"Teach!"
"No... I should call you Blackbeard now." Jimbei glared coldly at Blackbeard. "Why are you here, you bastard?"
If not for this bastard, Ace wouldn't have been captured by the Marines... This damned bastard!
At this moment, Jimbei felt an overwhelming killing intent toward Blackbeard.
Blackbeard immediately sensed Jimbei's terrifying bloodlust.
"What impressive killing intent!" Blackbeard grinned. "Planning to fight me, Jimbei?!"
"Zehahaha!"
"Crack!"
Veins bulged on Jimbei's forehead as he desperately wanted to kill the man right then.
But he knew he couldn't act now—absolutely not.
Otherwise, they might lose their chance to save Ace.
With this thought, Jimbei unclenched his fists, forcing himself to calm down.
"Zehahaha! That's more like it." Blackbeard smirked. "Fighting me here benefits no one."
Jimbei snorted coldly, ignoring him.
At that moment, Luffy stepped forward, glaring furiously at Blackbeard. "So you're Blackbeard?!"
"Indeed, I am Blackbeard!" Blackbeard laughed heartily. "Long time no see, Straw Hat Boy!"
"Zehahaha!"
After his laughter subsided, Blackbeard looked down at Luffy. "You sure you should stay here? Your big brother, Fire Fist Ace's public execution is about to begin~"
"Zehahaha!"
Luffy's expression darkened at Blackbeard's words.
Unfazed, Blackbeard continued, "Straw Hat Boy, you know what? I originally planned to capture you and hand you over to the Marines to secure a position among the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"But who would've thought I'd encounter Ace before catching you."
"Back then, I never imagined he was your brother~"
"Zehahaha!"
Blackbeard threw his head back in laughter. "Him being your brother—what a beautiful twist of fate!"
"With that connection, even if he couldn't beat me, he had to fight me to the death!"
"Otherwise, not only would Whitebeard's reputation be tarnished, but his dear little brother would also be in danger."
"And that's exactly how I managed to capture him~"
"Zehahaha!"
"Zehahaha!!!"
Recalling the moment he first encountered Ace, Blackbeard burst into uncontrollable laughter.
The rest of the Blackbeard Pirates joined in the laughter.
"Weehahaha! The captain's right!"
"Straw Hat Boy, you really are one lucky bastard."
"This might be the choice of fate."
"Don't worry, Straw Hat Boy," Lafitte said. "Our captain is already famous across the seas, so we don't need your head anymore."
Hearing his crew's words, Blackbeard laughed even harder.
Then, he lowered his head and said, "Straw Hat Boy, when we reach Ace's grave, you better thank him properly."
"After all... he died in your place~"
"Crack!"
Veins bulged on Luffy's forehead as he immediately activated Second Gear without hesitation.
"Zzzzt~"
Steam rose from his head as Luffy glared furiously at Blackbeard. "You bastard, I won't forgive you!"
"Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!"
"BAM!!"
An incredibly heavy punch slammed into Blackbeard's stomach, sending him flying like a cannonball. He crashed into the wall behind him, leaving a massive crater.
"Damn it, that hurts!" Blackbeard clutched his stomach, rolling on the ground in pain, sweat pouring down his face.
Curses, the double-pain side effect really wasn't easy to endure.
"Captain?!"
Lafitte was stunned seeing his captain writhing on the ground. How could he fail to dodge an attack from a rookie?
"You damn Straw Hat Boy," Blackbeard growled as he got up, his eyes icy as he glared at Luffy. "You've got guts."
He hadn't expected the kid to suddenly attack him here. Wasn't he afraid of being caught by Magellan?
"I won't let Ace die!" Luffy roared.
As he spoke, Luffy raised his arm again, ready to deliver another punch.
"You damn brat, you dare attack our captain again?!"
With that, Jesus Burgess leaped forward, charging at Luffy.
"Impact—"
"Get out of the way!" Meiser barked.
At the same time, a massive golden skeletal arm stretched out and swatted Burgess away like a fly.
"Whoosh~"
"BOOM!!"
"Wha—what just happened?!"
