Inside the 6th Floor of Infinite Hell, the prisoners are real monsters. Even Ivankov would only dare to release Crocodile because he had leverage over Crocodile.
But Blackbeard was different. He needed to quickly recruit combat power and targeted the strength of the 6th floor from the beginning. After his special selection process, he found his subordinates there and brought them to Marinfanto, planning to start his new plan.
Within the Triangle Sea Flow, he remained completely unaware of what happened at Marinfanto. If he had known in advance what was actually going on here, he probably wouldn't have come.
He did not enter the main battlefield. Blackbeard's initial goal was to pick up the pieces, so he quietly landed from the rear of Marinfanto, intending to observe the outcome of Whitebeard's battle.
"That old fellow is really brave, huh? At such an age, he can still engage in such intense combat."
"Meow-hahaha, Teach, are you scared? Why not just let me take over as the captain?"
Avalo Pizarro let out a burst of laughter, directly demanding the captain's position from Blackbeard. He was one of the prisoners brought out from Impel Down, a greedy schemer nicknamed the Corrupt King.
Blackbeard's chosen subordinates were almost all like this, each with their own unique ideas. Before the selection, Blackbeard had already made the plan: he didn't want the weak, nor did he dare choose the too strong, so he settled on these few.
"What a joke, this is the Blackbeard Pirates. How could I give you the captain position? Follow me, especially you, Evil Wolf. Be cautious and make sure no one notices you!"
Blackbeard used preparing for battle as an excuse, staying in Marinfanto for a few days, gaining some understanding of the town environment. Just then, a shockwave surged from the side.
The figure of the Great Buddha appeared in the sight of the Blackbeard Pirates.
"Sengoku? Why is he fighting here... His opponent... Kaidou?!"
Blackbeard felt his brain cells were getting insufficient as clearly this was supposed to be a war against Whitebeard, but unrelated Kaidou was actually fighting the Navy Admiral.
"Not just him, there's that old guy Zephyr too. The Navy must be serious about this, even sending Zephyr to the battlefield."
"Captain Teach, perhaps there's even worse news."
Laffitte looked towards a nearby screen. Because of Buggy, the live broadcast of the battlefield had resumed, now showing Whitebeard's image.
Seeing Whitebeard's youthful appearance that resembled decades ago, Blackbeard rubbed his only remaining eye, filled with disbelief.
"What is going on here?!"
The Navy has so much force, they certainly won't let Whitebeard get away. When they fight to mutual destruction, he will then go in to pick up the pieces, kill Whitebeard, and seize his abilities. To Blackbeard, this was a perfect plan.
But now, with Kaidou disrupting and a vibrant Whitebeard, Blackbeard felt his brain cells were somewhat inadequate.
"Captain Teach, what should we do next?"
"Hold on, let me think. Judging by the situation, we have to make some changes..."
Whitebeard, so full of life, certainly won't die soon. Blackbeard had no intention of facing a youthful Whitebeard.
He had abandoned dignity to mix in with Whitebeard's crew, knowing just how terrifying young Whitebeard could be.
If he appears before Whitebeard, having violated the iron laws of the Whitebeard Pirates, he would certainly meet a grim fate. Looking at Kaidou and Sengoku fighting, and the desolate surroundings, Blackbeard had a new plan.
...
"Ho-ho-ho! Come on, is that all you've got?! I've only just finished warming up!"
As Blackbeard was devising new schemes, Kaidou grew increasingly excited. In the intense battle, the blood within him started boiling, bringing him a long-lost sense of enjoyment.
With the augmentation of the Dragon Dance, Kaidou fought more fiercely, the enhanced speed and strength put enormous pressure on Sengoku and Zephyr. If Zephyr were in good health, their battle would be much easier.
But Zephyr's body had long since deteriorated, and asthma attacks became the biggest drawback.
Moreover, as the battle intensity increased, the pressure on Zephyr grew greater, and even the frequency of his attacks increased considerably.
When Zephyr fetched his inhaler again, Kaidou launched a new round of attacks. This was not a simple confrontation but a deathmatch.
During Roger and Whitebeard's old fights, Whitebeard would consider Roger's medical conditions and give him time to rest, but Kaidou would not. He believed that those who join the battle despite illnesses should have made their resolution. Holding back due to such matters would be disrespectful.
"Agni Dragon Dance Hakken!"
Dragon Flame enveloped his entire body, and Kaidou resembled a hellish demon dragon, with the power of Dragon Dance emerging again, accompanying his attacks simultaneously.
Kaidou had integrated those skills long ago, developing brand-new abilities based on their properties. Dragon Dance greatly enhanced him, which was also his most familiar skill. To prevent interruptions from enemies, he merged Dragon Dance into many techniques.
Agni Dragon Dance Hakken was the most powerful move. Zephyr's actions froze, while Sengoku planned, as before, to use his ability to block Kaidou's attacks and let Zephyr find the opportunity to strike.
With the Shredder's augmentation, Zephyr's damage to ability users was no less than Sengoku's.
Golden light faced Kaidou, but surprisingly, at the moment Kaidou's Wolf Fang Club swung, the golden light on Sengoku suddenly vanished, and he reverted from his Great Buddha Form to his regular form.
Although he still had Haki, the sudden loss of ability disrupted Sengoku's rhythm, and without the Great Buddha's Golden Body, his defense power dropped significantly.
Facing Kaidou, enhanced twice by Dragon Dance, Sengoku's body flew out, blood uncontrollably spewing from his mouth, leaving a blood streak across the sky.
Looking at Sengoku being knocked away, Kaidou didn't choose to pursue or continue attacking Zephyr. Instead, his face showed no joy but was filled with frost.
"Dare to.... intervene in my battle?!"
The Supreme King's immense power surged outwards, far more terrifying than during previous clashes. Under the impact of the Supreme King, the ground before Kaidou turned swamp-like, with a large hand stretching out from it.
This was Pizarro's ability; he was an Isle-Isle Fruit user who could merge himself with islands afterward to control them, very similar to Pika's Stone-Stone Fruit.
From the palm of that hand emerged Blackbeard.
The reason for Sengoku losing his ability was none other than Blackbeard using Dark Water, grabbing his ankle from below, utilizing Pizarro's power.
Earlier, Sengoku's focus was entirely on Kaidou, making him oblivious to Blackbeard's surprise attack...