Pirate of Darkness (si)

Pops, that's the way it is," Teach returned to Whitebeard's side and passed the important news to him.

"What? These navies are eyeing us, right?"

"What should we do? A huge loss will surely happen then."

The members on the side were a little worried. More than 30,000 navy soldiers were coming here, and the navy on this warship was close to 40,000. The Whitebeard Pirates were not afraid of fighting at all, but the death of their companions was something they were unwilling to bear.

Whitebeard was also unwilling to see such a situation. "Gurarara! Children, your father will not let you get hurt. We will avoid them when the time comes."

Whitebeard's decision to avoid the Navy was a wise choice. It would be irrational to confront the Navy head-on. The Whitebeard Pirates and Fleet Admiral Sengoku were old opponents, but usually, only a single warship was involved. The primary purpose of Admiral Sengoku in the New World was to monitor the Whitebeard Pirates. The shockwave brought by his Buddha-Buddha Fruit could counter Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit. "Since the Navy intends to take action, there's no need to save face for them. The heads of these three vice admirals will be presented as a meeting gift for Sengoku," Teach said with a smile. "In terms of overall strength, we are weaker than the Navy. To avoid being encircled, we must weaken their forces."

"Father's ability is invincible at sea. If we don't fight head-on, avoid being held back by the admirals and Sengoku, and keep our distance, those warships will become easy targets. The hunter will become the hunted."

Teach smiled, his hair tied up and wrapped in a black skull-patterned turban. "Teach, your smile is so sinister, but I like it," Vista said with a grin.

This strategy was cunning. As long as they didn't face the enemy head-on, Whitebeard wouldn't be held back by Sengoku or distracted by worrying about his crew, allowing him to fight at full strength. However, it might slightly tarnish Whitebeard's reputation.

"Gurarara! For the sake of my beloved children, I am willing to teach Sengoku a lesson and make the Navy remember this for a long time," Whitebeard laughed. This strategy suited him perfectly under these circumstances. The gloom in his heart was dispelled. For the sake of his beloved children, there was nothing wrong with this plan.

"Father!" The crew members were moved to tears. "Father, your thick-skinned look is so handsome," they teased. Whitebeard didn't mind. "Gurarara! Children, do your best. Don't give them a chance."

"Teach, you've done a great job this time," a crewmate patted Teach on the shoulder. After all, it was his strategy. Without him, they would have faced the Navy head-on, and the losses would have been unimaginable.

"Haha, without the old man's strength, this wouldn't have been possible," Teach said, scratching his head, feeling pleased. The Whitebeard Pirates didn't have many treasures, and most of their wealth was donated to their hometowns. What remained were the Devil Fruits collected by the crew. Some were unknown or unappreciated, and they could only be obtained in exchange for treasures or credits. Devil Fruits were precious items on the sea, and at least two were needed to match Teach's current credit.

The situation on the battlefield was difficult to maintain, but under this new strategy, it quickly shifted.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The sound of cannon fire echoed as the warship began to sink into the sea.

Vice Admiral Thomson's body was buried in the sea, sinking with the warship.

"Vice Admiral Thomson's life card has burned out," a lieutenant reported. Everyone knew what this meant—a vice admiral and a significant naval force had been lost.

Sengoku looked at the ashes and took a deep breath. As the Fleet Admiral and commander of this operation, he couldn't afford to be swayed by emotions.

"Notify Vice Admiral Rona to speed up. Hold the Whitebeard Pirates until we arrive. Don't let them escape," Sengoku ordered. The entire G-1 Navy Fortress was mobilized to annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates. Even if they couldn't kill Whitebeard, they could inflict heavy damage on his crew, boosting the Navy's reputation and suppressing the pirates' arrogance.

Sengoku frowned, a cloud of unease in his heart. "What's wrong?" Tsuru, who knew him well, asked. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this."

Before long, two warships approached from a distance, one on each side, seemingly trying to sandwich the Moby Dick in the middle. "Where's Thomson? Has his ship sunk? How useless. He couldn't even hold out until we arrived," Vice Admiral ** said, his tone laced with disdain. There was no love lost between the vice admirals, as personal grievances, factional conflicts, and ideological differences often divided them.

"Enough with the cold words, **. Vice Admiral Thomson has fallen. Let's hurry. After all, we're facing the Whitebeard Pirates," Vice Admiral Rona said.

"Aim at the Whitebeard Pirates and fire the cannons," Rona ordered. The cannons were already primed. To stall the Whitebeard Pirates, they couldn't engage in close combat. Keeping their distance and bombarding them was the best strategy, a common tactic used by the Navy against pirates.

Normally, the Whitebeard Pirates might have played along, engaging in a chase, but things were different now. Knowing the Navy's intentions, they had become sacrifices. Before the arrival of the main force led by Sengoku, as Teach had suggested, presenting the heads of these three vice admirals to Sengoku would not only deal a significant blow to the Navy but also declare the invincibility of the Whitebeard Pirates.

"You want to buy time? Don't even think about it," Whitebeard said, seeing the two warships keeping their distance. He waved his hand. "Children, full speed ahead. Don't let them escape."

"Leave the cannonballs to us. How could they harm our Moby Dick? This is our home," Vista said, swinging his swords "sword Blossom Dance."

