Thanks for the invitation. I'm in Type-Moon, inheriting the legacy of Zi-O.

“They said that if Edward either finds his place in the New World, he’s doomed.” Pointing to himself, the pirate’s face turned mad. “And me, looking at those tragically captured and hanged pirate companions, can only take off my hat and salute them.” Blackbeard picked up his pirate hat, stroked it, and then put it aside.

“I remember when I was captured and imprisoned, the person in the same cell as me was an ordinary citizen,” Blackbeard chuckled, taking another swig of rum, completely ignoring his wounds. “He and I looked through the small window of our cell at my Queen Anne’s Revenge, locked in the harbor. Of course, I eventually escaped.”

"He said: That's the Queen Anne's Revenge? He's heard its story; it's been plundering the seas for decades. Not a single one has ever survived." Blackbeard looked at Nian Zhuo, who was sitting calmly in front of him, with a mocking tone, and tossed him a bottle of rum.

"And I countered by asking him, 'If there are no survivors? Then where do these stories come from? Hahaha!'"

Looking at the rum in his hand, Nian Zhuo deactivated the armor of Zi-O II and put the driver in his pocket.

"Then I won't be polite either." Nianzhuo uncorked the bottle and took a sip.

"Hahaha! What is this? Isn't he good-looking, Nianzhuo?" Blackbeard, slightly drunk, happily pointed at Nianzhuo's face.

“I remember—” Then the topic turned back to Blackbeard himself, “My old captain, Captain Gott, said something back then.”

“The purpose of pirates has never been to live forever, Nianzhuo.” Suddenly, with a serious tone, Blackbeard looked into Nianzhuo’s eyes. “The key is to live your own life. That’s what he told me back then.”

"Soon, as they gradually withdrew," Blackbeard's smile faded, "I was all alone. Captain Gott told me that." Blackbeard shrugged helplessly.

“But sometimes, things repeat themselves.” Blackbeard suddenly smiled again. “After all, he and I are witnesses.”

"Then—!" Blackbeard's voice rose slightly, "I fought and fought with my ship! Until the very end, until my death."

"The captain went down with the ship, don't you think that's enough?" Blackbeard asked Nian Zhuo with a smile, only to be met with the latter shaking his head in confusion.

“You’ve lost your ship, you’ve lost your crew.” Nian Zhuo’s calm tone was suddenly disrupted as he tapped the deck beneath him. “Now, you will also lose your life, and good luck.”

"Hahaha, so what?" Blackbeard surprisingly offered no protest, merely touching the wound on his chest and nodding. "Indeed, maybe one day I'll fall into a mud pit and laugh at my own pirate career—"

"This world used to be vast, Nianzhuo." Without waiting for Nianzhuo's reply, Blackbeard continued, "And I am still alive now."

He stood up, walked to the mast, and looked at the pirate flag that still fluttered above, belonging to Blackbeard. He suddenly turned to look at Nianzhuo, and the smile on his face disappeared.

"So what!" Blackbeard pounded his chest, his emotions running high. "So what!"

"Once, on the island, my crew and I danced around the campfire! They said: If I really succeed, I will be a well-known pirate throughout the Caribbean!"

“And I said: No, darling. This is not right.” His face contorted as if he were about to breathe fire. “Not just Spain, darling.” He opened his arms and walked to the railing.

"The whole ocean! The whole world! I will be a pirate known throughout the world!" He laughed wildly, proud and arrogant.

But he quickly calmed down and looked at Nianzhuo, who had stood up behind him.

"The world is still just as big, Nianzhuo. It's just that our space has shrunk." He stepped on the deck beneath his feet.

"The meaning of a ship is not just having a keel, a hull, a deck, and a few sails that a ship needs." He treaded on and stroked everything on the ship he loved with a fascination, while looking at Nianzhuo with serious eyes.

“The true meaning of a ship—” He walked toward Nianzhuo.

"The true meaning of the Queen Anne's Revenge—" He walked up to Nian Zhuo and their eyes met.

“It’s freedom—” came out the words she truly wanted to convey.

“You’ve forgotten something truly important, Nianzhuo.” Blackbeard looked at the dazed Nianzhuo and walked to the fence.

Seeing that Nianzhuo was still confused, Blackbeard laughed and opened his arms wide.

