A deafening sound echoed across the sea.
Above the Whitebeard Pirates' ships, a massive black sun slowly appeared.
It wasn't blazing hot. Instead, it radiated a cold, oppressive darkness that seemed to swallow all color from the sky. The air grew heavy. Even the sea surface dipped slightly under the pressure, as though something immense had descended upon the world.
The pirates felt it immediately.
One by one, knees hit the deck.
The pressure was overwhelming. It pressed down on their shoulders, forced their heads low. Many could barely breathe.
Only Whitebeard remained standing.
Even so, his body trembled slightly under the weight.
"Return Squard's soul and freedom," Whitebeard said in a steady voice. "In exchange, I'll allow you to spread your faith within my territory."
The black sun did not respond with words.
The pressure intensified.
More pirates were forced flat against the deck. A few division commanders clenched their teeth and struggled to stay upright, refusing to bow—even to a god.
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes.
"State your terms."
A ring of black flame separated from the sun and floated in front of him.
It was quiet. Calm.
But its meaning was clear.
You can trade.
Whitebeard stared at it for a long moment.
"You want me."
The flame flickered faintly.
Behind him, several crew members shouted.
"Old Man, no!"
"Don't agree to it!"
Whitebeard ignored them.
"If it's souls you want," he said after a brief pause, "can others replace mine?"
The black ring flared again.
Another flame appeared within it.
Whitebeard understood.
Two years.
One thousand lives' worth of compensation.
If he failed, both he and Squard would belong to the black sun.
Whitebeard slowly extended his hand into the ring.
"The deal is done."
The moment the contract was completed, the black sun vanished.
The sky returned to normal. The pressure disappeared as if it had never existed.
The pirates lay where they had fallen, drenched in sweat, their hearts still pounding.
For a while, no one spoke.
Then Ace broke the silence.
"Old Man… Teach might already be dead."
Everyone turned to him.
"What are you talking about?" Marco frowned.
Ace lowered his gaze.
"When that black sun appeared… the feeling was the same as Teach's darkness."
He closed his eyes, recalling Marineford.
"When I fought him, something felt wrong. My strongest attack was erased like it was nothing."
He clenched his fists.
"And when you clashed with him, Old Man… he caught your full-strength strike with just two fingers."
Someone immediately objected, "But he was blasted away afterward!"
Ace nodded.
"Yes. That's what we saw."
"But think about it. The Dark-Dark Fruit can absorb abilities, but it doesn't make someone immune to pure physical force."
Whitebeard's attack wasn't just Devil Fruit power. It was raw strength.
"No one should've been able to block that so easily," Ace said quietly. "Not even Kaido would take it head-on."
He hesitated before continuing.
"And his hatred toward Wano… toward Izo… it didn't make sense. There was no connection."
Ace lifted his head.
"What if the Teach we fought wasn't Teach anymore?"
"What if the moment he swallowed that fruit, he was already gone?"
The deck fell silent.
The sea was calm.
But the unease in everyone's hearts only deepened.
Because if that was true—
Then the enemy they were facing was no longer a man.
But something else entirely.
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