Alvida, using the power of the Slip-Slip Fruit, charged forward first, carrying a pitch-black mace.
"My esteemed Captain is receiving such a welcome; these guys are truly too polite."
Green aura rose from Alvida's body, and the ordinary crew members also erupted with eye-catching power.
Bang bang... bang bang...
The snipers in the distance initiated the attack first.
The sound of the sniper fire was extremely muffled, not at all like a 'bird sniper' but rather from the only two Barrett M82A1s on the entire ship, or even in this world.
Using such a weapon on people would lead to a military court-martial, but the good news is that the One Piece world has no Geneva Convention or military court.
The bullet, imbued with Armament Haki, precisely hit Van Augur, the sniper. Having spent his entire life playing with guns, he ultimately died by someone else's gun, which could be considered a fitting end.
Watching Alvida run towards Blackbeard, Yang Tao quickly reminded her, "This guy has two hearts; be careful he's faking..."
But with one swing of Alvida's mace, she directly shattered the head of Teach, whose strength had been reduced by 80%.
"Captain, what did you just say?"
"Nothing, as long as you're happy..."
Yang Tao clicked his tongue, looking at the corpses of Teach and Van Augur on the ground.
It seemed he hadn't gotten a single kill; he'd left a bunch of low-health enemies for his subordinates to snatch all the kills.
However, he didn't say much, merely reaching out to stop Alvida, who was preparing to charge at Kuzan.
"He doesn't need..."
Aokiji Kuzan: "..."
What does 'doesn't need' mean? However, Aokiji also felt a threat; the strange firearms in those people's hands gave him a very dangerous feeling.
"Kuzan, it's been a long time. I wanted to catch up with you just now, but I didn't expect to be interrupted by this guy."
Actually, it's quite amusing to think about. Who would have thought that the current Marine Admiral Aokiji would resign from the Marines and eventually join the Blackbeard Pirates, becoming the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates' 10th ship?
But now Aokiji has no chance; Blackbeard is completely dead.
"Are those Fish-Men on Fish-Man Island your people?"
Aokiji asked the question that was on his mind, or rather, the question the Marines most wanted to know.
"Fish-Men? Hmm, I did take in some Fish-Men as subordinates... but they're all free-range. How far they can develop is entirely up to them."
Suddenly mentioning Fish-Men, Yang Tao's mind immediately thought of mermaids, and thinking of mermaids, he then thought of Arlong's sister, the great green shark mermaid, Shyarly.
"Aokiji, I suddenly remembered I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."
Aokiji watched Yang Tao's retreating back, then pulled out a shivering Den Den Mushi. A moment later:
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Yang Tao has appeared."
"Remember, do not easily become enemies with him. I'll arrange for Borsalino to meet you at Sabaody."
"Alright, I understand. Also, besides the ship's doctor Doc Q, all other members of the Blackbeard Pirates were killed by Yang Tao's subordinates."
Though the Den Den Mushi was shivering, it dutifully mimicked Sengoku's furrowed brow.
"Killed Marshall D. Teach? He and Teach shouldn't have had any connection, right?"
"Things are a bit complicated; I'll report back to you when I return."
"Okay."
Aokiji walked towards the pirate ship, which had been frozen into ice. Doc Q of the Blackbeard Pirates and Ace were both inside.
...
Fish-Man Island.
Compared to when he left, Fish-Man Island had become even livelier and more orderly.
Yang Tao stayed on Fish-Man Island for two full days, getting a good experience of the local customs and traditions.
"Princess Shirahoshi, I really can't take you outside. The outside world is truly too dangerous; even with my strength, it's a near-death experience..."
Yang Tao summoned a wooden door and bid farewell to the teary-eyed Princess Shirahoshi. This nearly ten-meter-tall mermaid princess really wanted to go out with him to see other places.
But besides the One Piece world, Yang Tao really didn't know which other world would suit Princess Shirahoshi. What if she stayed in the ocean of a normal world, and there were shameless guys like those from the 'small days' dumping trash into the ocean? Even if Shirahoshi had high resistance and wouldn't mutate, it wouldn't be good for her fair skin to deteriorate.
"Re... Really? Even with your strength, it's a near-death experience?"
"Of course, I never lie to pretty little girls. All right, Shirahoshi, you stay well with your father in the Ryugu Palace. If you're bored, you can use the fireplace brick to go see Lan. They can protect your safety, but the premise is that you have to listen to her and not run around."
Shirahoshi immediately nodded at his words.
Going up occasionally, even with restrictions, was better than staying in the Ryugu Palace all the time.
"Then... Sir Yang, please be careful. I'll wait for you to return in the Ryugu Palace..."
Yang Tao's body trembled, and he quickly said, "Shirahoshi, don't listen to your father talking nonsense. Live well, and I'll come see you when I have a chance."
With that, Yang Tao quickly turned and slipped into the Overworld, reaching out to close the door.
"Phew, I don't know what Neptune tells Shirahoshi every day. It's true that mermaids are nice, but I'm a man with a wife, so I must maintain control..."
But Shirahoshi is really big; Yang Tao was referring to her height.
What Yang Tao wanted to do was control desire, not be controlled by it. Never mind having three thousand concubines, even with two women, you'd have a Monday-Wednesday-Friday, Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, Sunday double-date situation.
His gaze fell upon the wooden door on the Mist Wall. For some reason, Yang Tao felt that the mist on the Mist Wall had become a little thinner than before.
But it was only a little; if he didn't see it almost every day, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference.
'The mist is going to dissipate?'
He walked to the Mist Wall and reached out, carefully feeling the changes within it, but the flowing mist had no other changes except for being slightly more transparent.
'There's always a way forward. When the Mist Wall dissipates, it dissipates. Whether there's something behind it or not, he can't escape.'
The Overworld was already completely bound to him; they would suffer or prosper together.
Walking towards the newly appeared wooden door, Yang Tao was somewhat curious about what kind of world the New World was. He immediately reached out and placed his hand on the wooden door.
He gently pulled the wooden door open.
Because it was nighttime, the world behind the door was incredibly dim, but with the help of the clear moonlight, Yang Tao could still see that behind the door was a modern city.
However, the city was now scarred and desolate, with various ruins and debris casually strewn across the streets.
Yang Tao stepped out of the wooden door, looking around his surroundings and muttering, "Where is this?"
Giant black stone steles stood among the tall buildings.
There were no pedestrians on the street, only several adorable little girls.
That's right, in this city, which was like an apocalypse, there stood several little girls around ten years old.
Their health bars hovered around 500.
Very strong.
'Could these children be the culprits behind this city's state?'
But the next moment, he threw that thought out of his mind.
The green borders above the heads of these children proved that they were just adorable children, and they could show goodwill towards him, a stranger.
"Big brother, are you here to find the Initiator?"