"...Blackbeard."
Surrounded by the pirates whose greed-filled eyes were seeking for an opportunity, Blackbeard and Mihawk faced one another.
"Zehahaha... it's been a while, hasn't it, Hawkeye?"
"...One Piece—"
MIhawk, ignoring Blackbeard's words, spoke.
"—Is it true that you know the location of Laugh Tale?"
"...Straight to the point, eh."
Blackbeard chuckled. He turned and looked around his surroundings. Finding the pirates who were looking at him in greed, Blackbeard shouted back at them,
"ZEHAHAHA!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR VOWS OF SUBJUGATION TO ME?!! AREN'T I THE RULER OF FULLALEAD?!!"
The pirates didn't respond. Instead, they lifted their weapons at him and grinned, revealing their ambitions.
"Of course, of course."
And Blackbeard's grin widened to their reactions.
"Such is the world. Such are the pirates. Such is the freedom!!"
He revealed a joy, one full of insanity.
No one knew what he was happy about.
"Humans are inherently evil!! For the good of the society, family, friends, blah blah whatever... there is nothing in this world that matters... except for our dreams, the goals which we seek!!"
He roared psychotically,
"THOSE DREAMS!!! THEY ARE THE REASON WHY WE EXIST!!! THEY ARE THE REASON WHY WE WERE GIVEN THE SENTIENCE, THE CAPABILITY TO THINK!!!"
Then, he all of a sudden laughed hysterically.
Mihawk frowned.
"What formality? What rationality? In front of our dreams, we are nothing but animals, the savages."
Blackbeard snorted as he gazed into the eyes of each and every one of the pirates who surrounded him.
"Come. Don't act as if you are civilized. Haven't you become pirates to break free from those chains?"
But of course, the pirates didn't act.
"...Well, I guess that if you won't come,
I will."
Blackbeard held his hand out,
"Dark Matter."
A dense ball of darkness swirled into existence.
Generating an incredible gravitational force due to its astounding mass, the pirates suddenly found their bodies getting pulled toward the ball.
"Wha—"
The pirates, as if jolting awake, widened their eyes in realization. They swung their limbs wild, but such didn't do anything to the force that was pulling them toward the ball.
"Tch...!"
Mihawk gritted his teeth as he stabbed Yoru on the ground to prevent himself from getting sucked in. He, in disbelief, stared at the scene ahead of him.
"G-GAHHH!!!"
"C-CAPTAIN!!! W-WE MADE A HORRIBLE ERROR!!! M-MERCY!!! MERCYY!!!!"
All pirates shrieked and cried as they were mashed together. Their bodies broke and shattered as the incredible force compressed them altogether.
They cried in pain, but it was far too late.
Blackbeard clenched his left hand. As he did so, the air around said fist shattered, displaying an intense vibration.
"N-No,"
One pirate among the clumped mass mumbled in fear. He shook his head frantically, trying to escape from the situation.
The pirates revealed their fear in front of an unstoppable force. In correspondence, the spectral-looking substances—their souls—leaked out of their chests and swirled into Blackbeard.
"Zehahaha..."
Blackbeard's hair floated, brimming in energy. His eyes glowed in crimson, and he grinned as he blasted his tremor-imbued fist toward the clumped mass of pirates,
"TREMOR CRUSH!!!"
The space itself became distorted as it was shattered into pieces. Then, there was an explosion, one that sent Mihawk skidding backward.
The area reeked of blood, filled with a metallic scent.
There was a heavy stain of blood on the ground centering Blackbeard, who grinned while wiping the blood away from his cheek.
Turning to Mihawk, he then raised his hand and motioned his finger.
It was a taunt, one that told Mihawk to come if he dared.
"Ha...!"
And Mihawk found himself smiling. His body shook in excitement.
The deaths of all those pirates? They were none of his concern.
Holding his sword, Yoru, tightly, he proceeded to dash toward Blackbeard.
The sword clashed against the Haki-imbued hand.
Then, the darkness expanded, taking over the Fullalead.
__________
Three ships rapidly sailed through the calm sea of the New World.
The speed was quite phenomenal and was only possible thanks to the superb skills that Kuja Tribes had.
