"I refuse!"
Hearing those three words from Taro's mouth, Blackbeard was momentarily stunned, while Burgess beside him rushed forward in a fit of rage, "I'll kill you!"
Taro watched Burgess leaping toward him without the slightest worry; he only remained vigilant of Blackbeard.
"Crescent Moon Dune!"
Taro raised his right arm, which was enveloped in cyan-white Internal Energy like a sharp sword, and slashed at Burgess.
Burgess, who was mid-air throwing a punch at Taro, saw Taro's right arm turn into a blade and quickly pulled back his punch, crossing his arms in front of his chest for protection.
Squelch
The sand blade manifested by Internal Energy slashed across Burgess's thick arms, instantly tearing through them. Carried by a powerful air current, Burgess was sent flying backward, stumbling dozens of steps before finally stopping when Blackbeard reached out to steady him.
Burgess's hands were a bloody mess, blood seeping out continuously as they trembled.
Taro's strike intimidated Blackbeard and his group. The angry expressions on the faces of Blackbeard's other two crew members gradually turned into astonishment; the strength Taro displayed exceeded their expectations.
They hadn't seen how Van Augur was defeated; they had only seen the final scene of Taro beheading him. Now, seeing the physically robust Burgess heavily wounded in one blow made them suddenly vigilant.
An ability user?
Watching Taro's Move, a glint flashed across Blackbeard's eyes.
"When did such a figure appear on the sea? Truly surprising, Zehahahaha!"
"Burgess, Lafitte, Doc Q, you guys step back for now. You can't win against this guy yet."
Blackbeard spoke to his companions before looking at Taro.
"Zehahahaha, you're a Logia type, right? Me too! Are you sure you don't want to become my partner? Together, we'll stand at the top of the world, and I will become the Pirate King..."
"I haven't the slightest interest in what your dream is!" Taro slowly extended a finger, wagging it twice, then stared into Blackbeard's eyes. "And I have even less liking for you lot!"
"Is that so?" Blackbeard mused. "Zehahahaha, I understand. Then I'll just have to avenge Van Augur!"
As he spoke, a thick black aura began to emerge from Blackbeard's body, surging into the sky like a rolling pillar of smoke.
The ground beneath his feet was also rapidly covered by darkness, which continued to expand and spread.
"Zehahahaha, then let me show you the strongest ability in this world, the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit!"
"Black Hole Path"
Blackbeard raised his left hand and slammed it onto the ground. The area of darkness seemed to receive a surge of energy, and its spreading speed exploded.
[Learning Black Hole Path failed]
"What's going on? System!" The System was Taro's greatest reliance for daring to confront Blackbeard. Hearing the System's prompt, Taro was nearly shocked to death on the spot.
"The host's physical condition does not meet the requirements for using this Move!"
The System responded mechanically.
Only then did Taro understand. Blackbeard's body truly seemed different from ordinary people; in his previous life, fans had many theories about Blackbeard's uniqueness.
The boundless darkness soon swallowed the buildings and vegetation of the entire area. Blackbeard, at the center of the darkness, grinned and laughed loudly, "The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit can attract and devour everything, Zehahahaha!"
The darkness that had devoured everything rapidly retracted into Blackbeard's body. He clenched both fists tightly and shouted:
"Liberation"
Darkness surged from Blackbeard's body once more, and rolling pillars of smoke reappeared. Immediately following, ruined buildings and broken tree branches fell from the pitch-black smoke like a rainstorm, crashing toward Taro.
"Sandstorm"
A Sandstorm rose from Taro's right hand, rapidly growing under the drive of Internal Energy.
With a wave of his right hand, Taro threw the Sandstorm in his palm directly out. The intense Sandstorm swept up the large amount of falling debris, forming an even more lethal hurricane that quickly swept toward Blackbeard.
"Ah, it hurts, it hurts!"
The wide-range Sandstorm instantly trapped Blackbeard within it. The building debris continuously struck Blackbeard, making him cry out in pain.
Just then, a burst of black mist surged in the center of the Sandstorm. Soon, all the debris in the Sandstorm was devoured. Without the sand and debris, the Sandstorm eventually turned into ordinary strong winds.
"I told you, darkness can devour everything!"
As the strong wind blew past, the dense dark elemental power returned to his body, and Blackbeard straightened up.
Taro's gaze darkened; this was going to be difficult.
Taro's Sandstorm was originally simulated using the Internal Energy of the Minor Formless Skill. Without the carried dust, sand, stones, and debris, it was merely a hurricane.
However, one thing slightly eased Taro's mind.
That was, although Blackbeard devoured all the debris in the Sandstorm, the hurricane driven by Taro's inner intent remained. This made him suspect that the Dark-Dark Fruit could not devour his Internal Energy.
He needed more direct evidence to confirm his suspicion.
Thinking of this, Taro slowly drew his saber.
Seeing Taro holding a sword, Blackbeard laughed again.
"I've already said, darkness can devour everything."
"Whether it's bullets or swords, although I can't use an elementalized body to deal with these attacks, I can absorb something else..."
"Dark Water"
Blackbeard roared, extending his left palm. A black whirlwind appeared from his palm, and a massive suction force lunged toward Taro.
"Ittoryu: Iaido - Lions Song"
Taro crouched low, sword held at his side, and delivered a slash with a reverse grip on the hilt.
"Ah!"
Blackbeard let out a scream as a sword wound appeared on his chest, the pain making him roll back and forth on the ground.
Taro wasn't feeling well either. The massive pulling force of "Dark Water" had slightly distorted his movements, and the Internal Energy in his Meridians was rampaging, squeezing his internal organs as if they were about to burst.
Is this Qi Deviation? Taro couldn't help but think of the term.
Doesn't "Dark Water" only attract ability users? Did I remember wrong?
Taro's expression flickered. He didn't know if he would lose his Minor Formless Skill like a Devil Fruit ability user if Blackbeard grabbed his body.
Although Taro estimated it was unlikely based on the previous round of exchange, the current situation made him a bit uncertain again.
Blackbeard was struck in the chest by the slash and only managed to stand up again after a long while. His eyes were red with rage, and the dark smoke rising from his back filled half the sky.
Taro gritted his teeth, suppressing the surge of nausea. He swallowed a few times and gripped his saber tightly, guarding against Blackbeard's attack.
Just then, Burgess and the others, who had run far away earlier, came running back in a panic.
"Cap... Captain, it's bad! Marine Admiral Aokiji is here!"
The spreading black clouds instantly dissipated, and Blackbeard also appeared somewhat shocked. "Why would a Marine Admiral suddenly appear here?"
"Quick, let's go!"
Before he finished speaking, he was the first to flee for his life toward the inland forest.
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