Time went by quickly. The fight between Vice Admiral Gion and Dracule Mihawk had gone on for an hour.
The whole training ground was now a mess, cut up by the flying slashes that Mihawk and Gion had sent out during their fight.
As they kept fighting, more and more people came to watch the battle.
Former Marine Admiral Zephyr came after hearing about it.
"What amazing sword fighting," Marine Chief Instructor "Black Arm" Zephyr said with a sigh.
"Even you think so, Zephyr?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku looked at the man next to him.
Even though Zephyr wasn't a sword fighter himself, he had taught many top Marine officers how to use swords. He knew a lot about sword fighting.
"Yes," Zephyr nodded. "Not even talking about how strong Gion's strikes are. Her sword moves alone are very good. Her style has moves for all kinds of fighting."
"From what I've heard about her style, it seems really good," Zephyr added before turning to Vice Admiral Tsuru. "Should we stop them? They seem to be getting more serious."
"Let's wait," Tsuru shook her head. "Gion is getting faster. She might get better while fighting with Mihawk."
As the battle went on, Tsuru could clearly feel the changes in Gion's energy. It was like Gion was training by fighting with the world's best swordsman.
Seeing how excited Gion looked, Tsuru knew she shouldn't stop her now.
Sengoku and Zephyr nodded without saying anything. With strong Marine officers like them watching, they knew Mihawk wouldn't hurt Gion too badly.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo got more and more angry watching Gion's strong sword moves.
'Has that woman I hate become so strong?' Doflamingo made fists with his hands. Even though he didn't like it, he had to admit that Gion was now better than him with swords.
'A sword fighter who is better than Gion... no wonder that Crocodile guy lost to him,' Doflamingo thought, taking a deep breath as he wanted more power for himself.
"Moon Breathing Seventh Form: Mirror of Misfortune, Moonlit!" With a loud shout, Gion slashed down from the air with her sword.
Several big moon-shaped energy waves hit the ground, breaking it into pieces. The waves kept going toward Mihawk, trying to cut him apart.
Seeing this move, Mihawk looked a bit impressed. He swung his blade many times, cutting down the moon-shaped energy waves Gion had sent.
Then Mihawk swung his big black sword, hitting Gion's blade directly.
BOOM!
The crash made a huge noise as the clouds above were torn apart by the sharp sword energy from both fighters.
"Being called the world's best swordsman is no joke," Gion said with a smile while pushing hard with her sword. "I've used almost all my power, but I still can't hurt you. It's a bit sad."
"But my cuts haven't hurt you either," Mihawk said calmly.
But she knew Mihawk wasn't even using all his strength yet.
'Such a big gap,' she thought. 'Compared to the world's best swordsman, I still have so far to go.' Gion sighed to herself.
The next moment, her eyes got narrow, and her energy rose again.
"Let me see how far I can push myself," Gion said with tight teeth. Strong Armament Haki flowed into her blade as she cut at Mihawk with even more power.
Mihawk swung his sword up, quickly blocking each of Gion's cuts.
Suddenly, sharp sword slashes filled the air around them for a hundred meters.
"Hmm? What's this?" Mihawk noticed the flame-like marks on Gion's neck that were spreading to her face.
'Strange, her power is getting stronger. Is it because of these flame marks? Interesting... there's a hidden power here. Let's see what she can do with it.'
Mihawk smiled a little as he kept making his attacks stronger to match Gion's growing power, until he was using his full strength.
By now, the flame marks from Gion's neck had spread over half her face.
'This power feels strange,' Mihawk thought, looking at the flame lines on Gion's face with a frown. He suddenly swung a powerful slash that hit Gion's sword.
BOOM!
They both used their strongest attacks at the same time, making the whole training ground fall apart. The hit sent them both sliding back several steps.
"That's enough, Gion and Mihawk," Sengoku called out. "If you two keep fighting, you'll wreck the entire training ground."
The fighters turned to see Sengoku, Tsuru, and Zephyr coming toward them using Moonwalk.
Seeing this, Gion and Mihawk stopped fighting and put away their swords at the same time.
"Tsuru," Gion said with a smile, hand on her sword's holder as she looked at the older officer coming closer.
