As soon as King’s words fell, he had already transformed into a Pteranodon. His wings gleamed with a cold light as he charged toward Blackbeard.
“Imperial Archer!”
His wings sliced through the air like blades, and at an incredibly high speed, a sonic boom echoed in the ears of everyone present as two air blades slashed towards both sides.
Before the attack even reached Blackbeard, those nearby had almost suffered a calamity.
There were no allies here. To King, everything in this place was a target to be slain.
“Get down!”
Laffitte, who had arrived beside Burgess, pressed them down. Watching strands of hair drift to the ground, even Ace’ heart fluttered with fear—he had almost been cut down as well.
Earlier, he had thought that if King took care of Blackbeard, he might still have a chance to escape. But now, it seemed King was even more insane than he had imagined—even the three Marine Vice Admirals and the division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates couldn’t stop him from attacking.
King intended to kill Blackbeard right in front of them, completely disregarding any consequences.
This was the long-standing tradition of the Beasts Pirates. Nowadays, they might consider various factors before taking action, holding back due to potential repercussions.
But once the battle began, starting with Kaido himself, none of them ever cared about the aftermath.
Consequences?
They were already fighting—talking about it afterward would be meaningless.
Ace? Who’s that? Doesn’t ring a bell.
An officer of Whitebeard Pirates dying as collateral damage in a Beasts Pirates officer’s battle? That would be nothing but disgraceful to speak of.
“You all saw that! This guy is a lunatic! He’s a senior officer of the Beasts Pirates! Aren’t you Marines? Isn’t it your duty to capture pirates?!”
Surrounded by the sea, Blackbeard had no way to escape King’s relentless pursuit alone. As King had said, in front of Blackbeard, he was the undisputed ruler of the sky. Holding the aerial advantage, King would never let him go.
“Shut up. You’re just a pirate—you have no right to say that to the Marines.”
Momousagi, real name Gion, was a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters. But at the same time, she held another title—Admiral Candidate.
Momousagi didn’t care how many pirates died in their internal conflicts. Though she wasn’t part of the radical aggressive faction, she was still a Marine, and as an Admiral Candidate, she was different from an ordinary Vice Admiral.
Not only was she stronger, but her stance was also unwavering.
However, she couldn’t just let Blackbeard die here.
Crocodile’s defeat had already embarrassed the World Government. Blackbeard had been chosen as Crocodile’s replacement to fill the vacant Shichibukai position.
As Blackbeard had said, from the moment Momousagi arrived, his status as a Shichibukai was confirmed. If he were to be slain within minutes of taking office, it would be a humiliation the World Government couldn’t afford.
Unsheathing Konpira, Momousagi’s blade was already aimed at King.
“Don’t underestimate him! That guy is a monster—an outright monster!”
Momousagi didn’t want to concern herself with Blackbeard, and Blackbeard felt the same about her. If he weren’t worried that she might fall to King, making things worse for him, he wouldn’t have bothered warning her.
Yet, Blackbeard made no move to help. Instead, he his in the back. If Momousagi and the others proved to be no match for King, only then would he step in and fight King together with them. He had no intention of revealing his full abilities in front of the Marines.
Although the Dark-Dark Fruit was recorded in the Devil Fruit picture book, the listed capabilities were only part of what it could do—some were things Blackbeard had discovered on his own.
The Dark-Dark Fruit had allowed him to negate a significant amount of injuries, but his body was still covered in gruesome wounds. This gave him the perfect excuse to stay hidden.
At the same time, Yamakaji and Strawberry reacted as well. However, they didn’t engage in the battle but instead remained on guard, watching Blackbeard closely. Pirates weren’t exactly trustworthy. While they could entrust their backs to their fellow Marines, they couldn’t fully believe in this so-called Shichibukai.
The reason an Admiral Candidate like Momousagi had been sent alongside two Marine Vice Admirals for this handover was precisely because the higher-ups feared some kind of conspiracy.
Clang!
Konpira struck King’s wing, and an immense force surged through the blade. The natural differences in gender, combined with disparities in physique and race, meant that King’s strength far surpassed Gion’s. If she faced him head-on, she was certain King would drag her into the air.
So she didn’t take it head-on. Instead, she slid her wrist forward, arching her body into a bridge-like stance, using her arm and blade as pivot points to slide downward.
Throughout the movement, her blade remained pressed against King’s body, using his own attack to try and make him injure himself.
It was a clever idea, but reality was far crueler. Konpira sent a series of sparks flying from King’s body, yet the ground beneath them didn’t even crack.
When it comes to defense, King in his fully ignited state is even more terrifying than the Steel-type Jack. Without even activating his Protect barrier, King boasts the highest defensive prowess in the Beasts Pirates—proof that the Lunarians’ title as the “Tribe of Gods” is anything but an empty boast.
Moreover, King had no intention of attacking Momousagi—Blackbeard was his primary target. After passing through Momousagi, he continued his charge toward Blackbeard.
“Damn it! You lunatic, are you really this determined to come after me?!”
In his Aerodactyl form, King’s wings served as blades. Blackbeard had no choice but to use Black Vortex with both hands to block King’s wings. But the moment they made contact, something unexpected happened—King suddenly reverted to his human form.
The Dark-Dark Fruit could still restrain Devil Fruit abilities, and since Aerodactyl was the modified form of Pteranodon, King, despite still being able to use his abilities, could not maintain his transformation upon contact—his Mega form deactivated automatically.
As he reverted from his Beast Form, their actions changed—Blackbeard was now gripping both of King’s arms.
“Zehahahaha! Looks like my ability still works! So you’re not completely immune after all!”
“Yeah, pretty annoying ability. But do you really think that’s enough?”
“Idiots! What are you all standing around for?! Attack already!”
Blackbeard wanted the Marines to fight King, and the Marines had a similar idea, so they didn’t immediately make a move.
But Blackbeard was starting to panic. His Dark-Dark Fruit wasn’t the same as Seastone—it didn’t completely drain a Devil Fruit User’s strength. And even now, he still had no idea what kind of strange ability King possessed.
A sense of crisis crept into Blackbeard’s heart, and he immediately shouted.
The Marines had been watching passively, but when the opportunity finally presented itself, they wouldn’t just stand by—Strawberry and Yamakaji attacked simultaneously, while Momousagi’s blade followed close behind, slashing toward King’s neck.
The three attacks landed on King’s body, yet the sensation in their hands told them they had failed to wound him.
Using the combined assault as an opening, Blackbeard managed to break free from King’s grip, and King was also knocked back by their coordinated strike.
But in the very next moment, King’s body underwent another transformation.
“His fire… disappeared?”
“No… it didn’t disappear. That guy’s flames just turned blue!”
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