Chapter 100

"Gura Gura no Mi: Shima Yurashi!!!"

With a booming voice, someone suddenly appeared in the sky, mimicking Whitebeard's iconic punching movement. He then slammed his fist into the void in front of him.

In an instant, fissures appeared in the air, and the entire void shook violently!

Buggy's [Nuclear Condensation Flash] was shattered by the tremors, changing its trajectory and diverting it in another direction.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Kaido flicked his dragon's tail, summoning countless clouds to obscure his massive form. In just a breath, Kaido's enormous dragon body disappeared into the clouds, vanishing from everyone's sight!

Although Buggy could still sense the movements of Kaido and Big Mom with his haki, he was unable to pursue them. Not to mention Blackbeard, who stood on a water mirror above. Even the healing dandelion given to him by Shirley had only 3 minutes left!

Once this buff expired, he would enter a period of weakness.

Facing Blackbeard, the most cunning, obscure, and ambitious pirate who now possessed double fruit abilities, Buggy could not afford to be careless.

"Teach!!!"

Shanks who was far away didn't expect that Blackbeard, who had said he'd give him face and leave, would suddenly appear on the battlefield. Furious, Shanks rushed out of his ship the Red Force, unleashing his terrifying Conqueror's Haki, which spread out towards Onigashima in the distance!

The onlookers, initially just enjoying the spectacle, were now riveted by the unfolding drama. They never anticipated Blackbeard's treacherous move and were eager to see his next actions in this high-stakes situation!

"Zehahahaha!"

Blackbeard, hovering in the sky, sensed Shanks approaching rapidly. He laughed and said, "Shanks, you're still so naive! Only the winner is eternal in this sea. Even if you act now, it's too late! Your friend Buggy's life is mine for the taking."

As he spoke, Blackbeard turned his gaze to Buggy and continued laughing. "Zehahahaha! Buggy, if I'm right, that last move drained the last of your strength! I've envied your fruitful ability for a long time! Now, let's see how you resist my Yami Yami no's power!"

Blackbeard, full of confidence, raised his hand towards Buggy. In the next instant, endless black liquid swirled rapidly in his hands.

"Dark Water!!!"

As Blackbeard's rampant laughter echoed, Buggy looked at him with indifference. When the Dark Fruit's power began to pull him in, Buggy offered no resistance. But as a master of the Six Styles, he was already gathering all his strength. He restrained all the Haki scattered around his body and, as he was sucked in, spun in the air.

Seeing this, Blackbeard thought Buggy was struggling and yelled excitedly, "Godslayer Buggy, weren't you crazy? But you've fallen into my hands! Stop struggling! My Dark Fruit is the nemesis of devil fruit users! What's more, you're a double fruit user, so the restraint is doubled! Hand over your devil fruit's ability and die! Zehahaha! After today, there will be no more godslayer. I, Blackbeard—Marshall D. Teach—will be the true Fourth Emperor! Four Emperors, there is no need for a fifth emperor of the sea! Zehahaha!!!"

Witnessing this from a few miles away, Enel and the others were overwhelmed with emotion and roared angrily.

"Captain Buggy!"

"Despicable Blackbeard, sneak attack!"

"Don't be so impulsive! Trust Buggy; he's not the kind of man who would fall for such despicable methods!"

In the end, it was Gabban's calm voice that soothed everyone. 

Even the Big Mom Pirates, who were escaping using Brûlée's Mirror-Mirror Fruit, were momentarily stunned. They never imagined that Blackbeard would appear out of nowhere! This was the same Blackbeard making waves in the New World, now dubbed the "Fifth Emperor."

To make matters worse, Blackbeard not only possessed the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit but also Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, making him the world's first known double fruit user. Or perhaps not the first, given that Buggy, too, exhibited double fruit abilities. 

"Godslayer Buggy, you who defeated Mom and Kaido, will you fall to such a despicable way?" Katakuri, standing before the mirror in the distance, stared intently at the sky. "Don't let me down! If you lose, what does that make us?"

In the Holy Land of Mariejois, inside the Five Elders' office, the sudden appearance of Blackbeard and his surprise attack on Buggy elicited excitement.

"Hahahaha, Blackbeard did a great job!" exclaimed Jaygarcia Saturn, his laughter echoing through the grand hall.

