"Whoa, Captain, you're playing a big game!" Dimitri said the words, but his face was filled with excitement.
"If we don't play big, what's the fun in it?" Aeridar grinned, a wicked look in his eyes.
Pere pere pere… Pere pere pere…
Suddenly, the sound of a Den Den Mushi ringing filled the air. Dimitri raised an eyebrow and pulled a Den Den Mushi from his coat.
"It's Oliver's call," Dimitri said, glancing at the snail.
Aeridar nodded, gesturing for him to answer.
Click.
Dimitri connected the call. "Oliver, what's the status?"
"Everything went smoothly. Garfield's remaining forces have been completely wiped out," Oliver's lazy voice came through.
"That's good!"
Hearing Oliver's words, both Dimitri and Aeridar in the room smiled.
"Herman Ernest and Jeric V. Mordo were killed on the spot. Elroy escaped to the sea, but Enel pursued him and blasted him right into the water, where he drowned," Oliver gave a brief summary.
"Excellent work. You all have my thanks," Aeridar said with a laugh.
"Ah, the Captain's right there."
Hearing Aeridar's voice, Oliver's tone sharpened slightly, and he quickly added, "We originally wanted to capture Elroy, but he was too fast. Only Enel could keep up, though it's a shame about such an excellent Devil Fruit."
As the first mate of the Garfield Pirates, Elroy's strength was formidable. He possessed a powerful swordsmanship, combined with the boost from the Speed-Speed Fruit. In the past, it took the combined efforts of two Admirals, Akainu and Aokiji, to barely capture him. Enel alone was not enough to defeat Elroy, and even lost in a close-quarters fight.
However, with Ernest and Mordo dead, Elroy couldn't fight everyone and was forced to flee. After being released from Impel Down following his capture by Akainu and Aokiji, he had specifically developed a technique to run across the sea using his super-speed.
Unfortunately, he underestimated Enel. Enel, having transformed into lightning, chased him relentlessly from the air. The fierce lightning rained down onto the sea, not only whipping up monstrous waves but also electrifying the ocean with powerful current, killing a massive number of fish and Sea Kings.
With high-voltage electrified seawater underfoot and terrifying lightning raining down from above, Elroy couldn't withstand the assault. He was violently blasted into the sea and drowned alive.
Hearing Oliver's words, Aeridar and Dimitri exchanged glances, both looking noticeably more relaxed.
"Leave the clean-up to Bright Ward and Cavendish," Dimitri stated directly. "You and Enel come back for now."
"Understood!"
Oliver replied.
Click.
The Den Den Mushi was disconnected.
…
In a certain area of the New World, a massive, unflagged warship was anchored side-by-side with a large pirate ship flying the Blackbeard Pirates flag.
A luxurious room inside the unflagged giant ship contained only two people: Blackbeard Teach and Roamer Malha.
"Captain Teach, please tell me if you have any changes you'd like to make to the proposals I've laid out," Malha said, sitting on the sofa and looking across at Blackbeard Teach.
"Zehahaha~"
Teach burst into happy laughter, fully agreeing. "No need for changes at all! I agree with everything you said! As long as you help me become a Yonko and remove the Chris Pirates as a stumbling block, I can personally provide rare slaves of all races, since you Celestial Dragons seem to enjoy them."
"We appreciate your trouble, Captain Teach. We will pay market price for them. I assure you." Although Malha didn't care about the slaves himself, he still offered a polite smile.
As long as they could ally with the Blackbeard Pirates to take down Golden Ring Aeridar and the Chris Pirates, everything else was minor. And now, it seemed the other party was clearly even more eager to defeat Golden Ring Aeridar and the Chris Pirates to stand at the peak of the world and firmly secure his position as a Yonko.
"Malha-san, there's one more thing I don't understand. Could you explain it to me?" Teach looked at Malha, his eyes darting around as he asked with a smile, "If Golden Ring Aeridar has no interest in the Yonko position, do I still need to keep him as an enemy?"
Malha had been leaning in with curiosity, expecting a genuine question, but as soon as Teach's question was out, his brow furrowed, and his expression froze slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"The literal meaning, of course!"
Teach shrugged, feigning an innocent look.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the room turned strange, and Malha sensed that something was wrong.
"What are you planning?" Malha asked in a deep voice, subtly preparing himself for a fight.
"Zehahaha~ I'm not planning anything!" Teach laughed and spread his hands, then suddenly leaned forward across the coffee table, gazing intently at Malha. He grinned: "I just don't like having World Government people getting involved. After all, the appearance of Byrnndi World did remind me of one thing."
Hearing Teach's words, Malha's expression turned cold. In an instant, he thrust out his arm, pointing his index finger at Teach. An ink-green light appeared, and a green beam shot out from his fingertip.
Decomposition Ray!
Teach was prepared, tilting his head to the right. The green Decomposition Ray instantly grazed past his ear, piercing the room's wall and shooting straight out of the ship.
Pak!
Almost simultaneously, Teach grabbed Malha's arm.
"My ability..."
Malha was startled. He quickly reached out with his other hand, but found he couldn't use his power.
Looking at the hand of Blackbeard Teach, which was enveloped in black mist, Malha was horrified. "Dark-Dark Fruit's power?!"
"That's right! Zehahaha~ Now it's my turn!"
Teach bared a malicious grin, clenching his left fist, which was shrouded in a pale white air pressure sphere.
"The power of the Tremor-Tmore Fruit! No—"
Malha was aghast.
"Airquake!"
Teach punched the air less than ten centimeters from Malha's face.
Crack…
The air immediately shattered, and several cracks appeared in the atmosphere, extending for over a meter.
Rumble…
A terrifying tremor rapidly transmitted through the air, slamming violently into Malha's body. Visibly twisted ripples appeared in the air. The coffee table, the sofa, the liquor cabinet, the walls... everything in front of him shattered. Malha was instantly blasted through the air.
A massive hole ripped open in the upper deck structure of the giant ship. A dozen rooms were leveled, a large number of guards and staff were violently flung away, and countless fragments of stone and broken wood splashed into the sea.
Cracks spread across the remaining upper deck structure. One-third of the entire superstructure was destroyed, leaving the area a complete wreck.
"Wiiihahahaha~ Just as expected of Captain Teach!"
"Murunfufufu~ The negotiations broke down, didn't they?"
"It seems he's made his decision."
"Hoo~ It looks like we'll have to make our move now, too."
On the Blackbeard Pirates' ship, Burgess, Catarina Devon, Laffitte, and Doc Q all witnessed the scene, and the ship immediately grew noisy with excitement.