"In Calm Belt, there is no wind or current to rely on."
Hancock, standing by Smoker's side, proudly claimed.
"Since the era of our ancestors, we sailed in such a sea. It is only natural that when given an environment with wind and waves to ride on, we travel faster than any other."
"Weak against the natural disasters, however."
And to Hancock's claim, Shakuyaku added on, much to Hancock's annoyance.
"Hey!"
Ignoring Hancock who stomped her foot on the deck and puffed up her cheeks, Shakuyaku said in a serious manner.
"But who would have expected for the New World, above all, would become as docile as this?"
Reaching the edge of the railing, she stared down at the water,
"This isn't the sea which I remember. If Rayleigh saw this, he would've considered this boring."
"Disappearance isn't the accurate way of describing the current phenomenon."
Smoker then spoke, examining the surroundings.
"It is more of 'diluting' the weather of New World throughout the entire world."
Starting from Momoiro island, they sailed all the way to their current location. They came across the scene of the portion of Red Line being ripped off—the aftermath of the battle between Smoker and Imu.
Following the breakage of the Red Line, the space to be occupied by the water increased. The overall result was a decrease in the overall sea level.
"Calm Belt would still be calm. Grand Line would still be more wild than any other part of the sea. However, the characteristics of the weather in those regions will no longer be as absurd. Why is this happening? I too have no idea."
Smoker shrugged,
"Ask that to the scientists. Maybe Dr.Vegapunk would take an interest in this."
Moving his eyes, he then gazed at where Crocus stood, constantly communicating with the navigators who were staring back and forth between a variety of Log Poses and a roughly drawn map—the map that Crocus brought, claiming that he drew during his time in Roger Pirates.
"All the Log Poses point toward the islands of greater magnetic field than what they previously recorded. And ultimately, all of them lead to Lodestar!"
Crocus said as he pointed at the Log Poses, ones that were all pointing in different directions.
"The reason why sailors tend to wait on an island until a Log Pose has fully recorded its magnetic field, is to set the next destination before the departure. For our case, however, this isn't necessary, especially since we will be heading straight to the Laugh Tale. Therefore, there are two things that we have to note of.
One, ensure that we are travelling within the boundary of the New World. Be attentive of the surrounding climate. Though the weather is harder to distinguish now, there still are differences.
Two, watch the Log Poses. When all of them point toward the same direction... that island must be Lodestar."
Crocus turned and looked at Smoker who was listening all along,
"And Lodestar is the only entrance to the path that leads to Laugh Tale."
"Great. But I've been wanting to ask regardless of that,"
Smoker, nodding to Crocus's explanation, then asked,
"Just where are we right now?"
Crocus, in silence, stared at Smoker.
For a long period of time. Smoker, in confusion, asked in the end,
"...Am I not supposed to ask—"
"Good question."
Then, Crocus resumed his long stare at Smoker.
"...And the answer is?"
"..."
"...?"
Crocus didn't say anything even after waiting more.
Eventually, Smoker, with his eyes twitching in annoyance, spoke,
"Are you playing—"
"I have no idea."
"WHAT WAS I WAITING FOR?!!!"
Smoker barked comically and tried to lash out at Crocus, only to be stopped by Hancock who held him back.
"C-Calm down, Smoker!"
"..."
Crocus simply adjusted his glasses as if oblivious to the reason why Smoker was angered.
In the end, Smoker initially fumed, then sighed and loosened his body. Seeing that he's calmed down, Hancock released his arms.
At the next moment, the door leading to the inner part of the ship opened, and Hina revealed herself.
"What's with the ruckus?"
She raised an eyebrow.
Behind Hina was Robin, who then generated numerous arms on the deck and carried out the trays of food.
Hina pointed her thumb at the food,
"Whatever it may be, eat first."
"SHIT!!!"
Then, Bastille ran out, screaming as he held his butt,
"I NEED TO TAKE A SHIT!!!"
Hina froze as Bastille ran past her from her back, leaving a trail of gas.
"WHY THE FUCK IS ARAMAKI TAKING FOREVER?!! THAT GREEN BASTARD!!!"
Robin's face turned green as she held her nose.
"You people are..."