"A double fruit user eliminated now means fewer problems for us in the future," remarked Marcus Mars, a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Not only that, but we can easily seize Wano!" added Topman Warcury, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

"Quick, tell Kizaru, Aokiji, and Fujitora to occupy Wano as soon as Buggy is killed!" commanded Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, his voice firm and decisive.

"Hahaha, with endless seastone veins at our disposal, Blackbeard has finally proven useful!" concluded Shepherd Ju Peter, a triumphant tone in his voice.

Off the coast of Onigashima, Garp and the others watched with grave expressions. Sengoku's face was particularly grim.

"This Blackbeard is truly insidious!"

"A double-fruit user who can also bide his time and assess the situation—a terrifying combination!"

"Is Buggy going to die here?"

"No! I refuse to believe that the man who outwitted me so many times will fall so easily."

"Pfft, hahaha, Sengoku, have you finally said it?"

"Shut up Garp! I have no time for your nonsense," Sengoku retorted sharply.

Blackbeard's sudden appearance caught everyone by surprise. 

Even Kaido and Big Mom, who had already flown dozens of kilometers away, couldn't help but stop and use their Haki to investigate the situation. They were equally shocked.

To think that someone would dare to take advantage of the Battle of the Three Emperors was beyond their expectations. But in a twisted way, they felt grateful to Blackbeard. Without his intervention, one of them might have died, or both would have been seriously injured.

Now, they watched with bated breath to see what Blackbeard would do next. Would the Godslayer become the first of the new Five Emperors to fall in the Battle of the Three Emperors?

Standing on a water mirror in the distance, Blackbeard raised his left hand high and clenched his right. A white halo, characteristic of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, appeared around his right fist. He planned to incapacitate Buggy with a powerful punch once he caught him.

He knew better than to be careless against such a formidable opponent.

However, as Buggy spun faster and faster, even his feet began to emit red flashes amidst the rotations. Blackbeard instinctively used his observation of Haki to sense the situation.

What he perceived made his hair stand on end. The red hue on Buggy's right leg, covered in magma, was a terrifyingly high concentration of Haki, combined with moves that only the most powerful physical practitioners could execute. 

The haki grew thicker and thicker, and soon it began to burst out like steam from Buggy's feet. The intense Haki almost solidified, creating an aura of immense power.

"Damn, how does this guy still have such terrifying Haki and stamina!?"

"Not good! Lafitte, pull me back immediately!" Blackbeard shouted from the sky upon feeling the overwhelming Haki emanating from Buggy's feet.

"I want to leave now; don't you think it's too late?"

Buggy, more than ten meters away from Blackbeard, suddenly stopped spinning mid-air. He leaned back slightly, his right foot wrapped in scarlet and Haki raised, a smirk playing on his lips as he gazed at Blackbeard in the distance.

"Blackbeard, I've heard you enjoy leaving scars on people. Today, I'll make you feel the pain of being marked with scars across your body. Ultimate Six Forms: Super Speed!"

With those words, Buggy stomped the ground with a sonic boom. The rushing air around him turned into streaks of white and red in an instant.

His scarlet right foot, infused with Conqueror's Haki, kicked away Blackbeard's raised left hand, which was wreathed in dark water.

Buggy's body spun in the air, his scarlet right foot landing a rapid series of six kicks on Blackbeard's broad belly.

"The Final Salvo!!!"

As Buggy's voice echoed through the sky, Blackbeard, struck in the midsection by Buggy's relentless assault, contorted into a horizontal "V" shape. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he plummeted like a cannonball to the sea thousands of meters below.

Blackbeard's agonized scream reverberated from the sky, especially as he glimpsed the wound etched deeply on his belly even with a good healing ability the scar will remain. The pain and fury intensified.

The dual torment of his Devil Fruit's backlash and Buggy's attack overwhelmed him, causing Blackbeard to faint from pain and anger.

Just as everyone thought Blackbeard would crash into the sea, a massive water mirror appeared tens of meters below him.

Lafitte's figure crashed into the water mirror and vanished.

"Teach!!! Damn!!"

Shanks, who had just arrived in the distance, witnessed the scene. He halted on the sea's surface, rage evident as he slashed his sword towards the water mirror.

Infused with Conqueror's Haki, Shanks' sword gleamed gold. With a single swing, a golden sword slash spanning over a mile split the sea in half!

The water mirror shattered instantly.

