Artillery fire rained down on the battlefield, the air thick with gunpowder smoke.
Meanwhile, on the coast behind Marineford.
"Zehahaha! I didn't expect to be back here so soon. I wonder how Pops and the others are doing. I sure hope he isn't dead yet, zehahaha!"
A dozen or so figures stepped ashore. Teach grinned, revealing his missing teeth as he threw his head back and laughed.
Behind him, aside from his original crewmates like Burgess and Laffitte, stood several new faces clad in prisoner uniforms.
Without exception, they were all heavy criminals Teach had just recruited from Level 6 of Impel Down.
"Heh, you're getting a little ahead of yourself, Teach. Don't forget your promise."
Shiryu of the Rain had a cigar clamped between his lips. His entire being exuded a murderous aura, making the smile on his face seem somewhat sinister.
Beside him, the heavily made-up, long-nosed Catarina Devon let out an eccentric laugh and chimed in,
"Murunfuffu! We only followed you because we heard you could steal Whitebeard's power. If your little performance fails later, don't blame us for disbanding on the spot."
Hearing this, a dark glint flashed in the depths of Teach's eyes. He was clearly dissatisfied with the attitude of these "crewmates" who had just joined—or rather, couldn't even be fully considered crewmates yet.
But he didn't show it on his face. Instead, he let out a feigned, hearty laugh and said,
"Zehahaha! Don't worry. As long as we can successfully kill Pops, you guys just need to cover me. When the time comes, I'll naturally show you what you want to see."
They were a group of criminals dubbed the worst in history, and they had only just met today. Teach didn't expect them to have any loyalty, nor would he ever expect it in the future.
The only thing binding them together was mutual benefit.
If he hadn't promised to help them steal abilities in the future, this group would have turned on him back in the prison. They never would have followed him to Marineford.
Before long, Teach and his group passed through the empty town and arrived behind the Marine Headquarters building.
By now, Oris Plaza had completely devolved into a battlefield. Lasers, magma, and sword energy flew wildly through the air.
The ground was torn apart everywhere, littered with craters blasted by cannonballs. Flames spread in all directions, while the sounds of slaughter, wailing, and explosions echoed throughout the skies above Marineford.
Seeing this grand spectacle of war, even these ruthless outlaws couldn't help but feel a sense of shock.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. The Marine Headquarters really brought out their entire force."
"Well, they are facing the strongest man in the world, after all."
"How exaggerated."
The group's eyes swept across the battlefield, quickly locking onto Whitebeard in the distance, who was fighting two opponents at once.
Facing the frantic suppression of two Admirals, Kizaru and Akainu, Whitebeard, dragging his heavily injured and sick body, still fought with all his might.
Even when struck by magma or lasers, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to counterattack, not giving the two Admirals the slightest chance to break away.
The reason he was fighting so desperately was because, on the other side of the battlefield, the Straw Hat kid and Ace were frantically breaking through the Marine lines.
Outside the encirclement, Jozu led a group of Division Commanders, desperately holding back the Marine officers led by Aokiji who were trying to intercept Ace.
In the air, Marco flew at top speed, dodging attacks from the ground while heading toward Luffy and Ace to provide backup.
"The Straw Hat kid is here too? Zehahaha, what a surprise. However..."
Teach said with a wide grin. Then, he slowly turned his head toward another part of the battlefield. "What surprises me even more is that guy."
Shiryu and the others followed his gaze upward and saw two figures engaged in a fierce, high-speed aerial battle.
"Garp, and... wait a minute, is that?!"
Shiryu's expression changed as he instantly recognized the figure with wild blonde hair.
The man who shattered the myth of the impenetrable Impel Down, the first person to ever escape its inescapable walls—Golden Lion Shiki!
"Zehahaha, that guy has been off the radar for so many years. I didn't expect him to show up here today. The last time I saw him was twenty years ago, wasn't it..."
Teach smiled with a nostalgic look in his eyes, unable to help but recall the scenes on Whitebeard's ship back in the day.
After Shiki successfully broke out of prison, he had gone to see Whitebeard. Teach had been present at the time, but since that day, there had been no news of the Golden Lion on the seas.
The Float-Float Fruit... he was equally envious of that ability.
Teach's eyes grew increasingly fanatical, fully displaying his greed.
But unfortunately.
He had no intention of dealing with two legendary figures at the same time, nor was he capable of it. He didn't even dare to face Pops head-on, choosing instead to hide and wait for the right moment.
