Blackbeard’s True Plan

The battlefield at Raftel was now a war-torn landscape of shattered ground and swirling haki, the aftermath of clashes between the most powerful pirates and the Marines. The defeat of Kaido by Luffy had shaken the entire island, and though the dawn had finally broken, there was little peace to be found. The fight for the One Piece had reached its final stages, and yet amidst the chaos, something more sinister had been in motion all along.

Blackbeard, bloodied and bruised from his clash with Shanks, stood grinning maniacally, his chest heaving as he laughed. The air around him rippled with the combined powers of his Yami Yami no Mi and the Gura Gura no Mi, the darkness and quakes creating a deadly aura around him. But despite the ongoing battle, something else glinted in Blackbeard's eyes—something far more calculated than the brutal combat he was known for.

Shanks, his sword Gryphon drawn, stood a few paces away, his Conqueror's Haki flaring as he eyed Blackbeard cautiously. Both Yonko had already traded vicious blows, but Shanks sensed something different in Blackbeard's movements, as if the real battle hadn't even begun.

"You're holding back, Blackbeard. What's your game?" Shanks said, his voice low but sharp.

Blackbeard chuckled darkly. "Zehahaha! You always were smart, Shanks. It's true, I'm not here just for you or that kid Straw Hat. I've already got what I came for."

Shanks narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

With a flourish of his hand, Blackbeard's darkness swirled and pulsed, and for the first time, he revealed a deeper intent. "This whole fight, this entire battle... it was all to buy time. The real treasure, the key to the One Piece... it's been hidden right under our feet this whole time! And while you and I have been trading blows, my crew has been working behind the scenes to take it."

Shanks' heart skipped a beat as he quickly pieced it together. The final Poneglyph, the one leading to the One Piece, had to be on Raftel. The ancient clues hidden by the Road Poneglyphs were meaningless without the last piece. And Blackbeard had been using the chaos of the battle as a cover to secure it while everyone was distracted.

"You...!" Shanks' eyes blazed with fury as he realized the gravity of Blackbeard's plan. He had been baited into a prolonged fight, distracted from what really mattered.

Blackbeard's grin only widened. "Zehahaha! That's right, Shanks. While you and the Marines were busy fighting, I sent my best men to find the last Poneglyph. Once they bring it to me, the One Piece is mine!"

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Jesus Burgess and Lafitte had slipped through the chaos unnoticed. The two of them had been tasked with finding and retrieving the

final Poneglyph, the key to the One Piece. As the intense battles raged across Raftel between the Straw Hats, Blackbeard Pirates, Big Mom, and the Marines, Burgess and Lafitte moved swiftly, using the distraction to their advantage.

Lafitte, with his stealth and hypnotic abilities, had quietly incapacitated any stray enemies that could hinder their progress. His pale wings flapped lightly as he navigated through the deep caverns beneath Raftel, his senses finely tuned to the ancient energy that permeated the island.

"It should be just ahead, Burgess. I can feel it," Lafitte whispered, his voice smooth and calculated.

Jesus Burgess, on the other hand, was anything but quiet. His massive frame moved with surprising speed, his brutish strength tearing through obstacles in their path. The powerful wrestler's muscles rippled as he smashed through a stone wall, revealing a hidden chamber beyond.

"Zehahaha! There it is!" Burgess roared, pointing at the ancient stone Poneglyph standing in the center of the room.

The room was dark and filled with eerie silence, illuminated only by the faint glow of the inscriptions on the massive red Poneglyph. It stood as a sentinel, a relic of the ancient world, the last piece of the puzzle that would lead to the One Piece.

"Finally..." Lafitte said, his lips curling into a wicked smile. "With this, Blackbeard will have everything he needs to claim the treasure and reshape the world."

Burgess grinned wildly, already imagining the glory that awaited them. "Let's get it back to the captain before anyone notices."

With his enormous strength, Burgess began to pry the massive Poneglyph from its foundation. The ground shook as he hoisted it up, ready to carry it back to Blackbeard. But before they could make their move, a voice echoed from the shadows of the cavern.

"You're not going anywhere with that."

The voice was cold and familiar—Nico Robin stepped out of the shadows, her expression calm but determined. Beside her, Franky emerged, his mechanical arms primed and ready for a fight.

"Robin!" Burgess growled, his grin faltering. "How did you get here so fast?"

Robin's eyes narrowed as she glanced at the Poneglyph. "I knew Blackbeard would be after the final Poneglyph. We've been watching you this whole time."

