Chapter 19: Mad-Man

Red-Force

Shanks and the crew were approaching Egghead Island when they noticed the Gold Sea.

"Shanks...you want to stop Blackbeard?" asked Beckmann before his eyes widened.

Shanks' remaining arm began to show active decay as he looked at how close he was to the Gold Sea.

"I see. We initially assumed it could only be accessed by Haki Masters who aren't negatively affected by the sea magnetism...but it's actually the opposite from what we learned...we can't go...not till we do something about this.," said the captain as the ship moved far enough away for the arm to return to normal.

"What are we going to do, Shanks?" Lucky Roo's voice was a mix of concern and anticipation.

"Elbaf is going to hate us for it...but we need to make a pitstop at the other Vira.," said the Emperor as they sailed away. Reluctantly knowing that it would give Teach the relief of being able to fight without fearing retaliation from Red Hair.

Egghead Island

Teach dashed at Saturn who generated a nanomachine shield to block the strike, but it curved from the impact so much it ended up colliding with him anyway. His body then regenerated with nanomachines repairing the damage in addition to the black substance.

"You're careful with not relying entirely on the Op-Op Immortality Surgery- the imperfect version.," Teach observed.

"You had a perfect opportunity to exploit it when you defeated Law. He's that Flevance boy. We took in Amber Lead to appease the less-educated members even if it caused pain to the inhabitants. But who cares about gnats that can be purged?" answered Ezekiel.

Teach then glanced to see the Red Force retreating as he smirked. He could reveal his aces without worrying that Shanks would find out.

Suddenly, Ezekiel's body began to contort.

"Zehahahaha! This armor isn't just for defense! It's for metal manipulation! No weapon sword, gun, armor, or those freaky bug bots can be used against me!," he gloated.

However, the nanomachines took on a pebble-like texture as Ezekiel's metallic aura became earthly much to Teach's shock.

Ezekiel entered into his full Hybrid Ankylosaurus form as he dashed to pummel Teach, caving in his armored body.

"Ouch!" Teach shouted as the dinosaur used his cane covered in an Armament Haki that was golden compared to the usual black as he trounced him with both his clubs- his cane and tail.

Pizarro's form manifested from one of the rock formations.

"Compared to Straw Hat's- his transformations are really freaky- meow.," said the Corrupt King.

Laffitte then appeared to see what was occurring.

"The Admiral is really struggling. It goes to show why the Elders are the Heads of the World Government.," Lafffite remarked as Teach continued to be dominated by Ezekiel.

"Did you succeed with the whole plan to make us look good with those World Noble guys via the Underworld backup?" asked Burgess.

"Umit and Giberson both backed out. They're backing their former boss prior to Joke, DEVIL now. Apparently, they see him as Pirate King material.," said the pale-skinned man.

"Tch. That sucks. How are we gonna get recognized as a nation now?" Shiryu cursed as he climbed up the golem.

"That guy... he's changing again.," spoke a man in flashy golden armor.

Teach sprouted wings as his grey armored body was replaced with feathers. His form was now that of an owl humanoid.

"Gear 4: Owl-Man.," he said as he vanished with a sound.

Suddenly, Ezekiel noticed his right arm was sliced off before he could register- Teach taking advantage of how owls move silently to attack subtly. So Ezekiel morphed into his Gyuki hybrid form as he caused his limbs to maneuver in unpredictable snake patterns to strike down Teach.

He breathed a hell-fire flame sphere at a faint detection, causing Teach to be covered in flames.

"Ow-owowowowowowowowo.," he said as Teach rolled in agony. He then twisted his head behind his back to glare at Ezekiel.

"Now to crush you gnat before you become too dangerous. Dogma.," The Elder said as he summoned a Haki-based entity- a Tsuchigumo covered in syringes and dissecting tools as they neared him.

Kuzan then heard an unusual heartbeat- the horn of abolishment told by certain tribes that he was tasked to experiment. As the horn grew louder, Emeth was activated. Teach's form took a wilder transformation-

His skin was now black with white skull markings on his body, his face became a skull, his blackish beard became purple, his irises red with black sclera, and a purple loop formed behind him.

Ezekiel furrowed his brow as the pirate pummeled his Dogma away.

"I feel liberated from my worries. This is the start of my rising pinnacle. Gear 5: Mad-Man.," Teach declared.

Compared to how divine Luffy's Freedom form was, Teach's was outright demonic. His punches grew in speed and power as he fought Ezekiel with unbridled insanity. Each hit resonated through the air, sending tremors across the island.

Teach changed his right arm into a chainsaw with a crazed expression, sawing through Ezekiel to repay for how he used it earlier in the fight to hurt him.

Ezekiel then retreated into the shadows. Teach then noticed a dome forming around him that began to solidify within the space.

"Realm Haki: Experimentation Emperor.," Ezekiel declared as Teach was now in a mad scientist lab with a crowned head looming over the area.

"Realm Haki is the culmination of one's mastery of Haki. Even Roger and Shanks don't know it. But those who read the past do.," Teach remarked.

"In this realm, you're nothing but an experiment to research," spoke Ezekiel's voice from all directions as vials lunged at Teach covering him with chemicals that began to mutate him before they dissolved him into black goo.

"His Haki signature hasn't vanished. I'll just erase all traces.," the Elder's voice spoke as ray guns manifested to fire on the black goo.

To his annoyance, it multiplied into several warped, cartoonish figures who laughed Zehahaha as they began to wreck the lab.

"Disobedient whelp.," Ezekiel complained as doors opened to reveal stitched-up humanoids to fight on the Elder's behalf pummeling the creatures back into goop.

