"Cough—cough!"
Blackbeard slammed into the ground from Sanji's kick. He pushed himself up with one hand, clutching the spot where Sanji had struck him. His face twisted in agony, and he let out a howl:
"It hurts—it hurts—it really hurts!!!"
"You bastard—why did your strength suddenly skyrocket!?"
Blackbeard glared at Sanji with a cruel, bewildered expression.
Sanji's level was far from enough to threaten him—but the sudden spike in Sanji's power… now that was worth investigating.
More importantly…
A greedy hunger flickered in Blackbeard's chest.
He had long suspected that this crew of pirates carried some unfathomable secret.
If he could dig that secret out—and make it his own—
Then losing a few subordinates would be a trivial price.
But Sanji, wreathed in scorching flames, clearly had no intention of explaining anything.
In a flash, he vanished like a streak of blazing crimson lightning, cutting across the sea air and striking toward Blackbeard's flank.
"Zehahaha… won't talk, huh?"
"That's fine! After I beat each of you half to death, you'll open your mouths eventually!"
Blackbeard's instincts—sharpened by earlier pain—told him something was wrong with his body today.
No matter.
The instant Sanji disappeared from his view, a thick layer of Armament Haki surged across Blackbeard's skin, forming a dark, heavy armor just like Sanji's.
Since he couldn't keep up with the speed—
He would do the simplest and most brute-force thing:
Cover every inch of himself in defense.
No openings. No weak spot.
It was extremely inefficient, extremely wasteful—almost no true master would ever fight like this.
But when one believed their stats utterly overwhelmed their opponent…
Efficiency became irrelevant.
BOOM!!!
Sanji's flaming kick slammed into Blackbeard's hardened arm, ringing out like steel on steel.
Heat blasted outward in all directions, even dispersing the dense smoke Smoker had laid down.
Sanji's eyes flickered—his kick hadn't budged Blackbeard an inch. His expression tightened in surprise.
Blackbeard, meanwhile, broke into triumphant, taunting laughter.
"That's it?"
"No wonder your crew let you stay behind. Maybe they plan to abandon the weakling and escape!?"
"ZEHAHAHAHA!"
"HEY! YOU BASTARD—DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!!!"
A furious shout tore in. Smoker, still under the buff of Facade, erupted upward on a column of gray-white smoke.
His ten-hand, forged from special high-grade metals of the Marine Science Division, flashed coldly as he swung it down toward Blackbeard's torso.
"Dark Pulse!"
Smoker roared. Between his hands, black energy whipped outward like a malicious aura—eerily similar to the darkness swirling around Blackbeard's own body.
"Hm!?"
Blackbeard froze, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes.
An instant later, Smoker's ten-hand struck him—
But even Sanji at full output couldn't break Blackbeard's guard. Without Seastone, Smoker's attack was meaningless.
CLANG.
Blackbeard merely straightened his Armament-covered chest, effortlessly blocking the strike.
But then—
A swirl of black mist crawled along the ten-hand's surface, coiling over Blackbeard's body and merging with his darkness.
"What—what is this!?"
Blackbeard's eyes bulged. The energy felt shockingly similar to his Dark-Dark Fruit… similar enough to make his heart jolt with dread.
Dark Pulse — Power 80.
An attack releasing malevolent energy that may induce fear in an opponent.
Smoker's strength was average—but luck? Well, he wasn't a chosen one like Luffy, nor absurdly blessed like Buggy—
But among normal people, he was considered lucky enough.
And Dark-type Pokémon energy resembled the Dark-Dark Fruit far too closely.
So Blackbeard's shock was perfectly natural.
BOOM!
A burst of Conqueror's Haki flared from Blackbeard, shattering the dread creeping inside him.
But his expression turned solemn.
"Something's wrong. These people… are way too wrong."
He had planned to quickly beat the Straw Hats, seize their ship, and steal Red's Devil Fruit.
But Sanji and Smoker had revealed two baffling powers—
And the retreat of the Straw Hat kid and the swordsman clearly had purpose.
