spread his hands.
"If I remember correctly... you used to be with that Uzumaki Naruto, right?"
Hearing Naruto's name, Karin's expression froze slightly, as if her attention had been diverted.
"What do you mean by that?"
Seeing Karin respond, Blackbeard's eyes shifted, and he immediately seized the opportunity.
"Maybe you're young and don't know much about him, but I've known him for a long time."
"You could say we're old acquaintances."
He started rambling nonsense, just to buy some time.
If Naruto and Blackbeard had any connection at all, it was that at their first meeting, Naruto insisted on killing him regardless of the risk of angering Whitebeard.
Though Naruto didn't succeed in the end, a grudge had been formed between them.
"Oh?"
Karin acted as if she hadn't noticed anything, completely ignoring his earlier statement about wanting to take Whitebeard's fruit. She tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.
"I was too worked up just now..."
Smelling a familiar, slightly sweet scent, the grin on Blackbeard's face widened, and his voice drawled.
"Now!"
The next moment, at his roar, the Blackbeard Pirates behind him all moved.
Van Augur placed his hand on Burgess, activating the Wapu Wapu no Mi. The next second, they appeared behind Karin's head. (T/N: Warp-Warp Fruit)
"Ugh! Unsinkable—"
Burgess raised his elbow, Armament Haki condensing.
"—Piledriver!"
As his arm swung down, a massive shockwave blasted toward the halo behind Karin's head.
Simultaneously, Van Augur's sniper rifle, Senriku, flashed, a Haki-coated bullet shooting forth.
Like Izo, the 16th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, his bullets had special properties when enhanced with Haki.
But while Izo's pistol rounds enhanced slicing power, Van Augur's sniper rounds enhanced penetration and speed.
Lafitte also spread his white wings, flying high, his pistol blazing at Karin's abdomen.
As for Doc Q… he had already ridden his Pegasus named 'Stronger' to a far corner of the battlefield, as if afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
But among them, the real killing move was the least conspicuous one… Doc Q.
He was a Shiku Shiku no Mi user, capable of releasing various viruses and bacteria silently. Not only could they weaken and kill, but they could even affect genes. (T/N: Sick-Sick Fruit.)
His frail appearance added another layer of disguise to his ability, making it easy to underestimate him.
Blackbeard's earlier signal had instructed Doc Q to release lethal viruses as the finishing blow against Karin.
The familiar sweet scent was the signal of the virus's release, and only the others who had been vaccinated long ago were immune.
As for the others' attacks, they were merely decoys.
—Of course, if they actually did damage, that would be even better.
Bang bang bang!
Boom!
Burgess and the others' attacks all hit their mark. The smile on Blackbeard's face gained a bit more genuineness.
'Good. Now it was my turn to deliver the fatal blow!'
Thinking this, Blackbeard simultaneously activated the Yami Yami no Mi and the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, tearing up the ground beneath him, creating several long 'tentacles'.
"Dark Tide: Kraken!"
In Blackbeard's hands, the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi displayed a style completely different from Golden Lion's.
Black 'slime' continuously dripped from the massive tentacles formed from earth and air, though in reality, these were manifestations of the Yami Yami no Mi's power.
After all, the other party still couldn't ignore the Yami Yami no Mi's suppression.
So Blackbeard devised a move combining both fruits.
Once bound by these tentacles, even a divine bird this massive could be slain!
However, just as the Blackbeard Pirates brimmed with confidence, Karin's voice finally sounded from the smoke.
"So this is your plan?"
"Attacks like mosquito bites?"
The outline of the divine bird slowly emerged from the smoke.
"Or this disgusting little trick?"
The divine bird's eyes blazed like suns, emitting light bright enough to dispel all evil.
Suddenly, a fierce wind arose, dispersing the smoke and simultaneously carrying away the viruses floating in the air.
Those flying in the sky lost their balance, tumbling downward. Only Blackbeard, with the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, remained airborne, locking eyes with the divine bird that had unsheathed its claws.