Teach's ambition!

As Teach's fist struck Whitebeard's chest, the burns inflicted by Kaido's fire attack tore open, causing the flesh to split apart. Whitebeard coughed up a mouthful of blood but remained unfazed, not retreating even a single step.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Seizing the opportunity, Teach didn't hold back. His fists, enveloped in Armament Haki, relentlessly pummeled Whitebeard. However, Whitebeard's body stood firm, unmoved. His terrifying physical resilience was beyond the word "monster."

At that moment, Whitebeard instinctively raised his left hand, attempting to channel the power of his Tremor-Tremor Fruit again. But it was once more nullified by Teach's Dark-Dark Fruit ability.

"Zeahahaha, give it up, old man! Without the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, you're no match for me!" Teach sneered, seeing Whitebeard struggling to use his fruit's powers. His eyes gleamed with greed as he stared at Whitebeard.

But Whitebeard wasn't swayed by Teach's taunts. Amidst the onslaught, he lifted his naginata, Murakumogiri, and in a swift motion, slashed it across Teach's body, pressing down with force, seemingly intent on slicing Teach in half.

This was Teach's fatal flaw—his arrogance, or perhaps his tendency to become reckless when gaining an upper hand.

Caught off guard, Teach let out a howl of pain. He grabbed the blade of the naginata with his hands, trying to pull it out of his body.

During their stalemate, Teach suddenly pulled back, yanking the naginata from his wound. As the blade exited, a spurt of blood followed, and Teach collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

"It hurts, it hurts so much, damn it," Teach groaned.

But Whitebeard wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

Bang! Bang!

He stomped on Teach's left hand with one foot, while his other hand gripped Murakumogiri, smashing its handle into Teach's right hand. With Teach pinned, Whitebeard bent down, clenching his fist and aiming it at Teach's head.

"Overconfidence and rashness—these are your weaknesses, Teach," Whitebeard remarked, gathering a vibrational force in his fist, a bright white light filling Teach's vision.

"Stop, old man, please stop! I'm your son!" Teach pleaded desperately. "Are you really going to kill me?"

But Whitebeard's response was a powerful punch, tearing through the air and crashing down.

Boom!

A terrifying force erupted, shattering the ground beneath them into a web of cracks spreading in all directions. Dust and debris filled the air, engulfing the two of them.

As the dust settled, Whitebeard still held his punching stance, while Teach was not shattered into pieces as Marco and the others had expected. Instead, he appeared in a completely different state, shocking everyone.

Teach's arm was now covered in a pitch-black dragon claw, gripping Whitebeard's fist tightly, preventing it from descending further.

Suddenly, a cunning smile appeared on Teach's face. He opened his mouth, spewing a stream of scorching flames directly at Whitebeard.

Faced with the unexpected attack, Whitebeard quickly withdrew his fist and leapt back, avoiding the flames while distancing himself from Teach.

In the astonished eyes of Marco and the others, Teach slowly stood up.

As he moved, his appearance rapidly changed. His already burly body grew even more massive, with black scales appearing on his skin. His face also sprouted scales, and two menacing dragon horns emerged from his head. A thick, scaly tail swayed behind him.

His cold, slit eyes stared at Whitebeard like a predator sizing up its prey.

Seeing Teach's new form, a smile spread across the faces of Shiryu and the others. It was evident that their sudden alliance with Teach, formerly allies of Kaido, was not a random decision. Teach had shown his potential and made promises that would help them grow stronger.

"Old man, you're on the verge of death. Can't you just die quietly? Don't worry, I'll inherit everything from you and stand atop the world!" Teach clenched his fists, feeling the surge of power within him as he spoke to Whitebeard.

Whitebeard frowned at Teach's current appearance, instinctively repulsed.

"Teach, the one who inherits everything from me will never be you."

"Did he acquire Kaido's powers?" Marco muttered, comparing Teach's form to Kaido's hybrid form. The resemblance was uncanny.

"Zeahahaha! If you won't hand it over, I'll take it myself!" Teach taunted.

"You're arrogant, Teach," came a sudden voice from the sky.

Teach's smug grin froze, and he halted his steps toward Whitebeard's body. He looked up…

A man wearing a black coat, his hair flowing like lightning, holding a long sword, hovered in the sky. His eyes seemed to flicker with an electric glow.

"It's him…" Teach, Shiryu, and the others were all taken aback, watching the man in the sky with heightened vigilance.

Teach's beast-like eyes were filled with deep wariness.

"Nicholas!" Teach called out, looking up at Nicholas.

"Let's join forces and take this world together!" Teach proposed.

"Ah? Sorry, you're a bit late," Nicholas replied.

As Nicholas spoke, Dragon and others became visible in the distance.

Nicholas then raised his sword, unleashing a massive shockwave with a swift slash.

The shockwave, glowing brightly, tore across the ground, leaving a deep fissure in its wake. Even before reaching Teach and his group, the terrifying aura had already changed the color of Shiryu and the others' faces.

In an instant, the radiant shockwave engulfed Teach and his men, including Avalo Pizarro, Catarina Devon, and others behind him.

The shockwave continued on its path, leaving a deep trench in the earth.

As the blinding light of the shockwave faded into the horizon, Teach and his crew were seen lying in the deep groove, motionless.

A moment later, Teach shook his head and staggered to his feet, covered in dirt and dust.

Behind him, his companions were in dire straits, especially Catarina Devon, who lay on the ground, covered in blood, barely alive.

"Ah…" Teach groaned, feeling the searing pain coursing through his body.

This was also one of the Dark-Dark Fruit's drawbacks: taking double the pain when injured. Sadly, this didn't mean double the pleasure during happy times.

Nicholas's attack had hit Teach head-on with immense power. If Teach hadn't acquired the Mythical Zoan Fruit—Azure Dragon form—from Kaido, he would have been severely injured by now.

 [AN - Did they bag Kaido lol]