He couldn't ignore the unease any longer.
And—
He hadn't forgotten whose massive back he was standing on.
That whale—still under the crew's control—could flip the battlefield at any moment.
The flying one and the wave-controller were still somewhere nearby.
"I need to prepare… more."
Blackbeard made his decision.
But he did not slow down. Darkness erupted around him as he extended one hand toward Smoker—
"Dark Vortex!"
And with the other, coated in violent Armament Haki, he punched toward Sanji.
Sanji grimaced from the raw force, blasted backward like a cannonball toward the open sea.
He managed to twist midair, flames flaring as he stopped himself—hovering above the waves.
Smoker, however, had no such luck.
Pulled helplessly toward Blackbeard, he was snatched by the throat.
"Damn it!"
Smoker struggled violently. Unable to use his Logia intangibility, he thrust his palm toward Blackbeard's face.
"Shadow Ball!"
Ghostly purple-black energy condensed instantly.
Blackbeard, inches away from the attack, didn't even try to dodge.
Instead, he murmured:
"As I thought…"
"Your power isn't Devil Fruit at all."
Dark Vortex nullified Devil Fruit users—
Yet even under its restriction, Smoker could still use this strange move.
"ZEHAHAHAHA… now I'm really curious."
WHAM!!!
Before the Shadow Ball could fire, Blackbeard slammed Smoker into Laboon's hide.
"OOOOOOOWWWW!!!"
The whale groaned painfully.
Smoker, crushed in Blackbeard's grip, spit blood, his eyes rolling white.
"SMOKER!!!"
Sanji's voice rang out as he sped back across the sky.
Blackbeard only laughed darkly, lifting Smoker like a toy.
"Zehahaha…"
"Compared to those other three, you're surprisingly weak."
"B…bastard…!"
Smoker rasped hoarsely, raising his trembling hand one more time—Ghost-type energy flickering.
"Oh? Still alive?"
Blackbeard grinned—then simply hurled him into the ocean.
He didn't smash him on Laboon again—he still needed the whale functional until he stole a ship.
"SMOKER!!!"
"DAMMIT!!!"
Sanji halted midair, eyes blazing.
Then—without hesitation—he extinguished his flames and dove straight into the sea after the sinking Smoker.
Blackbeard chuckled.
"Such touching camaraderie."
Then he turned.
He could sense them—two rapidly strengthening auras.
The Straw Hat boy. The three-sword swordsman.
"Hoh… interesting."
"Show me…"
"What secrets are you hiding?"
Blackbeard sprinted across Laboon's back.
Meanwhile—
At Laboon's other end, Red slowly opened his eyes, satisfaction flashing through them.
Across from him, Zoro and Luffy opened theirs as well.
A thunderous aura erupted from both of them.
Their injuries were gone—completely restored.
Time had been too short to return to a Pokémon Center.
But Red had stockpiled more than enough recovery items.
And beyond potions—he fed them the battle capsules he'd saved for emergencies:
[Power Boost][Defense Boost][Special Defense Boost][Special Attack Boost][Speed Boost]
Crude names—frightening effects.
Each capsule multiplied their stats by a percentage. The higher their level, the lower the gain—
But right now, neither Luffy nor Zoro were high-level.
So the increase was enormous.
Then—
Usopp stepped forward and withdrew two syringes filled with venom—the same toxin Smoker had once had Sanji inject.
While feeding the items, Red also equipped both of them with Facade, replacing Hyper Beam.
As the venom entered their bodies, their vitality surged violently.
Luffy and Zoro stared at their hands, stunned.
"Red!!!"
"You had these the whole time!? You should've given 'em earlier!"
"I feel at least twice as strong!!!"
Zoro didn't speak—but the upward curl of his lips, and the trembling of his sword arm, said everything.
His fighting spirit was barely contained.
"All right!"
Luffy clapped his hands together, fire in his eyes.
"Sanji can't hold out forever—we gotta go!"
