Chapter 145: Notice

Chapter 145: Chapter 145: Notice

The moment Alex's slap landed on Blackbeard's face, the latter finally regained his senses and realized what had just happened. He leapt backward, putting distance between himself and Alex, then collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit was immense, capable of consuming everything and nullifying any Devil Fruit abilities upon physical contact.

However, the Dark-Dark Fruit had a fatal flaw—any damage inflicted upon its user was felt several times more intensely than normal.

The pain from having his arm forcibly ripped off by Alex's devastating tremor was unbearable. Amplified by the fruit's drawback, the agony became excruciating beyond comprehension.

Watching Blackbeard rolling on the ground, Alex couldn't help but feel disgusted by the pathetic sight. He frowned in annoyance and said coldly:

"Blackbeard, if you keep screaming, you might lose your other limbs too."

Blackbeard instantly felt a suffocating malice envelop him. His entire body broke out in goosebumps, and death seemed to loom over him, waiting for the white-haired man's command to claim his life.

Scrambling to his feet, Blackbeard abandoned his earlier arrogance and bowed obsequiously to Alex, groveling: "Mr. Alex, it's all a huge misunderstanding! I've heard of your unparalleled reputation, and I wouldn't dare get angry no matter how you treat me!"

While bowing and fawning, Blackbeard slowly inched closer to Alex, clearly scheming.

Alex didn't mind. He knew exactly what Blackbeard was trying to do, but to him, it was nothing more than futile struggle.

Sure enough, when Blackbeard was within three meters of him, he suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Alex's leg while lying on the ground.

Though disheveled and battered, Blackbeard's demeanor shifted from desperation back to confidence. He laughed maniacally:

"Hahaha! You fool! You actually let me touch your body!

With the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, your Devil Fruit abilities are now completely nullified.

You damned bastard, how dare you humiliate me? I'll tear you limb from limb!

"Black Hole!"

A rolling darkness spread outward from Blackbeard, enveloping dozens of square meters.

This was the consuming effect of the Dark-Dark Fruit, capable of devouring everything within its domain and compressing it with infinite force until it was utterly destroyed.

Previously, in his battle against Ace, Blackbeard had used this ability to obliterate an entire town in an instant. Now, while the area of effect had shrunk, its gravitational pull had increased dramatically.

"Alex!" Whitebeard shouted in concern, his expression grim.

He wasn't sure if Alex's abilities would be countered by the Dark-Dark Fruit. If they were, Alex's combat prowess would be severely diminished, possibly leaving him vulnerable to Blackbeard.

Up until now, Alex had only demonstrated exceptional Devil Fruit mastery, never showcasing his physical abilities. As such, Whitebeard and the others had no idea how formidable Alex's physical body truly was.

From a distance, the Straw Hat crew watched anxiously. Although they had faith in Alex, Blackbeard's confident demeanor made them uneasy.

Meanwhile, Sengoku and the other Marines remained indifferent, secretly hoping that Alex and Blackbeard would destroy each other. If that happened, they could easily capture two of the most dangerous figures on the seas without lifting a finger.

As soon as Blackbeard made contact, Alex felt a familiar energy reaction.

The Dark-Dark Fruit's suppressive ability was remarkably similar to the mutant suppression device he had encountered before—so similar, in fact, that their energy signatures were nearly identical. The only difference was that the Dark-Dark Fruit suppressed Devil Fruit powers, while the suppression device targeted the X-gene in mutants.

Having long since adapted to such suppression abilities, Alex was entirely unaffected.

He remained silent, calmly watching Blackbeard's theatrics. He stood motionless as Blackbeard's expression shifted from smug satisfaction to utter terror.

Blackbeard soon realized, to his horror, that while his hand could touch Alex's leg, he couldn't make contact with any other part of Alex's body. It was as if an invisible wall separated them, keeping him from reaching Alex no matter how hard he tried.

What terrified Blackbeard even more was the realization that this invisible wall was undeniably real. Yet, aside from feeling it while attacking Alex, he couldn't detect it by any other means.

Under his Observation Haki, there was nothing in front of him—no sign of Alex, much less the invisible wall blocking his efforts.

