Chapter 229: Don't Be Rash to Make a Move, Captain Ace!
"A man's dreams never end!"
Blackbeard Teach shouted loudly toward Ace on the opposite side.
His eyes held a kind of fanatical stubbornness.
"I know killing a crewmate is a grave sin," Teach said without any concealment, "But there was no other way—the fruit I've dreamed of day and night appeared."
"It chose me!"
"That fruit carries my dreams!"
On a distant rooftop, Ralph felt a stir in his heart upon hearing these words.
Ace's expression was cold and stern, fiercely suppressing the anger within.
"Teach, you bastard who should've gone to hell long ago—were those your last words just now?"
"Zehahaha!"
Teach's laughter echoed through the street.
"Don't be in such a hurry to fight, Commander Ace!"
"I still have something to say, and that is—"
"Join me!"
Ace frowned.
"Whitebeard's era is already over!"
Teach spread his arms wide, darkness beginning to seep from his body.
"I've already laid out a series of plans to make a name for myself across the seas—I will become the true Pirate King!"
"With your Mera Mera no Mi and my Yami Yami no Mi, we will be invincible in this world!"
"Don't even think about it."
Ace refused without hesitation.
"I will always support Pops Whitebeard as the Pirate King!"
Teach's smile faded, darkness gathering beneath his feet into a swamp-like shape.
"So, you insist on standing in the way of my dreams."
"You're the one who must pay for killing a crewmate!"
Ace's voice finally erupted with anger.
As soon as the words were spoken—
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots exploded almost simultaneously.
Two small flames ignited on Ace's body—one blooming on his forehead, the other appearing over his heart.
It was the Elementalization of the Mera Mera no Mi that saved him from being killed by the two shots.
He quickly formed his hand into the shape of a pistol, his gaze locking onto the tall, thin figure on a distant rooftop holding a long rifle.
"Flintlock!"
Flames transformed into bullets, shooting from his fingertips toward Van Augur.
The latter reacted swiftly, rolling behind a large chimney as the bullets blasted chunks of rubble from it.
Only then did the surrounding pirates watching the spectacle realize—
The fight had begun!
A gunfight!
They scattered in panic but suddenly felt the ground tremble beneath their feet.
"Hah—!"
With a fierce roar, Champion Burgess's arm muscles bulged as he lifted an entire building and hurled it viciously toward Ace!
Ace remained calm, a whirlwind of flames swirling around him.
"Hibashira!"
A towering pillar of fire erupted from the ground, blasting the incoming building into two halves.
Burning debris scattered, sending the surrounding pirates screaming and fleeing in terror.
This was no fight they could simply watch.
Not to mention Logia Users capable of devastating the world with their powers—
Even the guy throwing buildings around was someone they couldn't afford to mess with.
In the distance, Lufia, crouching beside the chimney next to Ralph, had eyes shining like stars.
"Wow! Ace's moves are amazing!"
"So this is the guy Ace was looking for!"
Lufia recognized the man who had been eating cherry pie in the tavern earlier.
"He's a guy with dreams too, but what a shame—he's a bastard who killed his crewmate!"
Ralph didn't speak, soothing Munch-Munch, who had poked his head out from his collar, now transformed into a black lizard.
It wasn't yet time for him to make a move.
On the battlefield, Ace launched a Hiken toward Burgess.
A massive fist of flames smashed down, sending the fighting champion crashing into another building, bricks shattering and dust rising everywhere.
"Are they all your crew members?"
Ace looked at Teach, his tone carrying scrutiny.
"Teach, you've become a captain who can stand on your own!"
"Come at me together, let me see what level your Blackbeard Pirates are really at!"
"Everyone, stop!"
Teach suddenly shouted loudly, halting his subordinates who were preparing to attack again.
"Ace is not an opponent you can contend with!"
He turned to Ace, the darkness surging even more violently within him:
"Your Mera Mera no Mi is indeed powerful, but you don't yet know my strength—"
"Unique among Logia, a power that, once obtained, is enough to make one invincible under heaven!"
"The power to become darkness itself!"
As soon as the words fell, pure darkness erupted from his body. It wasn't black smoke or dark clouds, but true, all-devouring darkness.
"Black Hole!"
Under Teach's control, the darkness spread across the ground like a living creature, forming a massive swamp-like domain that surrounded the nearby buildings.
Immediately after, those houses, ruins, and several Pirates who failed to escape were all sucked into the darkness, vanishing without a trace.
Only the spot where Ace stood was deliberately avoided.
Ace's pupils contracted slightly—the power of the Yami Yami no Mi was indeed just as Ralph had described.
A Devil Fruit User of the Yami Yami no Mi possesses the power to manipulate darkness.
They can create black hole-like gravity and space, capable of sucking in and compressing or crushing anything that comes into contact with the darkness.
Teach glanced at him, instantly withdrawing the darkness and then spitting out everything that had been sucked in—
"Boom!"
The things that had been devoured were already shattered, crashing down as a twisted pile of ruins.
Shattered wooden beams, twisted metal, broken human bones...
Mixed together into a gruesome hellscape.
"See, Captain Ace?"
Teach spread his arms, darkness churning behind him.
"This is the power of the Yami Yami no Mi!"
"With it, and with your addition, the Blackbeard Pirates will be invincible under heaven!"
"Join me, and together we'll ascend to the throne of the Pirate King!"
Ace's gaze remained resolute.
"It is indeed strong, but that's no reason for you to betray your comrades!"
Teach sighed.
"Stubborn and unyielding... Then let me show you the true power of the Yami Yami no Mi—"
"Kurouzu!"
He raised his hand, the darkness in his palm forming a vortex, its powerful gravitational force instantly locking onto Ace.
Ace felt as if an invisible hand was dragging his body, pulling him uncontrollably toward Teach.
But he didn't panic.
The information about Devil Fruits that Ralph had shared with him during their journey surfaced in his mind:
"...The Yami Yami no Mi can also seal the abilities of Devil Fruit Users, but it has a fatal weakness—"
"It cannot allow the user to use Elementalization to evade attacks, and when attacked, the user suffers double the pain."
A sharp glint flashed in Ace's eyes.
Before he could be sucked into Teach's palm, his hands ignited with blazing white flames.
"Shinka: Shiranui!"
Two flames transformed into burning spears, piercing through Teach's body!
The flames entered through his chest and emerged from his back, continuously scorching his internal organs!
"Guaaaaaah—!"
Teach let out a piercing scream, the darkness churning violently, but he gritted his teeth and stubbornly completed the activation of his ability.
Ace was caught in his grasp, and immediately after, a palm struck the area connecting Ace's shoulder and neck!
"Crack!"
The sound of breaking bones was clearly audible.
Ace was sent flying, tumbling several times on the ground before coming to a stop.
He clutched his throbbing shoulder,
"Dammit... my bone's broken... Teach, you were this strong all along!"