"Yeah!"
Even Zoro's usual rivalry with the love-cook couldn't hide the worry in his gaze.
Their opponent was… too strong.
"Wait!!"
Red called after them with a smile.
"Who said we're done?"
"You forgot the most important power."
At his signal, everyone except Robin (who'd never entered the Pokémon world) gathered around.
Usopp placed his hands on both Luffy's and Zoro's shoulders—
A warm, vibrant energy surged into them.
[Move: Helping Hand]A transfer of Pokémon energy, temporarily granting half of the donor's power.
Normally useless for the Straw Hats' growth path…
But now? A perfect emergency amplifier.
Even halved and weakened, the Bug-type and Grass-type energies expanded Luffy and Zoro's combat versatility.
Then Nami injected her Electric and Flying energies.Vivi her Psychic and Ground.Chopper his Grass and Ice.Even Merry, as a Klabautermann, contributed a sliver of Ghost-type energy.
And finally—
The main dish:
Laboon.
Unable to precisely send energy backward over his own back, Laboon poured a massive Helping Hand into the entire crew, and everyone channeled it into Luffy and Zoro.
It was inefficient—but incredibly fast.
Just as the two finished absorbing it—
A harsh laugh rang out.
"ZEHAHAHA… so this is where you were hiding!"
"Took me quite some time to find you!!!"
Blackbeard crested the slope, eyes sweeping through the entire Straw Hat crew.
"Good. You're all here."
"Then I'll kill two birds with one stone—and avenge Lafitte!"
"Prepare to die, Straw Hat Luffy!!!"
Without hesitation, darkness surged, Armament exploded, and he lunged.
"Blackbeard!"
Luffy, empowered by items, toxins, and comrades, didn't even need to inflate his arm.
His arms expanded instantly into enormous Haki-coated giant fists, and he swung—
BOOOOOOOM!!!!!
Thunder cracked. The sky split. The sea boiled.
Blackbeard's eyes bulged.
"What!?"
Luffy roared, Conqueror's Haki blasting outward—
And all the Pokémon energies inside him surged like a tidal wave.
Lightning speed. Fire's heat. Ice's chill. Grass's growth. Water's flow. Fairy's wild magic—
For a heartbeat—
Blackbeard saw several Luffys overlapping in front of him.
Each wreathed in a different colored aura.
Then—
Each Luffy raised a different giant arm.
"Gum-Gum… Elemental Elephant Gatling!!!"
BOOM!!!
Luffy withdrew one fist from the clash—
And the two giant fists erupted into cascades of multicolored energy lights.
Flames. Frost. Vines. Thunderbolts—
Blackbeard's eyes went wide.
This wasn't an illusion.
It was REAL.
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!!
The two giant arms hammered Blackbeard like twin machine guns, every blow a different elemental strike.
Blackbeard wrapped himself fully in Armament Haki to survive—but every punch still hurt like torture thanks to the Dark-Dark Fruit's curse.
The sky dyed itself rainbow under Luffy's energy surges.
Luffy punched for a full minute.
Blackbeard endured a full minute.
At last—
Luffy's borrowed energy exhausted.
Blackbeard plummeted like a stone, smashing into Laboon's back and coughing blood.
But—as a man who scarred Shanks—
He staggered upright again.
"Y—you…"
"How did your strength skyrocket like this!?"
Impossible.
Impossible!
Continue fighting and more insanity might happen.
A cold dread crept up his spine.
Not because he couldn't beat Luffy—
But because Luffy kept breaking limits over and over.
What if there was another transformation? Another absurd technique?
He had seen enough.
He needed to retreat.
He needed to survive to uncover their powers later.
Devil Fruit users didn't become lighter in seawater—only weaker.
If he played it right, he could sink, drift, and eventually find land or a ship.
"Time to go."
But he kept up the taunting façade:
"ZEHAHAHAHA…"
"That's your strongest power!? Straw Hat!?"
"Pretty underwhelming!"
Darkness surged. He shouted—
"Now watch my strongest attack!!!"
