In a fleeting moment, Ace suddenly understood everything.
Why Teach, who used to be so easy-going, would be the first to step up and challenge troublemakers on Pops’ territory; why he would find Ace in the middle of the night to convince him to take the initiative; why all along the way, Teach would repeatedly urge to accelerate and arrive quickly; and why he would leave the frontlines and appear in this corner.
It turns out, it was all for the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit)!!
“Teach…”
Watching that familiar yet unfamiliar figure, flames flickered on Ace’s fist as he hesitated.
He had already lost a comrade once, and he didn’t want to lose another…
But!
He had already lost Sabo once, and he didn’t want to lose him a second time!!
“Hiken (Fire Fist)!”
Feeling the flames behind him, Teach’s eyes widened at the moment, “Commander Ace, you’re really going to attack me?!”
On Whitebeard’s ship, there weren’t too many rules. Everyone considered themselves family, and there wasn’t much distinction between high and low in banter and arguments.
But there was one behavior that Whitebeard expressly prohibited.
“You’re actually going to attack a comrade?!!”
This was a behavior that had only existed in Teach’s thoughts temporarily, but Ace had unexpectedly taken action first.
But now was not the time to dwell on this. Teach was well aware of how powerful the “Fire Fist” was.
A little over a year ago, Ace, who had just joined the Whitebeard Pirates, could at most be considered a young talent. But now, he fully lived up to the title of “Sea Pirate”!
“Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), Hardening!!”
Hesitating for a second, Teach made a decision in an instant.
He couldn’t dodge! If he dodged, he’d have to start over with picking the lock, and even though he had self-taught himself the complex cipher lock, it still gave him a headache. Rather than dodging to ensure his own safety, which could lead to uncertain problems later, it was better to withstand the attack and get the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) as soon as possible.
Teach was gambling, betting that Ace wouldn’t dare, and wouldn’t kill him!
He… bet right.
“So determined, huh?”
Watching Teach enveloped in flames, Ace couldn’t help but feel a hint of surprise, but more so, he felt a chill in his heart.
To give up even his own life for the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit), this kind of madness reminded Ace of that guy who had left an indelible mark on him.
Biting down ruthlessly on his teeth, Ace threw a punch with a bang, then didn’t pay any attention to Teach, and quickly arrived near the burning Teach, picking up the figure lying on the ground.
The traces of three punches were left on Sabo’s back, deep enough to see the bone, and blood sprayed in all directions!
As long as it wasn’t someone with Rowen’s healing ability, even if it was Kaido on the spot, this would still be considered a severe injury!
Fortunately, Sabo was still breathing.
Being moved caused Sabo to groan and open his eyes. He looked at the familiar face in front of him, which was filled with various emotions such as sorrow, despair, and pain. Sabo weakly smiled.
“You’re so strong, Ace… Is this the 59th time I’ve lost?”
“Stop talking, I’ll go find a doctor for you…”
Ace suppressed his voice and then smiled with tears in his eyes, “Long time no see, Sabo!”
“Yeah, it’s been a long time…”
Bang!!!
Just at this moment, flames suddenly exploded behind him, and a short, sturdy figure stood up. Teach’s back and exposed skin were burned with numerous blisters, crimson, and charred at the same time, making him look like a wicked demon.
“Hehehahaha!!! Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit)!!”
He held a purplish-black pineapple-shaped Devil Fruit in his hands, and from the looks of it, it had already been bitten. The taste of a Devil Fruit was well-known to the world, but Teach seemed to be savoring some exquisite delicacy, chewing slowly.
“Finally, I’ve got you!!”
The hard-to-swallow Devil Fruit brought a sensation of a feast, and a look of madness appeared on his face. Teach’s eyes were filled with satisfaction.
Not only did he obtain the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit), but because of Ace’s attack on him, he didn’t even need to sneakily leave the Whitebeard Pirates. He could return to [The Moby Dick] openly and ask Whitebeard to make the final judgment.
Because the greatest mistake he had made was to attack Ace’s acquaintance, and it was even before Ace had made it clear.
