Chapter 144: Blackbeard Appears

The color of flames changes with temperature. For example, Ace's flames are red and orange, with a temperature of around 3,000 degrees Celsius or lower.

As the temperature increases, the color of the flames changes—yellow-white at approximately 4,000 degrees Celsius, blue-green at around 6,000 degrees, and violet above 7,000 degrees.

At this moment, Alex manipulated endless heat, compressing it within his palm and amplifying its temperature tenfold in defiance of the laws of thermodynamics. The temperature of the brilliant fireball in Alex's hand had reached an astonishing 100,000 degrees Celsius!

If not for Alex controlling the heat to keep it contained within his palm, the surrounding rocks would have instantly melted into magma.

Once the fireball stabilized, Alex smiled and said to Akainu:

"Do you know that matter generally exists in three states—solid, liquid, and gas?

Lava is liquid rock. But have you ever wondered if rock could exist in a gaseous state? Let's find out!"

With a flick of his finger, Alex sent the fireball flying toward Akainu.

The fireball moved at a speed that was neither too fast nor too slow, giving Akainu enough time to see and block it but not enough to evade.

As the fireball approached, Akainu instinctively sensed the immense threat it posed. His observation haki warned him that he absolutely had to stop this seemingly ordinary fireball—it was a lethal attack!

"Inugami Guren!"

Akainu's arm turned to magma, reshaping into a dog-like form as it lunged at the fireball.

While this attack could burn Ace, it was utterly ineffective against the fireball. The magma, heated to thousands of degrees due to Akainu's Devil Fruit ability, was instantly vaporized by the overwhelming heat of the fireball, turning into a strange mist that spread in all directions.

Seeing his attack fail and the fireball continuing on its path, unchanged in speed or form, Akainu's expression darkened.

He swung his fists with all his strength, unleashing massive magma punches to intercept the fireball. However, every punch met the same fate—instantly vaporized upon contact.

Akainu tried to continue his assault, but the fireball reached his chest in the next moment. Its immense power erupted instantly, creating a towering column of fire hundreds of meters high and dozens of meters in diameter. The column continued to expand, growing larger and more destructive.

This terrifying sight drew everyone's attention. If this fire pillar wasn't contained, it alone could destroy Marineford without Whitebeard having to lift a finger.

Amid the chaos, Aokiji ignored his opponent and rushed toward the fire pillar.

When he was still dozens of meters away, Aokiji unleashed his full power:

"Ice Age!"

A massive wave of cold surged toward the fire pillar. Ice and flames clashed violently, melting and countering each other.

Aokiji had an endless supply of ice at his disposal, while the fire pillar lacked Alex's direct support, leaving it to be gradually diminished. Even so, Aokiji expended nearly all his energy, and the fire still remained.

Seeing the situation worsen, Kizaru intervened, kicking at the flames repeatedly to destabilize the fiery tornado. Only then did the ice begin to gain the upper hand.

After a prolonged struggle, Aokiji was nearly exhausted, but the fire pillar finally extinguished, revealing Akainu's body within. His flesh was charred, and his condition was unclear.

Kizaru immediately carried Akainu's body away from Alex.

Once they reached a safe spot, Kizaru checked Akainu's injuries. Despite being a magma user, Akainu's body was covered in severe burns. He was on the brink of death, and without immediate treatment, the Admirals would be reduced to two.

"Damn it… That monster Alex—what is he?

He's absolutely terrifying!"

At this moment, Kizaru's usual sarcastic remarks was no exaggeration—he truly felt fear. Admirals were considered the peak of power on the seas, their strength rivaling even the Four Emperors. Yet, after enduring a single attack from Alex, Akainu was left gravely injured, teetering on the edge of death.

What made it even more despair-inducing was that Alex had used Akainu's own specialty—fire—to defeat him effortlessly. The difficulty of accomplishing this was exponentially greater than using another method to take Akainu down.

Suddenly, Akainu coughed violently, spitting out traces of blood. The intense heat had evaporated most of the liquid in his body, including his blood. Even so, he clung to life, his monstrous physical constitution allowing him to survive. Drawing on every ounce of energy, he activated Life Return, forcing his bone marrow to produce blood and his flesh to regenerate rapidly.

