On Sweet Island, Katakuri finally received precise intel from the Gifters stationed near Banana Island regarding Blackbeard and his crew.

"So, they're fighting on Banana Island?" Katakuri inwardly sighed in relief.

Though Banana Island had a few dozen stationed personnel, compared to other densely populated islands, it was practically insignificant.

"Which faction is the Blackbeard Pirates clashing with this time? The scale of this battle is apocalyptic. The Marines? Or the Revolutionary Army?"

Katakuri couldn't quite figure it out.

At this point, what faction could possibly provoke such a massive conflict with Blackbeard?

The Red Hair Pirates had just arrived at Whole Cake Island.

The Buggy Pirates, it seemed, had already allied with the Red Hair Pirates.

Though there was no concrete evidence, anyone with eyes on the sea knew that Buggy and Red Hair had both been apprentices on the Pirate King Roger's ship—their bond was so close they might as well share the same pants.

If Buggy feared Caesar, then in the waters of the New World, what faction could possibly offer him protection?

Only the Red Hair Pirates!

Immediately, Katakuri grabbed a Den Den Mushi and dialed Kaido's number.

The call rang for a while before someone picked up.

"Hello? Katakuri-oniisan, it's Ain. Uncle Kaido and I are flying right now. He says he just spotted Dad and wants to check on him."

Ain's clear voice came through the Den Den Mushi, though the howling winds in the background made it hard to hear her clearly.

Katakuri paused.

So Kaido already knew—he must have already gone after them.

"Ah, never mind then. Stay safe."

With that, Katakuri hung up and dialed Aokiji's number.

"Purupuru. Click."

"Kuzan, this is Katakuri. You must be aware of the anomalies on the sea. That's right—I need you to head to Banana Island immediately. The Blackbeard Pirates are fighting there and Father has gone there too. Yes, depart at once. Don't worry, the Marines won't touch them unless they attempt to escape."

On the G5 warship, Aokiji set down the Den Den Mushi and glanced at Tashigi and the others.

"I have urgent business to attend to. Stay here and under no circumstances attempt to sail the ship away. Katakuri isn't someone to be trifled with—don't test their limits."

A complicated expression crossed Tashigi's face as she watched Kuzan leap off the ship in haste, boarding a specially designed speedboat and swiftly departing.

"Admiral Aokiji... why would he willingly serve the Beast God Pirates? Vice Admiral Smoker is reportedly fine—Admiral Ryokugyu rescued him. But the Beast God Pirates... their influence is growing too vast. Ah, I'd rather die here than let Headquarters deliver the cloning technology of the Germa Kingdom. If they get that, the Beast God Pirates' weakness of insufficient manpower would be eliminated—that would be disastrous."

Though Tashigi thought this, she knew that even if they all perished here, Caesar would still find other ways to pressure the Marines.

And the Marines couldn't simply storm into Totto Land in the New World—this was the intersection of several Emperors' territories.

One misstep, and any Marines who entered would be surrounded and crushed by ruthless pirates.

"Unless... we could replicate the 'Whitebeard Pirates' strategy'—capture one of the Beast God Pirates' indispensable figures. Caesar, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Katakuri! Seizing even one of them could recreate the war that destroyed the Whitebeard Pirates and bring down the Beast God Pirates!"

*****

On Banana Island, the atmosphere instantly grew tense as Caesar arrived.

Blackbeard's raised arm froze mid-air, unable to swing it down.

Redfield's eyes burned crimson as he stared at Caesar in the sky, his expression twisting into madness, shedding all traces of his usual noble demeanor.

"Caesar, captain of the Beast God Pirates... his body... it contains such an unimaginable, terrifying amount of Life Force! If I could absorb it all, I'd instantly return to my peak—no! I'd surpass it by countless times! I would be... invincible!"

Redfield even forgot he was still in Blackbeard's grasp, his mind racing with thoughts of how to capture Caesar and drain his Lifeblood to restore him to his peak!

"So you're Blackbeard?" Caesar's massive golden beak parted, his voice booming across the sky like a colossal loudspeaker, audible to everyone on the sea.

Blackbeard forced a grin, looking up at the enormous golden bird.

"Zehahaha, I—"

Before he could finish, the gargantuan golden bird suddenly folded its wings and dove from tens of thousands of meters in the sky!

Its golden beak, gleaming in the sunlight, tore through the air with a deafening shriek as its colossal body erupted into raging flames, transforming into a massive firestorm that plummeted towards Banana Island like a meteor!

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Blackbeard's jaw dropped as he stared blankly at Caesar diving down at him!

....

On a certain pirate ship, a hammer-wielding youth excitedly smashed a dozen pirates in a row, his emotions running high as he watched the giant bird plummeting from the sky.

"That.... is Caesar, that is the Beast God! This ferocious form is exactly the power I have been seeking!"

.....

On Crocodile's ship, a dazed Crocodile turned to the stunned Moria and said bitterly.

"Moria, do you still want to pick a fight with him?"

Moria's obese body trembled slightly, unable to utter a single word, his eyes fixed only on the earth-shattering scene before him.

The golden bird descended from the sky!

.....

"Teach! Do something!" Shiryu suddenly roared, his body already beginning to lose its grip on the ground as the terrifying wind pressure from above lifted him off his feet.

On the sea near Banana Island, Blackbeard's ship had already been blown away by the horrific winds.

"Black Hole!! Dark Space!"

Blackbeard's eyes were bloodshot, his body convulsing uncontrollably as he flung Redfield whom he had been holding in his left hand, away.

He violently pressed his left hand against the ground!

A massive surge of black energy instantly spread across the entire beach, engulfing Blackbeard and Shiryu.

"LAFITTE!!" Blackbeard bellowed towards the sky, trying to get Lafitte to enter the Dark Space as well.

Redfield didn't hesitate for a moment, diving headfirst into Teach's Dark Space without a second thought for the dangers within.

"Teach!!" Lafitte's face was deathly pale as he mustered all his strength, flapping his snow-white angelic wings desperately to reach Blackbeard's location—but it was too late.

The surrounding wind pressure was too overwhelming.

His body plummeted straight towards the forest below, unable even to escape the island's perimeter.

"Damn it!! Lafitte!"

Blackbeard's agonized roars were filled with grief, yet he could do nothing but steel his heart and close the Dark Space, vanishing from Banana Island.

In the forest, Lafitte's body was pinned mercilessly to the ground.

The soil beneath him compressed and sank under the immense pressure.

A faint smile suddenly appeared on Lafitte's pale face.

"Teach, perhaps this is just another twist of fate. Farewell."

The last images in Lafitte's open pupils was that of a golden bird wreathed in raging flames, descending like a colossal meteor!

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