"Now to...my molecules...are slowly...down...the vibrations are...halting...Teach...you used the other power...," said the Elder as the Realm began to shatter.

It broke to reveal Teach summoning a blue-skinned demonic creature with no visible eyes but a toothy mouth with cylinders growing on its body with a blue loop emerging on its back. It had impaled the Elder with his right arm, causing his molecules to rapidly freeze.

"Whitebeard was too complacent with this power to push it beyond being a last resort. It can affect vibrations on a molecular level to decelerate or accelerate them.," he said as he detonated the Elder.

The Elder pieced himself together, but he began to repeatedly explode again and again.

"You're in a constant state of regeneration and acceleration- you're exploding because your molecules are heating up.," explained Teach.

"Die!," he said as manifested his words as a tangible gun that fired a flag that said "Die"...only to pierce through Ezekiel causing him to seemingly die.

The Elder's body crumpled to the ground, but the explosions ceased. His body began to repair itself as his eyes grew wide.

"I remember you now...you were irritating with those brothers of yours...so you were joined so you'd stop relying on them. I've learned to fuse organisms over the eons and alter their brain wave.," the Elder said.

"Don't say anything that will spoil the story. Your part in this outside of flashback is now over.," Teach said as he morphed into a colossal shadow that was much bigger than what the Madden would allow.

"You had a third Devil power...you have the trifecta now.," the Elder realized.

"Don't be stupid. You're right about me publicly being the first multiple-Devil fruit user. But this is just Tomatoes- the Turtle-Turtle: Genbu. No one is going to know about this till I reveal it so disappear already, you second fiddle to the Vegapunks.," said the Pirate Emperor as he used his snake tail to fling Ezekiel into the OLD WORLD.

Ezekiel's Past

He was born 908 years ago to a nation of the West Continent's kings who had allied with strange people from the moon and the Nobodies- forming the 20-king alliance that would use the Lunarians as puppet kings. He was experimenting on animals for amusement since he could walk.

He experimented on Joy and his future lover, creating a race of beings from Daemon plants called Devils. When he began to experiment on them, Joy caused his scar for harming his "children". He would come to despise Joy and the D-Clan as they both represented rebellion against their order and due to how they defied his desires to experiment on others

He would aid the other 19 from afar but he was never as esteemed as the Cutty Vegapunk family.

They had nobility and standards- naive beliefs but had always surpassed him in science.

Even when they won the conflict, he still felt inferior even as he gunned down the 1st Vegapunk who changed his name to Tsukimi. He and Tsukimi also built the Automata using Joy's brainwaves- causing them to be viewed as his "children" as well.

Tsukimi faked his death to his immediate Automata by pretending to be so startled that he choked on a dumpling and died from seeing an explosion on the moon. But in reality, it was to prevent them from seeking vengeance for the failure of an old man who was ruled by envy. The real reason that he despised Tsukimi was that he ended up with a Buccaneer woman named Gerd whom he attempted to woe over but failed due to his inherent sociopathy.

So for centuries, he has taken out his frustrations on the Vegapunk Family and Buccaneers for his own failures while objectifying them as things to experiment on.

Such as turning them into robots, injecting them with diseases, causing weapons of war to inflict on other countries, enslaving test subjects, violating constant women to discard children, cannibalizing said children, brainwashing grandchildren, etc.

Present

OLD WORLD

Ezekiel emerged on a Silver Sea just in time to be picked up by a group of machines led by Eus. Judging by their reactions, Ezekiel realized that they were the same Automata created by Tsukimi and had evolved to forms able to get back at him.

"Out of all of the 20 Kings, you're the one we hate the most...Death will be too merciful...You will be converted...losing your will, mind, and all things about you You don't have any information we didn't pry from the World Nobles that settled here...this is just retribution..," said one of Eus' subordinates, a mercury-based humanoid robot as the tendrils coiled over his form.

Eus turned around as Ezekiel screamed and was experimented on.

He attempted to use his Gyuki and Ankylosaurus abilities and his other powers, but they were too durable to be affected as the machines lobotomized him.

Egghead

Teach tossed Devon an arm- one of Ezekiel's nanomachine limbs, which allowed her to copy his appearance and powers as he returned to the island.

"I didn't save you out of the kindness of my heart.," said Teach as he expelled Caribou.

"O-of course, I know where Pluton is!" shouted the sycophant.

"Zehahahaha. Pluton is going to be our new flagship! We're heading to Wano then the OLD WORLD!," shouted Teach.

Emeth then shut down and suddenly, he was teleported away much to the disinterest of the Blackbeard Pirates.

Mary Geoise

Darwin and the other Elders felt a sensation as Ezekiel.

"Ezekiel...," the long-mustached Elder spoke.

He might've been a creep even by our standards...but we lived 900 years together..., thought Darwin.

"What does that?," asked Sakazuki.

"It means he was outdated and I'm here to fulfill a niche to improve on.," Garling said much to the surprise of the other Elders. He gave a look to Sakazuki to leave, which he complied to, knowing full well of the victor of God's Valley reputation.

"What about a reconnaissance mission-," asked Abraham.

"He was too much of a liability due to his obsessions. We should continue our pursuit of the Straw Hat Pirates. Then everything related to rebellion will cease to exist.," he said as he sat down.

What the fuck is going on?, thought the Fleet Admiral.

Next Chapter: New Crewmates

Author Notes: This chapter was mainly Ezekiel Worf Effect- him being defeated to hype up Teach. His background is also explained more in the shallow explanation of being a sociopathic scientist from birth- I won't be sure if the manga redeems him or not.

On a lighter note, we're going to explore how the new crewmates of the Straw Hats.