Simultaneously, tens of miles away from Onigashima, on a large ship. Lafitte, who had been smiling while observing his unconscious captain, suddenly saw the water mirror above him explode. He, too, coughed up blood without warning.

With a flap of his wings, he crashed to the ground with a resounding "boom!"

"Hey! Lafitte, what's wrong with you!?"

Seeing this, Shiryu, who had been laughing alongside Lafitte at Blackbeard from afar, transformed into a black blur and appeared before Lafitte.

Other crew members were equally stunned.

"It's the red-haired bastard!"

Blood trickled from the corner of Lafitte's mouth, his wings vanishing. Shock etched on his face, he spoke, "His Conqueror's Haki, precisely! From miles away, or through the water mirror's spatial barrier—can it truly harm me? That man is too strong!"

The Blackbeard crew wore expressions of disbelief at Lafitte's revelation.

Above the Onigashima:

With Shanks' arrival, the group of powerful observers approached the island.

Now that the [Battle of the Three Emperors]—or rather, the [Battle of the Four Emperors]—had concluded, they no longer felt bound by the rules governing Shanks. They hurried towards Onigashima.

"Captain! Roar!"

At that moment, Bullet transformed into a blood-colored dragon and dashed swiftly to Buggy's side.

Buggy ceased flying, opting instead to sit atop Bullet's horns. He calmly surveyed those rapidly approaching and spoke, "Everyone, you've come to visit me. Do you have anything else to say? Or do you still wish to challenge me?"

Upon hearing Buggy's words, the expressions of the Marines in the distance flickered. Among the pirates, a hint of greed initially flashed in their eyes, but seeing Buggy seated upon the bloody dragon, they quickly suppressed any covetous thoughts.

Gabban and the others arrived beside Buggy using Moonwalk, facing the several marine-level entities closing in.

"If you intend to attack Buggy and his crew, then come at us! We won't be taken by surprise again."

Shanks drew his long knife, his gaze ice-cold as he fixed it on the Marines.

Though Hawkeye remained silent, he too rose and turned his back on Buggy and company, facing the Marines.

It was evident that the Marines had gathered their top combatants: Garp, Sengoku, Kizaru, Aokiji, and Fujitora.

This lineup surpassed even the formidable assembly during the Punk Hazard Battle.

Each of Garp's fists of love alone was said to be as potent as two admirals combined.

Moreover, with the World Government's CP agencies watching closely and New World pirates eager to exploit any opportunity, a skirmish now could prove devastating—especially for the Buggy Pirates, despite the presence of Red Hair and Hawkeye.

Yet, was Buggy truly defenseless?

The ammunitions he secured from Doflamingo in [Dressrosa] weren't obtained without reason.

"Dragon, you're quite a patient character! You stood idly by when I faced Blackbeard's attack earlier. Still not showing your hand? Am I not worthy of your assistance?"

Seated cross-legged atop the blood-colored dragon, Buggy suddenly chuckled, breaking the tense standoff.

His unexpected demeanor left everyone present in a state of shock.

"Dragon!? Isn't Bullet right here? …No way... Could it be him?!"

Just as everyone stared at Buggy in surprise, a sudden gust of wind swept through, and a man in a black cloak with a shoehorn tattoo on his face materialized a few meters away from Buggy.

In a tone tinged with disbelief, he spoke, "Buggy, can you say that with a clear conscience? When Blackbeard attacked earlier, the wind defending you wasn't mine. Could it have been someone else? Don't tell me your perception failed to detect my presence. I refuse to believe it!"

Dragon gestured vaguely towards Garp and clenched his teeth.

"And when did earning your favor become so easy? Spare me!"

"Hahaha!"

Buggy erupted into laughter upon seeing the dragon appear, clearly finding the situation amusing.

Simultaneously, Garp on the opposite side burst into laughter.

"We're not here to fight today. Just take a hike, you lot! Garp, you handle these rascals. I'm still on Vacation!"

Garp chimed in, "Why aren't you here to enjoy the show?"

Sensing the change in atmosphere after the dragon's appearance and Garp's words, Buggy rose to his feet. He surveyed those around him with authority and declared:

"From now on, Wano Country is under my protection. Anyone who tries to meddle will meet their end! Kaido, Big Mom, Blackbeard, and their so-called alliance are nothing compared to me! After today, I will uphold the Emperor's Alliance above the seas! Who stands with me, and who dares to oppose?"

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