The scene, initially a two-man show between Bai Qi and Whitebeard, became lively again thanks to Luffy's interruption.
Seeing that Bai Qi didn't stop them, the pirates rushed past him towards the execution platform.
"Damn it, what is this guy doing? Isn't he a Marine too? Why isn't he stopping those pirates?"
"Stop the nonsense and push forward. The Whitebeard Pirates' captains are heavily injured, and the rest are just remnants."
Luffy was someone Bai Qi absolutely wouldn't move against, lest he trigger some unforeseen chaos from the world's will of this dimension. It was best to finish off Whitebeard and leave.
With this thought, Bai Qi refocused his attention on Whitebeard.
Luffy's appearance provided Whitebeard with a moment to breathe. He poured a bottle of green liquid onto himself, and his wounds quickly healed upon contact with it.
"This stuff isn't from this world, is it?"
"Who knows."
After consuming the potion, Whitebeard casually tossed the empty bottle aside and dropped the bisected cleaver he held. He clenched his fist and swung it behind him, white energy enveloping his fist.
After a few seconds of charging, he unleashed a punch with all his might.
Crack!
The air split, and a massive shockwave slammed into Bai Qi once more.
Bang!
Bai Qi neither dodged nor defended, taking the full force of the impact with his body.
He wasn't significantly harmed by the shockwave, only stumbling back two steps.
It was evident that while the potion had healed Whitebeard's external injuries, it couldn't compensate for the immense loss of stamina. Under Bai Qi's surging念力 (nianli - psychic power) offensive, Whitebeard's already depleted stamina was completely exhausted.
Seeing Whitebeard in such a sorry state, Bai Qi lost the desire to play any longer. He gathered his Dragon's Breath, preparing to send the old man to the afterlife.
Just then, another anomaly occurred.
The ground beneath Bai Qi's feet was suddenly covered in black, and then his body began to sink as if trapped in quicksand. The Dragon's Breath he had unleashed was thus diverted, shooting towards the sky.
"Yahaha! I can't let you kill Old Pops like this!"
A sharp, grating laugh echoed, and a figure clad in a black coat appeared before Bai Qi. His mouth was full of rotten teeth, giving him the appearance of a true pirate.
"Teach?!"
Recognizing the figure, Whitebeard identified him immediately. It was Teach, the reason Ace was captured, the reason so many of his sons had perished.
Marshall D. Teach, a former member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"My, my, Old Pops, you look quite pathetic."
Teach scoffed without reservation at the sight of the injured and weakened Whitebeard.
He then turned to Bai Qi, saying, "Thank you for helping me deal with Whitebeard. But after all, he was my former father. Would you allow me to send him off on his final journey?"
Teach's words sounded like a request, but his actions conveyed no such deference. Before Bai Qi could even respond, he drew his pistol and fired a shot directly at Whitebeard's chest.
Whitebeard, now utterly exhausted, lacked the strength to use Armament Haki or dodge the bullet.
His massive body was pierced by the shot.
Immediately after Teach fired, several more gunshots rang out from behind Whitebeard, with bullets striking his chest. Teach had not come alone; he had brought his newly formed Blackbeard Pirates, including "Championship of Combat" Jesus Burgess, former Warden Shiryu of the Rain, sniper Van Augur, "Evil Governor" Pizarro, helmsman Laffitte, "Thousand Year Hunter" Catarina Devon, "Giant" Vasco Shot, ship doctor Doc Q, and finally, the largest of them all, "Colossal Battleship" San Juan Wolf.
The shots just fired were from Teach's new crew members.
Everything happened too suddenly. Even the Whitebeard Pirates' crew members realized it was too late to rush back to his aid.
Seeing Whitebeard's chest riddled with bullet holes, Teach grew even more audacious.
However, no one expected Whitebeard, who should have been dead, to suddenly speak.
"I am a remnant of the previous era. This world has no ship capable of carrying me. But, Teach, the victor should not be you!"
As Whitebeard's eyes turned bloodshot, the once arrogant Teach instantly lost his nerve, backing away in fear, lest his former father unleash a final, fatal punch.
Whitebeard did not disappoint Teach. He produced a small bottle containing the blood of Linghuan.
He uncorked the bottle and downed the blood in one gulp. Instantly, all his wounds healed, and his powerful muscles forcefully ejected the embedded bullets.
Roar!
Accompanied by a beast-like roar, Whitebeard's strength returned to its peak.
At this moment, the world's strongest man had returned.
"Teacccccch!"
Whitebeard roared Teach's name in fury, then clenched his right fist and slammed it into the ground.
The earth cracked and split.
Teach and his crew were all sent flying.
But it wasn't over. Enraged, Whitebeard propelled himself forward, vanishing from his spot. The next moment, he appeared next to Teach, his fist, charged with immense energy, slamming into Teach's body.
At this moment, Teach felt death's embrace.
Even though the Yami Yami no Mi had absorbed a significant portion of Whitebeard's attack, the remaining damage sent Teach to the brink of death.
He fell to the ground, every bone in his body shattered, spewing blood as if it were free. His eyes rolled back, and he had likely lost consciousness.
"Captain!"
Burgess appeared beside Teach, helping the unconscious captain to his feet. He turned to flee.
The current situation far exceeded their expectations; any further delay would mean certain death.
But as they tried to escape, Whitebeard would not let them go.
At the crucial moment, Teach's crew members acted in unison, attacking Whitebeard from all directions with their full strength. Though they were only able to delay him for a few seconds before being defeated, those precious moments bought Burgess enough time to escape with Teach.
Some may ask, where was Bai Qi?
As Whitebeard consumed the blood and entered his berserk state, Bai Qi quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Bai Qi knew that Whitebeard's power surge would not last long. While it appeared to restore him to his peak, it must have had severe side effects, otherwise, he would have used it earlier. The side effect was likely his life.
Although Bai Qi had severely injured Whitebeard, it was Teach and his crew who delivered the fatal blow. Moreover, they were the culprits who handed Ace over to the pirates. Compared to any resentment towards him, Whitebeard would be more driven to kill them.
Therefore, Bai Qi saw no need to fight Whitebeard to the death. He only needed to wait for the potion's effects to wear off, and Whitebeard would naturally perish.