"Gion," Tsuru walked up to her with a small frown, looking at the flame lines on Gion's face. "What's that on your neck and face?"
"On my face and neck?" Gion blinked in surprise. "Is there dirt on my face?"
"It's not dirt." Tsuru took out a mirror from her sleeve and held it up to Gion. "Look for yourself."
"This is the Demon Mark?" Gion looked shocked when she saw the flame marks on her face in the mirror.
"Demon Mark? What's that?" Tsuru looked at Gion, confused.
But she saw that the flame lines on Gion's face were slowly going away, leaving only a moon-shaped mark like a cherry blossom smile at the side of Gion's white neck.
"The Demon Mark is going away?" Gion frowned. Just then, she felt very weak all of a sudden.
Not ready for this feeling, her legs gave out, and she fell toward Tsuru.
"What's wrong, Gion?" Tsuru caught her, looking worried.
The next moment, Tsuru looked shocked.
"Gion! Why is all your hair turning white?!"
"Mihawk, what did you do to Gion?" Tsuru turned her head and looked at Mihawk with a very serious face. A strong killing intent flowed from Tsuru's body. Gion was her adopted sister. Seeing her looking so weak, even Tsuru, who was usually calm, lost her cool for a moment.
"Oh, that's really scary. It reminds me of the days when Staff Officer Tsuru chased me." Doflamingo walked up to the group with casual steps. But as soon as he spoke, Tsuru looked at him with eyes full of killing intent. Doflamingo smiled widely and turned to look at Mihawk.
Tsuru knew that now wasn't the time to bother with Doflamingo, so she looked back at Mihawk, her eyes growing more serious.
"I was just sword fighting with her. Besides, I don't have Devil Fruit powers. You should ask her yourself about what's happening to her body." Mihawk put his Black Blade Yoru back on his back and spoke coldly.
As for Gion, her hair was now completely white, but her face stayed young, as if she had suddenly aged many years all at once. Mihawk was quite curious about this too.
"Tsuru, it's not Mihawk's fault. It's my problem." Gion sat down on the ground with Tsuru's help, looking a bit troubled.
"Gion, what's happening to you? Why do I feel your strength fading?" Sengoku walked closer with a deep frown. With his Observation Haki, he could clearly feel that Gion's energy had gotten much weaker. And now, the energy in her body was still fading at a scary speed. It felt like those soldiers who had diseases that couldn't be cured.
"It's the Demon Mark." Gion raised her hand and touched the moon-shaped mark on her neck. "I accidentally turned on the Demon Mark, that's why this is happening. Ikki once said that when a swordsman masters their sword style, they might unlock a power called the 'Demon Mark'. But this kind of power burns up the user's life force really fast. Usually, people with Demon Marks don't live past 25 years old. Warriors who get Demon Marks after age 25 won't live more than a day."
Gion thought about the fight she just had. She did feel her body gain powerful strength for a moment. But she didn't realize it was the power from activating the Demon Mark.
"25 years old? Gion, you're already over 25! Does that mean you..." Tsuru's heart sank, and her eyes started to turn red.
Nearby, Doflamingo wanted to say something mean, but he saw Tsuru, Sengoku, and Zephyr standing in front of him. In the end, he stopped himself from saying anything to mock Gion.
"So it's power that comes from burning up life force quickly. No wonder your strength grew so fast when fighting me. But there must be a solution to this Demon Mark thing. Otherwise, this sword style would be a waste." Mihawk said.
Hearing this, Tsuru looked hopefully at Gion. She wanted a clear answer from Gion.
"There is a solution," Gion nodded slightly and went on. "The 'Demon Mark' power isn't that easy to turn on. Mine turned on by itself, probably because my power reached the level needed for the Demon Mark. When I was fighting Mihawk just now, I got too excited."
She didn't tell the real way to unlock the Demon Mark power. After all, a Warlord was standing right there.
After a pause, Gion continued: "Ikki said if someone is born with Demon Marks, their life isn't affected when the marks activate. And if a swordsman gets the Demon Mark while trained by Ikki, their life won't be affected when it activates. When I was in Alabasta, I saw one of Ikki's crew members get Demon Marks. Though the girl isn't 25 yet, Ikki is actually 25. I don't think he would lie about the Demon Mark."