If he provoked the Golden Lion as well, he probably wouldn't make it out of here alive today.
However.
If he seized the Tremor-Tremor Fruit first, his strength would increase massively. Then he could try to steal the Golden Lion's ability...
"Zehahaha, maybe there will be a chance."
Teach's lips curled into a sinister grin, unable to stop himself from imagining the scenario where he had both abilities in his grasp.
Meanwhile, in an unnoticed corner of the plaza.
Allen casually picked up a few stones from the ground. His gaze swept across the battlefield, selecting a few targets. He extended his arm and flicked the stones in his hand like bullets.
*Swish—! Swish—!*
*Smack!*
"Ouch! That hurts!"
"Damn it! I've been shot!"
"Who's there?!"
Several pirates and Marine soldiers in different locations were hit by the stones. Thinking they were being ambushed, they turned around in panic and anger.
However, they were stunned to find no one behind them. Confused, they couldn't help but look around.
It was exactly this searching and observing action that quickly led someone to make a shocking discovery: a giant was hiding behind the Marine Headquarters building, stealthily peering at the battlefield.
"Hey! Look at the Headquarters building!!"
"There's someone behind it! More than one!!"
"That's... San Juan Wolf, the Colossal Battleship!"
The Marine who spotted them first shouted in panic. Those nearby who heard the voice instinctively turned to look. Upon seeing it, they were instantly frozen in shock!
Immediately, the word spread from one to ten, and ten to a hundred, quickly drawing the attention of countless people.
"Teach?! Blackbeard Teach has appeared!!"
"The traitorous Head Jailer, Shiryu of the Rain!!"
"And Avalo Pizarro, the Corrupt King! Catarina Devon, the Crescent Moon Hunter! Vasco Shot, the Heavy Drinker!!"
"They're major prisoners from Impel Down! Blackbeard brought them all here!!"
This sudden development caused many on the battlefield to stop what they were doing and stare.
The moment they saw the newcomers, Whitebeard, Sengoku, Ace, Doflamingo, and everyone else revealed expressions of shock!
At this moment, Blackbeard's crew was equally dumbfounded.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing, you bastard?! Didn't I tell you to hide better?!"
Burgess flailed his arms and cursed at San Juan Wolf.
"We've been exposed. Damn it."
Teach gritted his teeth, glaring down at the battlefield as his mind raced.
The Marines' primary targets right now were Pops and Ace. If he directly attacked Pops, Akainu and Kizaru would likely break off to intercept the fleeing Ace.
That meant, as long as he finished off Pops before Ace was killed, he could safely leave here before the Marines turned their attention to him.
Having assessed the situation, Teach shouted and signaled everyone to jump down.
"Since it's come to this, we have no choice. Let's go!"
"Ohhh!!"
Burgess and the original crewmates followed excitedly. Shiryu and the others exchanged glances; although it was a bit risky, they still made their move and followed him down.
...
"Teach!!"
Seeing Blackbeard appear, the most furious person was obviously Whitebeard. He immediately raised his massive bisento, Murakumogiri, with one hand, imbuing the blade with the power of tremors!
"You bastard! You murdered a crewmate, stole a Devil Fruit, and fled the ship! And you still have the nerve to show your face in front of me?!"
*Bang!*
The very instant Teach's feet landed on the plaza, Whitebeard didn't say another word. From hundreds of meters away, he viciously swung his blade down!
"Go to hell and repent, Teach!!"
"What?!"
Teach's pupils dilated in terror. He clearly hadn't expected Whitebeard to act so decisively, leaving him absolutely no time to react.
*Crack!!*
The atmosphere shattered, fracturing into countless cracks like a broken mirror!
Teach, along with all the crew members who had jumped down behind him, were entirely engulfed by this terrifyingly powerful, wide-ranging attack!
*BOOM!!*
An invisible shockwave of tremors suddenly erupted. Wherever it passed, it plowed a deep trench into the earth, tearing through all obstacles with overwhelming force!
"Gah—!!"
Teach's face twisted in agony as he spat out a massive mouthful of blood. His wide eyes were completely bloodshot, and they nearly rolled back into his head as he teetered on the edge of losing consciousness.
*BOOM!!*
Behind him, Shiryu and the others fared even worse. The terrifying power crushed them head-on, instantly blasting the dozen of them away to smash into the walls of the Headquarters building!
In an instant, rubble flew everywhere, and thick dust billowed into the air.