Crackle...
The web of Annihilation Thunder crackled, shaking more and more violently under the relentless assault of the encroaching darkness. The inky blackness was constantly being vaporized by the purple lightning, but the power of darkness was endless...
Snap!
With a sharp crack, the web of thunder shattered. The purple lightning disintegrated into dust, scattering through the air as the power of darkness surged skyward, dominating the entire sky.
Looking back at Blackbeard, Van Augur had already vanished.
"Zehahahaha! My darkness is infinite!" Blackbeard roared with a triumphant laugh at the sight.
"Let darkness consume everything!" With a forward thrust of his hands, Blackbeard sent the towering pillar of darkness surging toward Ryuuto and the others.
Before the oncoming tide, the four of them stood their ground, motionless. Hancock, Ace, and Nami all turned their eyes to Ryuuto.
Ryuuto let out a great shout. The shattered Annihilation Thunder reconverged on the blade of Yuki Bashiri, forming a giant blade of lightning once more. His eyes widened with fury as he poured his Conqueror's Haki into it. As it was his first time using Conqueror's Haki Infusion, Ryuuto was still clumsy with it. Fortunately, the domineering nature of the Annihilation Thunder took over, actively drawing in the Haki and merging it with itself.
Hummm...
As the blade shuddered, streaks of black lightning erupted from the purple thunder. The two colors crackled and arced through the air, causing the very space around them to tremble.
Watching the wave of darkness close in... Now was the time!
"Conqueror's Thunder Strike!"
Gripping Yuki Bashiri, Ryuuto swung down, unleashing a beam of lightning hundreds of meters long that shot straight toward the hundred-meter-tall wave of darkness.
BOOM!!
As thunder and darkness collided, half the sky was painted black, the other half purple. The power of darkness was like countless claws reaching from the shadows, eager to devour everything they touched. In contrast, the purple thunder carried the absolute power of destruction, turning everything in its path to dust. The black lightning flickering within it only added to its explosive might.
But this stalemate lasted only for a breath...
An impossibly bright purple light flared, and the thunder, sharp as a blade, violently shattered the dark half of the sky.
Just like that, thunder smashed the darkness.
With a deafening roar, the darkness was instantly cleaved in two!
"How is that possible? Impossible! Why is my power so insignificant?!" Blackbeard's eyes shrank in disbelief. Though he had felt the threat from the lightning, he never imagined that his all-out attack would be defeated so easily.
The massive beam of lightning, still possessing immense power, slammed directly into Blackbeard.
"Aargh...!"
He could only watch helplessly as the attack struck him!
A powerful impact detonated against his body.
Pfft!!
Blackbeard coughed up a huge mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward for several hundred meters, only stopping when he crashed into a small mountain. The Armament Haki flowing over his body was completely useless; he was instantly and severely wounded by the single strike.
"Admiral!"
With a cry of alarm, Van Augur appeared beside the heavily injured Blackbeard.
His top hat was nowhere to be seen. With blood at the corner of his mouth and his hair in disarray, Van Augur looked rather pathetic.
Just as he was about to place a hand on Blackbeard to teleport him away, countless pink, heart-shaped arrows rained down in front of them.
"Trying to run? Did you ask for my permission?" Hancock stood with her legs apart, her high heels planted firmly on the ground, her expression stern as she glared at the two pirates.
Hancock had been watching the fight closely the entire time. She hadn't intervened earlier because she understood that Ryuuto wanted to test his new technique. But now that Ryuuto had successfully used his semi-complete Conqueror's Haki Infusion and Blackbeard was critically wounded, she knew there was no reason to delay any longer. And so she had acted.
The moment Van Augur appeared, the Pirate Empress had already drawn her finger back and unleashed a volley of Slave Arrows at the pair.
"This is bad!"
"Admiral, I'm sorry, but I have to retreat!"
"If I get hit by those arrows, I'll be trapped here too."
"I have to go now, or I won't be able to escape at all!"
Van Augur's brow furrowed as he watched the Slave Arrows approach. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. He took one last, deep look at the helpless Marshall D. Teach.
Then, with a ripple in space, Van Augur's figure vanished.
Thwip! Thwip!!
The countless heart-shaped arrows descended, engulfing the spot where Blackbeard lay. Everything the arrows touched was instantly petrified. That, of course, included Marshall D. Teach himself.
"'That Devil Fruit ability is truly unbeatable for escaping,'" Hancock thought to herself, a flicker of annoyance on her face as she watched the spot where Van Augur had disappeared.
Then, her dress swaying, Hancock gracefully walked over to Ryuuto's side on her high heels, her long legs carrying her with elegance. She adopted a delicate and gentle demeanor, as if the imposing Pirate Empress from moments ago was a different person entirely.
Seeing Teach turned to stone, Ace finally let out a sigh of relief.
Nami, however, glanced at Hancock, her beautiful eyes darting about as if lost in thought. Seeing Hancock's sudden change in demeanor, she immediately hugged Ryuuto's arm and snuggled against his chest.
For Ryuuto, this was an absolute win.
With a slight shake of his right hand, the lightning dissipated and the Haki vanished. Yuki Bashiri returned to its original state, once again a simple and elegant longsword.
"'Blackbeard is dealt with, I got to test my new skills, and their power was exactly what I hoped for. What a great day!'" Ryuuto thought to himself with satisfaction.
Feeling the sensations on both his arms, Ryuuto looked from the flawless, exquisite Hancock with her gentle gaze to the lively and vivacious Nami. A surge of pride and ambition welled up inside him.
On the other side of the island, Van Augur reappeared next to Burgess.
"What happened? You couldn't save the Admiral?" Burgess demanded, grabbing Van Augur by the collar with one hand.
"It was impossible! They're too strong!" Van Augur said, his usually cold and emotionless face now showing a trace of helplessness and guilt. "I couldn't save the Admiral."
"Yeah... too strong," Burgess said, lowering his hand. Only when you faced them directly could you understand how hopeless it was. He suspected Ryuuto hadn't even been using his full strength when they fought. His voice was filled with a sense of powerlessness.
"The Admiral is a man of great destiny. We'll find another chance to save him later," Van Augur said calmly, adjusting his glasses and tightening his grip on the rifle slung over his back.
"I suppose that's our only choice," Burgess replied, his head hung low.
With a soft whoosh, space rippled, and the two of them vanished.
For Van Augur and Burgess, it had been a terrible day. One moment they were enjoying a meal, the next their ship was gone, and now their admiral was gone too.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto's group had already begun cleaning up the battlefield...
Ryuuto placed two statues side by side: Doc Q and Teach.