"This is the most vicious Logia-type Devil Fruit in the world—"
"The Dark-Dark Fruit!"
Rolling darkness emanated from Marshall D. Teach, capturing and absorbing everything, whether it was matter, energy, abilities, or Haki—except for venom.
"Captain Ace... let me show you the power of the strongest Devil Fruit I've waited decades for!"
Facing Teach's declaration, Ace appeared calm, but he was already on high alert inside!
The abilities displayed by Blackbeard matched the information provided by his brother's crew member exactly! Coupled with Teach's arrogant confidence, Ace had to take him seriously.
'You'll regret this...'
Hmph, you are underestimating me, 'Fire Fist' Ace—"Dark Water!"
In an instant, Blackbeard Teach extended his hand towards Ace! A ball of light, like a miniature black hole, spun in his palm.
At the same time, an immense, irresistible force suddenly pulled Ace, as if a level twelve typhoon had appeared out of nowhere! It felt like countless invisible arms were dragging him forward.
Damn! Is this the suction force my brother's crew member mentioned?!
It's ridiculously strong—No time to think, Ace, who was suddenly pulled forward, spread his arms in mid-air, and flames gathered in his palms! Then, with a fierce grip and press, the pure energy of the flames solidified into a long spear! He immediately threw it at his opponent.
"Divine Fire: Shiranui!"
Two flaming spears, so hot they appeared platinum, pierced Teach's chest, while Teach's hand blade simultaneously struck Ace's neck.
In an instant, Ace could feel his 'flame power' rapidly disappearing, not leaking out or being consumed, but completely vanishing into thin air!
Since he ate the 'Flame-Flame Fruit,' the flames that had always obeyed his command no longer responded! It was as if the man named 'Ace' was no longer a Devil Fruit user.
Thud! X2Boom!
"Ahhh, it's so hot!"
Teach screamed again, patting the flames on his chest, but miraculously, there were no wounds on his chest: as he claimed, the Dark-Dark Fruit could absorb all damage!—at least most of the time.
"Damn, it's a flame spear!"
"Tsk, almost broke my neck—"
Ace, who was thrown away, wasn't doing well either. Having lost his fruit ability in an instant, he took a direct hit from Blackbeard's hand blade! Although he activated Armament Haki, it was clearly not as strong as Teach's Haki.
"Your strength is this powerful, Teach!"
Crossing his index fingers, since he would lose his fruit ability if he got close, he decided to use long-range attacks.
"Cross Fire!"
Highly concentrated cross-shaped flames shot towards Teach, and the battle instantly heated up!
Boom, boom, boom—When two Logia-type Devil Fruit users go all out, it's a clash of natural disasters!
Ordinary people, it's best to stay out of the way.
"I always thought that Devil Fruit users would rely on their abilities, and once they lost them, they would be powerless."
From a distance, on a hillside watching the battle, sniper Van Augur of the Blackbeard Pirates softly sighed as he looked at the battlefield below. Although none of them were weak, the full-scale battle between two powerful Logia users was earth-shattering, and getting too close would be asking for trouble.
"I didn't expect the second division captain of the Whitebeard Pirates to be so skilled in physical skill and Haki. But still—"
He was no match for their captain.
"So, today is the fated—"
"Turning point."
Ace was done for...In the ruins of the small town on the other side, the 'White Knight' lay among the rubble, his eyes vacant, not daring to observe the two fighters too closely. But even so, Ace's disadvantage was clear.
"Flame Commandment!"
With a stomp, Ace sent waves of fire surging in all directions! The endless flames turned into a storm, instantly locking down all of Teach's escape routes.
However, Teach was very familiar with Ace's moves. His tall figure dodged swiftly, avoiding the fiercest flames, and as his feet touched the ground, darkness followed! The flames on the ground were instantly absorbed.
"Black Hole Path!"
At the same time, the spinning 'Dark Water' in his hand pulled Ace, making him stumble! He had to stabilize himself quickly...This was hopeless!
In terms of raw strength, Blackbeard Teach was superior. After all, Teach was already 38 years old, in his prime!
Moreover, he had a special constitution that didn't require sleep, effectively giving him the experience of a 76-year-old. Even with his cautious and patient nature, years of training had made his Taijutsu at least master-level!
The same went for his Haki. He could leave scars on Shanks' face and silently kill Whitebeard's fourth division captain Thatch. Teach's strength was undoubtedly top-tier, if not at the very least, Admiral-candidate level.
