THE STRONGEST CREATURE OF THE BEAST PIRATES

"It's you, bastard! You're not dead yet?" Blackbeard spat with a sneer.

Alastor's calm voice echoed, "You're not dead, how could I die, Blackbeard?"

The shadowy figure stepping forward was Alastor, now standing over Whitebeard's fallen body. Without hesitation, he unleashed a devastating surge of thunder and black flames, reducing Whitebeard's corpse to ash.

Rather than allowing Blackbeard to claim the powers of the Gura Gura no Mi, it was better to let the fruit reincarnate randomly somewhere else in the world. The bond between Whitebeard and the Gura Gura no Mi was unique, just as the Mero Mero no Mi complements Boa Hancock. Alastor believed that if Devil Fruits possessed a will of their own, the reincarnated Gura Gura no Mi would never choose Blackbeard.

As Whitebeard's ashes scattered, Alastor didn't linger. He vanished in a flash of lightning, knowing full well that with Whitebeard gone, the Navy's full attention might soon fall on him.

Blackbeard's enraged voice roared through the battlefield. "That bastard ruined everything!"

His crew scrambled to console him. "Captain, even without the Gura Gura no Mi, you can still claim the Mera Mera no Mi," Lafitte suggested. "A hand of darkness and a hand of flames—quite the spectacle."

But Blackbeard wasn't amused. His face contorted with fury. "The Mera Mera no Mi? That's nothing compared to the Gura Gura no Mi!"

Despite his frustration, Blackbeard quickly pivoted. "Move out! Ace's body won't slip through our hands. Seize the Mera Mera no Mi before the Navy reacts!"

The battlefield descended further into chaos. Marines and pirates alike fought with renewed desperation.

Among the Whitebeard Pirates, grief and rage erupted. "That bastard burned Pops' body!" one pirate cried. "We must retrieve his ashes and Ace's body!"

Meanwhile, Akainu, bloodied but alive, emerged from the cliff Whitebeard had driven him into. Ignoring his injuries, he set his sights on Luffy. The Straw Hat captain, overwhelmed by Ace's death, had already lost consciousness. Sabo, barely standing, grabbed Luffy and fled while Jinbe, Ivankov, and Crocodile stepped in to hold off Akainu.

Even as the battle raged on, a young Marine trembled amidst the carnage. Koby, tears streaming down his face, whispered, "This has to stop. No more deaths..."

Bellamy grabbed him, shaking him. "What are you doing, Koby? We're about to win! You'll get yourself killed!"

But Koby took a trembling step forward. "I... I have to stop Admiral Akainu!"

Before he could take another step, a figure cloaked in lightning appeared before him. Alastor's cold gaze pierced through Koby.

"Thunder Calamity...!" Koby gasped, fear paralyzing him.

With a flash of his blade, Alastor's attack struck faster than Koby could react. The young Marine's head rolled to the ground, his voice silenced forever. Alastor glanced at the lifeless body, his expression indifferent.

"You call yourself the heir to a naval hero's will? You're nothing compared to the Sun God."

Moments earlier, Alastor had tested Luffy's will. Even at death's door, Luffy had awakened a fleeting glimpse of advanced Observation Haki, narrowly dodging Alastor's strike. By contrast, Koby was nothing but a weak pretender.

Alastor disappeared once more, leaving behind a battlefield consumed by chaos. The clash between ideals, powers, and dreams continued, with no end in sight.

In addition to his strong bond with Straw Hat Luffy, Koby was destined to rise as a naval hero, potentially becoming an admiral in the future.

Unfortunately, his promising fate was cut short by Alastor.

As Garp pursued Blackbeard, he caught a glimpse of Koby being killed by Alastor. The sight stopped him in his tracks. His old eyes filled with tears, and his clenched fists trembled with rage and anguish.

He wanted to rush toward Alastor, to exact vengeance, but the thought of leaving Ace's body vulnerable to Blackbeard's schemes tore at his heart. Garp was caught between his duty and his emotions, a storm of pain and internal conflict raging within him.

"Why... why does this keep happening?!" Garp roared, his voice echoing with sorrow and frustration.

Alastor, unfazed, sneered and turned away.

Without engaging further, Alastor left Marineford. Along the way, he encountered a ship of the Revolutionary Army.

Koala's voice trembled as she recognized him. "That man... that's Alastor, the 'Thunder Calamity' of the Beasts Pirates! The one who killed a Celestial Dragon and is considered a world-class criminal, like Mr. Dragon!"

Monkey D. Dragon, standing silently, locked eyes with Alastor for a brief moment. There was no hostility, only a deep contemplation.

Dragon's thoughts raced. So it wasn't an illusion... The aura I sensed beneath the waves before—it was his. This man moves like a storm, leaving chaos in his wake. But what is his ultimate purpose?

As Dragon turned his gaze toward Marineford in the distance, his usual stoic demeanor wavered. The carnage was overwhelming, even for a man who had seen countless battles.

"A harbinger of chaos..." Dragon muttered to himself. A rare ripple of unease stirred within him, lingering long after Alastor had vanished from sight.

Back on his submarine, Alastor gave a curt command: "Return to the New World. Head toward Whitebeard's territory—perhaps we'll catch the clash between two Yonko."

In the New World, the battle between Kaido and Shanks raged on. Neither could gain a decisive advantage in a short time, as their immense power rendered the fight a brutal stalemate.

Shanks, however, was wary of prolonging the fight. The tides of war at Marineford weighed heavily on his mind. He couldn't afford to lose focus when the future he believed in—Luffy and the new era—was at stake.

While Kaido reveled in the clash, Shanks made a calculated decision. His sharp, crimson gaze hardened with resolve. He gathered all his strength, channeling his Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki into his blade, Gryphon. Black and red lightning crackled violently around it.

"Divine Departure!" Shanks roared, unleashing a devastating slash that tore through the sky itself.

Kaido, grinning wildly, responded with his own overwhelming force. "Bahaha! Is that supposed to be Roger's technique? Let's see how it compares to my Thunder Bagua!"

The two attacks collided, shattering the island beneath them and sending shockwaves across the battlefield.

In the chaos, Shanks' decision crystallized. "Beckman, it's time. We're heading to Marineford."

Ben Beckman, who had been fighting Yamato nearby, nodded. "Understood."

As the Red-Haired Pirates began their retreat, Beckman took a final, contemplative look at Yamato. Their clash had left him impressed, though Yamato's self-proclaimed identity as "Joy Boy" had puzzled him.

"You're strong, no doubt," Beckman remarked, taking a drag from his cigarette. "But claiming to be Joy Boy? That's naive. Your Mythical Zoan fruit—the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi-no-Makami—sets you apart, but Joy Boy's destiny is tied to something far beyond a single person's strength."

Yamato's fiery gaze met his. Her white hair billowed, and her voice rang with unwavering conviction.

"Destiny? Fate? That's just another excuse for people who don't have the courage to change the world themselves. Joy Boy isn't a title bound by bloodlines or Devil Fruits—it's a spirit, a symbol of freedom. Anyone with the will to fight for true liberation can embody it."

Her bold words struck a chord. For a moment, Beckman was silent.

As he turned to leave, her defiance lingered in his mind. Perhaps... she's right. The original Joy Boy broke the chains of fate once—why can't someone else do the same?

Though Beckman admired Yamato's spirit, he knew her strength alone wasn't enough. But the sheer determination in her eyes hinted at a potential he couldn't ignore.

Beckman walked away, the image of Yamato etched in his thoughts.

And Yamato, undeterred by Beckman's skepticism, stood tall. "I'll carve my own path," she declared, her voice echoing across the battlefield.

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