Multiverse Gourmet Hunter

"Cough... cough..."

Blackbeard Teach shoved aside the massive chunks of rubble pinning him down and climbed out of the debris covered in dust.

He brushed himself off and thought back to the force behind Whitebeard’s attack.

The tension in his chest eased considerably.

It had certainly been powerful, but compared to the Whitebeard Teach remembered from his prime, it was nowhere near the same level.

That only reinforced his belief that Whitebeard had merely recovered from some of the injuries he had suffered during the battle. That terrifying burst of Conqueror’s Haki was probably nothing more than the old man forcing himself to put on a show of strength.

A smug, vicious grin slowly spread across Teach’s face.

"Zehahaha! Still not showing me any mercy, huh, Pops?"

He spread his hands with an exaggeratedly helpless expression.

"But I guess that makes sense. There’s no way you’d hold back against me anymore, right?"

Teach knew perfectly well that everything he had done had long since destroyed whatever affection Whitebeard once held for him.

At this point, the old man probably wanted nothing more than to tear him apart.

"You are no son of mine, Teach!"

Whitebeard’s voice thundered across the battlefield.

His grip around Murakumogiri tightened until even the shaft seemed to tremble.

"You broke the one absolute rule aboard my ship and murdered the comrade who lived and fought beside you."

"Today, I’ll take your life with my own hands and avenge Thatch!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Whitebeard’s presence surged once again.

Only killing intent remained in his eyes.

Watching Whitebeard and Blackbeard confront one another, Sengoku maintained a grim expression, but inwardly, he quietly released some of the tension he had been carrying.

The situation had become extremely unfavorable for the Marines.

Even if Whitebeard had not fully returned to his prime, his current strength was clearly not far from it.

And even if that condition lasted only an hour, an hour was more than enough for Whitebeard to sink Marine Headquarters into the sea if he truly wanted to.

If the Marines continued fighting the Whitebeard Pirates to the bitter end, they might still win eventually, but it would be a devastating victory. Their remaining elite forces could be consumed almost entirely in the process.

More importantly, Sengoku understood perfectly well that the World Government had been the one relentlessly pushing this war forward from the beginning.

As for their deeper reasons...

Sengoku had no desire to think too deeply about them.

What mattered to him was preserving the Marines’ foundation and maintaining order across the seas.

If everything had proceeded according to plan, this war could indeed have dealt a massive blow to pirate power.

But the situation had already changed too much.

The Marines could no longer afford to keep fighting Whitebeard’s crew to mutual destruction.

Letting the Whitebeard Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates tear each other apart was now the most advantageous outcome for the Marines.

On top of that, the situation at Impel Down remained unclear. Given the criminals now standing beside Teach, a large number of prisoners had probably escaped.

The Marines needed to preserve as much strength as possible for whatever came next.

Sengoku made his decision.

He took a deep breath and shouted across the battlefield.

"All Marine forces! Cease attacks on the Whitebeard Pirates and immediately contract the defensive formation!"

Whitebeard raised his eyes toward Sengoku.

A thoughtful look flashed across his face.

He understood exactly what Sengoku was planning, but he also knew this was the best opportunity his crew would get to withdraw safely.

Without hesitating, Whitebeard issued his own command.

"Everyone, prepare to retreat!"

Then he planted Murakumogiri into the ground and began walking toward Blackbeard one step at a time.

Teach was different.

Whitebeard intended to settle that matter here and now.

Under the orders of their respective leaders, the Marines and Whitebeard Pirates who had been locked in bloody combat rapidly pulled apart.

The intensity of the war dropped almost instantly.

Countless eyes naturally shifted toward Whitebeard and Blackbeard.

But not everyone was willing to accept the ceasefire.

"Why?!"

An furious shout rang across the battlefield.

Akainu stood in the center of the plaza, magma dripping steadily from his arm as he glared toward Sengoku.

He understood exactly what the order meant.

Sengoku intended to let the Whitebeard Pirates escape.

He intended to let Roger’s son, Ace, escape.

And Dragon’s son, Luffy, as well.

For a man devoted to Absolute Justice, such a compromise was completely unacceptable.

"Follow the order."

Sengoku’s voice remained calm.

"I’ll take responsibility for everything that follows."

In truth, from the moment he issued the command, Sengoku had already prepared himself to answer to the World Government.

He had wanted to end this absurd war for some time.

