If you wish to read up to 5 Chapters Ahead! or simply support me just because? then check out my patréon at
"https://www.patréon.com/Riadooo"
Don't forget to change "é" to "e"
//********************************************************\\
Blackbeard beamed from ear to ear; his dark eyes shone with perverted joy as he stared at Luffy. "Am I Blackbeard? Oh, I suppose I never told you my name way back in Jaya, Straw Hat." The sarcasm fell from his voice as he mocked the whole situation. "Gotta say, that's quite a surprise finding you here in Impel Down. Don't you think you ought to be somewhere else now? "His tone was smug, laced with a cruel edge that immediately set all on edge.
Jinbe's eyes narrowed, his deep voice rumbling with controlled fury. "Teach… you bastard."
Blackbeard snickered, and that grin just continued to grow wider. "You'll be missing your brother's execution at this rate, you know," he added, to rub it in. "If he hadn't stopped me, the one dying today would be you, Straw Hat."
This sounded to Luffy's ears like a tidal wave, immediately triggering a growing fury. His eyes then flared up in anger, and before he knew it, he sprang forward, his fist flying through the air with deadly speed.
"Gomu Gomu no…!" Luffy's punch connected with Blackbeard's chest, sending the giant pirate flying backward to crash with a loud bang.
GUH!" Blackbeard grunted in pain, his body rattling from the impact as he skidded across the stone floor. His laugh never quite vanished, however-even now tinged with a flicker of annoyance mixed with surprise; he hadn't expected such force from Luffy.
Kai, who had watched this whole scene unfold, tangled his mind on what to do. 'What should I do?' He looked towards Luffy, whose anger boiled over, and looked at Blackbeard, whose presence was far more perilous than all they had come across so far.
"Oh, fuck it…" Kai muttered under his breath. This might be their best chance to take out Blackbeard once and for all. In one swift motion, he reached for his Flask of Cerulean Tears and chugged it in one go. The magic refueled him, slithering into his veins as he prepared for the next attack.
Kai's glintstone staff shimmered with the signature blue aura of the Night Shard spell. In the blink of an eye, he cast it-shooting a thin streak of near-invisible dark magic hurtling at Blackbeard. The shard struck home, burrowing into Teach's side.
"ARGHH!" Blackbeard howled, in agony clutching at his side.
But in a flash, his joy vaporized when he saw Blackbeard's health bar-a towering monolith of stamina. Even though Luffy's punch and his spell had both connected to Blackbeard's giant stamina, they had caused a minuscule dent. He was more superficially hurt compared to actually injured.
"That son of a bitch has a crazy amount of health., " Kai thought, watching Blackbeard struggle to his feet, still groaning but far from defeated.
"We're not even doing anything to him!" Kai thought, the realization coming to him like a ton of bricks. He quickly positioned himself in front of Luffy, holding a hand out to halt him before he squandered anymore energy. "Luffy, stop! If we continue with this, we'll be wasting time!"
The instant his eyes landed on Kai, they blazed red with fury. In an instant, he was going to strike again. Kai knew they could ill afford this. He nodded quickly with the back of his head to Jinbe. Jinbe caught the cue in a split-second and stepped up to Luffy in a heartbeat, ready to restrain him if necessary.
As the tension mounted, Blackbeard's crew began to gather in rear formation behind their captain, with hulking figures of his crewmates looming as they watched with eerie silence. None of them stepped out in front yet, instead waiting for Teach's next move.
Blackbeard struggled to his feet, his chest heavy with breathing, but the grin returned to his face. He wiped a trail of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, new interest in his gaze locking on Luffy. "Strong enough, Straw Hat," he said in a low tone, though his voice was still filled with malicious glee. Then, his gaze shifted to Kai, a hint of curiosity and recognition glinting in his eyes: "And you. that ability just now.."
Kai's blood ran cold. He saw it in Blackbeard's eyes and instantly knew what was to come. "Oh, fuck." he muttered under his breath.
Scarce had he time to react before Blackbeard's hand shot up; its whole form turned dark into a form of black vortex. "Kurouzu!
A vortex of black energy burst from Blackbeard's hand, and Kai's eyes were suddenly wide with shock. 'Wait a minute—I'm not a Devil Fruit user, I should be fi—' He didn't get to even finish the thought before the gravity kicked in and the vortex grabbed hold of him.
It was a force beyond his wildest imagination. Kai's body was wrenched forward with terrifying speed, the tuck of the black hole-like energy whisking him straight into Blackbeard's arms. "What the-?!" Kai gasped, fear coursing through his veins as the world around him became a blur.
The next thing he knew, a massive hand enveloped his body, clamping down with bone-crushing force. "Fuck!" Kai cursed, instinctively making his move. Desperate, he toggled to the Estoc and thrust the blade towards Blackbeard's torso.
But it didn't even pierce into his body. Blackbeard's free hand slapped the Estoc aside with ease, his grip tightening around Kai's chest. "Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard maniacally laughed as he raised Kai into the air.