After saying this, Gion couldn't help but sigh. Before she and Hina left, Ikki had clearly warned them both to watch their heartbeats when using breathing sword styles. They shouldn't let their heart rates reach the level that would cause Demon Marks to appear. But in just a few days, she had unknowingly activated the Demon Mark because of her fight with Mihawk. It had even led to her quickly losing life force. Even Sengoku could feel her energy weakening, and Gion, as the person going through it, felt it even more clearly.
"Tsuru, I think I need to ask Ikki for help. In my case, I won't die within a day just because of the Demon Mark. This might be because of my personal situation. But I can't keep going like this. Even though my Demon Mark didn't appear while training with Ikki, I think he should know how to fix this Demon Mark problem." After thinking for a moment, Gion looked up and said to Tsuru.
"Yes, that's what I was thinking too. Now, let me take you to find Ikki myself. Sengoku, I need some time off. Also, please use our intelligence network to help me find where Ikki is." With that, Tsuru helped Gion stand and walked toward the coast.
"Don't worry, Tsuru." Sengoku nodded firmly. Gion was an important fighter for the Marines. Gion, who had mastered Moon Breathing, had grown stronger and was already among the best of the best. He didn't want Gion to die because of something like this. Personally, he didn't want Gion to be gone either. After all, he was the one who ordered Gion to go with Hina to learn sword skills from Ikki.
"Even though Ikki's sword style is great, it doesn't seem easy to learn. Even if you learn it, you still have to worry about the side effects of Demon Marks. Sengoku, let me go with Tsuru, just in case there's trouble." Zephyr waved to Sengoku and started to follow Gion and Tsuru.
"Wait, Zephyr." Sengoku put his hand on Zephyr's shoulder. "You have other duties. Let someone else escort Tsuru and Gion. Aokiji is on vacation in the first half of the Grand Line right now, so let him do it."
Zephyr thought about this for a moment and agreed. He trusted his student Aokiji.
"You guys, can you leave now?" Sengoku turned and looked at Mihawk, Doflamingo, and Bartholomew Kuma with a gloomy face.
"Fufufu, looks like our Buddha Sengoku is quite angry. It's better for me not to stay here right now." Doflamingo laughed and walked toward the coast with his strange walk.
Kuma closed his book and also walked toward the coast.
"Is he born with the Demon Mark? So Ikki can use that powerful power without any problems? To be able to teach Gion sword skills to this level, I wonder what kind of power you have." Mihawk turned back and looked carefully at the marks that Gion had made on the training ground using Moon Breathing, then turned and walked away.
Meanwhile, Ikki couldn't get married anyway. Gion, who had just left him a few days ago, was now starting a journey to find him again because of the Demon Mark.
On the other side of the sea.
Jaya Island, Mock Town.
"This town is full of criminals. Most of these criminals are pretty weak. But you guys should stay alert and don't trust others easily, especially don't take apples from strangers. Watch out for poison." Ikki was walking on the road to the largest bar in Mock Town (Pub), talking to his friends as they walked.
He still remembered that in the original story, the doctor of the Blackbeard Pirates gave poisoned apples to people in Mock Town. Anyone who ate the poison apple had their stomach explode right away. Even though there might not be any Blackbeard Pirates in Mock Town now, Ikki felt that as the captain, he should warn his crew.
"Really, Ikki, you're exaggerating. This isn't a fairy tale. Why would there be so many poisoned apples? Besides, even if we get poisoned, can't we just have Nojiko help us?"
"Right, Nojiko." Nami put her arm around Nojiko's shoulders and said with a smile.
"However, if you really get poisoned, you'll probably die on the spot. In other words, even if Nojiko has amazing healing skills, he won't be able to help." Nearby, Nico Robin, wearing a coat that covered her face, calmly said things that made Nami and Vivi shiver.
"Really, you're still like this, Robin." Vivi complained and quickly walked up to Ikki. "Hey, Ikki, is the captain of the Bellamy Pirates you mentioned really in this town?"
Jingle!
As the bell rang, several guests in the bar turned their heads toward the door. They saw a man leading three stunning women and another woman whose voluptuous figure couldn't be hidden even beneath a windbreaker.
