"Samuel's right…" Marshall D. Teach spoke at last, his voice low and heavy. "The Marines… that bastard Gern… he won't let us off."
"He needs to make an example of someone. He needs the whole world to understand what happens when you provoke the New Marines."
"And we're the perfect target."
As he spoke, Blackbeard's hand drifted once more to the cross-shaped scar on his chest. A savage glint flickered in his eyes.
"But don't get it twisted—I'm no easy prey!"
"Hachinosu is a fortress that's easy to defend and hard to break. With Avalo Pizarro's Island-Island Fruit, the entire island itself can come alive—turning into the ultimate stronghold… and the deadliest trap."
"My Tremor-Tremor Fruit can summon earthquakes and tsunamis. My Dark-Dark Fruit devours anything that comes at me."
"If we fight on the defensive here—even if an Admiral leads the charge—they won't walk away unscathed!"
"Damn right, Captain Teach!" Jesus Burgess boomed, flexing his bulging arms. "Let 'em come! I've been itching to try out some new moves!"
"Still… we should prepare escape routes in advance," Van Augur added calmly, methodically wiping down his sniper rifle. "The Marines' fleet firepower isn't something to underestimate."
Coughing weakly, Doc Q slumped over his sickly horse.
"Cough… death… if the Marines come, we're doomed anyway…"
One by one, the officers voiced their opinions—some burning with excitement, others cold and calculating, some already weighing the odds.
Blackbeard watched them, and the unease in his chest eased, if only slightly.
Hachinosu had been built up over years. It was ironclad.
As long as he didn't recklessly sail out to meet the Marines' main force head-on, and instead relied on terrain—
He was confident he could make any invader pay dearly.
And yet—
"Defense may work," came a calm voice once more, cutting through the room, "but passively enduring attacks is never a long-term solution."
It was Samuel Kronos again.
"Captain Teach, the Marines' independence, the World Government's silence—the balance of the New World has already shifted."
"The Beasts Pirates have gone strangely quiet since the incident involving Jack the Drought. The Big Mom Pirates have pulled back their sphere of influence. Red-Haired Shanks… remains elusive."
"This sea…" His faintly glowing green eyes fixed on Blackbeard. "It's brewing something far greater."
A pause.
"Shouldn't we… take the initiative? Seek out some 'variables'… or perhaps… 'allies'?"
"Allies?" Blackbeard let out a derisive snort. "Who out there is even worth forming an alliance with me?"
"Kaido? Linlin? Or that pretentious Shanks?"
"Every single one of them would love nothing more than to swallow me whole."
"Not necessarily the Four Emperors," Samuel replied, shaking his head slightly. "Do you truly believe the World Government will remain silent forever?"
"The Five Elders, the God's Knights, CP0… the power they still hold is formidable."
"And right now… the one they fear most… is Gern."
"The enemy of your enemy… is your friend."
Blackbeard's eyes narrowed.
"And then… there's the Revolutionary Army," Samuel continued. "That man Dragon has always operated from the shadows."
"The Marines' independence weakens the World Government's direct control—but it also creates a new, stronger force of order."
"The Revolutionary Army's room to maneuver… may be squeezed even further."
"They, too, will need… 'variables.'"
"And beyond that…" Samuel's voice dropped slightly, tinged with a subtle, almost seductive undertone.
"The forces lurking in the shadows of history… we're hardly the only remnants left behind."
"Captain, your Dark-Dark Fruit—your ability to steal powers…"
"That alone… is a tremendous 'attraction.'"
Blackbeard fell silent.
Samuel's words had opened an entirely new path before him.
Holding Hachinosu was only a temporary measure.
If he wanted to truly rise in this new era—if he wanted to realize his ambitions—
He would have to act.
To stir the seas.
To seize the greatest rewards from the chaos.
The World Government. The Revolutionary Army. Hidden pirate forces… even the other Emperors—
Under the right pressure… and the right incentives—
None of them were beyond manipulation.
The key… was timing.
And the ability to snatch opportunity from the flames.
"Zeh… hahahaha…" Blackbeard suddenly began to laugh.
At first low and rumbling—
Then swelling into something wild, unrestrained, brimming with ambition.
"Interesting! You're damn right, Samuel!"
"Zehahahaha… Zehahahahaha!!!"
"The new era is already here—and hiding like a coward?"
"That's not my style!"
He surged to his feet, his massive frame radiating an overwhelming presence. The "X" scar across his chest gleamed starkly under the light.
"Pass the order!" Blackbeard's voice thundered through the hall.
"Reinforce the island's defenses! All hands on full combat readiness!"
"And at the same time—activate our entire intelligence network!"
"I want to know everything—Marine movements, World Government activity, every shift in power across the New World!"
"And one more thing…" He turned his gaze toward Samuel.
"See if any of our 'old friends' in Mary Geoise are looking to reach out."
"And… find a way to make contact with the Revolutionary Army."
"Dig out every rat that might be useful to us… or every 'guest' worth inviting."
"The storm of the new era?" Blackbeard grinned wide, revealing his missing teeth, his eyes blazing with greed and madness.
"Then let it rage even harder!"
"Let's see who's still standing at the end—laughing over the ruins of the world!"
"Zehahahaha… Zehahahahaha!!!"
…
His manic laughter still echoed through the hall—its final notes not yet fully faded—
"WHOOSH!!!"
Suddenly—
The heavy oak doors burst open, blown inward by a violent gust!
A wave of frigid air flooded into the hall like a tidal surge, instantly sweeping away the heat and stale atmosphere within—
Replacing it with a bone-deep, piercing cold.
"What?!"
Everyone inside froze, instinctively turning toward the entrance.
The chaotic pirate town that had once stood beyond the doors—
Was gone.
In its place—
An endless expanse of white.
Crystal-clear ice blanketed everything—every inch of ground, every building, every street.
Thick icicles hung from rooftops. Bottles mid-fall, scattered playing cards—even the stunned expressions of pirates—
All frozen in place, transformed into lifelike sculptures of ice.
It was as though the entire world had been paused—
And sealed inside a glacial tomb for eternity.
Silent.
Utterly dead.
Even more chilling—
At the edge of the town, the colossal skull-shaped mountain formed from Avalo Pizarro's body had completely lost its vitality.
The faint, shifting sheen of living stone had been buried beneath thick, pale-blue ice.
The massive skull stared blankly into the sky—
No longer carrying even the slightest trace of "island consciousness."
And outside the gates—
The "Colossal Battleship," Sanjuan Wolf, hadn't even had time to react.
Frozen mid-motion, still wearing a stunned expression—
He had become a towering ice sculpture, casting an enormous shadow across the frozen wasteland.
From Blackbeard's roaring laughter…
To the doors being blown open…
To the cold wave sweeping in—
And two of his top commanders frozen solid—
The entire sequence had taken no more than two or three breaths.