The laughter stopped abruptly the next moment.

“I am Blackbeard, Captain Edward Teach.” Blackbeard raised his musket, even though he knew this was a fabricated scene and he couldn’t possibly hurt him.

"Everything is uncertain, Nian Zhuo. That's the pirate life I want." He playfully raised his eyebrows. "Got it?"

"Hahahaha—!" A distinctive, rugged male laugh came from the black-bearded man's mouth.

“Treasures don’t just refer to gold and silver jewelry, Nianzhuo.” He stepped onto the railing and looked back at Nianzhuo.

"Take everything you can! Leave nothing behind!" he shouted gleefully, raising his musket.

"Hey—!" Nian Zhuo finally realized Blackbeard's intentions, but it was too late.

"Blackbeard, Captain Edward Teach is here!" He stepped onto the ship's railing, his figure swaying as he looked down at the turbulent sea.

"Freedom—beyond that!" Finally, for the last time, Blackbeard looked at Nencho behind him.

Bathed in sunlight, her figure gradually became ethereal.

"I want to go to the sea I've always dreamed of, to have a romantic date."

"Thank you! You didn't cut off my head! Nianzhuo, thank you!" Feng blew off his pirate hat, his black, messy hair fluttering in the wind.

"Goodbye! Humans! Goodbye! Pirates!" he shouted, then jumped off the railing of the onion ship.

"Blackbeard, die! Hahahaha!" Only her voice remained, still echoing endlessly.

With his death, the space where the two of them were alone was shattered.

"Nian Zhuoxian—" Mashu looked at the figure standing by the railing and was about to call out.

But it was grabbed by two hands.

Ritsuka and Drake both indicated with satisfaction that she didn't need to say anything more.

“Really—” Nian Zhuo picked up Blackbeard’s hat from the deck and wiped away the dust.

"Freedom beyond—" Then, he threw it into the ocean where Blackbeard had jumped down.

The real enemy still hides its fangs in the shadows.

As Blackbeard's pirate hat gradually fell into the sea, Nianzhuo seemed to be pondering something and fell silent.

Suddenly, it seemed as if he grasped something in his hand. When Nianzhuo raised his hand, a parchment scroll fell into his grasp.

"When...?" Having no memory of holding this thing, Nian Zhuo suddenly remembered the pirate hat he had lost before. "Could it be... that Blackbeard left behind?" Without saying anything more, Nian Zhuo carefully hid it and sighed after confirming that no one had found it.

"Over here... we've also confirmed that Blackbeard's Spirit Origin reaction has completely disappeared." Mash listened to Mary's voice through the communicator in her hand and nodded to the three of them.

"I see..." Ritsuka didn't seem very energetic either, staring blankly at the sea where he landed.

"Yeah, might as well die sooner rather than later, Blackbeard. Anyway, you and I are both destined for hell sooner or later." Drake stared at the sea where he disappeared with a complicated expression. "Pirates should act like pirates. Those who look ugly, go and get your comeuppance."

However, the time left for everyone to grieve was running out. Without Blackbeard's magical energy supply, the entire ship began to turn into magical particles and disappear.

"...The ship is sinking! Everyone, let's go back!" Mash was the first to feel the tremors beneath her feet and quickly reminded everyone to return to Drake's ship.

"Master, please hold on to me." Mash reached out her hand to Ritsuka, then grabbed her and jumped onto the deck of the Golden Deer.

"Come, Asterius." Looking at Asterius, who had gained many more wounds, Nian Zhuo, who was equipped with Zi-O II, sighed and stretched out his hand. "Grab me."

"Ooh." A sharp pain shot through his wounds, causing the berserker's lips to twitch, but his gaze remained fixed on Euryale not far away. "Eure... Ellie..."

"Can't you use your brain, you big dummy?" Nian Zhuo tapped the berserker on the head, looking at him with a disappointed expression. "Look at how badly you're injured! Instead of taking care of yourself, what are you thinking of winning over a beauty with? ...Alright, alright, you go over there first. I'll take care of Euryale, okay?"

"Hmm..." Asterius was still somewhat hesitant, but he placed his hand on Nianzhuo's hand, his gaze shifting back and forth between Nianzhuo and Yuri Ellie. "...Yuri Ellie...what do you think?"

