After three days and nights of fierce fighting, the residents of Banaro Island had long since fled. Most of the town lay in ruins, and now, at its center, darkness and flames collided in a violent spectacle.

Standing on high ground in the distance, the quartet of the Blackbeard Pirates observed the battle. Van Augur remarked coldly, "I always thought Devil Fruit users relied too much on their abilities and would become pathetic once they were taken away. As expected of the Whitebeard Pirates’ Second Division Commander, even his fundamentals are rock solid."

"Wiiihahahaha! It looks like the Captain is getting beaten pretty badly! Think he’ll die?"

From Burgess’s words, it was clear that the bonds within this crew were shallow. Since each member possessed formidable strength, their loyalty to Blackbeard was minimal. If Teach were truly defeated by Ace today, none of them would step in to save him; they would simply bolt.

"Failure... it can’t be helped. This is... cough, cough! Fate’s arrangement," Doc Q wheezed out, struggling to speak through his blood-spattered coughs.

"He mustn’t fail," Lafitte said, the only one remaining seated as he twirled his cane. "Otherwise, we’ll be hunted down by the Immortal Pirates."

At Lafitte’s words, the expressions of the other three shifted slightly. Burgess clenched his fists, eyes locked on the battlefield. "In that case, let’s look for a chance to finish the job! Wiiihahahaha!"

Down on the battlefield at the town’s center:

BOOM!!

A swirling vortex of flames dissipated, and Ace’s figure emerged. His neck was twisted at an awkward angle, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, shoulders, and knees. Opposite him, Teach was in no better shape.

"You’ve gained some terrifying power, Teach."

Ace struggled to straighten his back, inwardly marveled. How deeply did this guy hide himself back on the old man’s ship? To think he could fight me to this extent.

"Zehahahaha... Of course. This is the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit."

The "Dark Water" in Teach’s right hand flickered like black fire. A trace of regret crossed his face. "It’s a shame. I really wanted you to join me, Ace. But now, I have to hand you over to the Government."

"Can you nullify the powers of other Fruit users?"

Ace’s pupils constricted. He clenched his fists so hard his bones seemed ready to snap, and his skin gradually turned pitch black.

Full-Body Armament Haki!

"Zehahaha... You barely grasped Armament Haki a year ago, and now you can coat your entire body? You really are the kind of man I want on my crew."

Teach curled his hands into claws. This was his bare-handed combat style, the same technique he had used to leave a permanent scar on Red-Haired Shanks’ left eye, even when the latter was fully on guard. And now, he had a scar on his own left eye, courtesy of Alucard.

Whoosh!

Ace kicked off the ground and lunged at Teach, leaving a small crater where he had stood.

"You aren’t the only one who’s mastered Haki, Ace!"

Teach’s right claw, coated in Armament Haki, slammed into Ace’s fist. A massive shockwave rippled outward, completely leveling the surrounding ruins.

Van Augur, the crew’s sharp-eyed sniper, noted, "To counter the Captain’s ability, ’Fire Fist’ Ace has stopped using the Flame-Flame Fruit and switched entirely to Haki for his offensive."

"Does that mean our chance has come? Wiiihahahaha!" Burgess smashed his fists together, exhilarated.

While Ace remained incredibly strong even without his fruit abilities due to his solid fundamentals, he was undeniably weaker without them. This gave Burgess and the others an opening. They would think twice against a fully powered Ace, but without his fruit, the odds were different.

"No need to move."

Just as the others thought Ace was vulnerable, Lafitte spoke up. "Fire Fist’s decision to stop using his ability is precisely the beginning of his defeat."

"Hm?"

Seeing their confusion, Lafitte clarified, "What do you think the Captain was doing during those twenty-odd years without a Devil Fruit? Sleeping? He was refining his Haki."

The realization dawned on everyone. Twenty-year-old Ace, even if he’d started training in the womb, couldn’t match the decades Teach had spent honing his Haki.

The outcome was decided.

Indeed, while Ace’s youthful agility initially allowed his full-body armament to pressure Teach, his openings grew larger as the battle wore on. Conversely, Teach’s defense became more impenetrable.

The signs of defeat were clear!

"Zehahaha! It’s over! Ace!!"

The moment Ace was forced ten meters into the air, Teach spotted a fatal opening. His left hand curled into an Armament-coated claw, ready to end the fight and ship Ace off to Mariejois.

"Damn it!"

Mid-air, Ace was unable to use his Logia intangibility in time. The opening was too wide.

Just as Ace braced for defeat, the ground beneath them shattered. Debris surged up like a tidal wave as a young man’s voice rang out:

"Dragon Breath!!"

BOOM!!!

In an instant, it felt as if countless bombs had detonated underground, staggering Teach just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow. Ace seized the split-second window to transform into fire and retreat out of range.

"Who’s there?!"

The same thought flashed through the minds of Teach, Ace, and the rest of the Blackbeard Pirates. Nearby, amidst the rubble, a young man in a black trench coat knelt on one knee, his hands thrust into the earth like blades.

"Talk about a close call. I barely made it." The man slowly stood up, revealing the face beneath his top hat.

"Sa... Sabo?!" Ace’s eyes widened in shock.

Ever since learning Sabo had become a Warlord, Ace had wanted to meet him, but Sabo’s movements were so mysterious he could never track him down... until now.

"Long time no see, Ace."

Sabo leapt to Ace’s side. "Don’t ask questions yet. Let’s deal with the man in front of us first."

——————— 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]