Burgess, now lying in a crater he'd made in the ground, was filled with shock. What was that golden thing? It had sent him flying in an instant!
If he hadn't reinforced his body with Armament Haki in time, his bones might have been shattered. The thought made Burgess's expression darken.
"You're that Blood-Eyed Ninja with a 400 million Berries bounty, aren't you?" Van Augur narrowed his eyes at Meiser. "What kind of ability is that?"
As he spoke, Van Augur scrutinized Meiser carefully, thinking, 'The pattern in his eyes is different from the one on the wanted poster... What does that mean?'
"Yeah, that's me," Meiser replied coolly.
Seeing that Meiser had no intention of explaining his ability, Van Augur frowned. Dealing with unknown Devil Fruit users was always troublesome...
Maybe it was better to leave this to the captain.
With that thought, Van Augur removed his finger from the sniper rifle's trigger.
"Zehahaha, quite the sharp one, aren't you?" Blackbeard laughed heartily. "Blood-Eyed Ninja, following a kid like this has no future. Why not join me instead?"
As he spoke, excitement gleamed in Blackbeard's eyes.
'This kid got a bounty of 400 million Berries on his first wanted poster. He'll definitely become a powerful subordinate in the future!' Blackbeard thought to himself.
He wasn't sure whether this guy was a ninja who had eaten a Devil Fruit or a ninja from the Land of Wano.
But after recalling what Oden Kozuki had once described about ninjas, Blackbeard dismissed the latter idea.
After all... the ninjas Oden spoke of didn't possess the ability to summon pale golden skeleton armor.
So he believed it was more likely that the other party had eaten a Devil Fruit!
"Join you?" Meiser sneered. "I have no interest in that."
"Is that so? What a shame," Blackbeard said with a regretful expression.
"Blackbeard, you bastard! How dare you try to take my crewmate!" Luffy roared. "I'm gonna punch you flying!"
"Gomu Gomu no—"
"You think I'd give you that chance?" Blackbeard raised his hand and shouted, "Dark Water!"
"Hummm~"
A swirling black mist appeared in Blackbeard's palm, followed by a terrifying suction force that violently pulled Luffy mid-air toward him.
The next moment—
"BAM!"
Blackbeard grabbed Luffy and slammed him hard into the ground, creating a massive crater upon impact.
"BOOM!!"
"Blood?"
Seeing the blood on Luffy's head, Crocodile frowned. "Isn't this kid made of rubber? Why is he bleeding?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Blackbeard's hand but found no trace of Armament Haki.
This meant Blackbeard hadn't used Haki to injure the Straw Hat Boy.
'Could it be because of his Devil Fruit ability?'
Staring at the black mist-like power, Crocodile began forming theories in his mind.
"Zehahahaha! Confused, aren't you?"
Blackbeard laughed loudly as Luffy staggered back, enduring the pain. "Your big brother was the same back then!"
After his laughter subsided, Blackbeard lowered his head, his eyes sharp.
"Listen up, Straw Hat Boy. In front of me, Devil Fruit abilities are useless!"
"This is the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit—the most sinister ability that surpasses all Devil Fruits!"
"Zehahahaha!"
Watching Blackbeard's endless laughter, Meiser muttered, "Dark-Dark Fruit?"
"Has anyone here heard of this ability before?"
"No."
Crocodile and Jimbei shook their heads—clearly, none of them had heard of this Devil Fruit.
"This ability isn't something that just appears easily in the seas, ninja brat," Blackbeard grinned.
"Is that so?" Meiser pondered for a moment. "So you're the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users?"
"Zehahaha! Exactly right!"
Blackbeard roared with laughter. "My ability is the bane of all Devil Fruit users!"
Not only can I nullify their powers—I can steal them too!!
"Just wait. Once I take Whitebeard's ability from that old man, I'll be the newest of the Four Emperors!"
The thought made Blackbeard laugh even harder.
"In that case, let me be the one to deal with you," Meiser smirked.
"Wait, Meiser—"
Before Jimbei could finish speaking, he noticed swirling water currents forming beneath Meiser's feet.