Immediately, a lustful drunk stood up from his seat and walked toward the group who had just entered.
"It's Lawrence, the drunkard. That guy is unlucky" one patron whispered.
"Yeah, this Lawrence is pretty strong. His bounty is 30 million Berries. That skinny man with those women will probably regret bringing his female companions here," another added.
"Who wouldn't agree? Lawrence has skills, but he just can't control himself whenever he sees beautiful women. Otherwise, I might've even invited him to be my partner."
People around the bar started talking, watching Lawrence and the newcomers with expressions that suggested they were anticipating a good show.
"What disgusting comments," the orange-haired woman frowned slightly as she watched the drunk man approaching. She quietly placed her hand on the sword at her waist.
The speaker was none other than Nami. Next to her were Ikki and Nico Robin.
"This place is basically a small version of the criminal underworld. Meeting people like him is unavoidable," Robin commented. "What should we do, Ikki?"
"Well, when someone calls out to you, what else can you do but respond?" Ikki smiled and walked straight to the bar counter.
"Hey, boy, the women behind you are pretty," Lawrence put a hand on Ikki's shoulder. "I've taken a liking to them, so hand them over to... ugh!"
Lawrence suddenly saw a sharp slash across his arm. In an instant, blood gushed out. When he came to his senses, he immediately clutched his wounded arm and kept backing away, howling in pain.
"Water Breathing, First Form: Surface Slash!" Nojiko quickly swung her sword, creating a stream of water that swept away the blood spraying from Lawrence's arm, preventing it from splashing onto Ikki's clothes.
"Really, Nami, that wasn't necessary," Nojiko shook her head and looked helplessly at Nami, who had just sliced off Lawrence's arm. "If you get the captain's clothes dirty, he'll just use it as another excuse to tease you."
"Uh, sorry, it just happened accidentally," Nami knocked her head with her left hand and looked apologetically at Ikki. "They just said this guy's head is worth 30 million Berries. Should we capture him and turn him in to the Marines for the bounty?"
As she spoke, Nami pointed her sword at Lawrence, who had fallen to the ground in front of them.
By now, Lawrence had lost all of his previous arrogance. Nami's slash and Nojiko's Water Breathing technique had made him realize that Ikki's group wasn't to be messed with. If they weren't all focusing on him right now, he would have already fled from the bar.
"Forget it, we have to go to Sky Island later, also it will be a unnecessary burden for us."
Ikki shook his head and said.
Hearing this, Lawrence immediately showed an excited expression, thinking that he could still be alive.
However, before he could feel any relief, Ikki's next words made his eyes widen.
"Nami, just kill this guy," Ikki said calmly. "We don't need to carry his body with us. We can use the camera Gion left us to take pictures of him dead. Before Gion and the others left, she promised me that for wanted criminals I kill in the future, clear photos would be enough. The bounty for a dead criminal will be reduced, but it's better than having to carry around a body or head."
After Ikki finished speaking, Vivi instinctively took out the camera from her waist.
Nami, who had already experienced killing before, naturally drew her sword and stepped forward. Before Lawrence even had time to beg for mercy, Nami's quick slash had pierced his heart.
"Did you see that? Lawrence, with his 30 million Berry bounty, died just like that?" a patron gasped.
"That orange-haired woman is incredibly strong. Where did she come from?" another wondered.
"The woman with short blue hair looks powerful too. These people are monsters that appeared out of nowhere. And that black-haired man they call captain—he must be the strongest."
Lawrence's death caused quite a stir among the bar's patrons. By now, almost everyone was looking at Ikki's group with dramatically changed expressions.
Ikki's eyes swept across the first floor of the bar, and soon his gaze locked onto a table near the counter.
'Blackbeard Teach, Burgess the Champion, Van Augur the marksman, and Doc Q the ship's doctor. These guys are here!' Ikki narrowed his eyes slightly. He hadn't expected to find Bellamy in this bar, let alone members of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Noticing Ikki's gaze, Blackbeard gave him a wide smile, as if saying hello.
"Hmph, so you defeated Lawrence. Big deal," an arrogant voice came from the second floor of the bar. "In the end, he was just a man with ridiculous dreams. Sky Island? Haha! You clearly have decent strength, but you're chasing something so imaginary?"
