One Piece: Curse of Immortality

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"Marines?" Marshall D. Teach looked up at the undulating sea ahead, squinting his eyes. 

The fierce wind howled as the waters before they bubbled violently as if boiling. 

Their target for this journey was right in the centre of this bubbling zone. In the sky, dark clouds churned, hinting at an impending storm.

"Splash!" The currents surged, sending large waves crashing against the raft and swaying violently. 

Beyond the rolling waves, he quickly spotted a Marine battleship. It was still at a distance, and the people aboard were indistinct. 

However, it had suddenly cut in from the western waters of the Straw Hat Pirates' route.

"Can you see clearly?" Marshall D. Teach shouted.

"Yes! I have locked onto the man standing at the bow." Van Augur replied in a low voice. 

His vision wavered slightly through his scope before focusing on a sharp-featured man with short black hair. 

Van Augur narrowed his eyes and spoke in a firm voice. "Must be some no-name Marine, just a small fry! We might as well take them out and catch up to the Straw Hats quickly."

"A heavy storm is coming!" Jesus Burgess clashed his fists together, grinning viciously. 

"I was thinking the same thing!" Van Augur chuckled. 

The sudden appearance of this battleship had completely blocked their line of sight to the Straw Hat crew, forcing him to halt his attack. 

"Zeha ha ha ha! Don't underestimate anyone." Marshall D. Teach had a different opinion. 

However, his words were only a reminder—he did not stop his crew from taking action.

Van Augur naturally understood the implications. He smirked slightly, his gaze fixed on the tall man at the bow of the Marine ship, his sights steadily aimed right between his brows. 

"To expose yourself so brazenly within an enemy's attack range. Should I call you reckless, or just foolish? Unknown Marine!" His voice was soft, carrying a hint of cold mockery.

Suddenly, the man on the Marine battleship lifted his head. His piercing eyes seemed to detect them, looking directly in their direction. "Has he noticed?" 

"But it's already too late!" Van Augur smirked coldly, pressing his index finger firmly against the trigger. 

Meanwhile, Marshall D. Teach's focus remained on Monkey D. Luffy.

He could almost hear the excited, joyful, and fearful voices from the Straw Hats' ship. 

"What a pity! You are one of the few remaining pirates in this world! Chasing your own dreams—that's what people like us should be doing!" 

These thoughts crossed his mind before his gaze shifted to the Marine battleship. A glimmer of gold caught his eye. 

As the mist from the sea dispersed and the waves settled, the silhouette of a sceptre emerged at the ship's bow. 

At the same time, Marshall D. Teach finally got a clear look at the tall man standing there. 

"Huh? That man... he looks familiar!" Marshall D. Teach was momentarily stunned.

He had a chiselled face, short black hair, and bulging muscles that seemed ready to burst through his robe. 

That powerful physique—he had seen it somewhere before. But where? For a moment, Marshall D. Teach couldn't recall. 

He vaguely sensed that this was a figure of great importance. But why had he forgotten?

Beside him, Van Augur pulled the trigger. "Bang!" The sudden gunshot jolted Marshall D. Teach out of his thoughts. 

In that instant, a flash of realization struck his mind. "It's him?!" His head snapped up, his face now filled with shock and disbelief.

"Who is it? Teach, do you know him?" Van Augur asked curiously. He was confident in his shot—it was precise and would surely hit the target. 

"We're doomed!!" Marshall D. Teach suddenly shuddered. 

Staring at the smoking sniper rifle in Van Augur's hands, sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, and his body trembled.

Everything—Luffy, their plan—was completely forgotten at that moment. Only one thought remained in Marshall D. Teach's mind. 

"Run! Get out of here!" With a roar, Marshall D. Teach didn't hesitate for a second. His heart pounded, his face contorted in both fear and shock.

At the same time, a mix of disbelief and frustration burned inside him, fueling his rage. 

"What kind of sick joke is this?! How many years has this guy been gone?! And he just happens to appear here?! Worse still, my crew actually fired at him?!"

Marshall D. Teach was completely stunned. He couldn't believe his rotten luck! 

He had only planned to capture a rookie with a 100-million bounty, yet he had stumbled upon the last person he wanted to see.

Arashi!

The man whose name had shaken an entire era. 

The terrifying force who once fought Whitebeard one-on-one and ended the battle without a decisive victor!