In contrast, Ace was now facing the most unforgivable crime on Whitebeard’s ship, committed by an outsider!
“Commander Ace, where do you think you’re going?”
Teach’s eyes flashed with a fierce light. He could feel a new power incubating within him— the power of the Devil Fruit.
Guided by some unseen force, Teach raised his arm, as if he was born knowing how to use the power of the fruit, and activated his Devil Fruit ability.
Teach swore to the heavens that at this moment, he just wanted to use that legendary power to capture Ace!
…
In the high sky, Fujitora stood on a rock summoned by his Zushi Zushi No Mi (Gravity-Gravity Fruit).
Rowen looked down at the battlefield with interest and exclaimed, “I mean, we could have just given him any random fruit to eat, but I didn’t expect CP0’s inventory to actually have a Devil Fruit that looks exactly like the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit)!”
This was the first time Rowen had seen the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) replicated under his instructions. If he hadn’t known in advance that it was a counterfeit, for a moment he even had the impulse to intervene and prevent Teach from consuming the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit).
Moreover, although the appearance alone wasn’t a precise way to distinguish Devil Fruits by their respective classes, the fact that it grew in the shape of a pineapple and had a spiraling pattern of purple-black was such a coincidence that it was enough to astonish Rowen.
To this, Fujitora smiled knowingly, “There’s a difference between a Devil Fruit and an ordinary fruit after all. Even if the appearance is imitated to perfection, someone experienced can still tell the real from the fake.”
“The power of this fruit is good, but the side effects are even more terrifying… It’s perfect for a plan like this, where you kill without shedding blood.”
If they had acted to kill Teach, the consequences would definitely lead to an unending conflict with Whitebeard, the old man who always defended his own. He didn’t care about right or wrong; he was Whitebeard, the strongest in the world, and he wouldn’t accept any compromises.
“You’re right!”
Rowen nodded in agreement. He patted the Den Den Mushi beside him, which was recording with widened eyes, and a slight smile curled up at the corner of his mouth.
“Pay good attention and learn well! Make sure to capture everything for me!!”
Stare——
The Den Den Mushi didn’t make a sound, but its eyes widened even further.
In war, the best strategy is to conquer the enemy’s plans, followed by conquering their alliances, then their armies, and finally their cities. The method of attacking a city should only be used when there is no other choice.
Why use fists to solve problems that can be solved with the mind?
…
Below, Teach grinned, eagerly awaiting the appearance of the legendary and most wicked Devil Fruit ability. Just as Ace was flying towards the distance, alarm bells suddenly rang in his mind. He turned around to look.
Whoosh!!!
A fist suddenly enlarged before his eyes. Without much time to react, that fist bloomed with a blood-red light and exploded violently!
Bang!!!
At that moment, it wasn’t just Ace who was stunned, but also Teach, who had launched the attack.
Watching his own fist disappear in the explosion, Teach was somewhat dazed.
Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit)… It seems that it doesn’t have the ability to shoot out his own fist like a cannonball.
What is this…
Wait!
Suddenly, Teach thought of a possibility.
“No!!!”
He bent down and used his remaining left hand to grip his throat, trying to force the eaten fruit out.
However, Devil Fruits, once consumed, have no effect even if someone else tries to eat them, let alone try to regurgitate them.
“Ugh!!”
Teach almost vomited up last night’s dinner, and there were indeed traces of fruit in the food residue.
But that power still existed within him, grinning like a true wicked demon, sapping his life away.
This was a Paramecia type Devil Fruit, but it didn’t belong to the category of superhuman abilities, nor did it belong to localized or creation abilities. Similar to Katakuri’s Mochi-Mochi Fruit, it was an anomaly among Paramecia fruits!
Special Paramecia: Sacrifice-Sacrifice Fruit!
“Asshole!!!”
A visible Haoshoku pressure erupted from Teach, and black lightning appeared out of thin air.
Thinking that after twenty years of patience and countless efforts, he ended up with such a strange fruit with no apparent abilities, Teach’s hatred and resentment were about to burst forth.
“Who did this?!!!”
(End of this chapter)
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