One Piece : Marine Scientist

Wano Country, Whole Cake Island

"Not good, Mama!" A panicked shout rang out.

"Mamama... What's the matter, my son?" Big Mom eldest son, Perospero, hurried in with a grim expression.

"What happened?"

"Our territories have been attacked by the Marine. Five islands have already been occupied."

"WHATT?!" Big Mom's eyes bulged as she shot to her feet.

"Those arrogant Goverment dogs! Gather our forces immediately and take them back!" Big Mom furious roar echoed, her rage boiling over.

***

The New World.

Red Force

"Our territory has been seized by the Marine?"

"Yes, Captain!" Listening to Lucky Roux report, Shanks' face darkened.

"I never thought the Marine would move this fast..."

"What about the other Emperors' territories?"

"Same situation, Captain. The Marine launched indiscriminate attacks against major pirate crews. The other Emperors have suffered varying degrees of assault and territorial losses..."

Shanks expression grew graver.

"The world is changing. Taking them back won't be easy..."

Ben Beckman took a deep drag from his cigarette, his gaze heavy as he stared at the distant sea before turning to Shanks.

"Shanks, we need to strategize carefully for this!"

***

Onigashima.

"BOOM!!"

A massive iron club smashed into the ground, sending dust flying.

"You're saying... our territories were taken by the Marine? Even our officers were defeated and captured?" Kaido ground his teeth.

"Yes..." King face was grim.

"Damn Marine!!" Kaido expression twisted with fury, yet he felt powerless in this situation.

The Marine Seraphim were numerous.

There was no telling where they might strike next. Even if Kaido deployed all his strongest subordinates, it wouldn't make a difference!

The overall situation wouldn't change, because too few of his forces could actually defeat the Seraphim.

Let's not forget—Jack fell to a Seraphim. He's still locked up in Impel Down.

But if he didn't send forces out, his territories would keep shrinking rapidly.

This was a severe blow to his dignity as an Emperor! And there was another pressing concern: the Marine was still developing Admiral-level Seraphim—using his blood sample for the project...

He feared the day when thousands of Admiral-level Seraphim might descend upon Onigashima.

Or even just a handful.

With that level of power, even a few would be catastrophic. The entire Beast Pirates could be wiped out!

His expression shifting wildly, Kaido finally clenched his jaw.

"We can't just sit back! King!"

"Send out the Tobiroppo. The rest are useless anyway. Have them consolidate our remaining forces and defend what's left. We can't let the Marine keep taking our lands!"

"Yes!" King nodded solemnly.

"Queen and I will stay ready for battle. If major enemies approach, we'll report immediately."

"Hmm... go ahead!" Faced with the Marine's overwhelming force, the Beasts Pirates quickly formulated a response...

***

On the Moby Dick.

"Pops, what should we do?! If we keep sitting idle, the Marine will keep defeating our brothers and seizing our territories!" Izo looked at Whitebeard with visible anxiety.

"Gurararara..." A sharp glint flashed in Whitebeard's eyes as he grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"The Marine sure is getting bold! Let's go. I'll see for myself just how strong their Seraphim really are!"

"Yes!" Izo and the others brightened instantly.

This was Pops leading the charge himself!

How many years had it been since they last witnessed his unrivaled prowess in battle?!

"Pops, no!" Marco quickly intervened. "Your body isn't in any condition to fight..."

"Gurarara, Marco, you're overreacting! Sons, leave some behind to guard the Moby Dick—the rest are coming with me!!"

"Yes!!" The ship erupted with thunderous cheers and battle cries.

"Sigh, you're impossible..." Marco sighed helplessly before grabbing his medical kit.

"Relax! We're going too, aren't we? It's unlikely Pops will even need to lift a finger. Think of it as escorting an old man" Ace chimed in with a laugh.

"True enough." Marco nodded. "And we'll get to see these Seraphim for ourselves..."

"Move out!"

Teach "Blackbeard" trailed behind, curiosity written all over his face—he too wanted to see the Marine's so-called Seraphim.

But just as he was about to join the group—

"I'm back!" A familiar figure came sprinting from afar.

It was none other than Thatch.

"Pops, where are you all headed?" Running into the departing crew, Thatch asked casually.

After hearing the explanation, he chuckled and shook his head.

"I see, testing the Marine's Seraphim... I'll sit this one out. Just got my hands on a Devil Fruit and want to try out its powers!"

"Plus, someone's gotta cook. The timing's perfect—dinner'll be ready when you get back." As he spoke, he pulled out the Devil Fruit.

It was a bizarre purple fruit covered in spiral patterns.

Hearing Thatch decline, Ace and the others didn't press him.

They congratulated him and said they'd check out his new powers when they returned before setting off.

However!

Blackbeard froze completely.

His pupils trembled as he stared fixedly at the fruit in Thatch's hand.

Shock flooded his expression.

It took him a long moment to recover, his demeanor shifting abruptly as a sinister grin spread across his face.

'That's the most dangerous Devil Fruit in the world—the Dark-Dark Fruit! The very reason I've been hiding on Whitebeard's ship all this time!'

His eyes darted before he waved off his crewmates with his usual smile.

"I'll stay behind and guard the Moby Dick!"

No one suspected a thing—Blackbeard had always played the role of a laid-back, humble man in their eyes.

Him staying behind was perfectly normal.

As the others departed, Blackbeard gaze fell on Thatch, now alone on the deck.

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Claws silently extended from his fingers.

"Zehahahaha..."

"The Dark-Dark Fruit is mine..."

With a sinister expression, he crept silently towards Thatch's back!