Then with brutal force, Blackbeard slammed Kai into the ground.
CRACK!
Kai's body erupted in pain wildly from the stone floor as a shockwave seemed to run through his bones with enough force to explode out of his skin. His vision blurred, white-hot pain shot through his spine, and he fought for air as the wind was utterly knocked from him, every nerve shrieking in agony as his muscles seized up, the weight of Blackbeard's power bearing down on him.
He lay there, fighting to breathe, his chest heaving with the effort. "Damn... it…" Kai thought, racing through the haze of pain that seemed to grip him everywhere. "That... really.... hurt like hell." Vision swimming, he struggled to get his bearings back; every breath was agony.
Above him now had risen Blackbeard, the dark man looking down at Kai with a tinge of amusement. "You thought you could take me on, boy? Zehahaha!"
Kai lay on the cold stone floor, screaming, his body in agony, every inch of him hurting from Blackbeard's brutal slam to the floor. A thin trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, and behind the pain, there was still a flicker of defiance in his eyes. He whimpered, working to lift his hand, barely able to move, yet he forced his middle finger up in a small, rebellious gesture. His lips pulled into a bloody smile.
"Fuck you." Kai muttered in his strained, venom-filled voice.
Blackbeard looked down at him and burst into deep laughter, highly amused. "Zehahaha! Gotta have enough spirit to still do that, huh?" He looked at Kai with disdain, turning away without taking any further notice of him as he focused elsewhere.
Luffy had watched the whole exchange, his fists full of rage. "Kai!" he exclaimed, ready to charge again against Blackbeard, his determination burning through him in fire.
But Jinbe held him firmly down by the shoulder. "Luffy, we have to go," he urged but calmly. "If we don't leave now, it will be too late to save Ace."
Kai flung himself onto his back, grinding his teeth as he pried his body up into a sitting position. He reached for the Flask of Crimson Tears and had a drink; the healing liquid churned within him as the worst of his injuries began to mend. Slowly, he wiped the blood from his face and stood, though his body still screamed with the weight of the attack.
"Yeah, Blackbeard," Kai replied dryly, shaking his head to clear the lingering pain from it. "That was one hell of a punch."
Blackbeard froze, turning around in genuine surprise. "Interesting…" he drawled, eyes glinting with curiosity. "You're not as ordinary as you appeared either, are you?"
Kai's heart yanked on the seams in his chest. 'Fuck, why am I standing up to him?' he thought, panic starting to ooze into his brain while the throbbing ache was still screaming through his body. 'This isn't the time for acting tough. I'm still far too weak to take him on!'
But outwardly, he kept his cool. "Wouldn't it be better for both of us to move forward, don't you think?" Kai said, forcing a smile. "We would not want that poison bastard to just show up and spoil our fun."
For a while, Blackbeard said nothing and seemed to weigh Kai's words. He turned to Luffy and the others, then finally answered. "Well, I have better things to do anyways," he said, the contempt that usually dripped from his every word suddenly gone. "Listen to your friend, Straw Hat. When I grabbed him just now, I canceled his powers. None of you are any threat to me." He glanced at Luffy. "Your brother can confirm that for you… if you make it in time."
Kai was thinking hard, with 'he really thinks that I have some kind of Devil Fruit…' as the thought that kept racing through his mind. As Teach walked past Luffy and the others, Luffy just stood, his fists balled up so tightly his knuckles turned white. Jinbe placed a reassuring hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Now we need to get going," Jinbe pressed.
Blackbeard began to walk away, but as he started disappearing into the shadows, he glanced back one last time, and his voice echoed through level 4. "I really hope you'll make it in time nothing is impossible after all, Straw Hat… !" and he stopped for a moment before adding " i'll be seeing you in the future 'Kai' Zehahahahaha!"
They all stood in a fixed view as the towering figure disappeared into the dark of Impel Down. Their atmosphere showed determination in the eyes of everybody. Luffy kept staring in his direction, his body trembling with pent-up frustration, but said nothing.
Soon enough, Ivankov and Inazuma appeared, with a group of Okama warriors accompanying them, bright and flashy compared to the grimness of this prison. "What'd I miss?" Ivankov asked, looking around.
Kai said nothing, sinking into his thoughts. 'I wish I had the power to kill him right here, right now, he thought, with a tinge of bitterness; frustration gnawed at him. Why not give me Radahn's powers right now, you stupid fucking system!'
When no one replied to Ivankov, the dramatic revolutionary head shook from side to side. "Well then, let's move on toward Level 3! The road is clear, but that venom warden is not far behind us, inazuma just confirmed this!"
As the group started to move forward, Kai fell into step behind them, his silent cursing of his lack of strength was well understood; their mission wasn't over. By the clenched fists and focused gaze of Luffy, all was said, "time to leave this shithole."
//********************************************************\\
If you wish to read up to 5 Chapters Ahead! or simply support me just because? then check out my patréon at
"https://www.patréon.com/Riadooo"
Don't forget to change "é" to "e"