Ikki looked up and saw that the speaker was Bellamy, the user of the Spring-Spring Fruit.
"Oh, he's on the second floor. Pirate Bellamy with a bounty of 55 million Berries," Ikki smirked and turned to look at Nami beside him.
When he spotted Blackbeard, Ikki had briefly considered dealing with him, using the Dark-Dark Fruit to help solve Nami's Zanpakutō spirit issue. But now that Bellamy—a Devil Fruit user who would be easier to handle—had appeared, Ikki naturally changed his target.
"What, are you looking for me?" Bellamy jumped from the second floor and landed in front of Ikki. "Are you after my 55 million Berry bounty? If you think I'm a loser like Lawrence, you're completely wrong."
Bellamy looked at Ikki and the women beside him with a ferocious smile. "Let me finish what Lawrence couldn't. Those women behind you look pretty good to me, hahaha!"
"Come on, Bellamy, teach those guys a lesson! Show them how awesome your Devil Fruit is!"
"Yeah, let these arrogant pirate hunters know that not all pirates are as useless as Lawrence," Bellamy's friends shouted from the second floor of the bar, leaning against the railing and cheering him on.
Ikki's brows furrowed even more when he heard their crude taunts.
Bellamy, meanwhile, lowered his posture in excitement. His calves transformed into springs under the influence of the Spring-Spring Fruit as he crouched lower. The springs in his legs began gathering terrifying kinetic energy.
"You coward, hiding behind women," Bellamy laughed ferociously. "I'll make a fool out of you!" He suddenly launched himself toward Ikki.
Nami quickly put her hand on her sword's handle, but before she could draw it, Ikki stepped in front of her.
BOOM!
With a muffled sound, Ikki dodged Bellamy's swinging fist and placed his right hand directly on Bellamy's head, instantly stopping his forward momentum.
"What?!" Bellamy was stunned.
"The world... is a big place," Ikki said calmly, glancing at Bellamy. Then he suddenly lifted Bellamy's head with his right hand and slammed it toward the floor.
BOOM!
A loud crash echoed through the bar, making the whole building shake. Under the powerful impact, Bellamy's consciousness faded instantly as he passed out.
"Bellamy? Are you kidding me? Get up!" one of his crew members shouted.
"Hey, Bellamy, how could you be knocked down with just one hit?" called another.
"No way... how did that man do it?" a third stammered.
The Bellamy Pirates stood frozen in shock when they saw their captain fall. The smug smiles vanished from their faces.
After a moment of stunned silence, they started yelling for Bellamy to stand up. But all they could do was watch as Ikki tossed Bellamy toward Nami, who promptly stabbed him through the heart with her sword.
The sharp pain jolted Bellamy awake from his daze. Realizing his heart had been pierced, his face contorted with terror, but he was helpless. His life ebbed away as fear filled his eyes.
Vivi quickly captured the scene with her camera.
[Ding! Your partner Nami's attributes have been updated. Please check, Host.]
[Name: Nami]
[Age: 18 years old]
[Weapon: Gonryōmaru - Complete]
[Life Force: 30210, S level]
[Sword Realm: Mountain-Cutting Realm]
[Swordsmanship Style: Thunder Breathing, First Form]
[Abilities: Intermediate Armament Haki, Intermediate Observation Haki, Innate Demon Mark]
'Good, now I've finally made up for the Devil Fruit power that Hina took away,' Ikki thought. 'But Robin still doesn't have a Shikai, and she lacks a Devil Fruit too.'
Ikki closed Nami's attribute panel and turned to look at Blackbeard. An enigmatic light flashed in his eyes.
"Zehahahaha! What a dangerous look," Blackbeard laughed. "Are you targeting me now? I probably don't have a bounty for you to collect."
"We are pirates after all, Captain," Burgess said, raising his muscular arm as if ready to fight. "Should we deal with these bounty hunters?"
"Zehahaha! Let's hold off for now, Burgess," Blackbeard shook his head, stood up from his seat and called out to Ikki. "You there, with the sword! You seem quite strong. How about becoming my partner? We could go on raids together. Being a bounty hunter is far less freeing than being a pirate!"
