Blackbeard Teach's screams echoed across the bay battlefield, leaving everyone utterly dumbfounded by the war unfolding before their very eyes.
Without a moment's hesitation, Austin moved his hands, instantly executing several members of the Blackbeard Pirates before they could even process what was happening.
Faced with such formidable pirates—and completely surrounded by the enemy crew—he had straight-up annihilated them, cutting down multiple high-tier, dangerous criminals in a matter of seconds!
Were these really the terrifying monsters from Impel Down's Level 6? The legendary criminals the World Government felt compelled to erase from history?
How on earth was Austin slaughtering them one by one like he was just chopping vegetables?
But then again, it made sense. After all, this was the man the World Government branded as the Demon King!
Just the Espada Corps under his command possessed enough firepower to clash on equal terms with two Marine Admirals.
On top of that, there was the Skeleton Emperor of the Espada, who had brutally slain Yonko Kaido, and Austin himself—the mastermind controlling the entire Espada Legion. He had to be a king of terror far transcending the legion itself!
This was the terrifying power to utterly crush the Blackbeard Pirates!
One had to remember that the current Blackbeard Teach possessed dual Devil Fruit abilities; even Fleet Admiral Sengoku hadn't been able to gain the upper hand against him for a while.
Yet in front of Austin, the Blackbeard Pirates were reduced to nothing more than a bunch of helpless amateurs!
Witnessing such a scene play out right before them, how could anyone present not be shaken to their absolute core?!
"Austin! You miserable bastard!"
"Ah! My right hand! You son of a bitch, you cut off my arm!"
After rolling on the ground in agony for a moment, Blackbeard Teach struggled to his feet and stared at his severed arm lying nearby. His face was deathly pale, his hideous features twisted with sheer malice and rage.
How badly would losing an arm impact a man's combat prowess?
Blackbeard Teach suddenly felt a surge of despair. Why was this bastard's power so monstrously overwhelming?!
He had only just secured the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, completing the very first step of his grand ambition. He hadn't even made his move on the New World to showcase his master plan and dominate the globe yet.
And this was how it ended.
His newly formed, powerhouse crew had been instantly decimated, multiple members were dead, and he had even lost an arm!
People watching the live broadcast across the world were equally paralyzed with horror, completely struck dumb by the unfolding slaughter.
In a single second, he had neutralized and wiped out half of the Blackbeard Pirates.
King Austin was a truly terrifying and ruthless existence!
"And this is what you called an ambition nearly equal to my power?"
"What a laughable joke!"
Standing atop a massive stone slab, Austin looked down at the remaining Blackbeard crew with absolute disdain.
His tone was cold and mocking, completely shattering Blackbeard Teach's delusions of grandeur.
As expected, Teach's expression turned as sour as if he had just swallowed a dead fly, and he glared up at Austin with eyes full of venom.
Looking at his dead subordinates, Blackbeard clenched his teeth in bitter frustration.
He was starting to feel a deep sense of regret. Why on earth had he taken the initiative to provoke a monster like Austin when he didn't need to?
After gaining the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he should have just clashed briefly with the Marines, fled Marineford, and headed straight for the New World to master his new abilities.
Then, he could have gathered an army, claimed Whitebeard's vacant territory, and consolidated his crew's strength.
Wouldn't it have been much better to wait until he had fully grown, possessing a massive force capable of bargaining with Austin on equal terms, or even taking over the world by himself?
Damn it!
Right now, he wanted nothing more than to slap himself for being so blindingly arrogant.
Forcing himself to calm down, Teach channeled the dark fog of the Dark-Dark Fruit, molding it into a makeshift arm to replace his missing limb.
"I admit I crossed the line by messing with you today. How about this? I'll send you countless treasures in the future!" Blackbeard chose to sue for peace.
Judging by the current situation, he genuinely couldn't defeat him. His only option was a tactical retreat to build up his strength and unleash his full potential later.
Only then would he return to take his revenge on Austin!
However, he cast a sideways glance at Van Augur and Shiryu standing beside him.
Even though Blackbeard's face was turning green with rage, he couldn't let Austin slaughter his last two remaining top executives.
"Are those your final words?"
Oppressive and freezing cold!
Instantly, everyone labeled Austin with those two exact traits.
As expected of the Demon King, his stance when facing an enemy was completely unyielding!
"Damn it!" Blackbeard Teach whispered to Van Augur through gritted teeth, "Watch for an opening and take him out with a sneak attack!"
Teach had absolute confidence in Van Augur's sniping skills; even if a surprise shot failed to kill Austin outright, it could still wound or distract him enough to create a vital opening!
Meanwhile, Shiryu, standing beside him, was prepared to go all out to back Blackbeard up.
As a defector who had turned on the Marines, if he couldn't help Blackbeard escape, he was as good as dead anyway. Without another word, Blackbeard launched his assault!
"Quake!"
With a roar, Teach punched the empty air, shattering space into a web of cracks. Austin vanished instantly, reappearing right above Blackbeard's head. But Teach was ready; he smirked and slammed his palm into the ground.
"Dark Cave Domain!"
In a flash, the black mist spread across the ground before erupting upward, swallowing the entire area.
"Court of Storms!"
Within the pitch-black void, Blackbeard granted Shiryu the ability to see through the darkness. Shiryu drew his blade and slashed forward, his pupils glowing a sinister crimson, looking utterly demonic.
Under the influence of his cursed blade, Shiryu's combat power surged drastically, unleashing dozens of blood-red sword slashes in the blink of an eye.
"Zehahaha! Die, Austin!"
Seeing Austin trapped and eroding inside his Dark Cave Domain, Blackbeard laughed maniacally, the oppressive aura of his darkness growing even more violent.
This was a domain expansion he had developed directly from his Dark Cave technique.
"Oh?"
Hearing the mad laughter, Austin merely sneered. Lifting his blade, an explosive surge of Reiatsu erupted from his body as he swung it down in a violent arc!
Every single one of Shiryu's blood-red slashes shattered instantly. The shockwave cleaved Shiryu cleanly in two, the cigar dropping from his mouth in sheer disbelief.
As his body collapsed to the ground, his fading eyes were filled with an eternal sense of unyielding resentment and fury.
*Damn you, Blackbeard, you absolute piece of trash... Why did you have to go and provoke this monster?!* Ame no Shiryū—Dead!
And the residual energy of the slash that killed Shiryu burst forth like a crescent moon of terrifying, freezing light, tearing Blackbeard's Dark Cave Domain completely to shreds!
"What?! Impossible!"
As the darkness collapsed around him, a look of pure, unadulterated shock washed over Blackbeard's face. He had never imagined that Austin could destroy his domain with a single, casual sword strike!