Otherwise, did anyone seriously believe that dealing with a rookie like Luffy had required him to transform with his Devil Fruit power?

Now that he finally had an opportunity to minimize the Marines’ losses, he had no intention of wasting it.

Kizaru clicked his tongue lazily at the order but made no attempt to continue fighting.

Aokiji remained where he stood as well, the cold mist surrounding his body gradually receding as he looked toward Whitebeard.

He clearly had no intention of continuing the war either.

Akainu, however, could not swallow his anger.

His gaze swept across the battlefield until it locked onto Ace and Luffy, who were retreating toward the harbor.

Even if he could not wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates, even if it meant disobeying Sengoku’s direct order, he would eliminate those two cursed bloodlines here.

Once he made up his mind, Akainu immediately charged toward them.

Sengoku saw him move from the ruined platform and his expression turned ugly.

His mouth opened as though to call out, but in the end, he said nothing.

He knew Akainu too well.

Once that man made a decision, there was no talking him out of it.

And what was Sengoku supposed to do?

Personally attack one of his own Admirals to stop him?

High above the battlefield, Haruto watched Akainu charge away and raised an eyebrow before taking another bite of his Soda Watermelon.

"Damn, talk about dedicated. No wonder they call you Akainu. The World Government really did raise itself one loyal dog."

Haruto had never liked the man.

Akainu’s so-called Absolute Justice was nothing more than the World Government’s definition of justice.

His gaze swept across the battlefield.

Luffy and Ace were in a terrible position.

Luffy had penetrated deep into the Marine forces to rescue Ace, and the Whitebeard Pirates were still too far away to provide immediate support.

"That won’t do."

Haruto quickly finished the rest of his Soda Watermelon and casually tossed the rind toward Akainu before patting Charizard beneath him.

"Take us above those two."

Charizard immediately understood.

It let out a low roar, tucked in its wings, and plunged toward the battlefield.

Within moments, it was hovering directly above Ace and Luffy.

Luffy looked up.

His eyes immediately lit up.

"That’s so cool! What kind of dragon is that?!"

Charizard’s expression visibly brightened at the praise.

"He’s Charizard. My partner."

After giving the simple introduction, Haruto activated the Gourmet Restaurant.

Two pieces of grilled manta ray Sea King meat appeared directly in front of Ace and Luffy.

"On the house. Don’t be shy."

"MEAT!"

Luffy’s eyes practically turned into stars.

Without even thinking, he grabbed the piece larger than his own face and sank his teeth into it.

The crisp crust broke apart between his teeth, releasing tender meat and rich juices filled with restorative energy.

"SO GOOD!"

Ace blinked in surprise.

He looked up at Haruto once before grabbing the portion floating in front of him and eating just as quickly.

As the energy-rich Sea King meat reached their stomachs, the stamina they had pushed far beyond its limits began rapidly returning.

Haruto watched them finish the food and nodded.

Of course, even with their stamina restored, neither Ace nor Luffy was remotely strong enough to defeat Akainu in their current state.

But with their strength replenished, they could at least survive against him for a little longer.

If they could hold out until the Whitebeard Pirates’ Division Commanders arrived, the situation could still turn around.

With that done, Haruto patted Charizard and had it climb back toward the sky.

His attention returned to the battlefield.

By then, Whitebeard had already dragged Murakumogiri across the ground and walked directly in front of Blackbeard and his crew.

Teach still wore that arrogant grin.

Whitebeard’s previous Tremor-Tremor Fruit attack had completely convinced him that his judgment was correct.

The old man was at the end of his rope.

He was merely forcing himself to stand tall and bluff with whatever strength he had left.

Even if the food had restored some of his stamina, there was absolutely no way Whitebeard had returned to his prime.

There was nothing to fear.

After all, Teach possessed the Dark-Dark Fruit, the most dangerous Devil Fruit and the natural enemy of every Devil Fruit user.

"Teach."

Whitebeard stopped in front of him.

His eyes were cold.

"Go join Thatch in the afterlife."

As he spoke, Whitebeard raised his right fist.

The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit gathered around it.

Without the slightest hesitation, he drove the fist straight toward Blackbeard.

"Black Vortex!"

Teach instantly thrust out his right hand to meet the incoming punch.

A mass of pitch-black darkness poured from his palm, deep and bottomless like an abyss.

The tremor that should have been capable of shattering the earth and overturning Marineford struck the darkness—

And vanished.

Not even the slightest ripple remained.

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