Hearing Blackbeard's words, Ikki couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in surprise. He never expected Blackbeard would invite him to join forces.
At that moment, a commotion erupted from the second floor of the bar.
"You bastards! You woman dared to kill Bellamy! I'll never let you get away with this! Guys, let's take these people down and avenge Bellamy!" Sarquiss, the vice-captain of the Bellamy Pirates, jumped down from the second floor, planning to lead the other members in an attack on Ikki's group.
But before he could take two steps, Blackbeard grabbed his head and slammed him hard against the floor.
BOOM!
Another loud crash rang out, shaking the bar again.
The Bellamy Pirates who had been ready to follow Sarquiss froze in shock.
First their captain Bellamy, and now their vice-captain Sarquiss—both defeated so easily. The remaining crew members looked at each other nervously, then jumped out the second-floor windows and fled from the bar.
"This man... is incredibly strong!" Robin said, watching Blackbeard's display of power with serious eyes.
"Don't interrupt while I'm talking," Blackbeard glanced at the unconscious Sarquiss in his hand and casually tossed him into a corner of the bar. Then he walked toward Ikki with his arms spread wide.
"Zehahaha! Let's continue our conversation," Blackbeard said with a grin. "Take your women and join me. I didn't expect to meet someone as bold as you in Paradise. You've got strength, and you're chasing the legendary Sky Island. I can tell you're a man with dreams. It would be a waste for someone like you to just be a Marine's bounty hunter. Follow me and become a pirate! How about I show you what the real sea is like?"
Blackbeard stopped about a meter away from Ikki, standing still with a smile on his face.
"Hmph, who do you think you are?" Nami stepped forward, positioning herself between Ikki and Blackbeard. "My captain will never become a pirate. Back off, or I won't be so nice."
Having just gained the power of Gonryōmaru, Nami had already decided that if Blackbeard caused any trouble, she would test her Zanpakutō's power on him.
Suddenly, red light flashed in Nami's eyes as her Observation Haki warned her of danger. She quickly coated her right hand with Armament Haki and grabbed her left arm that was holding her sword.
BANG!
The sound of a gunshot rang out.
Ikki frowned and turned to see Van Augur behind Blackbeard, his rifle pointed at Nami.
Behind him, Nojiko, Vivi, and the others drew their swords almost simultaneously, glaring at the Blackbeard Pirates.
"You actually shot at me?" A vein popped on Nami's forehead. When she opened her hand, a deformed bullet that had been crushed by her tight grip fell to the floor.
"Strange... that woman actually caught a bullet with her bare hands?"
"Did I see that right? She crushed it into pieces of iron!"
"Is she really that powerful? She looks so normal!"
"What's on her hand? Why did it turn black with a metallic sheen?" (T/N: I know only those who can use haki can see the colour, just ignore it)
"Shh, keep your voice down. These people are clearly not ones we should mess with. Let's just enjoy the show."
The bar patrons gasped in shock when they saw Nami crush the bullet.
Blackbeard turned to look at Van Augur who had just fired, and said, "Hey, Augur, don't get excited. I'm inviting them to be our partners." As he spoke, Blackbeard cast an apologetic look toward Ikki's group.
"When a king speaks to another king, crew members should stand aside," Van Augur said coldly, resting his rifle on his shoulder. "However, you, woman, actually caught my bullet. I underestimated you. That power just now must be Armament Haki."
Veins popped on Nami's forehead as she snorted, "So what? Just because I interrupted your so-called conversation between kings, you shot me? Our captain doesn't care, so who do you think you are?" She turned to look at Ikki, and after seeing him nod, she raised her sword and slashed at Van Augur.
With her Mountain-Cutting Realm swordsmanship and S-level Life Force, even without using Thunder Breathing, Nami unleashed a massive golden flying slash. The attack cut through everything in its path, chopping the floor and roof of the bar into pieces.
Seeing this, even the usually stoic Van Augur couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise. He hadn't expected this girl he'd dismissed to wield such a powerful attack. There was no way he could defend against it.
At that moment, Blackbeard moved. He stepped sideways into position, opened his right hand and aimed it at Nami's slash.
"Black Hole!" With a sharp shout, Blackbeard created a swirling black mist in his palm. When the slash hit this dark vortex, it visibly began to shrink until it completely disappeared without a trace.