The forceful currents pushed him aside abruptly, cutting off his words mid-sentence.
The next moment...
"BOOM!!"
An enormous Water Dragon materialized above Meiser's head, roaring fiercely at Blackbeard.
"ROAR!!"
"What the hell is that?!" Doc Q exclaimed in shock, his eyes bulging as he stared at the Water Dragon hovering over Meiser.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!" Meiser shouted.
The massive surge of water then surged toward Blackbeard.
"Zehahahaha! A Water Release Technique?!" Blackbeard's eyes gleamed with excitement. "You're becoming more and more interesting to me!"
If someone on his crew could obtain this ability, his planned Devil Fruit army would no longer fear the sea!
With that thought, a murderous intent arose in Blackbeard's heart.
Once his plan was complete, he would hunt down this brat and steal his Devil Fruit ability!
As he schemed, Blackbeard raised his arm, aiming at the Water Dragon. "Dark Water!"
"Whoosh~"
Black smoke erupted from his palm, enveloping his entire hand before transforming into a massive dark claw.
Zehahaha! Let me nullify your Devil Fruit ability! Blackbeard laughed inwardly.
His Dark Water could negate Devil Fruit abilities, so he had no fear of the opponent's Ninjutsu attack!
Confident in his power, Blackbeard swung his smoke-wreathed hand forward.
"CRASH!!"
"Wha—?!"
The moment his hand made contact with the Water Dragon, Blackbeard's expression twisted in shock.
This isn't a Devil Fruit ability?! Blackbeard panicked inwardly. Damn it, there's no time to defend!
As the Water Dragon closed in on his face, his pupils shrank to pinpricks.
The next moment...
"BOOM!!"
The colossal Water Dragon slammed into Blackbeard, sending him flying backward. He crashed into the wall behind him, leaving a massive crater.
"CRASH!!"
"ARGH!!"
"That hurts!!"
"Damn it, that hurts!!"
Blackbeard pried himself out of the wall, clutching his face as he writhed on the ground, his agonized screams echoing through the area.
"What just happened?!"
Van Augur stared at Meiser in disbelief. "Why did the captain's ability fail?!"
"I don't know."
Lafitte was equally baffled, unable to comprehend the situation.
"You bastard! What the hell was that?!" Blackbeard forced himself up through the pain, glaring at Meiser. "Aren't you a Devil Fruit ability user?!"
"I never said I was," Meiser replied coolly. "You just assumed that on your own."
"Not a Devil Fruit ability user?!"
Blackbeard's face twisted in disbelief. "Then how did you use a Water Release Technique?!"
Suddenly, a shocking realization struck him.
Could it be... this guy isn't a Ninja who ate a Ninja Fruit, but an actual, real-life Ninja?!
No way! Aren't those only supposed to exist in legends?!
Why is there a living, breathing Ninja standing before me?!
At this moment, Blackbeard was filled with doubt.
"Captain, this guy might truly not be a Devil Fruit Ability User," Lafitte said warily, eyeing Meiser. "He's likely one of the legendary Ninjas."
"A real Ninja!"
Now Lafitte understood—the opponent was probably a genuine legendary Ninja!
The kind who possessed various Release Techniques and formidable strength!
"That's truly troublesome," Blackbeard frowned.
He hadn't expected the young man before him to be an actual Ninja.
If that was the case, this guy might be one of Kaido's people!
Thinking this, Blackbeard asked, "Ninja kid, are you from the Land of Wano?"
"Why should I tell you?"
Hearing Meiser's response, Blackbeard's frown deepened.
This answer made it even harder for him to gauge the other's origins.
'If this guy really is one of Kaido's men, I can't just casually attack him,' Blackbeard mused.
Otherwise, Kaido might come looking for trouble.
Though he wasn't afraid of that guy, provoking one of the Four Emperors for no reason wasn't worth it.
With that thought, Blackbeard abandoned his plan to hunt Meiser down.
At the very least, he wouldn't make a move against this man anytime soon.
Of course, if the other party remained uncooperative, he wouldn't hesitate to kill him right now!
After all—he wasn't the type to sit around and wait for death!
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