As someone who had witnessed that legendary battle firsthand, Marshall D. Teach knew exactly what kind of monstrous power lurked within Arashi's body. 

Even as a Dark-Dark Fruit user, he would never willingly face this man in battle.

"?" Van Augur and the rest of the crew were stunned, confused by their captain's reaction. 

"You know him?" Doc Q asked. 

"Of course! In today's world, he is probably the most terrifying Marine alive!" Marshall D. Teach's voice was trembling.

"I hit him Teach!" Van Augur said firmly. 

"It's useless!!" Marshall D. Teach roared. 

"You have no idea how terrifying this man is!" He spun around and sprinted towards the helm, taking the wheel to turn the ship and flee. 

"How could it be useless?" Van Augur hesitated—he didn't believe he could have missed.

Lifting his sniper rifle again, he aimed at the Marine battleship's bow. But when he finally got a clear view, his pupils shrank sharply.

The bullet was floating in midair, right between the man's brows, crackling with electricity.

And in the next instant, the bullet slowly fell into the man's palm. He then turned his gaze towards them. 

Across the vast distance, his eyes locked onto their ship, his piercing gaze seeing through them all. 

"Don't just stand there! If we anger that man, we'll be in serious trouble!" Marshall D. Teach roared.

The crew snapped out of their daze. They still didn't understand why their captain was so terrified, so they wouldn't question him. 

Everyone quickly scrambled to escape. Just then—

"Boom!" 

A deafening explosion echoed across the sea. A massive pillar of water erupted into the sky, swirling violently as ripples spread outward. 

The turbulent waves shook their raft uncontrollably.

"The Straw Hats are being launched into the sky!" Burgess shouted, pointing at the ship carried upward by the water column. 

"We have no time for them anymore!" Marshall D. Teach said through gritted teeth. 

His gaze remained locked on the Marine battleship, which appeared and disappeared with the rolling waves. 

But he was certain—Van Augur's shot had drawn the man's attention on board.

"Would he really attack us in such harsh weather, in the middle of the sea?" Burgess questioned loudly. 

"Fool! Never underestimate that man's power!" Marshall D. Teach roared.

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead, and his back felt ice-cold. 

As the waves shifted once more, he finally saw it clearly—the tall man standing at the bow of the Marine ship, surrounded by crackling blue lightning.

The meaning of this was obvious!

"Sizzle!" In an instant, a flash of lightning illuminated the sky.

Before they knew it, a figure wreathed in electricity was already standing atop their mast.

"So it was you. You're the ones who just shot at me, aren't you?"

A deep, cold, and chilling voice rang out, blending with the turbulent sea and the massive water surge ahead. 

The overwhelming pressure it exuded was indescribable. A shadow loomed over Marshall D. Teach, casting darkness upon him. 

As he looked up at the figure standing atop the mast, his throat moved as if he wanted to say something, but only after a moment did he force a smile. 

"It's a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!" he said. 

"Our target is Straw Hat Luffy!" Teach took a few steps back, fear evident on his face. 

Van Augur and the rest of the crew were equally on guard, their eyes fixed on the unfamiliar figure before them.

"If I'm not mistaken," a cold voice came from above. 

"You were that kid on Whitebeard's ship back then, weren't you?" Arashi looked down at him. 

"My name is Marshall D. Teach!" Teach grinned widely. "I have always respected your strength, Admiral Arashi."

"Teach," Arashi said indifferently. "I heard you killed your own crewmate and betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates. A man born to be a traitor, huh?" 

Teach's pupils shrank, but his smile didn't falter.

Cautiously, he replied, "Everyone has the right to chase their dreams. My path was never the same as the Whitebeard Pirates." 

As his words fell, the man standing atop the mast remained silent. 

The waves crashed against the raft, swaying violently and sending water splashing in all directions. 

The Blackbeard Pirates were tense, their gazes fixed on the figure looming over them, the pressure in their hearts growing heavier.

After a long silence, a chuckle broke through. "Did you really think saying that would make me forget the shot you just fired?" Arashi's eyes locked onto Teach, his gaze cold.

"Marshall D. Teach!"

In an instant, Teach's face changed drastically as he hastily retreated. In the brief moment he lowered his head, a sinister glint of killing intent flashed across his face. 

Without hesitation, Van Augur raised his rifle and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!" The gunshot rang out again, signalling the inevitability of battle!

....

The wind howled, and thick mist surged forward. The sudden shift in air pressure made everyone feel dizzy.