"Black Hole Path!!!"
A massive wave of darkness exploded toward the crew.
Usopp's eyes bulged.
He triggered his Green Vine Grapple.
"Special Attack—Blooming Sunflower!!"
A seed shot out, sprouted instantly, and blossomed into a massive hovering sunflower jet-platform with a hanging vine-strap.
"Everyone, get on!!!"
He leapt aboard. The others scrambled after him.
Red grabbed the strap and flew them upward, dodging the dark wave.
"Usopp, I'm starting to think you made this thing on purpose."
"Ahahaha—of course not! It just grew this way!"
It was absolutely a failed experiment—but no one needed to know that.
Robin suddenly shouted:
"Wait—something's wrong!"
"He's not attacking us—he's ESCAPING!"
"What!?"
Everyone turned.
Blackbeard was tightening his darkness, trapping Luffy and Zoro in place—
While he ran for Laboon's edge.
"He's running!" Nami gasped. "Red—what now!?"
"No way we're letting him escape!" Usopp snarled.
He drew a special bullet, loaded his slingshot—
"BLACKBEARD!!! YOU DOG—!!!"
The insult naturally drew Blackbeard's attention—
And Usopp fired.
A tiny missile streaked out, shedding parts, accelerating like a cruise rocket—
And shot straight down Blackbeard's throat.
"What!?"
A wave of weakness crashed over him.
The darkness restraining Luffy and Zoro dissolved instantly.
"BASTARD!!!" Blackbeard clutched his throat. "What did you feed me!?"
Usopp puffed his chest out, victorious.
"Dumbass! Can't you feel it!?"
"That was SEASTONE!!! Idiot!!!"
"WAHAHAHAHA!!!"
And not just any Seastone—
But the PYROBROIN-enriched Seastone specially forged by the Marines for Smoker.
Unless Blackbeard cut himself open or… passed it—
His powers were sealed.
"You fool!!! Those earlier weak shots were just bait!"
"All for THIS moment!!!"
Usopp raised a single finger skyward like a champion.
"Usopp, you're amazing!!!" Chopper squealed.
"Damn you!!!"
Blackbeard roared. He had no choice but to run.
He memorized Usopp's face deeply.
"I'll remember this grudge, LONG-NOSE!!!"
He sprinted—
But Zoro appeared in front of him, three blades drawn.
"Our fight isn't over."
A monstrous pressure—rivaling Conqueror's—burst from Zoro.
Dragons—countless phantom dragons—swirled around him.
Bandana tied. Eyes blood-red.
His blades became fangs leading the pack.
"Extreme Three-Dragon Style—Flowing Blade—Demon Sever!!!"
FWOOOOM—
A rainbow arc carved across Laboon's back.
The dragons shrieked—
And then all lunged at Blackbeard.
Feeling the crushing force behind him, Blackbeard made a desperate choice.
He turned, even while weakened—
Coated his arm in Armament—
"ZEHAHAHA!!!"
"You didn't expect THIS escape route!!!"
BOOM!!!
His punch collided with the dragon strike—
For a heartbeat, time froze.
Then—
One dragon head bit clean through his arm.
Blood geysered.
The recoil blasted Blackbeard like a cannonball—
Straight into the distant deep sea.
A cloud of blood dyed the waves, concealing his sinking form.
Zoro slashed again—several times—but struck nothing.
"Huh!? He escaped?"
Zoro frowned.
Red immediately dropped the crew off and shot across the sky in a bolt of lightning, searching the ocean.
He parted the sea with Pokémon energy—
But even draining himself near empty, he found no trace of Blackbeard.
Deep beneath the ocean…
In a dark, hidden cavern—
Blackbeard wedged himself under a heavy stone to keep from drifting.
The crushing pressure.The agony of the missing arm.The suffocating seawater weakness.
All unbearable—
But for survival, Teach endured.
Eyes closed—pretending to sleep.
Waiting.
Plotting.
Living.
(End of Chapter)