Having read the original story, Oguro knew very well that Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit possessed the ability to absorb other people's Devil Fruit powers.
All the trouble he had stirred up had been for one thing only… Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
But now…
A mocking smile crept onto Oguro's lips.
At the moment Whitebeard died, Oguro had been one step faster than anyone else, using the system to absorb the Devil Fruit soul of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Right now, he was genuinely curious.
Without the Devil Fruit's soul, just what exactly could the Dark-Dark Fruit still absorb?
Of course, if Blackbeard somehow still managed to pull out another Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Oguro would be more than happy to see it happen.
After all, that would just be one more treasure he could exchange for a gold-tier legendary gacha ticket.
However, after quite a while, Blackbeard finally crawled out from beneath the black cloth in full view of everyone.
His expression was terrifyingly dark.
"Zehahahaha! Teach, looks like your grand plan fell flat on its face!"
Avalo Pizarro burst into loud laughter, egging him on.
"So then, Teach. How about you acknowledge me as captain instead?"
Bang!
Blackbeard smashed his fist straight into Pizarro's head, sending blood streaming from his nose.
"It was just an accident! Pizarro, everything I promised you will be delivered! Not a single thing you're owed will be missing!"
Blackbeard's mood was absolutely foul.
Why couldn't he absorb any Devil Fruit power from Whitebeard?
From his perspective, Whitebeard's body was completely clean. There wasn't even the slightest trace of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit left behind.
"Did I move too slowly… Did the Devil Fruit power already dissipate?"
That seemed like the most reasonable explanation he could come up with.
"So it really didn't work…"
Oguro stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Looks like this bug wasn't something you could exploit whenever you wanted.
Pizarro, despite getting beaten, wasn't angry at all. He grinned instead.
"Since you say so, I'll believe you a little longer."
Anyone who had been locked away on Level Six of Impel Down and caught Blackbeard's interest was no fool.
Pizarro knew that falling out with Blackbeard right now would only leave him alone to face the Marines' pursuit.
Better to stick together for warmth… at least for now.
Of course, if he ever found the right opportunity, he wouldn't mind stabbing Blackbeard in the back himself.
This was a crew with no loyalty and no bonds, held together purely by Benefit.
Blackbeard's failure to take Whitebeard's Devil Fruit had basically wiped out his credibility in front of the others.
Thankfully, the pressure from the Marines kept the crew from falling apart for the moment.
He still had a chance to rebuild trust by finding a new target.
At that very instant, Blackbeard's gaze shifted toward Oguro in the distance.
"This guy's abilities seem pretty impressive too… Wonder what kind of Devil Fruit it is."
Even now, most people still believed that Oguro's powers came from some kind of special Devil Fruit.
Feeling that icy malice, Oguro raised an eyebrow and shot Blackbeard a disdainful look.
"So now I'm the target, huh?"
Oguro had nothing but contempt for Blackbeard.
Those who achieve greatness can be heroes or tyrants.
But petty villains never last long, even if they succeed.
The best example was the Sima clan from Oguro's previous life.
They endured for decades and seized power, yet no one ever truly submitted to them.
So much so that, because of their own underhanded methods, they didn't even dare govern with loyalty as a principle. They could only rely on filial piety.
A complete farce.
Blackbeard was the same.
He could gather people with Benefit, and one day he would inevitably turn against them over Benefits as well.
Blackbeard exchanged a glance with the others, then suddenly raised his hand toward Oguro.
"Dark Vortex!"
Oguro felt a powerful pulling force as his body was dragged uncontrollably through the air.
The Dark-Dark Fruit could forcibly draw Devil Fruit users toward its wielder.
While a Shinigami wasn't a Devil Fruit user, Oguro had eaten the Magnet-Magnet Fruit.
Adjusting his posture midair, Oguro raised his Zanpakutō, preparing to counterattack.
Bang!
Within his Observation Haki, he sensed a bullet flying straight at him at extreme speed.
Yet Oguro completely ignored it.
A massive sword pressure surged forth, slashing toward Blackbeard as if it were about to cleave the heavens and earth apart.
Is he insane?
Blackbeard's eye twitched violently.
That bullet had been fired by Van Augur.
Even Blackbeard himself had to be careful against shots like that.
Still, beneath the shock, Blackbeard felt more excitement than anything else.
If Oguro really died from this momentary lapse, it would be an unbelievable gain.
From all available intelligence, Oguro's abilities were varied and powerful.
Absorbing just one of his Devil Fruits would be worth three or four ordinary ones.
Yet just as the bullet was about to punch straight through Oguro's skull—
It stopped.
Ten centimeters in front of his face.
Completely motionless.
"That's some heavy force… Armament Haki, huh?"
Oguro glanced at the bullet. A faint layer of Armament Haki coated its surface.
For a sniper, being able to imbue bullets with Armament Haki was already an incredible achievement.
Unfortunately for him…
The bullet was made of metal.
And metal could never escape the control of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit.
"Sending it back."
Oguro manipulated the magnetic field, simulating rails around the bullet. Electricity surged through the field and poured into it.
Crackle!
The bullet shot back at several times the speed of sound.
Railgun.
Friction with the air caused the once-black bullet to glow red-hot.
Van Augur's expression changed instantly.
Even without Armament Haki, the sheer power of that shot would be fatal to a normal human body.
Whoosh!
Van Augur vanished from where he stood.
His Devil Fruit allowed instant teleportation.
The moment he sensed danger, he activated his ability and escaped.
Just as he expected.
The bullet slammed into the ground where he had been standing and detonated.
A massive crater over two meters in radius was left behind.
"If that had Armament Haki on it too, it could probably punch straight through a battleship…"
Van Augur felt a chill run through him as he silently thanked his luck.
At the same time Oguro taught Van Augur a lesson, his body was dragged all the way over to Blackbeard.
"Zehahahaha! I'm taking your power for myself!"
Blackbeard reached out eagerly, grabbing toward Oguro's throat.
"Outrageous!"
Soifon and Yoruichi erupted in fury, their figures flashing forward like lightning.
Not far away, Boa Hancock's eyes burned with rage.
Even though Oguro had specifically instructed her before the Paramount War not to interfere on the battlefield, she still couldn't stop herself from wanting to act.
"To dare lay hands on Lord Oguro… Teach, this concubine will kill you!"
Unfortunately, her speed was far slower than Yoruichi and Soifon's.
And even those two couldn't make it in time.
As Blackbeard's hand closed in, right in front of him, Oguro calmly raised his Zanpakutō.
Crackle.
Crimson lightning surged along the blade, wrapped tightly around Armament Haki.
***
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