"We're dead! We're absolutely dead!" Usopp moaned in despair. 

Chopper's eyes spun in circles, and Nami clung desperately to the nearest object, refusing to let go. 

The Going Merry clung tightly to the rising current, its wings spread open, trembling in the airflow as if it were truly flying.

"Hahahaha!" At this moment, the only one still laughing was Luffy. 

Sitting at the ship's bow, he pressed down his straw hat, feeling the exhilarating rush of soaring into the sky, his laughter filled with pure excitement.

"Huh?! What's that?" On a whim, he turned and looked down toward the sea below. 

Not far from where they had just been, a Marine warship floated calmly amid the surging current. 

What shocked Luffy even more was the presence of several familiar figures on that ship.

"Crocodile?!" His eyes widened. "And Smoker?!" The more he looked, the more stunned he became, and a serious expression appeared. 

These two men were supposed to stand on the same warship on opposite sides. 

What made it even stranger was that Crocodile was wearing a Marine uniform.

Luffy's brain nearly short-circuited. He quickly called out to his crewmates, but no one dared to open their eyes. 

Only Zoro responded with a nonsensical mumble.

Luffy burst into laughter when he saw Zoro's face distorted by the wind into an oddly twisted, comical expression.

"Hahahaha!" Another round of laughter erupted. Zoro shot his unreliable captain a sharp glare before turning his gaze downward. 

The Going Merry ascended at an incredible speed due to the air current, and everything below them rapidly became smaller.

But the moment Zoro turned his head, his pupils contracted sharply. His eyes were filled with shock, joy, and excitement.

On the warship below, a woman stood quietly, gazing up at him. She had cold eyes, a ponytail, and a sword at her waist.

"Kuina!!" Zoro laughed aloud, the wind blasting into his mouth as he called her name. 

Then, he saw the woman place her right hand on the hilt of her sword and slowly draw it. 

In that instant, Zoro understood her intention. With a wide grin, he unsheathed Wado Ichimonji and raised it high above his head. 

He then saw a smile appear on Kuina's face.

"It's a promise!!" Zoro shouted down. "The next time we meet, I will defeat you!!"

The wind grew stronger, and the Going Merry climbed even higher. The figure of the warship below became more blurred and distorted. 

But just before Kuina completely disappeared from view, Zoro saw her lips move as if she were saying:

"The one who wins will be me!"

Zoro sheathed his sword, turned away, and looked toward the ever-approaching sky.

"Still as unyielding as ever," he murmured. "But I won't lose!"

Images of his battle with Dracule Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, flashed through his mind. 

A determined light flickered in Zoro's eyes. Ever since that day, he had vowed never to lose again!

The Going Merry soared higher and higher, and the smile on Zoro's face remained unchanged. 

He had lost count of how many years had passed since Kuina had left, but now, he had finally seen his childhood friend again!

"Bang!" A muffled gunshot echoed. The waves crashed against the wooden raft, shaking it violently. The wind howled fiercely in their ears.

Arashi stood atop the mast, looking down. A hole had reappeared in his forehead, but in an instant, it mended itself in a crackling arc of electricity. 

With a crisp metallic clink, the bullet landed in his palm. By now, two bullets had collected in his right hand.

"Heh~" A soft chuckle escaped him. 

"Feigning cowardice on the surface, but bold and ruthless at heart." 

His sharp gaze remained fixed on Blackbeard, while the rest of his crew wasn't even worth a glance.

Van Augur's expression darkened, his heart growing heavier. His most powerful attack had done nothing to this man. 

What angered him more was that even after two shots, Arashi hadn't acknowledged his existence.

"Against a man like you, who would dare to be careless?" Teach gritted his teeth. "Admiral Arashi!"

Since the fight had begun, pretenses were no longer needed. From the moment Van Augur fired that shot, peace had ceased to be an option. 

More importantly, Teach understood the man before him. As a Marine who had once stormed enemy strongholds alone, Arashi's presence was unlike any other.

"Your man shot me twice," Arashi said, still looking down. "I will return them to you."

A smirk curled at the corner of his lips as one of the bullets trembled in his fingers. 

In that very second, Teach's expression changed drastically, and he lunged to the side.

At the same moment, a spark of electricity flickered around the bullet between Arashi's fingers. With a flick of his index and thumb, he released it.

"Boom!"

