...
Under Rayleigh's guidance, Luffy began his grueling and arduous training on Amazon Lily.
Meanwhile, his crewmates—upon receiving the "3D2Y" message conveyed by the sixteen tolls of the bell—immediately understood Luffy's determination.
Scattered across the world, they too began their frenzied self-improvement. Every one of them knew clearly: only by becoming stronger could they prevent the tragedies of Sabaody Archipelago and Marineford from repeating!
Only then could they stand side by side with their captain in the New World.
The Straw Hat Pirates temporarily withdrew from the world's stage, quietly sharpening their claws.
However, the gears of the world would not stop turning just because a few people chose to lie low.
The balance of power on the seas continued to shift and reorganize dramatically.
The one who replaced "the world's strongest man" Edward Newgate and ascended to the position of one of the Four Emperors of the New World was, as everyone had expected!
It was none other than the man who triggered the Summit War and stole Whitebeard's power—Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach!
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit's cataclysmic power—capable of causing tsunamis and tearing the earth apart—combined with the Dark-Dark Fruit's malevolent ability to devour everything, allowed Teach to quickly establish a firm foothold in the New World.
The superposition of these two top-tier Devil Fruits created a terrifying deterrent force. Countless untamed pirates were forced to bow their heads and submit. The Blackbeard Pirates' influence expanded like a rolling snowball.
But not everyone submitted to this dark power.
There was one group that, fueled by bone-deep hatred and unyielding will, steadfastly refused to acknowledge Teach's status.
They were none other than the surviving division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates and the warriors under their command!
Approximately one year after the end of the Summit War, led by the 1st division commander and ship doctor "Phoenix" Marco, the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates clashed fiercely with Blackbeard!
They carried the resolute determination to avenge their "Old Man" Whitebeard, their brother Ace, and the brutally murdered 4th division commander Thatch!
On an unnamed island, they engaged in a brutal final confrontation with the Blackbeard Pirates.
This battle, later known to posterity as "the Battle of Closure," officially erupted!
The light curtain's scene rapidly shifted, cutting straight to the heart of this tragic fight.
New World, some desolate island. The air was thick with gunpowder smoke and killing intent.
"Zehahahahaha!! Marco-captain! And all you former comrades! We've known each other for decades—old acquaintances, right!"
Teach—yet to fully solidify his position as an Emperor—puffed out his fat belly, spread his arms wide, and wore a manic, hypocritical smile!
He shouted loudly toward the battle-ready remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates ahead:
"Now that old geezer Whitebeard is dead! Ace is dead too! The era has changed! Why cling to the past? Come join me—all of you! Let's conquer this sea together!"
His tone and attitude were exactly the same as when he had tried to recruit Ace—replete with nauseating calculation and arrogance.
Behind him, the full Blackbeard Pirates—led by Burgess, Shiryu, Van Augur, and the others—grinned ferociously, radiating danger.
"Teach!! You ungrateful bastard!!"
3rd division commander "Diamond" Jozu roared, veins bulging on his forehead. His diamond-hard body trembled slightly from extreme rage, his eyes practically shooting flames as he bellowed:
"Old Man treated you with boundless kindness—raised you like a son! And you… you did THIS to him! Are you even human?! Have you forgotten the time you knelt on the ground like a stray dog, begging Old Man to take you in?!"
Jozu's words struck like heavy hammers on the hearts of every former Whitebeard Pirate member, ripping away Blackbeard's mask of hypocrisy.
The other commanders—Vista, Izou, and the rest—had faces as dark as the bottom of a pot…
Their hands gripping their weapons bulged with veins, murder in their eyes.
"Zehahaha… Jozu-captain, don't say it so harshly."
Blackbeard's bone-chilling laughter subsided slightly, but his expression remained twisted and savage.
"I served the Whitebeard Pirates loyally for decades, didn't I! In every big and small battle, didn't I always charge forward with everything I had? Even if I had no credit, I at least had sweat and blood!"
As he spoke, Blackbeard suddenly changed his tone. His gaze swept over these former "family" members he once drank and fought alongside, his voice carrying a warped "sincerity":
"If… if I had just asked Thatch directly for the Dark-Dark Fruit back then—if I had begged him for it—maybe… maybe he really would have given it to me, you know?"
Teach paused, then his tone abruptly turned icy and resolute: "But… then what? After eating the Dark-Dark Fruit, should I have just stayed in the Whitebeard Pirates forever, being an obedient 'good son'?!
Don't make me laugh! I have my own ambitions! I have things I must carry! The Dark-Dark Fruit I dreamed of was finally in my hands…"
"Of course I had to leave—to realize my aspirations!"
Blackbeard's voice suddenly rose, laced with cruel "logic": "As for why I had to kill Thatch… it's because only by doing that could I completely sever the boring bonds between me and the Whitebeard Pirates—between me and all of you!
Only then could I step onto my own path without any regrets!"
Before his words even finished, torrents of darkness erupted from Blackbeard's body like thick ink!
