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Auguro, having seen the original timeline, knew very well that Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit (Yami Yami no Mi) had the effect of absorbing another person's Devil Fruit ability. Blackbeard's entire scheme was orchestrated for the sake of acquiring Whitebeard's Quake-Quake Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi).
But now... A playful smirk tugged at Auguro's lips.
The moment Whitebeard died, Auguro was a fraction of a second faster, having already used his system to absorb the Devil Fruit soul of the Quake-Quake Fruit. Now, he was intensely curious to see what the Dark-Dark Fruit would manage to absorb without the Devil Fruit soul present!
Of course, if Blackbeard did somehow manage to absorb another Quake-Quake Fruit, Auguro would be more than thrilled! After all, that would be another treasure he could exchange for a Gold Legend-tier Lottery Coupon!
However, after a long period of waiting, Blackbeard finally emerged from under the black cloth, under the gaze of all the onlookers. His face was chillingly gloomy.
"Hahaha! Teach, it looks like your elaborate scheme failed!" Avalo Pizarro laughed heartily, trying to provoke him.
"So, Teach! How about you recognize me as your captain now?"
BANG!
Blackbeard punched Pizarro square on the head, sending blood gushing from his nose.
"It was merely an accident! Pizarro, I will keep my promises! You will receive everything I guaranteed you, not one bit less!"
Blackbeard was in a terrible mood. How was it possible that he couldn't absorb the Devil Fruit power from Whitebeard? From his perspective, Whitebeard's body was completely clean, without any trace of the Quake-Quake Fruit's residue!
"Could it be that I was too slow, and the Fruit's power already dissipated?" Blackbeard settled on what he thought was a reasonably logical guess.
"As expected, it didn't work!" Auguro rubbed his chin. That kind of system exploit wasn't something he could force.
Pizarro, unfazed by the punch, laughed cheerfully.
"Since you said so, I'll trust you for a little longer, then!"
No one locked up on Level Six of Impel Down and subsequently recruited by Blackbeard was an idiot. Pizarro knew that if he broke with Blackbeard now, he would be facing the Marine hunt alone. It was better to temporarily stick together.
Of course, if he ever found an opportunity, he wouldn't mind stabbing Blackbeard in the back! It could be said that Blackbeard's crew was completely devoid of loyalty or emotional attachment, bound purely by self-interest.
Blackbeard's failure to seize Whitebeard's power essentially meant his credibility had been destroyed in front of his crew. Fortunately, the pressure from the Marines kept the team together for now. He still had a chance to find a new target and rebuild their trust.
In that instant, Blackbeard's gaze swept toward Auguro, who was standing not far away.
"This guy... his ability seems decent! I wonder what Devil Fruit it is!"
Even now, most people still believed Auguro and his companions' powers stemmed from some kind of special Devil Fruit!
Sensing the cold malice, Auguro raised an eyebrow and smirked disdainfully at Blackbeard.
"So, he's set his sights on me?"
Auguro felt nothing but contempt for Blackbeard. A person who achieves greatness can be a hero or a powerful tyrant, but a despicable scoundrel who achieves it will not last long.
The greatest historical example was the Sima clan in Auguro's past life. They endured for decades to seize power, yet no one genuinely submitted to them. Because of their own actions, they didn't dare to use loyalty as a guiding principle for governance, only filial piety!
It was a complete mockery of history!
Blackbeard was the same. He might be able to gather people through self-interest, but sooner or later, he would clash with them over that same self-interest!
Blackbeard exchanged a look with a few of his crewmates, then suddenly raised his hand toward Auguro.
"Dark Water!"
Auguro felt a pulling sensation, and his body began to fly toward Blackbeard, somewhat uncontrollably.
The Dark-Dark Fruit's ability was to draw Devil Fruit Users toward the user! While Soul Reapers (Shinigami) were not Devil Fruit Users, Auguro had consumed the Magnet-Magnet Fruit (Jiki Jiki no Mi)!
Auguro adjusted his posture in mid-air. He swung his Zanpakutō with his right hand, preparing a counter-attack.
BANG!
A bullet was detected by his Observation Haki, speeding toward Auguro. Yet, Auguro paid it no mind, unleashing a powerful Sword Pressure toward Blackbeard that seemed capable of cleaving the very sky.
Is this guy trying to get himself killed? Blackbeard's eyes twitched. That bullet was fired by Van Augur!
Even Blackbeard himself had to be careful when dealing with his shots!
But beyond the worry, Blackbeard was also excited. If Auguro truly died due to this moment of carelessness, he would gain a huge advantage!
After all, based on existing intelligence, Auguro had diverse and powerful abilities. Absorbing his single Fruit power could be equivalent to gaining three or four others!
However, just as the bullet was about to pierce Auguro's forehead, it stopped exactly ten centimeters in front of him, unable to proceed any further!
"Quite a punch! Did he use Haki?" Auguro glanced at the bullet. A faint layer of Armament Haki was wrapped around the projectile.
For a sniper, attaching Armament Haki to a bullet was a remarkable feat. Unfortunately, the bullet was made of metal. And if it were metal, it could not escape the control of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit!
"Returning this to you!"
Auguro manipulated the magnetic force to simulate a railgun around the bullet, then generated an electric current with the magnetic field and channeled it into the bullet.
Zzzzzzzzz!
The bullet was reflected back at several times the speed of sound. The Railgun!
Due to the intense friction with the air, the previously black bullet glowed incandescently red!
Van Augur's face instantly changed. The power of that bullet, even without the added Haki, was something his mortal body couldn't withstand.
SWOOP!
Van Augur instantly vanished from his location. His Devil Fruit ability allowed him to instantly transport himself. The moment he sensed danger, he used his power to teleport away.
His caution was validated. The bullet struck the ground where he had been standing, causing an immediate explosion, leaving behind a massive crater over two meters in radius!
"If he were to add Armament Haki to that, he could probably punch right through a battleship!" Van Augur secretly congratulated himself on avoiding death.
While Auguro dealt with Van Augur, his body was still being pulled closer to Blackbeard.
"Zehahaha! I'll be taking your power now!" Blackbeard cried triumphantly, reaching out to grab Auguro's neck!
"Audacity!"
Soi Fon and Yoruichi roared in unison, flashing toward the area like bolts of lightning. Not far away, Boa Hancock's eyes were spitting fire. Even though Auguro had specifically instructed her before the war not to help him on the battlefield, she could barely restrain herself from intervening now!
"How dare he assault Auguro-sama! Teach, this Empress will definitely kill you!"
However, her speed was nowhere near that of Yoruichi and Soi Fon. And even they were too far away to intervene in time!
Watching Blackbeard's hand closing in, Auguro gently raised his Zanpakutō.
CRACKLE!
A bolt of crimson lightning surged from the blade, which was coated in Armament Haki!