After consuming the Dark-Dark Fruit, although he had only developed it for a short time, limiting him to just two moves, 'Dark Water' and 'Black Hole Path', the fruit's overwhelming power was undeniable!
It could absorb all matter and energy, and once it touched a Devil Fruit user, it temporarily nullified their abilities...Ace was completely outmatched! In a world where battles could last for days, he was already showing signs of defeat.
Sigh, the gap in strength was too great...Ace wasn't weak, but he was too young!
At only 20 years old, Ace was already a well-known figure in the New World, but he hadn't reached his peak yet. The reason he was the second division captain of the Whitebeard Pirates was because Whitebeard was grooming him as a successor.
So, Shanks wasn't wrong. It was Ace's reputation and Whitebeard's trust in him that led to this situation!
Boom!
As the two figures separated, one stood tall, black flames rising arrogantly! The other was sent flying, his body flickering with flames, looking battered and exhausted.
"Zehahahaha, Ace! Do you see now?"
"Although you're skilled, you're no match for me. Join us! Let's conquer the world together!"
Facing Teach's invitation again, the wounded Ace got up from the ground,
"If I submit to someone like you, what dignity do I have left to live for?"
The enemy killed his comrades, insulted his revered 'father,' and even had designs on his younger brother..."Zehahaha, that's really unfortunate, Ace!"
"Great Flame Commandment!"
Circles of flames appeared at Ace's feet! He was determined to fight to the death today, even if it meant—
Whoosh,
A pure white armored knight suddenly emerged silently from the nearby ruins, lunging towards Blackbeard's back!
At first, this 'armored knight' looked like a drawing, but as he rapidly approached Teach, he quickly transformed from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, becoming a knight with ornate armor and flying scales!
Swish,
The knight's pure white longsword struck towards Blackbeard without a sound! Just as it was about to pierce his lower back, the captain's coat Teach was wearing suddenly emitted black smoke, instantly transforming into a flowing darkness that blocked the sword.
"Did you think I didn't notice you?"
Pop,
With a soft sound, the longsword pierced the darkness, but it seemed to enter another space, silently disappearing into the rolling black smoke! Blackbeard Teach had already turned his head mockingly.
"You dare, little mouse—"
Splat!
However, the answer to Teach was the sudden splitting of the white knight's helmet, and a large spray of liquid from within! The strange color and the mere scent made Teach's nose tingle, causing his face to change instantly!
Poison, and a deadly one at that.
Instinctively, Teach quickly dodged backward! Thus, he missed the perfect opportunity to interrupt the opponent's follow-up.
The white knight's other hand had already retracted his thumb, middle finger, and ring finger, aiming his index and pinky fingers at Blackbeard Teach!
Oh no—'Slow Beam!'
The slow beam fired at close range instantly enveloped Teach, freezing his surprise on his face, and his tall figure formed a comical pose in mid-air!
Teach, using your own words against you.
You've become too reliant on your Devil Fruit abilities!
Although Roman wanted to make such a snarky remark, now was not the time to waste words! Without stopping, the white knight brushed past Blackbeard, trembling slightly as several Haki-infused bullets pierced his armor!
But it didn't matter, as the 'white knight' was just a puppet. He charged towards Ace, pointing to the side.
"Run!"
With Ace's strength, no one here except Blackbeard Teach could stop him! As long as he reached the shore, with the speed of Ace's flame-jet boat, the Blackbeard Pirates' large raft would be left in the dust.
However, faced with this chance to escape, Ace hesitated for a moment, then continued to gather flames above himself!
"Flame Emperor!!"
???
#%￥&*#...Are you crazy?! If you can't win, why not run?! Do you have to sacrifice yourself to feel satisfied—Facing the white knight... or rather, Roman's shocked gaze, Ace only gave him an apologetic look, and a vague mental wave came through.
"I entrust my brother to you..."
"Your grandpa—"
Splat!
In a dizzying spin, the white knight's head flew off.
"Zehahaha, Ace!"
Behind him, Blackbeard, with dual resistance from Haki and the Dark-Dark Fruit, quickly broke free from the 'Slow Beam,' maintaining the motion of slashing with his hand, his face filled with uncontrollable joy.
"You've wasted this little brother's good intentions, he's so angry that he's cursing!"
After speaking, facing Ace with a massive fireball above his head like a blazing sun, Teach also unleashed his ultimate move. Darkness surged from his entire body, shooting into the sky! Half of the small island was engulfed in flames, while the other half was shrouded in darkness!
"Dark Sun!!"
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