Blackbeard stood at the bow of his ship, shouting loudly, "Hey, Straw Hat kid! To think you're a big shot with a two hundred million Beri bounty! Zehahaha! Lend me your head, would you? You're the perfect stepping stone for us to become Warlords!"
His crew members around him wore nasty grins, giving off a very villainous aura.
Vivi and Nami walked over, looking on guard. "Luffy, who are they?"
"Do you know him?"
"Oh, met him at a bar in Mock Town. Guy said some interesting stuff. As for his name... I really don't know," Luffy answered.
Nami was speechless. "You don't even know his name?"
Over on the other ship, Blackbeard fell silent for a moment upon hearing the conversation, seeming a bit wounded. But he was a man of immense patience, biding his time, exceptionally skilled at seizing opportunities, and willing to go all-in on his ambitions.
"I am Marshall D. Teach! Remember that name, Straw Hat kid!"
Upon hearing the name, Robin said, "I knew he felt familiar. He's Blackbeard."
"Blackbeard?"
All traces of playfulness vanished from Luffy's face. He remembered Ace's words. The traitor Ace was chasing was named Blackbeard!
"You're the one Ace is after?"
"Oh?"
Blackbeard laughed heartily. "Zehahaha! So you know our Commander Ace pretty well!"
Luffy didn't answer, only stared intently at Blackbeard. An intangible pressure spread out like a physical force, making even Blackbeard feel a pressure greater than when he faced Ace!
Wait, what's going on with this kid?!
Blackbeard's heart filled with shock and doubt. The oppressive feeling Luffy gave him was too strong. He was the master of patience, having lain low on Whitebeard's ship for twenty years. But after obtaining the Yami Yami no Mi, his mindset had inevitably swelled somewhat. Now, the aura emanating from Luffy made him feel a long-forgotten sense of danger, even beginning to doubt if he had acted too rashly this time.
Without turning his head, Luffy asked, "Nami, do we have time now?"
These guys were too dangerous. Since they'd run into them anyway, he'd help Ace take care of this traitor!
Nami closed her eyes, sensing the increasingly violent ocean currents and changes in air pressure. "The Knock Up Stream eruption is in less than a minute! There's no time!"
"A minute is enough."
Luffy kept his eyes locked on Blackbeard's crew and turned to shout, "Leave this side to me for now. You all get ready for the Knock Up Stream."
"This is so troublesome!" Nami clutched her head and complained, but the next second, she snapped into command mode, barking orders. "Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Man your stations and follow my steering commands! Chopper, secure all loose items! Don't let anything fly away! Robin, Vivi, help out!"
Watching Nami quickly switch to commander mode, Robin covered her mouth with a light chuckle. "It seems Miss Nami really does spoil Luffy."
Nami's face reddened.
Over on the other ship.
Blackbeard's sharp intuition told him things were going south, especially seeing Luffy's resolute expression and the terrifying aura beginning to surge around him. He even started to consider retreating. His goal was the Warlord position; there was no need to get into a death-match with someone who felt this off-putting here.
But Luffy was already moving.
He leaped from the Going Merry. Activating his Gomu Gomu no Mi powers, his body floated briefly in the air before his right arm inflated rapidly like a balloon, instantly transforming into a giant's arm!
"Hey, Van Augur! Shoot to stop him! What's that kid trying to do?!" Blackbeard's expression changed drastically as he shouted.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
The sniper Van Augur on Blackbeard's ship immediately raised his rifle and fired. But as the bullets flew toward Luffy, they seemed to hit an invisible wall, exploding prematurely in a shower of sparks.
What?!
Blackbeard's pupils contracted sharply. He saw the jet-black Armament Haki coiling around Luffy's arm, and even glimpsed faint, jumping arcs of electricity.
First compression.
Second compression.
Third compression!
"Gomu Gomu no... HAO KOKU!!"
Luffy's voice boomed like thunder over the raging sea.
He compressed his giant arm to its absolute limit.
BOOM!
A colossal, destructive shockwave erupted from the giant fist, tearing through the air instantly and hurtling toward the Blackbeard Pirates' ship with overwhelming force.
"Impossible!" Blackbeard screamed.
At that moment, Blackbeard seemed to see a glimpse of Whitebeard's world-shattering power from his prime!
Facing "Pops" was like a father disciplining a son.
No one understood better than he did just how terrifying that man hailed as the "Strongest in the World" truly was.
Stalling for only a beat, Blackbeard hurriedly activated the power of his Yami Yami no Mi, attempting to swallow and absorb this force.
Darkness spread before him like a gaping maw.
However, the impact force of Hao Koku was too concentrated and impossibly fast.
The darkness managed to swallow only a portion of it. The remaining power struck the ship's hull squarely.
KABOOM!
A violent explosion sounded. The hull of the Blackbeard Pirates' ship was visibly shattered. Cries of surprise and pain erupted from on board.
"Luffy! The Knock Up Stream is here!" Nami shouted with all her might.
"WAAAHHH!"
"Hold on tight!"
"We're entering the vortex! Merry, start sailing along its direction!"
Nami clung to the railing, shouting commands. "Don't get too close to the center, or the ship will be smashed by the erupting stream! Turn the helm forty degrees to port!"
"I know, I'm on it!" Zoro and Sanji strained to turn the wheel.
"No good! The current's too fast! I can't turn it!" Usopp's face was flushed with effort.
"It's alright. Merry's got it calculated." Merry's figure began to emit a soft glow, merging with the ship itself.
Under Merry's precise control and Nami's direction, the Going Merry navigated perilously along the very edge of the vortex, riding the tremendous force about to erupt.
After delivering his punch, Luffy used the recoil to shoot back like a cannonball onto the violently rocking deck of the Merry.
He glanced at the Blackbeard Pirates' ship, now broken and in chaos under the dual assault of the explosion and the impending Knock Up Stream, and paid them no further mind. He believed that one hit was enough to give them a serious beating.
"Luffy!" Nami yelled.
"Got it!" Luffy responded, taking a deep breath and slamming both hands onto the deck.
His power instantly spread across the entire hull, temporarily transforming the Going Merry into rubber.
This was the best method he could think of to protect the ship from the massive impact.
Almost simultaneously, from the very center of the giant vortex where the Merry was, the seawater seemed to be violently thrust upward by an invisible giant hand from below. An unimaginably colossal water column, carrying earth-shattering momentum, erupted with a deafening roar.
The Going Merry was instantly captured by this irresistible force. Its bow shot upward sharply, becoming nearly perpendicular to the sea surface.
This was the Knock Up Stream!
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!