That darkness carried a devouring gravitational pull, rapidly spreading outward. The originally clear sky suddenly darkened and became oppressively gloomy because of this extreme blackness—as if the end of days had arrived!
"This bastard killed him!"
"Charge! Avenge Old Man, Ace, Thatch!"
"You scum!!"
...
"You guys, be careful—get back!!" Marco shouted loudly in warning the moment he saw what was happening.
However, hatred had already blinded some of the crew members' eyes.
Several revenge-driven, reason-lost Whitebeard Pirates disregarded everything and charged toward the darkness-shrouded Blackbeard, weapons raised!
"Come back! Get back, you idiots!! Don't be reckless!!"
Marco shouted desperately, trying to stop what was essentially suicide, but it was ultimately too late.
"I have to fulfill my ambitions… I have to realize… my old man's dream…"
In the instant before Blackbeard struck, his eyes seemed to glaze over for a moment.
He muttered something incoherent under his breath—so softly almost no one heard it.
(Note: Pay attention to little Black's tears. At this point, little Black had already developed a tiny bit of wisdom. Although he doesn't know his old man's dream right now, he will definitely find out when he grows up.)
But this fleeting anomaly vanished instantly. His eyes were once again filled with madness and brutality.
"BAM!!!"
Blackbeard's right hand—coated in tremor waves—slammed viciously into the air beside him! The motion was identical to Whitebeard's!
"CRACK!!!"
Space shattered like a mirror, producing a teeth-grinding sound!
Terrifying shockwaves accompanied the fractured spatial traces, like an invisible giant beast, ruthlessly blasting toward the charging pirates!
Wherever the shockwave passed, the ground cracked inch by inch, rocks turned to dust!
"AAAHH!!"
Piercing screams and the muffled crunch of breaking bones rang out instantly! Blackbeard showed no mercy—he went straight for the kill!
Those men couldn't even get close to him before their bodies twisted and deformed under the destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, blood spraying wildly!
They lost all signs of life in an instant, flung away like rag dolls, crashing heavily to the ground and moving no more.
"ZEHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Blackbeard withdrew his fist and laughed maniacally, as if he had merely swatted a few flies.
"I'll give you one last chance! The only chance to live! Join me! Marco! Jozu! Vista! And all the rest of you!
Let's cast aside old grudges and conquer this world together! Build our own new era!!"
Teach issued his final recruitment—this might have been his genuine thought deep down.
After all, these commanders were all extraordinarily powerful—extremely rare and valuable combatants.
Just as he had with Ace—even when Ace hunted him relentlessly—his initial thought had still been to recruit rather than kill.
"Dream on!! Teach!! Even if I die here today, I'll never bow my head to scum like you!!"
Jozu roared. His massive diamond body erupted with dazzling light. Like an out-of-control war chariot, he charged first toward Blackbeard!
"That's right! Avenge Old Man and Ace!!"
Marco's eyes turned ice-cold. Without any further hesitation, azure phoenix flames soared into the sky!
He instantly entered his hybrid form, wings flapping once, turning into a streak of blue light that followed right behind Jozu!
"KILL!!"
5th division commander "Flower Sword" Vista drew both blades, razor-sharp sword energy crisscrossing wildly!
The other commanders also roared furiously, unleashing their full power and charging as one!
They would use the enemy's blood to honor their fallen loved ones!
"In that case… don't blame me for being ruthless!!"
Seeing the commanders' final answer delivered through action, the last trace of Blackbeard's hypocrisy vanished completely. In its place was naked killing intent and savagery!
His right hand clenched again. This time, an even more terrifying, even more condensed white light sphere gathered on his fist. The surrounding space groaned under the unbearable strain!
This time, he held nothing back—unleashing several times more power from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit than before!
"Black Vortex!!"
At the same time, the darkness beneath his feet expanded like a living thing, powerful gravity attempting to restrict the commanders' movements.
The great battle fully erupted! This clash of vengeance and ambition lasted an entire half-day.
The destructive energy of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit combined perfectly with the eerie abilities of the Dark-Dark Fruit, forming an almost unsolvable offensive.
Even though the Whitebeard Pirates' commanders were all battle-hardened monsters with immense strength and unbreakable wills, under the absolute suppression of two top-tier Devil Fruit powers, their counterattacks felt painfully difficult.
Armament Haki could somewhat resist the tremors, but it couldn't fully negate destruction that originated from space itself.
And the Dark-Dark Fruit's nullification effect greatly diminished the regenerative power of Marco's immortal flames…
In the end, accompanied by the island's fragmentation and towering plumes of dust, "the Battle of Closure" concluded with the crushing defeat of the Whitebeard Pirates' remnants.
The surviving commanders, bearing heavy wounds and carrying the bodies of even more fallen comrades, were forced to retreat.
After this battle, no one could ever shake Blackbeard Teach's position as one of the Four Emperors again!
The cruelty of the new era was displayed in full in this single fight.
...