---
Uchiha Kitaro fiercely battled the three Navy Admirals. Their strength lived up to their titles—defeating them without using special means was proving incredibly difficult.
Suddenly, Kitaro noticed the arrival of the Blackbeard Pirates. His heart skipped a beat; he knew that what was bound to happen had finally come.
The reason he joined this war was actually for this: Whitebeard and Ace's deaths. Everything unfolded in this manner because he let it go this way. It was most advantageous for him.
While clashing with the admirals, Kitaro activated his Observation Haki to sense the situation inside Blackbeard's cloak. When he confirmed that Blackbeard had successfully extracted the Quake-Quake Fruit, Kitaro instantly used the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport into the cloak and seize the Devil Fruit.
The Flying Thunder God's marking had been placed on Blackbeard's back during their encounter on Jaya Island when Kitaro struck him with a Rasengan.
The Navy admirals managed to destroy Kitaro's clone, but when they turned to face him, they realized he had vanished. Moments later, they saw him reappear atop the execution platform, holding a blue Devil Fruit in his hand.
"This… is the Quake-Quake Fruit, isn't it?" Kitaro murmured, studying the pear-shaped fruit with its characteristic swirling patterns.
Blackbeard erupted from the cloak in a rage.
"Captain?! Is it over already?" asked his bewildered crew, assuming Blackbeard had consumed the fruit.
"Uchiha Kitaro!! You damned bastard! That Quake-Quake Fruit belongs to me! Give it back!!" Blackbeard roared furiously. Losing the Lightning Fruit to Kitaro was already humiliating enough, but now his meticulously planned prize had also been snatched.
This war had been orchestrated by Blackbeard to secure not only the Quake-Quake Fruit but also to gain powerful subordinates. Everything had gone according to plan until Kitaro appeared out of nowhere.
"How could this happen?!" Blackbeard's anger boiled over. He had stationed his crew to guard every angle, confident that the Navy would keep Kitaro occupied. Yet, the fruit was stolen right from under his nose. His bellow echoed across the battlefield.
"What?!"
"The Quake-Quake Fruit?!"
"Is Blackbeard talking about Whitebeard's Devil Fruit?"
Kitaro glanced at Blackbeard, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Who said this was yours? It belongs to me. I accepted Whitebeard's employment in front of the whole world, and his payment was everything he owned—his wealth, his territory, and this fruit. What belonged to Whitebeard now belongs to me."
"Lies! That fruit is mine! I killed Whitebeard! I planned all of this!" Blackbeard bellowed, his face twisted in fury.
Kitaro's smirk deepened. "Do you truly believe you planned everything?"
"What… what do you mean?" Blackbeard's expression darkened, suspicion creeping into his voice.
"It's better if you don't know."
Without further explanation, Kitaro opened his mouth, ready to devour the Quake-Quake Fruit.
"Stop him!!" Sengoku's face turned pale as he shouted in desperation. "We cannot let him eat the Quake-Quake Fruit!"
The Navy Admirals needed no further prompting. Even before Sengoku's command, they launched their attacks, fully aware of the catastrophe Kitaro's power combined with the Quake-Quake Fruit would unleash.
"Hellhound!"
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!"
"Sacred Yata Mirror!"
BOOM!!!
The combined assault from the three Admirals shook the battlefield, obliterating everything around the execution platform. The ground trembled as debris and smoke filled the air.
Everyone stared anxiously at the explosion's center.
"Did they get him?"
"I don't know… but no one could survive an attack like that."
"Even someone as strong as Kitaro is still human. Humans die!"
Just as the tension reached its peak, a voice emerged from the smoke.
"Ugh… This tastes awful! How can it be so disgusting?! It's so bad I feel like crying!"
The Navy's hearts sank, and Sengoku's face fell further into despair.
When the smoke cleared, the execution platform had vanished, leaving a massive crater in its place. At its center, Uchiha Kitaro stood unscathed, though the Devil Fruit was now gone from his hands.
Sengoku's expression darkened—his worst fears had come true.
Kitaro's body radiated with energy, a surge of unimaginable power welling up from within him. He clenched his fist, and a faint, translucent white aura of vibrations surrounded it.
"You damned thief!!" Blackbeard screamed, his voice laced with fury and madness. "You stole another one of my Devil Fruits! This one was mine—the Quake-Quake Fruit I've dreamed of for so long! I'll kill you for this!!"
Kitaro ignored Blackbeard's tirade, focusing instead on his newfound power.
"HUMMM—!"
A translucent shockwave enveloped his fist. Kitaro swung it toward Blackbeard and his crew.
CRACK! CRACK!
The air itself shattered like glass, spreading web-like fissures in all directions.
BOOM!!!
The battlefield trembled as the sheer force of the attack erupted outward, leaving destruction in its wake.
.
.
.