Lafitte raised an eyebrow, his wings fluttering slightly as he eyed Robin and Franky. "Impressive, Nico Robin. But do you think you can stop us from taking what's rightfully ours?"

Franky stepped forward, his metal fists clenching. "Oh, we're more than ready. I'll blast you into the next century before you lay a finger on that stone."

Robin didn't waste any time. With a quick flick of her wrist, she activated her Hana Hana no Mi powers, and multiple giant arms sprouted from the walls of the cavern, wrapping around Lafitte and Burgess in an attempt to restrain them.

"Clutch!" Robin commanded, and the arms tightened their grip, immobilizing Burgess and Lafitte in an instant.

Burgess roared, using his immense strength to struggle against the hold. "You think these hands can stop me?! I'll crush you!" With a powerful surge, he broke free of the arms, his eyes filled with rage.

Lafitte, however, stayed calm, his sharp eyes calculating the situation. "Seems we'll have to deal with this nuisance quickly, Burgess."

Back on the battlefield, Blackbeard's laughter rang out as he felt the quake caused by Burgess prying the Poneglyph from the ground. "Zehahaha! It's only a matter of time now. Once my men return with the Poneglyph, the One Piece will be mine, and I'll rule the seas!"

Shanks' grip on his sword tightened. He couldn't allow Blackbeard to obtain the final Poneglyph and claim the One Piece for himself. The stakes were higher than ever—if Blackbeard succeeded, the world would plunge into darkness.

"You've caused enough destruction, Blackbeard. This ends now." Shanks' voice was steady, but the weight of his resolve was unmistakable.

Without warning, Shanks moved with incredible speed, closing the distance between them in a blink. His sword, Gryphon, flashed in the sunlight, infused with the pure energy of Conqueror's Haki. Blackbeard barely had time to react, summoning a wall of darkness to block Shanks' strike.

The two forces collided with immense power, the air cracking and distorting as the clash of their haki split the sky above them.

"Zehahaha! You think you can stop me now, Shanks? I've already won!" Blackbeard shouted, his body surging with the combined might of his two Devil Fruits, the Yami Yami no Mi and the Gura Gura no Mi.

Shanks' eyes narrowed, his haki flaring even stronger. "This fight isn't about power alone, Blackbeard. It's about the future of the world. And you won't be part of it."

The battlefield around them was momentarily stilled as Shanks and Blackbeard clashed again, their attacks creating shockwaves that rippled across Raftel. The sky, already split from Luffy and Kaido's earlier battle, seemed to crack further under the weight of the two Yonko's immense power.

At the cavern, the battle between Robin, Franky, and the Blackbeard Pirates intensified. Burgess, using his raw strength, charged at Franky with a roar, aiming to crush the cyborg with his massive fists. But Franky, grinning with confidence, activated his Franky Shogun, his mechanical suit encasing him in armor.

"You're not the only strong one around here, musclehead! Franky Shogun—FULL CHARGE!"

Franky met Burgess head-on, their fists colliding with a thunderous impact. The ground shook beneath them as they traded blows, neither giving an inch. Sparks flew as Franky's mechanical fists clashed with Burgess' raw power, the two locked in a brutal contest of strength.

Meanwhile, Lafitte used his agility and speed to dodge Robin's attacks, but the archeologist was relentless. Her Hana Hana no Mi powers allowed her to create arms at every turn, blocking Lafitte's path to the Poneglyph.

"You can't stop us, Lafitte. I've come too far to let Blackbeard take the One Piece," Robin said, her voice calm but determined.

Lafitte smirked, his wings flaring as he attempted to hypnotize Robin with his eerie, enchanting gaze. But Robin's mind was too sharp for his tricks.

"That won't work on me," Robin said, summoning a wall of giant arms to block his advance.

As the two battles raged on, it became clear that Robin and Franky were buying precious time. If they could hold off Burgess and Lafitte long enough, it would give Luffy and Shanks the chance to stop Blackbeard once and for all.

The final showdown for the One Piece had taken a darker turn. Blackbeard's plan to steal the last Poneglyph was almost complete, and the battle for the future of the seas now hung in the balance. With Shanks standing against Blackbeard and the Straw Hat Pirates fighting to protect their captain's dream, the fate of the world rested on the next few moments.

As the ground quaked beneath them and the sky continued to split, the race for the One Piece was closer than ever. But only one pirate would claim it.