Shakuyaku commented,
"Quite... peculiar."
...
Some time has passed, and the sail was going smoothly—more smoothly than it ever has been for Smoker.
"...How long has it been since I last got to watch the stars like this, I wonder."
Muttering to himself, Smoker gazed at the bright stars as he leaned into a couch which he manifested from a tangible smoke.
In a solemn expression, he silently watched them shine, enjoying the peace.
'Rocks D. Xebec, huh.'
Garp did speak about the man once before.
"Though I am not the type of man to say this... the victory that day was nothing short of a miracle."
Garp said back then,
"He thought that the both of us were down. Within the slightest moment at which he let his guard down, Roger knocked him back and I yanked him into the sea."
"Then... if you were to fight him again, would you lose?"
"..."
Smoker clearly remembered Garp's grin,
"Nah, I'd win."
Chuckling, Smoker shook his head.
"Good thing that you aren't on this ship right now, Garp-sensei."
The smile died down, and he resumed his thoughts.
'...But regardless of that, I need to think—of how strong the current Blackbeard is.'
From the intel that he received, Blackbeard has three Devil Fruit abilities: Dark Dark fruit, Tremor Tremor fruit, and Soul Soul fruit.
Tremor Tremor fruit. By many, this fruit is considered to be the strongest Devil Fruit within the Paramecia class. It has the ability to induce tremors, or on a smaller scale, vibrations. The extent to which one's destructiveness became amplified through this power was simply astounding.
On the other hand, Soul Soul fruit was versatile. Its ability to take and give souls to any matter that a user can perceive had far too many uses. Through the souls that he stockpiled, Blackbeard could heal from the injuries. He could also give consciousnesses to whatever lied around him and have them fight for him—in a manner similar to how Imu summoned creatures, except that while Imu created them from nothing, Blackbeard simply used what already existed.
And then, there was Dark Dark fruit, of course.
'The most evil Devil Fruit among all.'
Smoker furrowed his brows,
'It is likely that Dark Dark fruit is one of the reasons why he was able to consume multiple Devil Fruits. However, I have a feeling that there is more to it.'
Originally, there were only three original fruits, Sun, Rain, and Forest. Yet, today's world believes in four gods—the three domains plus 'Earth'.
'Dark Dark fruit's most notable abilities, in my perspective, are the power to nullify and the power to attract. By nullification, the nullification of the other Devil Fruit abilities. By attraction, the manifestation of gravitational forces by granting mass to the darkness—by perceiving it as a dark matter rather than a conceptual darkness.'
He remembered how in the canon, Luffy's fruit ability was nullified upon his contact with Blackbeard. From what it showed, it seemed that the 'contact' was the requirement for Blackbeard to exert nullification.
However, Smoker knew that Blackbeard was a shrewd fellow, the type to hide as many cards as possible under his sleeves.
If it was upon the contact at which Blackbeard could nullify, couldn't he simply morph his body into darkness and have that darkness touch the enemies?
Either way, Smoker had to be cautious.
'Thanks to what I managed to read in the long past, I have the upper hand in knowledge.'
Within this short time that was granted to him, he had to raise his chance of victory as much as he could.
__________
In Fullalead, Blackbeard was found standing, grinning as he stared down at his fallen foe.
Dracule Mihawk. With blood sipping out of his wounds, he was no longer in a state where he could continue fighting.
With his eyes shadowed by his hat, he simply huffed heavily, coughing blood as he did so.
Fullalead was in ruin. The skull structure that lied in its center was no longer in its shape, having become deformed due to being caught in the crossfire of Blackbeard and Mihawk.
"Zehahaha... you did well, Hawkeye."
Blackbeard, having seemingly enjoyed the battle, spoke as he wiped the blood that dripped down from a light gash on his cheek.
And as if having felt the same, a light smile was present on Mihawk's pain-filled face.
"I shall never forget you for as long as I live."
Below the bright moon, Blackbeard turned and raised his hand, one that was holding onto a Log Pose.
"The next island, one that follows Fullalead is..."
He whispered in glee,
"...Lodestar."
Pocketing the Log Pose, he walked away.
And once again, nothing but blood and destruction were left in his path.