Alex observed this process with interest, clicking his tongue in surprise. He hadn't expected Akainu to survive. Was this the Life Return technique of the One Piece world? Truly fascinating!

Through his six-eyed perception, Alex clearly saw the flow of energy within Akainu's body and instantly grasped the principles behind Life Return. Mastering this ability meant complete control over one's body, hair, and internal organs—by channeling willpower, one could manipulate any part at will.

However, Alex had already surpassed this level long ago. While Life Return offered some inspiration for further developing his abilities, it wouldn't significantly enhance his power.

Having seen Akainu survive his attack, Alex lost interest in him. His strike had been calibrated precisely at the edge of Akainu's endurance, giving him an even 50-50 chance of survival. Alex had attacked Akainu simply because he found him mildly irritating. In truth, he respected Akainu more than the other Admirals. Compared to Kizaru and Aokiji, Akainu was the most capable among them.

After casually defeating Akainu, Alex approached Ace, who was lying on the ground, ribs broken from Alex's earlier kick. Squatting down, Alex slapped Ace's face lightly and said with frustration:

"You idiot."

In the original story, Alex had always been baffled by Ace's death. They had successfully escaped the Navy's pursuit, and survival was within their grasp as long as they kept running and didn't look back. But Ace couldn't resist Akainu's taunts, turning back to attack him. His decision not only cost him his life but nearly got Luffy killed as well.

After all, the Whitebeard Pirates had launched their entire assault on Marineford with one purpose: to rescue Ace.

Thinking about this, Alex couldn't hold back his frustration. He kicked Ace again, sending him flying.

Even though Alex's casual strikes were far beyond Ace's ability to withstand, he controlled his power precisely. Ace coughed up blood and fell unconscious. But Alex didn't let him die. Using Reverse Cursed Technique, he healed all of Ace's injuries before kicking him again. This cycle repeated several times until Alex finally stopped.

During this process, others nearby tried to intervene, but Alex easily knocked them all unconscious with a single slap each.

After confirming that Ace was unharmed, they realized they were no match for Alex and stopped trying to interfere.

Oddly enough, as they watched Alex pummel Ace repeatedly, they found it strangely satisfying to witness!

After venting his frustration, Alex kicked Ace toward Luffy, signaling him to catch his brother. Then, Alex surveyed the current battlefield.

In the distance, Sengoku and Garp were fighting Whitebeard at his peak. The battle was nearing its end, and even someone as powerful as Whitebeard struggled to hold off the combined might of the two legends.

Among the Admirals, Akainu was on the verge of death, Aokiji had exhausted his stamina, and Kizaru had depleted most of his energy.

As for the Seven Warlords, Moria had been killed by Alex, Doflamingo was severely injured, and the rest were all somewhat battered. Mihawk had managed to defeat Zoro, who had been enhanced by Alex's power, maintaining his title as the world's greatest swordsman.

The Straw Hat crew was also nearing their limits. Luffy had reverted from Gear Fifth to his base form, his body shriveled and frail, resembling an old man—a steep price for entering Gear Fifth.

At this point, both the Navy and the pirates were almost completely spent. If a third party were to appear, it would be the perfect moment to reap the rewards.

And so, the opportunist arrived.

"Zehahahahahaha!" A rough, booming laugh echoed across the battlefield, reaching every corner.

A Marine suddenly pointed in alarm toward a direction behind Marineford's fortress and exclaimed, "That...what is that? Something's behind the headquarters!"

Another Marine added nervously, "And who are those people standing on top of the fortress?"

It was the Blackbeard Pirates. They emerged for all to see, with Blackbeard standing at the forefront, exuding smug confidence.

Despite Alex's unexpected appearance and interference in his plans, Blackbeard felt everything had worked out in his favor. Both the Navy and the pirates were on their last legs, while the Blackbeard Pirates were still at full strength. This was the perfect opportunity to claim victory and consolidate power.

The only problem was Alex, who remained in peak condition. Yet Blackbeard wasn't concerned. From his observations, Alex's strength relied heavily on his Devil Fruit powers, and Blackbeard's Darkness Fruit could nullify any Devil Fruit ability. If a fight were to break out, Blackbeard was confident he could defeat Alex alone.

Besides, his crew was composed of some of the strongest individuals in the world, with a few even capable of taking on Admirals. With such overwhelming power behind him, how could he lose?