Van Augur and the others' expressions changed as they were about to step forward to check on Teach. 

Suddenly, a deafening explosion erupted from the distant sea behind them.

"You... you gotta be kidding me?!" 

Burgess turned around, his eyes widening in shock as he watched a massive column of seawater surge skyward, rapidly forming into a mushroom-like shape. His heart pounded in fear. 

"Was that caused by that bullet?!"

Van Augur's body stiffened. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect his shot to lead to such destruction. 

Turning back to the man standing atop the mast, wreathed in crackling lightning, he felt an overwhelming dread—this man seemed almost divine.

No wonder Teach was so afraid of him!

"This is the second one!" A calm and indifferent voice echoed from above. 

Accompanied by flashes of lightning, another bullet, wrapped in streaks of blue electricity, shot forth with immense force. 

Once again, it was aimed directly at Marshall D. Teach.

None of them—Van Augur, Burgess, Lafitte, or Doc Q—could react in time. 

Yet, to everyone's surprise, Teach, still sprawled on the ground, suddenly rolled to the side at the very last second.

"Splurt!"

The bullet tore through his flesh, piercing straight through the wooden raft before vanishing into the depths of the sea at a sharp angle, disappearing to who knows where.

"ARGHHH!"

A bloodcurdling scream erupted two seconds later. 

Teach clutched his other shoulder, his fingers drenched in crimson as sweat streamed down his forehead. 

The agonizing wails lasted over ten seconds before they finally faded into ragged gasps.

Arashi stood atop the mast, coldly gazing down at the writhing, howling Blackbeard. 

His expression was unchanging, his demeanor calm. He wasn't in a hurry to act—he was simply intrigued.

There was no doubt—Teach was one of the most deeply concealed figures of the era. 

Beneath that coarse, unassuming exterior lay a patient, ruthless, greedy heart filled with boundless ambition. 

For the sake of a single goal, he had remained in hiding for over twenty years. 

Then, the moment he saw the Devil Fruit he sought, he mercilessly slaughtered his crewmate without hesitation. 

His hidden strength was undeniable—after all, he could leave a scar on Shanks' face during their encounter.

"Teach!" Arashi's voice remained indifferent. "There's no need to keep up the act in front of me."

His cold eyes stared down at Teach. "Or do you think hiding your true strength is enough to deal with me?"

Hearing this, Marshall D. Teach took a deep breath before suddenly grinning. "I have no intention of being your enemy, Vice Admiral Arashi!"

He inhaled sharply, and dark smoke billowed from both of his wounded shoulders as if devouring and absorbing something.

"Look," he continued, spreading his hands in an appeasing gesture. "My men fired two shots. And I, in turn, suffered the pain of two bullets from you!"

With an earnest expression, Teach put on an air of sincerity. "So, how about we call it even?"

Arashi's sharp gaze narrowed slightly as he studied Teach, still enduring the pain with remarkable patience. Amusement flickered in his eyes.

"I underestimated you," he murmured.

With a sigh, his figure suddenly blurred—and in the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of Teach and his crew.

"Ambitious men who lack sufficient strength often disguise themselves as harmless fools."

Arashi's voice was steady as he met Teach's wary gaze. "Looking at you right now, I can't help but recall a certain version of myself."

Teach's expression flickered, his stance subtly shifting.

"And it's precisely men like you who are the most dangerous!"

Without warning, Arashi raised his right hand. 

Lightning crackled and intertwined between his fingers, rapidly coalescing into a dazzling pillar of electricity.

"There's something I'm very curious about." His voice was calm yet piercing.

"Even now, you're still holding back. Is it because you lack the confidence to defeat me?"

His fingers flexed, the lightning surging with power.

"Or—"

The lightning bolt erupted from his palm, surging toward Teach at an inescapable speed.

"Are you simply waiting for me to lower my guard..."

The thunderous blast struck the sea's surface, instantly vaporizing seawater into a thick mist while sending tendrils of electricity coursing through the water.

"—so you can find the perfect moment to land a fatal blow?"

The lightning storm soon dissipated.

Van Augur and the others stood frozen, too afraid to move. But Marshall D. Teach—was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly—

Arashi's brow twitched slightly, and a knowing smile curved his lips.

"Ah, I see now."

Before his words could fully settle, hands clamped down on his shoulders from behind.

"Zehahaha!" Teach's wild laughter rang out. "You let your guard down, Arashi!!"

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