Next Bonus, 100!!
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Beneath the encroaching power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, Luffy landed hard—only to feel a crushing force grip him, dragging him down.
He looked around. The entire area shrouded in darkness had begun to collapse, sinking into itself.
The pirates who hadn't escaped in time thrashed wildly within the blackness, but it was like being caught in quicksand.
There was no escape.
The ground shuddered. The very air seemed to tremble.
The entire district was being swallowed by darkness—a truly horrifying sight.
"Black Hole," Blackbeard declared. "An infinite gravity that crushes everything it touches—and then obliterates it!"
Once the entire town had been consumed, the darkness converged back toward Blackbeard, shrinking until it fit in the palm of his hand.
And now—
Every building in the surrounding area had vanished.
The pirates who had managed to escape swallowed hard, their throats suddenly dry.
It was a terrifying power.
"The vanished town... now let me show you its fate! Liberation!"
Blackbeard clenched his fists. A vortex of darkness erupted from his body, unfurling toward the sky.
In the next instant, a torrent of splintered planks, shattered windows, and mangled corpses shot out from the vortex.
A thick cloud of dust filled the air.
When it finally settled, all that remained was a field of rubble.
"Zehahahaha! Do you understand now, Ace?" Blackbeard gloated. "This is the power I've obtained!"
Ace looked up. Countless points of light, like fireflies, began to gather around Blackbeard.
"Firefly: Fiery Doll!"
The points of light converged, erupting into a sheet of flame that engulfed Blackbeard's body.
"Hot, hot, hot!" he yelped.
'I've already seen how powerful his darkness is,' Ace thought, puzzled. 'But this is strange. A Logia user should be able to easily block an attack like this.'
A black mist erupted from Blackbeard's body, swallowing the flames.
He gasped for breath and staggered to his feet. "I already told you," he rasped, "darkness can swallow everything. Bullets, swords, fists, lightning... but as a price, my body absorbs more pain than a normal person's. And in exchange for that risk... I can absorb other things as well."
Blackbeard extended his left hand. "Kurouzu!"
A swirling tendril of black mist shot out from his hand, snaking toward Ace.
"The gravity of my darkness can pull a Devil Fruit user right to me."
A powerful force suddenly latched onto Ace, dragging him toward Blackbeard.
Blackbeard's massive hand clamped down on Ace's shoulder.
"ACE!" Luffy shouted, stunned.
"GUM-GUM BAZOOKA!"
Blackbeard swayed, narrowly avoiding Luffy's attack.
Then, his other hand shot out and grabbed Luffy's outstretched arm, yanking him forward and sending him flying.
"Wha—? What's happening?" Luffy cried out as he crashed to the ground.
His powers—they had been nullified.
"So? You've noticed it, haven't you, Ace?"
Ace's expression was grim. "Don't tell me..."
Blackbeard slammed Ace into the ground, the force of the impact leaving a deep crater.
Ace spat out a mouthful of blood.
Blackbeard stood up, grinning. "Been a while since you've been hit like this, hasn't it, Ace? You should have understood the moment I touched you. When my hand makes contact with a Devil Fruit user—regardless of their type—I can temporarily nullify their abilities! That means Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan! All of them! I have obtained the power to render them all defenseless!"
Ace climbed out of the crater, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"In that case," he said, "I just have to make sure you don't touch me."
"Useless," Blackbeard sneered. "I've already shown you. Nothing can escape the pull of my darkness."
"Kurouzu!"
"Gum-Gum—"
Luffy attacked Blackbeard from behind, but this time, Blackbeard ignored him, grabbing Ace and pummeling him with a barrage of blows.
Luffy's blows were nothing to him.
Watching Ace get beaten before his eyes, Luffy's rage boiled over.
Suddenly—
SWISH!
A figure leaped up from the ground, a blade flashing as it slashed at Blackbeard.
The attack was so dangerous that Blackbeard was forced to roll out of the way, dropping Ace in the process.
Luffy's arm shot out, grabbing Ace and pulling him to safety.
He looked at the swordsman.
It was Ochoku.
He was back, confronting Blackbeard. "Give me back my treasure!"
"Are you dreaming, you fool?" Blackbeard's eyes turned cold, his expression darkening. "Take a good look at my face. Does it not remind you of something?"
Ochoku froze. He looked closer, and then his body began to tremble. "R-Rocks?!" he gasped.
Ace and Luffy had no idea what he was talking about.
"Luffy, listen to me," Ace said, taking a deep breath. "You need to get your crew and get out of here."
"Ace!"
"You felt it, didn't you?" Ace said, his voice firm. "This isn't a fight you can be a part of. The gap is too big. This isn't a game of courage. A temporary retreat is necessary to gather more strength. You still have a long way to go. If you stay here, you'll just be a distraction. Do you understand?"
Luffy was silent for a moment.
"I get it," he said.
Ace breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid Luffy would be too stubborn.
He clapped a hand on Luffy's shoulder, his gaze unwavering. "I believe in you. Your journey has only just begun."
"Ace... you take care of yourself, too."
This battle had been a harsh lesson for Luffy.
The Grand Line and the East Blue... they were two different worlds.
They were still weak.
A true warrior is forged in blood and fire.
Not wanting to be a burden to Ace, Luffy turned to find his crew.
It was time to leave this island.
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The Going Merry sailed away.
On the island, flames, darkness, and the light of Conqueror's Haki clashed, unleashing a series of violent explosions that shook the very sea.
Even from a distance, they could feel the intensity of the battle.
Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Violet—they were all injured, all silent.
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