"Captain Teach," Diamante shouted, his voice tense, "there are more and more of these Vampires!"
"It looks like the entire town is filled with them," said calmly, a faint smile on his lips. "Teach, what is your decision?"
Blackbeard's eyes gleamed under the dark sky.
"Zehahahahaha! We will retreat for now. We will think of something once we create distance. Follow me."
With that, he unleashed the power of the Dark Dark Fruit, clearing a path by swallowing the approaching Vampires into darkness. He turned and ran without hesitation.
The rest of the Blackbeard Pirates followed closely behind him. However, after passing one intersection, then another, unease began to settle over them.
The buildings around them were identical. The streets looked exactly the same.
Shiryu's expression darkened. "What is happening?"
Baby 5's voice grew serious. "Are we lost? I feel like we have already been here."
"It is not a feeling," Shiryu replied coldly, pointing ahead. "We have been here."
He gestured toward a house wall marked by a clean sword slash.
"I left that mark when I cut down a Vampire. We are trapped."
Burgess frowned, agitation rising. "Impossible! We walked in a straight line. We did not turn at all. No matter how large this town is, moving straight ahead should have taken us out."
Trebol swallowed nervously. "Could this be a Devil Fruit ability? Something like an illusion?"
"An illusion is possible," Shiryu admitted, "but everything here feels tangible."
To test it, he released a sharp sword slash. The blade of air sliced through several Vampires and severed the corner of a house. The destruction was undeniably real.
Blackbeard's grin widened, though his eyes had grown colder.
"Zehahahahaha! Illusion or not, I will devour it."
"Black Vortex."
Darkness exploded outward, swallowing the surrounding buildings. Within moments, the area was flattened into an empty expanse.
Blackbeard waved his hand confidently. "Move."
The crew advanced again, convinced they had broken whatever trap ensnared them.
Ten minutes later, they stopped in unison.
They were back at the same flattened ground created by Blackbeard's Black Vortex.
For the first time, genuine tension crept across the faces of the Blackbeard Pirates.
Baby 5's voice trembled. "Could it be that there really are ghosts here? Are we truly trapped?"
"Shut up!" Burgess roared. "Ghosts do not exist."
Blackbeard scanned the surroundings, his grin fading into thoughtfulness.
"What kind of power is this?"
Shiryu spoke after a pause. "It may be an ancient formation technique."
Blackbeard glanced at him. "Explain."
"Before I became Chief Warden of , I worked briefly within the World Government's intelligence network. I once read about ancient formations designed to trap intruders. According to those records, such formations allow entry but not exit. The only way to escape is to locate what is called the Gate of Life."
Blackbeard's grin returned slowly.
"So as long as we find this Gate of Life, we can leave."
"In theory," Shiryu answered evenly. "However, I do not know how to identify it."
Blackbeard laughed.
"Zehahahahaha! Then we will rely on luck. Fortune favors the bold."
Instead of wandering blindly, the Blackbeard Pirates began destroying everything in their path. If this town was structured around specific nodes or anchor points, brute force might disrupt it.
As buildings collapsed and Vampires were cut down, visibility improved. The suffocating maze gradually opened.
Suddenly, Shiryu stopped.
"Teach. This house is wrong."
Blackbeard stepped forward and reached out. His hand passed straight through the wall.
An illusion.
"Zehahahahaha! Found it. Move."
The crew stepped through the false structure and felt the air shift around them.
The environment changed.
They were descending a long staircase carved into stone, spiraling deeper underground.
At the bottom, a fork in the path appeared, one corridor leading left, the other right.
Blackbeard's grin widened with anticipation.
"I can smell treasure."
Shiryu studied the two paths. "Traditionally, one leads to survival and the other to death. Which will it be, Teach?"
Blackbeard did not hesitate.
"My luck has always been excellent. We take the left path."
The Blackbeard Pirates advanced down the left corridor, unaware that a white haired figure followed silently behind them.
The passage resembled an ancient underground city described in forgotten books. Stone walls stretched high above them, etched with age and mystery.
Baby 5 looked around, her voice steady but intrigued. "This truly feels like an adventure."
Blackbeard laughed deeply. "It has been a long time since I have searched for treasure like this."
Ahead, several corpses lay scattered across the floor.
The crew tensed immediately.
Arrows protruded from the bodies, embedded deep into flesh.
"Careful," Shiryu warned, eyes lifting toward the ceiling. "See those holes? That is where the arrows were fired from. These unfortunate fools must have discovered this place before us. They were not lucky enough to survive."
Blackbeard chuckled darkly. "Their misfortune saved us from the same trap."
In the next instant, the corpses twitched.
One by one, they rose.
Diamante's eyes widened. "They are moving!"
The bodies stood upright, jaws opening to reveal elongated fangs.
Blackbeard's expression hardened.
"They have turned into Vampires."
"It appears that anyone who dies here becomes one," Shiryu said, drawing his blade Raimei slightly from its sheath.
Blackbeard raised his hand.
"Stand back. I will handle this."
"Black Vortex."
Darkness surged across the ground like a living tide. The reanimated corpses were dragged screaming into the abyss. Blackbeard extended the range further, consuming the arrow mechanisms hidden in the ceiling as well.
When the darkness receded, a clear path lay ahead.
Blackbeard rolled his shoulders, grin returning in full.
"Alright, brothers. Follow me."
===
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