...
On the light curtain above, Blackbeard Teach, relying on the terrifying synergistic power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and Dark-Dark Fruit, overwhelmingly defeated the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates led by Marco.
This scene deeply shocked everyone watching inside God Valley.
For a moment, almost every prominent figure—whether pirate overlords or high-ranking Marines…
Even including the Five Elders member Saint Saturn—turned their gazes toward the still-young Marshall D. Teach, who was being tightly held in Eris's arms.
Those gazes were filled with shock, scrutiny, wariness, and an indescribable mix of complex emotions.
"Jahahahahahaha!!"
Golden Lion Shiki was the first to break the silence. Floating in midair, he pointed at Rocks and let out an exaggerated, mocking burst of laughter.
"Rocks! Did you hear that?! After all this, it turns out everything your son does in the future is to fulfill your old man's dream! What filial piety! Hahaha!"
Shiki clearly remembered that Rocks's long-standing ambition had always been to become the "King of the World" above all else.
Now it seemed Teach was charging madly down that same insane path—and perhaps even surpassing his father.
"Mam-ma-ma-ma~ A dual Devil Fruit user…"
Big Mom Charlotte Linlin's massive face was filled with undisguised envy and longing as she stared at Blackbeard's world-destroying posture on the light curtain.
"This is simply unbelievable! This kind of power… If only I could possess the ability of another Devil Fruit as well!"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but fantasize about simultaneously wielding the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit and another top-tier Devil Fruit. The strength increase would be far beyond simple addition.
But fantasy was just fantasy. She touched her face and shook her head. Though she knew her constitution was special, she absolutely wouldn't dare challenge the iron rule that "a person can only eat one Devil Fruit" the way Blackbeard had.
The risk of her body exploding—she had no desire to test it.
"Hey, Rocks…"
Whitebeard Edward Newgate's voice was low and carried a calm that saw through to the essence. Though he felt heartache over Marco and the others' defeat and the future destruction of his own fleet…
What concerned him more right now was the logic behind Blackbeard's behavior.
"I've noticed… your son seems to be deliberately imitating your path.
Selecting suitable partners, building a team centered on interests and ambition… And from what I see, every one of those guys on his ship is scheming and treacherous—far from true comrades who trust each other."
Whitebeard's words struck at the core.
The Rocks Pirates had gathered strong individuals in exactly this manner, and the Blackbeard Pirates were plainly a copy—even more extreme.
"Teach… my poor child… what… what exactly happened to you in the future…"
Eris clutched the innocent, unknowing little Teach tightly in her arms. Tears fell from her cheeks like broken strings.
She couldn't accept that the obedient, well-behaved son in her arms would grow up to become the manic, cruel, treacherous demon shown on the light curtain.
A powerful thought rose in her heart: her Teach must have suffered some unimaginable, massive blow or trauma in the future, causing his personality to twist so horribly!
No mother wanted to believe her child was born evil.
At this moment, Rocks's expression had grown nearly "numb."
The overwhelming flood of information battered his nerves. In the future, he had surely already passed away, unable to pass on certain crucial secrets or ideals to his son.
And Teach—this child who carried his blood—was attempting to fulfill his "King of the World" dream in such an extreme and distorted way.
He could see that Teach was imitating his method of consolidating power, but far colder, far more ruthless, and utterly devoid of any sentiment toward so-called "comrades" and "family."
This realization filled Rocks's heart with a chaotic mix of emotions, surging up a bitter, heavy feeling that was hard to put into words.
"A dual Devil Fruit ability… Rocks's son is actually this… heaven-defying?!"
On the Marines' side, Zephyr couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment. Even though he was a veteran of countless battles and had witnessed innumerable strong individuals and bizarre abilities,
he had never heard of anyone capable of wielding two Devil Fruit powers simultaneously! This completely violated the fundamental laws of this world!
Zephyr carefully analyzed Blackbeard's fighting style: "That darkness fruit restrains or even strips away the opponent's abilities, while the tremor fruit delivers the most direct, most violent physical destruction… The two complement each other perfectly—an ideal combination of offense and defense!
If this continues, won't this Blackbeard become nearly invincible in the future?!"
It wasn't just Zephyr—Sengoku and Tsuru standing beside him also had faces grave to the extreme.
As the future brains and commanders of the Marines, they understood better than anyone what it meant for the Navy and the World Government to face a pirate who broke all conventions, possessed terrifying strength, and harbored boundless ambition.
He would be a threat far surpassing ordinary pirates—one capable of overturning the existing order!
A heavy, oppressive pressure had already settled over their hearts.
Just as everyone's emotions churned from Blackbeard's power, Saint Saturn—who had been silently observing (or rather, through whose perspective Imu was observing)—watched Blackbeard's frenzied, domineering roar and invincible posture on the light curtain.
On that ancient, still face, his lips moved almost imperceptibly. An extremely old and obscure name drifted from his lips like dust:
"Davy…"
This murmur was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, nearly inaudible. His tone carried no trace of joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness—as if every emotion had been thoroughly worn away across an endlessly despairing river of time.
All that remained was a cold, detached indifference overlooking the mortal world.
No one present knew the meaning behind this name, but the fact that it came from the lips of the world's supreme ruler carried an ominous portent in itself.
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