A woman dressed in a lady's professional suit and a rather derpy-looking husky were currently hiding behind a pile of ruins, observing the commotion from a distance.
"What staggering destructive power... Just the residual energy leaking out has already leveled this small town. Based on this alone, how has the Sorcerer's bounty not surpassed 100 million yet? Are the people in the Marines all idiots?"
"But then, who is this man who could so effortlessly withstand that terrifying blow just now?"
Miss Carter narrowed her eyes as she gazed at the tall, burly man walking slowly toward Sherlock. She pondered for a long while, but even with her vast knowledge as a specialized intelligence agent for the World Government, she had absolutely no impression of this ferocious man.
It could only be said that Blackbeard had kept an incredibly low profile during those preceding years.
"Woof, woo..." The large dog beside her suddenly turned its head and let out a low growl toward the space behind them.
"Quiet, you silly dog. Don't just bark for no reason..."
Carter, still lost in thought, instinctively went to scold the animal. But in the next second, she watched in shock as a blazing fireball hissed through the air above her like a meteor, smashing violently toward the distant Blackbeard!
—Flame Kick!
BOOM! A heatwave surged as flames erupted in every direction!
Under the sudden assault, Teach surprisingly made no attempt to dodge. The raging fire instantly swallowed his bloated frame, and he was sent flying a great distance by a viciously powerful kick.
"Idadada... Hot! Hot! Hot!"
After rolling across the ground several times, Blackbeard showed a complete lack of grace, screaming and rolling while frantically patting out the sparks on his body. It was a pathetic sight to behold.
"This guy is a Marine target. Civilians are forbidden from interfering."
Whoosh— The flames dissipated, revealing a delicate young girl dressed in a gothic lolita dress.
She sported iconic black-and-white mismatched twin-tails, a skull-shaped eyepatch over her left eye, and features as exquisite as a porcelain doll's.
This was none other than Rear Admiral Alan, the one known by the title "Nature's Enemy."
Alan first looked down at Sherlock, who had fallen unconscious from mental exhaustion. Seeing that his life was not in danger, her expression settled slightly. Then, the "overdue lolita" turned her gaze toward Blackbeard, who was panting heavily on the ground in the distance. A strange light flickered in her amber right eye.
"Zehahahaha... How nostalgic. That strike of yours just now was very similar to my former captain's, though the power was a bit weaker."
Despite his miserable screaming earlier, Blackbeard—who was actually perfectly fine—crawled up from the ground and dusted off his clothes with a loud laugh.
"From the looks of it, you must be that Rear Admiral Alan from the Marines, the one they call the natural enemy of all Logia users."
"Hmph. Since you know who I am, why haven't you beat it yet?"
Rear Admiral Alan let out a disdainful snort. She then pulled out a Goldglint Trading Company premium cigar, lit it, and blew a smoke ring before speaking with pure malice:
"You look like you've been beaten black and blue by a wicked stepmother; you clearly aren't a good person. If you don't leave right now, I'll haul you off to Impel Down and let the Jailer Beasts wreck your ass!"
"( ¯△¯ )..."
The expression on Blackbeard's face froze instantly. Although Teach had long heard that Alan's words and behavior were "eccentric," he truly hadn't expected such crude language to come from such an adorable-looking little girl!
(The guys at Marine Headquarters must have been saints to tolerate this little thing for so many years without killing her...)
Blackbeard's face was lined with exasperation, and his mouth twitched violently a few times before he quickly regained his composure. After all, with his level of endurance, he wouldn't be provoked by mere words.
"Zehahahaha! Speaking of which, I happen to know a thing or two about your Devil Fruit ability."
Blackbeard suddenly changed the subject, launching into his own explanation: "The Paramecia-type Fusion-Fusion Fruit. It allows you to fuse your body with any single element and control it. Therefore, to you, almost all Logia-type attacks are ineffective."
"Not only that, once a Logia user elementalizes, you can fuse with their body and significantly weaken their Devil Fruit powers. That is the true origin of your title, 'Nature's Enemy.'"
To give an example: if Crocodile were to be fused by Alan while he was in a sand-elemental state, his power would likely only reach a third of its original potential at best. For someone with poor fruit development, they might find themselves unable to use their abilities at all.
"Tch... Knowing too much won't do you any favors..."
The gothic lolita bit her lip, her jade-white face flushed with irritation at having the secrets of her ability exposed.
"Zehahahaha... Of course, the most powerful aspect of this fruit goes even beyond that..."
Watching the sudden change in Rear Admiral Alan's expression, Blackbeard revealed a malicious grin:
"And that is... the ability to take a soul and—"
"Shut up!" Alan shouted, her voice sharp with pain as she had been struck in a sensitive spot. She simultaneously tore off the eyepatch covering her left eye.
Swoosh! With a crisp sound, a bright yellow laser beam shot out from Alan's left eye toward Blackbeard! At the same time, her body instantly dissolved into spots of light, merging into that very laser.
—Fusion: Aurora Martial Body!
Blackbeard barely managed to dodge the sudden laser blast, but he didn't expect that amidst the flickering light particles, the twin-tailed lolita would materialize behind him as if teleporting, her body composed of pure radiance.
—Aurora Kick!
BOOM!!! Debris flew and dust filled the air.
Before Blackbeard could even realize what had happened, his bloated body was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing deep into a pile of ruins and dragging a long trench across the hard ground.
"Hmph! If a creepy old guy in a yellow suit ever asks you in the future: 'Have you ever been kicked at light speed?'..."
Alan once again covered her mechanical left eye with her eyepatch and spoke in an incredibly obnoxious tone:
"Then you can proudly answer: Yes!"
Ugh, one really wonders what Borsalino would think if he saw this scene...
"Fufufufu... I see. Merging one's own soul into a puppet to achieve a form of immortality... What a truly remarkable Devil Fruit power."
At that moment, accompanied by a distinctive laugh, the Heavenly Yaksha slowly descended from mid-air.
"However, I imagine the price of that immortality is something you can hardly bear, fufufufu."
"It seems I was too merciful when I only burned your overcoat. I should have left you without even a pair of underwear!"
Gazing at the Warlord who had suddenly reappeared, the usually frivolous gothic lolita grew uncharacteristically serious. The situation was not looking good!
"...."
At the mention of his favorite coat, Doflamingo's face darkened instantly. Just as he was about to lash out, he remembered the value the high-ranking government officials placed on this lolita and restrained himself, turning his head aside.
"So you're that Blackbeard? The nobody who recommended himself to be the new Warlord?"
Watching Teach crawl out of the ruins as if nothing had happened, Doflamingo flashed a cruel smile:
"To be able to beat my little partner into this state... you're quite the capable fellow, aren't you?"
(Little partner?) x2
"Are you here for the guy with glasses, too?"
"Zehaha, this is getting more interesting by the second!"
Both Blackbeard and Alan were momentarily stunned. They then looked toward the Sorcerer, who remained collapsed on the ground, wondering how this guy had managed to get involved with the Heavenly Yaksha.
Tonight, the moon was bright and the stars were few.
One was a Marine.
One was a Pirate.
One was a Warlord.
One was there because of a request from the Sorcerer's relative.
One was there for the Sorcerer's Devil Fruit ability.
One was there for the Sorcerer's true identity.
Upon these ruins, three people from three different factions formed a somewhat irregular equilateral triangle. For their own distinct reasons, they surrounded Sherlock, who lay unconscious in the center.
It appeared that these three, each harboring their own hidden agendas, had reached a stalemate.
The situation was becoming increasingly complex!
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