The sun was warm, but the wind carried a biting cold. A sense of loneliness gradually filled the air, as if foretelling the arrival of murderous intent.
On the execution platform, Blackbeard couldn't help but shiver as he gazed at the powerful figures below, a chill running through his body.
Cruel and tyrannical by nature, he had spent decades hiding his dangerous edge aboard Whitebeard's ship. But once he had achieved his goal, he unleashed the fury and malice that had built up over those long years.
Yet in this moment, Blackbeard knew deep down that his life was coming to an end.
His body felt hollow, as if every ounce of his former strength had been drained away. The powerful forces that once fueled him had completely dissipated.
It was as if fear had consumed him—his once imposing figure had withered into something thin and frail. His hands were tightly bound behind his back with seastone handcuffs, and he knelt silently on the ground, awaiting the final moment.
The immense power and energy of the Navy's massive phalanx surged across the land, a sea of blood and force that seemed to swallow everything in its path. The hot breath of the soldiers mingled with the icy wind, forming a steaming, snow-white mist that covered the battlefield.
The biting wind rushed at Blackbeard, causing him to instinctively squint his eyes.
Through the swirling mist, he spotted a black flag.
A golden sword pierced through a skull.
"Eternal justice?"
"How ridiculous!"
Blackbeard muttered, a twisted, mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Ridiculous?"
A cold voice sliced through the air beside him. Blackbeard froze, then turned with a sneer, only to find Liu Feng standing next to him. At some point, the Fleet Admiral had appeared, looking down at him.
Liu Feng's black hair fluttered in the wind, and his brown-black eyes were calm yet unyielding. They glowed with an icy intensity, sharp and unforgiving like the edge of a sword.
"Isn't it ridiculous?"
"If your power was not strong enough, do you think anyone will really believe in this bullshit justice?"
Blackbeard laughed mockingly, he knew no one could save him.
This was the new navy headquarters, and all his crew members were dead.
The strange thing was that when facing the real moment of death, there was no fear in his heart.
Is that the feeling of despair? Since the New Navy had arranged for a public execution and even used Morgan's intelligence network to broadcast it live to the world, it was clear that Liu Feng had fully committed to ending Blackbeard's life.
No one could stop him now.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire world, Blackbeard couldn't rely on his strange power to resurrect himself again. If he tried, it would likely result in a repeat of the Navy's failed war at Marineford. This public execution could easily turn into a mockery of the Navy.
"You are right." Liu Feng's voice rang out, cold and certain.
Liu Feng's words caught Blackbeard off guard. He hadn't expected Liu Feng to acknowledge his perspective so openly. Even more surprising, Liu Feng didn't lecture him about the lofty ideals of "justice."
"Justice, like many things, needs to be upheld by powerful forces," Liu Feng said with a smile. "Without power, talking about faith is just ideal talk."
"If you don't understand that, then my position as the new fleet admiral of the Navy is also pointless."
Blackbeard paused for a moment, then suddenly erupted in laughter.
"JiHahahaha!!!"
His eyes turned red, and he laughed so hard that tears welled up.
Liu Feng slowly extended his hand, gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Clang!!
The sharp sound of the longsword being unsheathed echoed through the air, its ringing vibration cutting through the tense silence.
A murderous aura surged.
At that moment, everyone around the world watching through the Den Den Mushi's live broadcast held their breath.
The public execution had begun.
The most ambitious man on the seas, the Four Emperors' Blackbeard, who had dominated the New World, was about to be executed.
Liu Feng grasped the hilt of his sword with both hands, lifting it high into the air.
The sharp blade whistled through the air, cutting through the silence like a blade through flesh.
The world stood still.
Liu Feng gazed down at Blackbeard, kneeling before him, and spoke in a deep, authoritative voice.
"With the new Navy's 'indelible righteousness,' in the name of justice, I, the second Fleet Admiral of the new Navy, Liu Feng—"
"—Hereby sentence you, Blackbeard, to death."
His eyes locked on Blackbeard's, and he added, "Now, you may speak your last words."
Blackbeard was stunned, staring back into Liu Feng's calm eyes. For a moment, his gaze drifted from Liu Feng's unyielding face to the distant horizon.
He saw the towering figures of Whitebeard, Ace, Marco, Vista, and countless other new Navy warships, their flags waving proudly in the sky. The endless, unrelenting sea stretched on, a vast journey that seemed to never end.
In that moment, Blackbeard's mind wandered back. He remembered himself as a twelve-year-old boy stepping aboard Whitebeard's ship. The shock of seeing Whitebeard's power for the first time. The scar on Red Hair's face. The dagger that pierced Thatch's heart. Impel Down, the Battle of the Top, the Battle of the End, and his ascension to the Four Emperors.
At this moment, for reasons he couldn't explain, Blackbeard felt an unexpected peace settle in his heart.
He suddenly laughed wantonly.
"I have no regrets!!"
"Because…"
His eyes were fixed on the distant sea.
"People's dreams will never end!"
"JIHahahahaha!"
Swish!!
The longsword swung down and Blackbeard's head fell to the ground.