The pirates sat and forgot, and they really believed the nine truths and one lie.

Everyone underestimated the extent of Blackbeard Teach's madness.

He endured hardship and bided his time in the Whitebeard Pirates for many years, playing the role of a loyal and honest son in front of Whitebeard, and pretending to be a good-natured person who didn't fight or compete in front of his other brothers and sisters.

His inner ambition and hatred had long since twisted his soul, brewing a darkness that ordinary people could not comprehend.

To him, the Whitebeard Pirates were nothing more than an old ship that was nearing the end of its life and about to fall apart.

He firmly believed that as soon as Edward Newgate, the mainstay of the Whitebeard Pirates, fell, the so-called Whitebeard Pirates would immediately fall apart, and even the name would be quickly submerged in the tide of the new era, never amounting to anything.

At this moment, the surging darkness beneath Teach's feet was like a living swamp, and the unconscious Magellan was half-submerged in it, like a lamb to the slaughter.

Teach didn't even glance down at the director, but casually turned his head to a certain cadre in the shadows behind him and said, "Shiryu, we can't find a top-tier Devil Fruit that suits your taste for the time being, so you'll have to make do with this Poison-Poison Fruit for now."

These words immediately caused a stir of surprise and doubt within the naval ranks.

Shiryu?!

Is that Shiryu of the Rain, the former warden of Impel Down?

Their doubts quickly turned into extreme shock and anger.

A tall man with a cigar in his mouth and eyes as sinister as a venomous snake slowly stepped out from the thick shadows behind Teach.

He had a demon sword hanging at his waist and wore a slightly tattered but still recognizable uniform of a warden. He was none other than Shiryu of the Rain, the first to escape from Level 6 of Impel Down.

He may have even joined the Blackbeard Pirates earlier, becoming another formidable ace under Teach's command.

Shiryu lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes falling on Magellan's battered and bruised body at his feet.

The thought that it was because of this guy that he had been dismissed and imprisoned in the dark and hopeless Level 6 under the pretext of excessive killing of prisoners caused the long-suppressed resentment in his heart to surge up like venom.

He raised one foot and, with his gleaming leather shoe, stepped on Magellan's head with utter rudeness and insult, even grinding it slightly.

“My dear Director.”

Shiryu's voice was low and hoarse, filled with mocking hatred, "You never thought that one day I, Shiryu of the Rain, would be able to approach the noble head of you, the Grand Administrator, with my filthy and lowly feet."

He exerted force with his feet again, roughly flipping Magellan's body over so that his face was facing upwards.

The leather shoe showed no mercy, stomping hard on Mai Zhe's face with a crisp crack—the sound of his nose being completely broken.

Blood gushed from Magellan's mouth and nose, instantly staining his entire face red and even splattering onto Shiryu's shoes.

With such injuries, Magellan, who was in a deep coma, couldn't even utter a muffled groan; his body only twitched unconsciously.

"Choices often matter more than effort, Chief. Serving as a lackey for the Celestial Dragons will ultimately lead to being abandoned."

Shiryu stepped on Magellan's face, as if stating a cold fact, or conducting a belated trial.

"Shiryu of the Rain—!!"

"You traitor, you beast!!"

"Release Commissioner Magellan!!"

Within the naval ranks, countless officers and soldiers roared with extreme rage, their eyes blazing with fury.

They never imagined that the former second-in-command of Impel Down would not only defect to the pirates, but also do so in public.

To persecute one's former boss in such a cruel and humiliating way.

This is not only a betrayal, but also the ultimate trampling of the dignity of the Navy, justice, and all disciplined forces.

"Let's make use of it."

Blackbeard Teach seemed oblivious to the commotion on the ground, only looking at Shiryu with an expectant expression. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what you'll be like with your new powers, Shiryu, don't disappoint me..."

As soon as he finished speaking, an even thicker, more viscous darkness suddenly seeped from Teach's pores.

The darkness instantly enveloped him, Shiryu of the Rain, and Magellan beneath his feet.

It formed a pure black sphere, several meters in diameter, so deep that even light could not escape, which floated in mid-air.

A moment of deathly silence fell over the battlefield.

Whether it was the Navy, the Whitebeard Pirates, or people around the world watching on screens, everyone involuntarily held their breath, staring intently at that eerie black sphere.

An indescribable unease gripped everyone's heart.

They knew that something illogical and taboo was happening in that darkness.

The darkness was deathly silent, as if even time itself had been swallowed up; less than a minute had passed.

"what--!!"

A piercing, inhuman cry, filled with extreme despair and pain, suddenly erupted from the dark sphere.

The sharp sound pierced through the noise of the battlefield, making everyone who heard it feel their scalp tingle. The screams lasted for about a minute before gradually subsiding.

The darkness that had enveloped everything began to recede rapidly like a tide, merging back into Blackbeard Teach's body.

As the darkness dissipated, revealing the scene within, Blackbeard Teach grinned and patted Shiryu of the Rain on the shoulder beside him.

Shiryu's eyes were tightly closed, his body trembled slightly, and strange purplish-black patterns seemed to flash beneath his skin. He exuded a dangerous aura of cold poison.

He slowly opened his eyes, and a dark glint seemed to appear in the depths of his already sinister eyes.

Magellan was still lying there on the ground.

His eyes widened, his pupils unfocused, staring blankly at the dark sky.

There was no more pain, no more anger, no more life in those eyes; only a deathly grayness remained.

His body seemed to have been emptied of something fundamental; although it appeared whole, it gave off a false sense of emptiness.

“Magellan is useless now,” Shiryu said, flexing his fingers and feeling the completely new power surging within him. A cold, satisfied smile curved his lips.

He raised his foot again, casually kicking aside the corpse of his former boss as if it were a piece of trash, and sent it flying high into the air.

"Since the navy is so willing to mourn him, then return Magellan to you." Magellan's body traced an arc in the air and plummeted rapidly.

"asshole--!!"

A golden light suddenly shone, and Admiral Kizaru's figure transformed into a flash of light, catching Magellan in his arms just before he was about to crash heavily to the ground with near teleportation speed.

Kizaru's usual lewd smile disappeared, replaced by an unusual solemnity.

He looked down at his colleague in his arms, the one who had once guarded Impel Down, the hellish city, but now met his end in such a humiliating way.

It's too late. Everything happened too fast and too unexpectedly.

Magellan is beyond saving.