Cold sweat trickled down Blackbeard's forehead as he stammered: "W-What did you do? Why can you still use your abilities even though I've already made contact with you?"

From hope to despair and back again, all within a span of mere seconds—facing Alex, whose abilities were unaffected, Blackbeard no longer felt confident in his victory.

Alex smiled brightly at him, raising his index finger. At its tip, a red-and-white singularity rapidly formed.

Sensing the overwhelming power emanating from the tiny red-and-white dot, Blackbeard immediately let go of Alex and scrambled backward. Summoning all his strength, he unleashed his Devil Fruit ability: "Black Vortex!"

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Lafitte's screams, more agonizing than anything Blackbeard himself had endured, echoed through the portal, chilling the hearts of those who heard them.

Alex turned his gaze to another.

"Doc Q, you wanted to tear my body apart, didn't you? Let me repay the favor."

In mere moments, Alex used poetic justice to deal with each remaining member of the Blackbeard Pirates. The air was filled with their piercing screams, spreading terror throughout Marineford. Everyone who witnessed the scene now held a completely new and even greater fear of Alex's power.

At last, only Blackbeard remained. Alex turned to him with an unsettling smile. "You, however, didn't curse me with anything..."

Blackbeard crawled and stumbled his way to Alex's feet, repeatedly pleading:

"Yes, yes, Lord Alex, I didn't curse you! Please spare me!"

However, Alex ignored his pleas and, after a moment of thought, said:

"That's quite troublesome. How about I amplify your pain by hundreds of times and then have you slowly torn apart?"

"No! No, please!" Blackbeard begged, struggling to resist, but before Alex's universe-level power, these efforts were useless. Another fresh, heartbreaking scream echoed throughout Marineford, only ceasing once Alex closed the portal.

Looking around at the now-ruined Marineford, Alex saw the pirates and Marines, some cautious and some terrified, watching him. He smiled lightly and, with a small bow, opened a portal to return to Fish-Man Island. He had plans to execute next.

As Alex departed, Sengoku, Garp, and the three Admirals finally relaxed.

Garp wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, sighing, "I really don't know where Alex came from. He appeared out of nowhere, and in just a short time, defeated Aokiji and Kizaru. After this war, even if we all teamed up, we might not be able to beat him."

Sengoku nodded, equally stunned.

"Exactly, what's worse is the sheer number of abilities he possesses. From strengthening to negating the weaknesses of Devil Fruits, and worst of all, he can even revive the dead."

He paused, but the others knew what he was implying.

If Alex could use his abilities on a large scale, the World Government might not stand a chance.

"If he wanted to, he could easily overthrow the existing government and create a new one," Sengoku finished grimly.

Meanwhile, Whitebeard and his crew looked toward the place where Alex had vanished, but unlike the Marines, they were filled with gratitude.

Because of Alex, their "old man" was alive, and Ace had been rescued.

In this battle against the Marines, Whitebeard's crew had emerged victorious.

Suddenly, a portal opened, and Alex, who had just disappeared, walked back through. Amplifying his voice with energy, he said:

"Right, I was in such a hurry earlier I forgot to mention something."

"I'm giving the World Government one month. After that, I want to see every Celestial Dragon evacuated from Mary Geoise, and all armed forces surrendered to me unconditionally."

At this moment, Buggy and the others had discarded their Den Den Mushi and fled, but the Den Den Mushi was still recording, transmitting Alex's message to Sabaody Archipelago and then to the entire world.

Alex continued, "Of course, you can choose to resist, but if you surrender, I'll consider your crimes and punish you accordingly. Those who resist will be killed."

After finishing his proclamation, Alex paid no mind to the worldwide chaos his words would cause. He was already back on Fish-Man Island, preparing to bring it into his pocket dimension.

Back on the ground, everyone stood stunned, staring at the place where Alex had disappeared, mouths agape in shock.

It had been many years, but finally, someone had openly declared war on the World Government!

No, this wasn't a declaration of war. It was a notice. The most dangerous man in the world, Alex, was looking down on the World Government with contempt, making it clear that he didn't regard them at all.

°°°

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