"Alright, Asterius." With a wave of her hand, Euryale gestured for Nianzhuo to send the Berserker over first. "You're badly injured right now, but you'll be fine with Nianzhuo here."

“…Hmm.” Nodding, Asterius finally obediently stopped moving this time.

"Yo-- Here we go!" Then, Nianzhuo grabbed Asterius's wrists with both hands and gritted his teeth as he handed him over.

Asterius's subsequent landing on the Golden Deer caused quite a commotion.

So, all that was left was... Nian Zhuo looked at Euryale, who had approached him.

"Goddess... how do you plan to get there..." Scratching his head, Nian Zhuo looked at Yuri Ellie's indifferent expression, somewhat at a loss. "How about... I hold your hand...?"

“...Hold me.” Without giving Nianzhuo time to think, Yurielie made a very decisive decision.

“…Eh?” Nian Zhuo stood there, stunned, looking at Yuri Ellie’s expressionless face.

"Huh? Can't you understand human language?" Yuriel suddenly closed in, a disdainful look on her face. "I said! Hug me! Just, hug me! Then jump over me! Got it!"

"Got it, got it, got it!" Nian Zhuo nodded hurriedly, but looking at Yuri Ellie's petite figure, he hesitated for a moment. "How... how do I hug her...?"

"Are you really the Heroic Spirit who single-handedly defeated Hector?... The one who could fight Asterius hand-to-hand?" Euryale asked with a very puzzled expression. "I really don't understand. It seems like your comprehension is even worse than Asterius's."

"Ah, this..." Nianzhuo was speechless for a moment.

"Alright, hug my legs." Euryale lifted her delicate legs slightly. "You understand now, right? This is a special gift from the goddess... so accept it with gratitude."

"Okay, okay~ I understand, Goddess." Now that you know what to do, the rest is very simple.

Nianzhuo squatted down, put his arms through Euryale's legs, and hugged her in his arms (in the so-called princess carry).

"...Speaking of which, you are really light, Euryale..." As soon as he raised his hand, Nian Zhuo was surprised by the lightness of Euryale in his arms, even though he had tried to minimize his strength.

"How rude of me! I'm a goddess, you know?" Seeing that the ship's plank behind Nian Zhuo was starting to disappear, Euryale patted Nian Zhuo's shoulder as if urging him on. "Alright, alright, I don't want to jump into the sea. Let's go."

"Alright, sit down!" However, Nianzhuo revealed a mischievous smile on his face hidden under the mask. "You were just teasing me... (whispering)" Then, he gradually increased the pressure on his feet.

"Huh...?" At this moment, Euryale was unaware of the seriousness of the situation.

The next moment, Nian Zhuo's figure soared into the air, actually flying directly into mid-air.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!" The goddess's scream naturally rang out from mid-air. "You bastard! Aaaaaaahhhhhh!" Just as she was about to scold Nian Zhuo, the rapid descent made her instinctively hug Nian Zhuo's neck.

"Hehe, we're here!" Slowing down, Nianzhuo carried Yuri and gently landed on the deck.

Then, looking at the little goddess with her eyes closed in his arms, Nianzhuo chuckled knowingly, as if he had a plan all figured out.

"Alright, my goddess, we've arrived." This woke Euryale, who had her eyes tightly closed.

"You! You bastard!" Yurielie broke free from Nianzhuo's embrace, stomped on his foot hard, and ran away angrily.

Finally, everyone returned safely to Drake's Golden Deer.

Seeing the shy goddess and the distressed Nianzhuo, everyone couldn't help but laugh out loud.

However, the real curtain is only now being raised.

Blackbeard's passing caused the phantom of the Golden Cup within his body to rise into the air before vanishing without a trace.

In contrast to the cheerful atmosphere on Nianzhuo's side, on another stretch of sea, a wooden boat that looked quite old was also sailing on the calm water.

Blackbeard is just the first hurdle; the real enemy is about to reveal his true fangs.

But Nian Zhuo and the others remained completely unaware.

"Ah... um—" Suddenly, Nianzhuo frowned and covered his chest.

Another sharp pain shot through his limbs and bones.

After the battle with Hector, the [barrier] accumulated by the magic flowing through the damaged spirit core finally reached its peak and erupted completely.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by Nian Zhuo, the spiritual core in his chest, which represented his life, seemed to have cracked slightly.