Just beyond the waters near Marineford.
The Blackbeard Pirates lay half-prone on a Marine ship, their bodies covered in blood.
Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, looked as if he had just survived a fierce battle—eyes closed, breathing slow, conserving his strength.
Cough! Cough…
At that moment, a weak coughing sound echoed from the far end of the ship.
Blackbeard's eyes snapped open, staring in disbelief toward the source of the sound.
His lips trembled slightly as he muttered, hardly daring to believe:
"… impossible…"
"How is he… still alive!?"
Clang!
Shiryu of the Rain, fallen beside Blackbeard, drew his demon blade the moment the sound came.
A crimson gleam flashed along the blade's edge.
"Then… let's finish him… again!!!"
Yet, even with such a deadly weapon, Shiryu's face betrayed anxiety.
The previous battle had truly pushed him to his limits.
Around them lay the scattered bodies of Blackbeard Pirates and criminals recently freed from the Underwater Prison by Blackbeard himself.
Normally fierce and proud, they now lay with white-rolled eyes, mouths slack, and countless black marks from fists all over their bodies.
"Kyahahaha…"
Blackbeard rose again, looking at the towering figure staggering toward him across the deck.
He laughed boldly, showing no fear:
"As expected of a former Marine Admiral! Still fighting at this level!"
"Want to join us? Let's wreak havoc together!!!"
Kyahahahaha…
Seeing Zephyr exhausted, Blackbeard finally relaxed, even joking with the former Admiral.
Cough…
Zephyr, gravely wounded, stomped the deck and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
With eyes dimmed but full of determination, he raised his gaze and glared at Blackbeard and Shiryu.
He had been ordered by Sengoku to lead a Marine ship to intercept the potential intrusion of the "Starry Sky Pirates" into the Underwater Prison during the Summit War.
But who could have predicted…
Barely leaving Marineford waters, halfway to the prison, he ran into Blackbeard and his gang of freed convicts flying overhead.
Zephyr, a man intolerant of pirates, immediately activated the Moonwalk technique, soaring high into the sky in just a few strides, descending upon the Blackbeard Pirates.
Without hesitation, he unleashed a tornado-crushing strike, shattering their flying pirate ship into pieces.
Collision was inevitable.
But Zephyr's mastery of the Marine's Rokushiki techniques allowed him to fight without relying on terrain.
Blackbeard's crew, meanwhile, was confined to the half-deck of their broken ship.
Enel, relying on his Rumble-Rumble Fruit powers, found himself completely countered by Zephyr.
Coupled with Zephyr's battle experience, Enel had no chance—he was the first to be defeated.
The freed criminals, while dangerous at sea, were insignificant under Zephyr's scrutiny.
Some had even been personally captured by Zephyr in the past.
Blackbeard's original crew fared no better—shaken by the battle's aftermath, they were rendered unconscious.
Only Blackbeard and former Marineford chief Shiryu could contend with Zephyr.
With Zephyr relying purely on martial arts and an arm capable of countering Devil Fruit users, the fight was extremely difficult for Blackbeard.
Fortunately, even in hand-to-hand combat, Blackbeard's strength was not far behind Zephyr's.
And they had a great swordsman assisting.
After a chaotic, earth-shaking battle, Blackbeard endured double the pain, exchanging injuries to defeat Zephyr, with Shiryu delivering the finishing blow.
Yet…
Within five minutes of rest, Zephyr rose again.
"Join you!? Become a pirate!?"
Cough, cough!!
"You're… joking, right!!!"
Boom!
Zephyr summoned the last of his strength, raising the massive Battle Smasher.
The weapon aimed directly at Blackbeard and Shiryu.
Zephyr's arm shook violently, sending tremors through his body and the deck beneath him.
A twisted beam of energy burst from the Battle Smasher's muzzle—
The concentrated power of science unleashed in the pirate world!
"Die!!! Pirates!!!"
Battle Smasher!!!
Boom!!!
A violent wind pressure shot forth, tearing through the deck, splintering wood into flying debris.
"Kyahaha…"
Blackbeard immediately assessed Zephyr's mechanical attack.
His arrogance prompted him to confront the strike head-on.
The tremendous wind pressure cannon surged forward—but Blackbeard raised his hands and shouted:
Black smoke erupted from his body.
Debris from the storm fell into place, forming a barrier.
The cannon's impact shattered the broken objects but lost its initial terror.
Shiryu drew his demon blade, the crimson light reflecting under the blazing sun.
A blood-tinged blade wave collided with the wind cannon.
Whoosh… Boom!!!
The impact lasted less than a second, scattering debris into the sea beyond.
Pfft…
Zephyr dropped to one knee from the Battle Smasher's recoil, utterly exhausted.
He could no longer continue fighting.
"Is this… the end?"
His voice was weak.
He didn't want his life to end like this—he still wanted to slay pirates.
But his body no longer allowed it.
Sometimes, he truly envied Garp.
The same age, yet his strength hadn't waned a bit.
Even after years apart, Zephyr wondered if Garp had grown stronger.
What the hell does he eat to grow like that…
"Kyahaha…"
Blackbeard laughed and strode toward Zephyr.
Suddenly, a voice echoed from above them:
"Wait! Franky!"
I smell… the power of darkness!
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Completed version available on P@treon(.)com/Veltoria