'A slash from the Mountain-Cutting Realm destroyed so easily? The Dark-Dark Fruit's ability is truly powerful,' Ikki thought, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he observed Blackbeard. 'Or is Blackbeard himself just that strong?'
Others might not know, but Ikki was well aware that the Blackbeard standing before them had left three scars on Red-Haired Shanks' face, one of the Four Emperors—proof enough of his considerable strength. Though Shanks might not have been at Emperor-level when injured by Blackbeard, people grow stronger over time. Shanks' long-standing wariness of Blackbeard, along with Blackbeard's own ambition, further testified to his power. Now that Blackbeard had the Dark-Dark Fruit, his strength must have increased significantly.
"My slash was... absorbed?" Nami stared in disbelief as her attack vanished into the black hole in Blackbeard's palm. She looked at her sword in confusion, almost doubting whether she had actually attacked at all.
Van Augur frowned and suddenly raised his rifle, aiming it at Nami again. The other Blackbeard Pirates also drew their weapons, preparing to attack.
Seeing this, Robin and the others beside Ikki readied their swords. Flames erupted along Nojiko's blade, while rolling streams of water surged around Vivi's weapon. Robin's sword became shrouded in swirling petals.
After a moment of shock, Nami recovered and pointed her sword at Van Augur, golden lightning beginning to flow across her body.
"Zehahahaha! Hold on, don't fight yet," Blackbeard laughed. "Augur, Burgess, stand down. I'm trying to invite our friends here."
Hearing Blackbeard's words, Van Augur and the others reluctantly subdued their fighting intentions.
"Zehahahaha! This is really interesting!" Blackbeard continued. "I never thought a little orange-haired girl like you could be such a skilled swordswoman. I thought I was giving you enough credit, but I still underestimated you! If even the women around you have such abilities, then you as the captain must be even stronger. How about it? Come aboard my ship, and I promise you can be an officer in my crew. We might be a little-known pirate group now, but one day we'll surpass even the Four Emperors, zehahahaha! Of course, the women with you can still stay by your side."
Blackbeard spread his arms wide, his smile revealing complete confidence in his words.
"Surpass the Four Emperors? That's quite a claim," Nojiko sneered.
Thanks to the knowledge shared by Ikki and Robin, Nojiko, Nami, and Vivi all understood what the Four Emperors represented—the rulers of the most dangerous seas in the world. Now this pirate was casually inviting them to join him while boasting about surpassing such legendary figures. How could Nojiko possibly believe him?
"Ikki," Robin leaned in and whispered in his ear, "I might be overthinking this, but please be careful of that man's Devil Fruit ability. It seems unusually powerful." Based on her knowledge, she had never heard of any Devil Fruit that could absorb attacks like that.
"Don't worry," Ikki nodded slightly. "I know exactly what his Devil Fruit can do. And Nojiko, this man really does have the potential to surpass the Four Emperors. Everyone, stay alert."
By now, Ikki had already decided to confront the Blackbeard Pirates. He didn't mind telling his friends about the Dark-Dark Fruit and Blackbeard's potential. This would help them be prepared for what might come.
"Oh? You actually know about my fruit?" Blackbeard blinked, looking at Ikki with curious eyes.
"Of course I know," Ikki replied confidently. "There are only two truly special fruits in the entire ocean. One of them is the Dark-Dark Fruit you possess—the most unusual Logia type. Though it can't transform your body into an element, it can absorb damage at the cost of experiencing double the pain. And when your hand touches someone with Devil Fruit powers, their abilities are temporarily nullified."
As he spoke, Ikki glanced meaningfully at Robin standing nearby, silently warning her to be careful. Robin nodded in understanding as her aura grew more intense. After hearing Ikki's explanation, the perceptive Robin realized he was planning to fight Blackbeard and his crew.
"Zehahahaha! You know quite a lot about the Dark-Dark Fruit!" Blackbeard's smile briefly disappeared before returning even wider. "Now that you understand my special ability, you should appreciate my potential. Even you admitted we could surpass the Four Emperors—why not join us now? By the way, you mentioned my Dark-Dark Fruit is one of the two most special Devil Fruits. What's the other one?"