Rows of beautiful, petal-like slashes filled the air, sharp as knives, cutting through the incoming cannonballs. The space seemed to freeze momentarily as the cannonballs stopped mid-air, then exploded in unison. "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Soon, the Navy on the two warships realized something was wrong. The cannonballs had no effect on Whitebeard. They hadn't expected the cannonballs to be effective, but now they noticed the Whitebeard Pirates closing in rapidly. The distance had been halved.

"The Whitebeard Pirates are closing in fast! How is this possible? Have they targeted us?"

"After killing Vice Admiral Thomson, are they coming for us now? Since when did the Whitebeard Pirates become so aggressive, targeting the Navy like this?"

They hadn't yet realized that the Navy's plan against the Whitebeard Pirates had been exposed.

The Navy's actions were large-scale, and naturally, they couldn't hide them from all the forces in the New World. Each faction had its own spies within the Navy, but in such a short time—just tens of minutes—they couldn't gather enough information to understand the Navy's true intentions. The Navy's target was the Whitebeard Pirates, who roamed freely across the New World.

"We can't withstand Whitebeard's power. Full speed ahead! Increase the distance from the Whitebeard Pirates and continue the bombardment. Don't stop!" Vice Admiral ** commanded, staring at the approaching Moby Dick.

As soon as he finished speaking, the two warships shook violently. A powerful shockwave struck them from the direction of the Moby Dick. The crew couldn't maintain their footing and fell to the deck. The attack was so sudden that there was no time to react. Inside the warships, screams and groans filled the air, along with the sound of sailors falling into the water.

Cracks appeared on the warships' hulls. Vice Admiral ** held onto a railing with one hand, shaking his dizzy head. "Damn Whitebeard!" They hadn't even engaged in direct combat yet, and a single long-range attack had already caused heavy losses. The morale of the crew was shattered. "Is this the power a human can wield?" The sailors struggled to get up, their faces filled with fear. Some had injured legs or arms, while others were unconscious. The unlucky ones would never wake up.

Vice Admiral Rona hovered in mid-air, using the Navy's Moon Step technique to avoid the attack. However, such a large-scale assault was impossible to evade entirely. A powerful shockwave struck him, forcing him to suppress the urge to vomit. He was nearly blown into the sea by the force.

It was Whitebeard who had made the move. "Gurarara! You think you can escape, Navy brats? You have no chance," he said. With his immense strength, it was easy for him to use his Observation Haki to cover a small to medium-sized island. He kept a close eye on the two warships, monitoring their movements. When he realized they were trying to flee, Whitebeard acted decisively.

"It's Father! Since Father has made his move, these Navy ships won't escape," the crew on the Moby Dick cheered.

"Wow! As expected of Whitebeard. His power is awe-inspiring every time," Marco said, his eyes shining with admiration.

A glint of ambition flashed in Teach's eyes. This was the power of the Devil Fruit he had always coveted—the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, synonymous with overwhelming strength. However, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit also had a significant drawback: the recoil from its vibrations. In his prime, Whitebeard could easily withstand the recoil, even using it to strengthen his body. But as he aged, his physical condition declined, and old injuries began to take their toll. The recoil became harder to bear, limiting the fruit's true potential.

But now, at the peak of his power, Whitebeard truly possessed the ability to destroy the world. He had yet to demonstrate the full extent of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power—the power that made the world tremble in fear. Even in a direct confrontation, if Whitebeard were to unleash his full strength, none of Sengoku's fleet would survive. They would all be annihilated.

After obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, Teach could easily absorb the recoil from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, allowing him to unleash its full destructive potential. This was why, after stealing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Teach had demonstrated its terrifying power by destroying Marineford.

But he wouldn't plan such a move until he obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit. There were many similar powers to consider.

"Hurry! Full speed ahead! Don't let them catch up!" Vice Admiral Rona shouted.

"No, it's bad, Vice Admiral Rona!" A sailor ran up from below deck, his face pale and his breathing ragged. "The warship's propulsion system has been destroyed!"

"What? What about the other ship?" Rona turned to look at the other warship, already suspecting the answer. His hopes were dashed when he received confirmation that the other ship's propulsion system was also destroyed. To make matters worse, both warships were taking on water, leaving no time to repair the leaks.

The outcome seemed inevitable, but in their desperation, the Navy crew found renewed determination. They drew their weapons—swords, guns, and more—ready to fight to the last.

"In that case, let's fight. Killing a few more pirates will be worth it," Vice Admiral ** said, standing at the forefront of the warship alongside Rona. "Fight desperately! Hold them off until Fleet Admiral Sengoku arrives. Even if we die, we'll have no regrets."

At this moment, all personal grievances were set aside. There was only one thought in their minds: justice.

"Ze ha ha ha! Such determination before death. Truly worthy of the Navy. In that case, this sea will be your grave. Let me give you a grand funeral," Teach laughed, relishing the moment. "Father, I'll go first."

The Moby Dick was closing in. Teach drew his twin swords—Thunder Fang in his left hand and Purgatory in his right—and used Moon Step to leap toward the enemy ships. Teach had been stuck at the level of cutting steel for a long time, but now he was on the verge of becoming a true swordsman. While he had mastered Observation Haki, the ability to sense the breath of all things, a key aspect of becoming a swordsman, still eluded him. Although both were forms of Haki, there were subtle differences.

To fully sense the breath of all things through Observation Haki, it would take at least a year of training. But Teach couldn't wait that long. He intended to break through his limits in this battle and become a true swordsman.