"Damn it!" Ace cursed.
The Dark-Dark Fruit was truly disgusting.
Last time, he'd fallen because of this very ability. And now he'd been caught again.
He struggled with all his strength—
But the Flame-Flame Fruit simply wouldn't cooperate.
It only kept feeding the darkness.
Truly… a one-sided love. A love offering.
The other division commanders were stunned.
They never would've imagined this happening.
Fortunately, they reacted quickly.
"Let go of Ace!"
They roared and rushed forward.
But how could they possibly stop a Blackbeard who had been calculating from the start—when they had completely dropped their guard?
He hadn't managed to grab Hancock's pale, smooth neck—
But he had grabbed Ace's.
A substitute meal, in a sense.
Without his Flame-Flame powers—
Ace was basically useless.
What? Physical combat?
Sorry—since when was that Ace's specialty?
Facing the familiar faces charging toward him, Blackbeard grinned viciously and pulled Ace in front of him as a shield.
One man holding them all at bay—
Commanding the division commanders with Ace as hostage.
"Zehahaha! Think carefully. One more step and I snap Ace's neck!"
They froze.
After all that—
After finally rescuing him—
Ace had been captured again?
Their fury had nowhere to go except into curses.
"Teach, you bastard!"
"Let Ace go!"
"You damned traitor!"
The insults poured out.
To Blackbeard, they were compliments.
Whitebeard, seeing this mid-battle, roared in rage:
"Teach! You dare!"
"Whether he dares or not, I don't know—but zoning out in front of me? You've got guts!"
Garp shouted as he launched a heavy punch at Whitebeard.
Whitebeard's expression shifted—
He hurriedly blocked.
Then realized—
The punch was strangely weak.
He looked at Garp in surprise.
Their eyes met.
They understood.
Whitebeard staggered back, clutching his chest as if heavily injured.
After Blackbeard's move—
They both realized Leno's true intention.
It had never been about currying favor.
He'd deliberately sent Blackbeard to mess with Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates.
Most of the smart ones caught on.
Even the Blackbeard Pirates who had been charging toward Leno quickly turned around—
Rushing to support their captain.
Whitebeard could only roar and slowly advance.
The three Admirals?
Watching the show.
Pirates biting pirates had nothing to do with them.
Sabo and Jinbe tried to intervene—
But were blocked by Shiryu of the Rain and the other Blackbeard Pirates.
Clang!
Sabo's iron pipe clashed against Shiryu's famed blade, sparks flying.
"Move!" Sabo shouted anxiously.
Shiryu, cigar in his mouth, gave a cruel smile.
"Kid, I'm your opponent."
Everyone had their own match.
Leno watched it all, a faint smile curling at his lips.
"Not bad. Blackbeard's not stupid."
Perona floated in the air, giggling.
"Heh-heh-heh~ Dogs biting dogs, fur everywhere."
"Leno-sama's plan is flawless."
"Blackbeard's such a useful tool."
Hancock, standing beside Leno, finally understood.
She had known it—
The man she chose would never bow to Whitebeard.
He wanted to punish Blackbeard—
And make the Whitebeard Pirates swallow a bitter pill.
"As expected of the man this Empress chose!"
Meanwhile—
Blackbeard tightened his grip slightly.
Ace's face flushed deep red.
"Don't move!" he barked. "Unless you want Fire Fist to become Dead Fist!"
The Whitebeard Pirates were forced to hold back.
They could only watch helplessly as Blackbeard and his crew gradually withdrew from the battlefield.
"Old man… everyone…" Ace choked out weakly.
His eyes rolled back—
Not from pleasure.
From suffocation.
Though, in a sense—
He was getting thoroughly played.
The gap in physical toughness between people in this world was ridiculous.
If it were Kaido—
Blackbeard could probably squeeze all day without effect.
Whitebeard gripped Murakumogiri tightly, chest heaving.
Across from him, Garp's expression wasn't much better.
Ace was his grandson.
Leno watched, a cold smile forming.
"Interesting. Looks like things are back on track."
Everything was unfolding according to his plan.
Become someone's son?
Did Whitebeard deserve that?
Of course Leno could tell—
Garp and Whitebeard were still acting.
Still holding back.
But how long could they keep it up?
Every extra second Ace remained in Blackbeard's grasp—
Whitebeard's anxiety grew.
And anxiety eroded reason.
Act?
Act my ass.
Keep acting and Ace would be dead.
Unless Garp completely abandoned his Marine stance and let Whitebeard pass.
But he wouldn't.
If he truly had that resolve—
He would've acted during the execution.
His earlier obstruction had merely been a gesture.
A way to give his past familial bond an explanation.
Blackbeard squeezed Ace's throat tightly, laughing triumphantly.
"Zehahaha! Back in my hands again, Captain Ace!"
Ace struggled—
But his strength was fading.
"Last time you escaped execution. But if I hand you back to the Marines now—think you'll escape again? Zehahaha!"
Everyone knew the Marines had held back last time.
The first rescue could be blamed on being caught off guard.
But if Ace were rescued a second time—
Live, in front of the entire world—
Marine authority would be trampled into the dirt.
Public trust would collapse.
Could the Marines afford that?
Without the Marines—
What was a "Marine Hero" worth?
On the execution platform, Sengoku's face was livid.
"What a vicious scheme."
His title as a strategic genius wasn't for show.
He instantly saw through it.
A naked open scheme.
A trap he knew was a trap—
But had to step into.
Whitebeard and Garp also understood immediately.
If Whitebeard wanted to save Ace—
He had to do it before Blackbeard handed him over.
Otherwise—
Once Ace was back in Marine custody—
And publicly executed again—
There would be no holding back.
Not from Sengoku.
Not from Garp.
Whitebeard alone would never save him.
"Teach!!!"
Whitebeard's fury reached its peak.
His attacks sharpened instantly.
No more time to waste.
Garp cursed inwardly.
"Damn brats… one after another…"
He had no choice but to respond in kind.
"Fist Bone Impact!!"
This time—
No more acting.
Conqueror's infusion fully unleashed.
Their clash sent shockwaves blasting Marines and pirates alike flying.
Blackbeard watched the chaos.
Said nothing.
Still clutching Ace—
Looking slightly lost.
He strutted around Marine Headquarters—
And strangely, no one attacked him.
But he carefully avoided Leno's direction.
Because Leno would actually beat him up.
This was good enough.
Satisfied, he walked toward the Marine side, shouting loudly:
"I'm a Warlord of the Sea now, you know!"
"See? Such dedication!"
"The Ace you let escape—I brought him back!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! This grand gift—your Marines better receive it properly! Zehahaha!"
"Make sure dear Captain Ace doesn't escape again!"
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