Lafitte's expression subtly shifted as the figures of the Blackbeard Pirates appeared. These were no mere soldiers—he could feel a suffocating sense of danger radiating especially from the man at the front.
Marshall D. Teach, known now as Blackbeard, sauntered forward, munching on a cherry pie with an arrogant gait.
Lafitte's instincts kicked in. He gripped the hilt of his cane-sword.
Blackbeard noticed, grinned wide, and shoved the last bite of pie into his mouth. Through his chewing, he said,
"Relax, relax. I just find you interesting. Ever thought about joining my crew?"
"…Join your pirate crew?"
Lafitte was momentarily caught off guard. This guy's a pirate?
Behind him, one of the soldiers—finally recognizing the man—shouted in terror,
"Blackbeard! That's Blackbeard! The traitor who defected from the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Blackbeard?" Lafitte echoed, confused.
His notoriety had made him a common headline in recent weeks, and he hadn't been following the news much. But the mention of the Whitebeard Pirates caught his attention—everyone knew of their power. And this man had once been part of that crew?
Even more shocking—he left the crew and survived?
Lafitte wasn't stupid. Anyone capable of defecting from Whitebeard's banner and still walking the seas freely was leagues above his pay grade. He quickly composed himself.
"Why me?" he asked calmly.
Blackbeard laughed—his signature booming "Zehahahahaha!" echoing down the ruined street. He gestured to the destruction around them.
"This is all the reason I need! I want ruthless men like you!"
The soldiers surrounding them gritted their teeth in fury. These criminals weren't just dangerous—they were monsters.
But deep down, they knew they were powerless. One soldier leaned toward another and muttered,
"We need to report this to His Majesty. This… this is far beyond us."
The group began quietly slipping away toward the royal city.
Blackbeard didn't even glance at them. In his mind, as long as they were in this country, they weren't going anywhere.
A cruel smile crept across his face. Under Lafitte's watchful gaze, he slammed his palm against the ground.
A wave of inky darkness exploded outward—like a living shadow—spreading rapidly over the land.
Lafitte's eyes narrowed. "That… is that a Devil Fruit power?"
Blackbeard grinned proudly. "You got it. This is the most vile Devil Fruit in the world—the Yami Yami no Mi."
"The Dark-Dark Fruit…?" Lafitte murmured.
"Zehahahahaha! Watch closely. You're about to witness its true power—Black Hole!"
Fwoooom!
The ground trembled as the darkness churned like a tide. Its gravity surged violently, pulling buildings, rubble, and bodies into its depths.
Within moments, Lafitte found himself standing in an empty wasteland. The surrounding city had vanished into the abyss.
He turned, stunned. The raw power before him… It was horrifying.
Blackbeard stood upright, surveying the eerily silent landscape.
"…Not a single scream," he muttered, puzzled. "Guess I overdid it again. Probably dragged them all down before they knew what hit them."
He shrugged indifferently. Civilians meant nothing to him.
He turned to Lafitte with a satisfied smirk and opened his arms wide.
"Well? Am I qualified to be your captain?"
Lafitte swallowed hard. Against that kind of power, he'd be a fool to say no. He opened his mouth to speak—
"I ag—"
A calm, cold voice echoed across the darkness.
"That ability is indeed impressive. Worth making the trip."
Blackbeard's smile vanished. His crew jolted to alert.
"Who's there?!"
He spun around, panic building. But his Dark-Dark Fruit had already swallowed most of the area. There were no rooftops, no hiding places—only him, his men, and a sea of darkness.
But his Observation Haki kicked in. Someone was above them.
He looked up—and saw a figure floating in mid-air.
That figure descended slowly… eyes glowing with eerie power.
Uchiha Chiga.
Even before Chiga landed, Blackbeard's face went pale. Cold sweat ran down his neck. He took two instinctive steps back.
Even with the Dark-Dark Fruit, there were few people in the world who could make Teach panic like this. But Chiga? Chiga wasn't just one of them—he was number one.
Not even Whitebeard struck this much fear into his heart.
Lafitte, mid-sentence, snapped his jaw shut.
No way I'm pledging allegiance with that guy watching.
But ignorance can be fatal.
Jesus Burgess, Van Augur, and Doc Q, having only seen Chiga's back, didn't recognize him.
Seeing Teach react with such fear, Van Augur assumed it was just another threat.
He raised his rifle without hesitation—and fired.
Bang!
The bullet passed harmlessly through Chiga, who didn't flinch.
Van Augur blinked. A Logia? He hadn't even used Armament Haki on that shot.
But the bullet didn't hit Chiga. It was absorbed mid-air—dragged into a small swirl of gravity by Blackbeard's dark energy.
Even so, Blackbeard didn't relax. He shouted in panic,
"Burgess, stop! That's Admiral Purple Kirin! He's not someone we can handle!"
"W-What?!"
The color drained from Burgess' face. Augur began trembling, nearly dropping his rifle.
They didn't get time to run.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Three thunderous explosions cracked through the air. Each of them was obliterated where they stood—reduced to ash.
Chiga never even looked at them.
He stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Blackbeard. A small, almost amused smile tugged at his lips.
"You've had enough fun with that fruit," he said coolly.
"Time to hand it over."
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Blackbeard be like: (ಥ﹏ಥ)
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