Capítulo 17: One piece?
Blake moved swiftly through the chaos, dodging the last few attacks from the Marines still in pursuit. His body crackled faintly with the residual charge of Mikoto's electricity, though his muscles were screaming in protest after the relentless battle. With his future sight guiding his movements and his agility honed, Blake navigated the battlefield, heading toward the familiar faces surrounding Ace and Luffy. Jinbei, Ivankov, Buggy, and Mr. 3 had formed a protective circle around the brothers, working to keep them safe as they pushed toward the retreat.
Blake slid into the group seamlessly, giving a quick nod to Jinbei. His eyes scanned Luffy and Ace—both battered but still standing, their willpower unbroken. He caught Ace's eye, and the flame-wielding pirate gave him a look of gratitude and respect.
"You made it," Ace said, his voice slightly hoarse.
Blake smirked. "I told you I would. Now, let's get you both out of here."
Just as they began moving again, the ground beneath them rumbled violently, and the entire battlefield seemed to shift its focus. The sound of crashing waves and cannon fire became a distant murmur as all eyes turned toward the center of Marineford. There, standing tall and defiant, was Whitebeard. The legendary pirate, battered and bleeding, is making his final stand.
Having punched the shit out of the evil pirate, who appears from his corner as visually seen by Blake, he seemed to talk to the marines. But he said something to the whole world watching him at the end. His words echoed across the battlefield: "The One Piece... it exists!"
Blake blinked, a bit perplexed by the significance of that statement. He turned to one of the pirates near him, raising an eyebrow.
"What exactly is this One Piece thing?" His question hung in the air for a second too long, earning him looks of disbelief from the pirates around him.
The pirate scoffed, practically facepalming at Blake's ignorance.
"Are you serious, man? Are you sure you've not come from another world? ( Touché. ) The One Piece is everything! It's the treasure every pirate dreams of! Whoever finds it becomes the Pirate King!"
Blake smirked, nodding, though internally, he thought it was ridiculous that so many lives had been lost over something as abstract as a treasure. Maybe it was more than just the treasure everyone claims it to be. The mastermind of this may be a genius, though his intentions remain to be seen. But the way Whitebeard spoke—there was undeniable weight in his declaration, igniting new hope in pirates across the battlefield.
However, Blake's attention was quickly stolen by another figure on the battlefield—the evil-looking pirate who had tanked Whitebeard's punch. Blake couldn't help but sneer slightly at the sight of the man. Blackbeard was a grotesque, hairy, deformed, missing-tooth pirate with a nasty demeanor. He looked like a parody of every imaginable pirate caricature, yet his aura exuded a dangerous malice.
"Who the hell is that...?" Blake spoke.
"That's Blackbeard," Jinbei said, appearing beside Blake as they surveyed the battlefield. "He's the one who turned Ace over to the Marines and set all this in motion. He was initially in Whitebeard's crew and treated as a precious son, but he did the unthinkable. He killed a comrade in arms to steal his devil fruit."
Blake's expression darkened.
"I can't believe that guy is responsible for all this," he said quietly. His eyes followed Blackbeard and his twisted crew as they surrounded Whitebeard, ready to finish off the man who had been his captain for years. What happened next was sickening: Blackbeard and his crew turned on Whitebeard, delivering a brutal and abrupt death to the legendary pirate. But he remained standing up, towering over everyone.
"Phew, that's one hell of a Motherfu..." exclaimed Blake, narrowing his gaze at this cruelty.
The man stood next to Whitebeard's body, his wide, twisted grin revealing his missing teeth and his filthy, unkempt beard, making him look more like a feral animal than a pirate captain. The sight was revolting, but Blake's attention shifted as he saw something he had never witnessed before.
Blackbeard and his crew had covered Whitebeard's body, and something strange was happening. As Blackbeard stood, a new power seemed to emanate from him.
"He's stealing something," Blake muttered, his voice tinged with disgust and confusion.
What is there to steal from a dead man. His demi-whitestash?
When Blackbeard remerged from the cape covering Whitebeard, everyone could see him throwing an earthquake punch, exactly like Whitebeard used to. Everyone's sucked cold breaths.
Blake's gaze darkened. "So, he's taken Whitebeard's power on top of his own?"
Jinbei nodded grimly. "This makes him even more dangerous."
Blake's expression remained calm, but inwardly, he understood the power shift this would bring. Blackbeard was now wielding two of the world's most powerful Devil Fruit abilities. The balance of power in the New World had just changed. Someone said to him that everyone could consume only one fruit with a special power. He didn't know the reason yet, but the fact that this ugly dude could do it meant he was special. Maybe a unique constitution? Or a capability of his existent fruit, which seems linked to darkness. At this point, it didn't make much sense. Well, it's a mystery for later. Now that Teach felt the marine's angry stares focused on him, he laughed and quickly scrambled away with his crew.
Just as Blake was processing this, a voice cut through the air. A panicked shout from one of the Marines, followed by a sudden flash of magma. Akainu was still on the battlefield, and his wrath was far from over.
Koby, a young Marine, had stepped forward, desperately pleading for the fighting to stop. His voice trembled with fear and determination as he cried out for the violence to end.
But Akainu wouldn't have it. His magma-covered fist was raised, poised to strike the boy down.
Blake watched as time seemed to slow. The scene unfolded before him, but before he could react, a figure appeared faster than Blake could have anticipated.
It was a red-haired, scared face, strong-looking man.
The red-haired pirate intercepted Akainu's strike with his sword, blocking the attack easily. His calm yet commanding voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Enough. This war ends now."
Akainu glared at Shanks, but even he couldn't deny the power and authority behind those words. The tension in the air was thick, but no one dared challenge Shanks. His presence alone had stopped the bloodshed.
Blake's eyes followed Shanks as he stepped forward, addressing the Marines and the pirates. His calm, composed demeanor was a stark contrast to the chaos that had unfolded around him.
The red-haired man spoke with Sengoku. The Fleet Admiral's face was tight with anger and frustration, but there was no denying Shanks's power. Sengoku's reluctant nod confirmed it—the Marines would stand down, at least for now.
Blake watched as Shanks turned toward the pirates, addressing them calmly and authoritatively. He overheard the conversation between Shanks and the remaining Whitebeard Pirates.
"Your father gave his life for you," Shanks said, his voice low but clear, directed toward Ace. "Make sure it wasn't in vain."
Ace's face tightened, a mixture of guilt and determination flashing in his eyes. Blake could see the weight of Whitebeard's final words pressing down on him, and even Blake, who had no personal attachment to the fallen pirate, felt the gravity of the situation.
"Take your wounded and leave," Shanks said. It appears that this man was one of the three remaining emperors. He is supposed to be in the same league as Whitebeard.
"Hmm, this world peak's power is truly peculiar. Interesting! Also, a treasure everyone seeks, heh? Figures," commented Blake.
With that, the battle at Marineford came to an end. Under a frustrated and angry Sengoku's reluctant orders, the Marines began to retreat. The pirates, too, began to pull back, carrying their injured and their fallen as they made their way toward the sea. They made their way to retrieve the body of their father.
Blake, still standing with Jinbei and the others, watched as the battlefield slowly cleared. His mind raced with everything that had happened—the destruction, the revelations, and the power shifts.
As they began their retreat, Blake couldn't shake the feeling that the real battle was beginning. The balance of power in the world had changed, and Blackbeard was now at the center of it all.
Blake finally exhaled, looking back at the group of pirates around him. He was honestly spent. The war might be over, but the consequences of everything that had happened would echo for years.
Estado de energía semanal
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