Chapter 234: Elements of Surprise, The Ralph Tactics!
"And who said I can't fight anymore?"
Ralph's swaying body suddenly steadied.
Hypnosis complete.
Then, something that shocked Blackbeard happened—
All the injuries on Ralph's body were healing at a visible rate!
Wounds closed, bleeding stopped, dislocated bones snapped back into place with audible cracks!
The paleness on his face rapidly faded, replaced by a healthy flush!
"This..."
Blackbeard's eyes widened, momentarily speechless.
Could he have misjudged?
This guy's physique was clearly much weaker than that Straw Hat Girl's!
Could it be some kind of bloodline trait that only activates when injured?
The corner of Ralph's mouth lifted as he erupted with momentum and charged toward Blackbeard!
In his mind, system notifications were flooding the screen—
[Detected host comprehending the true essence of Kami-e within Black Hole, successfully mastering skill beyond level: Kami-e (Intermediate)]
[Detected host mastering all Six Powers and self-hypnosis, successfully acquiring skill: Life Return (Beginner)]
It turned out that when Ralph was sucked into the darkness by the Black Hole earlier, he didn't use Haki to protect himself or Tekkai to withstand it. Instead, he chose the technique he wasn't yet proficient in—
Under the torment of forces surging from all directions in the darkness, he made his body as soft as paper, going with the flow. Though he was beaten badly, it was in this process that he truly grasped the essence of Kami-e.
And his earlier swaying wasn't just due to injuries—
It was intentional, a means to hypnotize himself and trigger the opportunity for Life Return!
Now comes my counterattack!
Ralph's charge was full of momentum, his right hand covered in pitch-black Armament Haki, his palm held like a blade.
He had no sword, but he himself was a blade!
Blackbeard stood ready, mobilizing all his dark power.
The sense of threat this young man gave him had already surpassed Ace's!
Was this the true power of the Nameless Swordsman?
Nameless and swordless, he himself was a sharp blade!
Teach gathered all his strength to meet this slash—
Then a flash of white light appeared before his eyes.
"Nameless Sword Style: Killing Blade!"
Ralph's left hand reached to his chest, drawing the small knife hidden in his cross pendant!
A flash of blade light shot straight toward Blackbeard's eyes!
Strike unexpectedly, attack unprepared!
You thought I'd fight head-on with passion?
Actually, I outsmart you!
This is my way of fighting, Ralph's way!
Blackbeard's gaze fell into momentary blankness.
Now!
Ralph's right hand stabbed out fiercely!
Covered in Armament Haki and combining all the techniques of the Six Powers, this hand blade had faintly touched the threshold of Rokuogan!
"Six Powers: Rokuogan!"
Yet, just as his right hand was about to pierce Blackbeard's chest, clarity returned to Blackbeard's eyes!
"Bam!"
Blackbeard punched Ralph, sending him flying!
But the energy released from Ralph's right hand simultaneously pierced Blackbeard's chest!
"Pfft!"
Blood splattered!
Ralph flipped in mid-air, landing in a half-kneeling position, spitting blood.
But what made him want to spit blood even more was—
Blackbeard still stood unyielding despite the hole in his chest!
I should have pierced his heart!
Blackbeard also spat blood, glaring fiercely at Ralph.
The bloody hole in his chest was horrifying, yet he could still stand.
The two fell into a stalemate.
Neither knew what other tricks the other had up their sleeve.
Just then, Blackbeard's pupils suddenly contracted.
He saw Ralph's eyes—
One of them was turning red.
That red was not simply bloodshot, nor was it due to anger.
It was as if another person was awakening from behind those eyes.
The entire aura of the person abruptly changed!
In Ralph's mind, a voice exploded—
"You're a real piece of trash!"
The voice carried undisguised mockery and fury.
"Munch-Munch being used like this by you! The famous blade 'Gluttony'—what a waste of that name!"
"If I were the one acting, I'd have killed him with the first strike!"
Ralph's body trembled uncontrollably. In that red eye, the pupil was contracting, like a beast locking onto its prey.
Blackbeard instinctively took a step back.
This feeling... this oppressive pressure... was completely different from before!
"You..."
He opened his mouth.
The corner of Ralph's mouth lifted into an unfamiliar curve, that red eye filled with a maddened smile.
"Blackbeard, is it?"
He spoke, but his voice was different from before.
"Next, it's my turn."
Blackbeard Teach, startled, took another step back.
No mistake!
Conqueror's Haki!
A natural-born king, one in a million!
In the tavern, he had sensed it!
Then it had vanished.
He thought his perception had been mistaken, but it was real after all!
The power of Conqueror's Haki had been hidden within this man named Ralph all along.
For a woman, he would conceal his ambition?
Blackbeard couldn't judge whether such a guy counted as a man or not!
Ralph stood up. As Blackbeard was about to retreat again, he suddenly noticed another anomaly in Ralph's body.
Ralph muttered to himself:
"I can let you out, but can you promise not to harm Lufia?"
Then the voice changed, "Well, I can't promise that!"
"Then you stay inside!"
A certain voice roared with fury, "You useless thing, with a great enemy before you, for a woman, I really..."
As Ralph's reddened eyes returned to normal, Blackbeard also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Though I don't know why, kid Ralph, you seem to have missed a chance to kill me!"
As he said this, Blackbeard was already moving unhindered, as if the hole in his chest wasn't his own.
Ralph couldn't help but retort, "Yeah! I really can't compare to you noble descendants, David D. Teach!"
The fact that Blackbeard's bloodline descended from the legendary Davy Jones had not yet been widely known; no one on the seas was aware of it.
Ralph suddenly mentioning the name David caused Blackbeard to momentarily lose his composure.
Immediately after, a gunshot rang out.
Ralph performed a quick draw.
However, Blackbeard's reaction was truly fast.
Even in that moment of distraction, he reacted, not only dodging by tilting his head but also deploying a dark defense in front of him, absorbing the incoming bullet.
If Ralph had chosen to aim for his head, he might indeed have dodged it.
But Ralph, aiming for a sure hit, shot at his torso.
Thus, the bullet struck the dark barrier!
Blackbeard looked at his own body in surprise.
The Yami Yami no Mi does not lack Elementalization; rather, after Elementalization, it cannot evade damage.
Because the nature of darkness is absorption, everything Blackbeard absorbs while transformed into darkness essentially passes through his body.
Flames are extinguished, damage manifests on his body, and foreign objects are expelled through his Liberation.
But some things cannot be expelled.
Realizing what had happened, Teach drew the dagger at his side and prepared to cut into his own body to dig out the bullet.
Damn it, a Seastone bullet!
Where did this guy get it?
He brought up my background to distract me.
I've been fighting until now, my stamina is drained, so I couldn't use Armament Haki to defend.
Did he plan all of this?
At the same time, Ralph shouted loudly,
"Ace, go now! This guy has lost his Devil Fruit Ability!"