"GAAAHHH—!!"
Blackbeard's ragged breathing echoed like a broken bellows across the silent ruins.
Ronan held his spear across his body, feeling the inner energy within him surge wildly under the fivefold amplification—so violent it felt like it might burst through his very skin.
A decisive glint flashed in his eyes.
"Strike while you're down."
His figure blurred.
The long spear tore through the air with a sharp sonic boom.
The Seastone tip gleamed with a faint, almost divine blue light—
Aimed straight for Blackbeard's throat.
If this strike landed—
The Seastone would lock his power instantly—
And the inner force would shatter his windpipe.
"Bastard… don't think you can kill me that easily!!"
At the final instant—
When the spear tip was less than three inches away—
Blackbeard roared.
His eyes widened, filled with destructive madness.
Ignoring the blood pouring from his wound—
His right fist surged up, instantly coated in dense black Armament Haki.
"CLANG—!!"
Fist and spear collided.
A crimson ripple burst outward from the impact point, reducing the surrounding debris to dust.
"PUAH—!"
Blackbeard screamed in agony.
The second tearing of his wounds nearly knocked him unconscious.
Yet—
His massive hands still held the spear back.
That monstrous resilience—
Was beyond human.
Ronan looked at him—
At that twisted, pain-ridden, yet still ferocious face.
A hint of admiration flickered in his killing intent.
"To take a blow like that and still block my full-force strike…"
"You really are a monster, Blackbeard."
The energy inside Ronan surged violently, roaring through his meridians like thunder.
An unprecedented exhilaration filled him.
And then—
A realization struck.
Such a perfect whetstone—
To kill it now—
Would be a waste.
"If you're this durable…"
"Then train with me a bit."
He twisted the spear—
Using the recoil to leap into the air.
In that instant—
He abandoned pure killing intent.
And unleashed the full breadth of his Xingyi Spear techniques.
"Thunder on Flat Ground!"
Ronan descended from above.
The spear came down like a pillar of heaven—
Carrying overwhelming force.
The air itself was compressed, rumbling like distant thunder.
"Armament… Harden!!"
Blackbeard raised both arms to block.
"BOOM!!"
The ground collapsed again.
Blackbeard's legs sank deep into the earth.
Pain tore through him as he roared.
He wanted to retreat—
To escape that terrifying Seastone—
But Ronan's assault came in relentless waves.
"Think you can run?!"
"Kuafu Chasing the Sun!"
Ronan surged forward with the spear.
Every muscle—
Every bone—
Focused into a single point at the spear tip.
He became a streak of golden light—
A meteor hunting its prey.
"Puchi! Puchi! Puchi!"
Each thrust carried Armament Haki and penetrating force.
Blackbeard had no choice but to counter with blood-soaked fists.
Every clash—
Worsened his injuries.
At the edge of the battlefield—
Zoro stopped.
He watched Ronan—
Fierce, relentless—
His spear flowing like art.
Then looked at Blackbeard—
Still struggling like a trapped beast.
Slowly—
Zoro sheathed his blade.
"…Looks like I don't need to step in."
He crossed his arms, eyes gleaming.
"That guy…"
"…is using Blackbeard as a training dummy."
"For a fighter like Ronan, an opponent at this level… is rare."
As Ronan's attacks grew sharper—
As his energy surged and evolved—
Each strike began to carry an indescribable momentum.
"Tiger Descends the Mountain!"
He leapt.
The spear swept like a tiger's tail—
Its force cutting through ruins a hundred meters away.
"Cloud Covers the Summit!"
The spear danced like mist—
Destroying any chance for Blackbeard to counter with darkness.
"Split the Mountain!"
The spear fell like an axe.
Blackbeard blocked—
But was sent flying meters away, blood spraying.
"Chasing Wind, Pursuing Moon!"
"Pulling the Banner with the Wind!"
The techniques flowed seamlessly.
Ronan's battle cries echoed like thunder across the empty town.
Meanwhile—
Blackbeard's condition worsened.
At first, he could still counter with brute strength.
But as blood loss took its toll—
His movements slowed.
His fists—
Once capable of shaking mountains—
Now trembled.
Fear.
At last—
Appeared in his eyes.
For twenty years—
He endured.
Schemed.
Sought the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Dreamed of conquering the world.
But never—
Had he imagined—
That he would fall—
To a nameless rookie.
And worse—
Be treated as nothing more than practice.
The battlefield echoed with two sounds—
Ronan's roaring battle cries—
And Blackbeard's desperate, pain-filled howls.
Minutes passed—
But for Blackbeard—
Each second felt like an eternity.
Ronan's spear grew faster.
Sharper.
Lighter—
Yet heavier.
Suddenly—
He pulled the spear back.
Then—
His entire body moved as one.
Power exploded forward.
The Seastone tip spun—
Like a drill of blue energy—
Shattering Blackbeard's sluggish defense.
"Cough—! Cough—!!"
Blackbeard vomited blood.
Dizziness overtook him.
His ambition—
Finally—
Collapsed.
His eyes—
Once filled with greed and madness—
Turned dull.
Gray.
His movements slowed further.
His Haki flickered.
His defense—
Fell apart.
Ronan stood tall.
Spear leveled at Blackbeard's heart.
His presence—
Had reached a new level entirely.
"Blackbeard…"
"I'll admit it."
"You're tough."
"Like a stubborn rock."
"But unfortunately…"
"Your strength…"
"…can't keep up with your ambition."
"It ends here."
Blackbeard tried to speak—
To deny it—
But all that came out—
Was a mouthful of dark red blood—
Mixed with fragments of his organs.
His ambition.
His dreams.
His twenty years of patience—
All—
Collapsed into nothing—
Before death.
To Read60+ AHEAD advanced Chapters, head over to P@treon
patreon.com/DarkVerse146