With a maniacal grin, Blackbeard bellowed to the world:

"From today onward, this will be the age of Blackbeard!"

Sengoku and Garp stared grimly at Blackbeard, making no move to respond. The Navy had suffered too many losses and no longer had the strength to apprehend him. Their focus now was on preserving what remained of their forces.

The Whitebeard Pirates, however, were filled with fury at the sight of Blackbeard. Yet, as Alex had advised, their mission was complete, and their priority now was to escape Marineford.

Thus, only Whitebeard himself charged at Blackbeard. Having long accepted his impending death, Whitebeard saw avenging Teach as his final act of justice, something that would allow him to die without regret.

As Whitebeard rushed forward, Blackbeard showed no fear—in fact, his excitement only grew.

Capturing Ace and inciting the war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy had always served two purposes.

The first was to release the infamous criminals imprisoned on Level 6 of Impel Down and recruit them into his Blackbeard Pirates.

The second was to claim Whitebeard's world-shaking Devil Fruit, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

Unlike others, Blackbeard's unique body allowed him to wield multiple Devil Fruit powers. His Darkness Fruit could absorb the abilities of others, and if he could kill Whitebeard, he would extract the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power.

Blackbeard was determined to obtain the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—it was the key to his ambition of ruling the world!

The two sides rapidly approached each other, launching attacks once within range.

However, suddenly, their attacks froze in mid-air, unable to move forward.

Alex had vanished from his original position and reappeared between Whitebeard and the Blackbeard Pirates. Activating his Limitless Technique, he effortlessly stopped both sides' assaults.

Blackbeard, visibly wary of Alex but not entirely fearful due to his ignorance, sneered:

"What's this? The infamous Alex is interfering in my feud with Whitebeard?"

Alex cast him a brief, indifferent glance, causing Blackbeard to instinctively take a step back, but he said nothing in return.

Turning toward Whitebeard, Alex smiled at the puzzled man and flicked the air lightly.

"Don't be in such a hurry to die. Beyond this Grand Line, there are even more wondrous worlds and thrilling adventures waiting for you."

With that, Alex's finger collided with the air. Through his mastery of vector manipulation, the tiny burst of kinetic energy expanded exponentially, forming an immense force that enveloped Whitebeard's body.

The force was so overwhelming that even Whitebeard couldn't resist it. He was blasted away and landed in front of Ace and the others.

Whitebeard couldn't die yet; Alex had plans to make him his top general.

Turning back, Alex faced a furious Blackbeard and grinned.

"You seem upset," he said casually.

Blackbeard, enraged at losing his prize, twisted his face in fury.

"Damn you, Alex! I'll make you—"

Before he could finish, Alex slapped him across the face.

Having long since understood the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's principles through his Six Eyes, Alex infused the slap with its power.

Boom!

In an instant, white cracks spread across thousands of meters. The devastating tremor surged toward Blackbeard, leaving him no time to react.

The quake obliterated one of Blackbeard's arms and annihilated Van Augur, Catarina Devon, and Sanjuan Wolf, reducing large portions of their bodies to pulp, which was further shattered into tiny particles by the vibrations.

Under Alex's precise control, the residual shockwaves did not destroy Marineford but instead condensed into a straight line that extended far beyond Blackbeard's position.

The remnants of the fortress-like structure were obliterated, as was the mountain behind it. The tremor then split the endless sea, severing paths through several unfortunate uninhabited islands before finally dissipating far off in the distance.

Everyone froze.

The fleeing Whitebeard Pirates stopped dead in their tracks. The discontent on Whitebeard's face vanished, replaced by shock. Even the Straw Hat crew, who somewhat understood Alex's power, stood wide-eyed.

The remaining tens of thousands of Marines trembled uncontrollably, collapsing to the ground, unable to move.

Sengoku, Garp, and the Admirals stared in disbelief. Even if they joined forces, they couldn't achieve a fraction of that destructive power.

This was no feat of humans or even monsters.

It was divine.

Clack, clack...

The only sound across the battlefield was Alex's leisurely footsteps as he approached Blackbeard, who was frozen in place with a vacant expression.

Standing before the stunned man, Alex gently patted Blackbeard's large, dazed face, flashed a radiant smile, and repeated his earlier question:

"You seem upset?"

°°°

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