A chill surged from the soles of Blackbeard's feet straight to the top of his skull. His head was buzzing.
From Kaito's words, he caught one unmistakable implication—he was going to strip the Dark-Dark Fruit's power from his body!
If anyone else had said that, Blackbeard would've laughed himself hoarse. But coming from Kaito, there wasn't the slightest hint of amusement.
Because he genuinely believed the Dark-Dark Fruit was about to be taken from him!
Why was he so obsessed with the Dark-Dark Fruit?
The biggest reason was this: darkness could trap a Devil Fruit's power when its user died, preventing it from escaping. If a piece of fruit had been prepared in advance, the Devil Fruit could be instantly reborn on the spot. (Just a guess, don't roast me.)
And since Blackbeard's body was abnormal—capable of hosting more than one Devil Fruit—he could use the Dark-Dark Fruit to absorb another powerful ability he desired.
That way, he could wield the Dark-Dark Fruit and another elite fruit at the same time, and even pass extra Devil Fruits to his crew, forging a powerful team of ability users!
Blackbeard had once believed that only he, after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, could pull this off.
But Kaito was an exception.
Back in the Whitebeard Pirates, Blackbeard had gone out of his way to gather all the information he could on Kaito. He learned that Kaito, too, could wield multiple Devil Fruit abilities—far more than just one.
...
...
As far as Blackbeard knew, Kaito had already obtained the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Gravity Fruit, Asura Fruit, and the nekomata fruit. All of these were inferred from Kaito's past battles.
Each one of these Devil Fruits was the kind of legendary power that would set the seas ablaze with conflict. Blackbeard was practically drooling with envy!
He even boldly speculated that Kaito's ability to pull off such ridiculous feats most likely stemmed from his eyes—the ones known as the Rinnegan.
Every time Kaito's photo appeared in the paper, the Rinnegan always got a prominent close-up. Blackbeard keenly noticed that the tomoe within those eyes kept increasing, and each time they did, Kaito showcased new abilities in subsequent battles!
When it came to Devil Fruits, Blackbeard was obsessed—utterly and completely. No one else was as fascinated by the secrets behind Kaito's powers.
Based on his own speculation, if there were a school dedicated to studying Kaito, Blackbeard would've been the rightful principal.
But what he never imagined was that he would one day become Kaito's target—especially so soon after acquiring the Dark-Dark Fruit, when it hadn't even fully warmed up in his hands!
He had waited years in the Whitebeard Pirates just for this moment—to claim the Dark-Dark Fruit. It was the cornerstone of his dream, and now someone wanted to take it? How could he possibly accept that?
Gritting his teeth, Blackbeard clenched his fists tightly and stared daggers at Kaito.
Then he roared and unleashed the full power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Fueled by his raging emotions, a spiraling vortex of pitch-black darkness erupted from his body, piercing into the sky.
He thrust out a hand toward Kaito and shouted,
"Liberation!"
Buzz!
All the debris he had previously absorbed spewed out from the darkness, raining down toward Kaito.
Kaito gazed up at the falling avalanche of rubble, a glint of violet flashing through his eyes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A chain of explosions thundered across the battlefield. The incoming wreckage was obliterated into dust before it could touch him.
As black powder filled the sky, Blackbeard's face turned grim.
"Explosion? Another Devil Fruit ability? Judging by the effect... it looks like the Pop-Pop Fruit!"
Blackbeard had studied the Devil Fruit encyclopedia and was familiar with most abilities. This time, he had guessed right again.
But he didn't have the luxury to keep analyzing Kaito's powers.
He only knew one thing: if he didn't go all-out right now, he wasn't just going to lose the Dark-Dark Fruit—he'd lose his life right here.
His one remaining trump card was the Dark-Dark Fruit's unique ability to nullify all Devil Fruits. That was why it was hailed as the "most sinister" power.
To him, once someone touched his darkness, even Kaito's countless powers would be rendered useless!
With that in mind, Blackbeard thrust out one blackened hand at Kaito and said in a low voice,
"Dark Water!"
A swirling black vortex bloomed in his palm, radiating a terrifying gravitational pull. Its target—Kaito.
Covered by the suction, Kaito's body shuddered slightly. Blackbeard's eyes lit up with joy.
He thought he finally had a chance to beat Kaito.
But the next moment shattered that hope entirely.
"Almighty Push."
An even more overwhelming repulsive force exploded from Kaito, instantly neutralizing the Dark-Dark Fruit's gravity—and even rebounding it toward Blackbeard.
"Nani!?"
Blackbeard's face contorted in disbelief. Before he could react, he was sent flying.
The area around them had already been wiped clean by his earlier Dark Hole, so there was nothing to stop his body mid-air. He was about to vanish from Kaito's view.
Of course, Kaito wasn't about to let Blackbeard escape.
He reached out again, aiming at the airborne pirate, and used Universal Pull.
"Aaahhhh!"
A terrified scream echoed closer and closer. Blackbeard was sucked right back into Kaito's grasp—until Kaito had him by the throat.
His hat had long been blown away. His eyes were glazed over, clearly still rattled from the Almighty Push just moments ago.
But Kaito had no intention of letting him recover.
He was already preparing to strip the Dark-Dark Fruit's power from him.
Suddenly, Blackbeard's dazed face twisted into a sly grin. He shot his hand up and grabbed Kaito's arm, laughing maniacally.
"Zehahaha! Gotcha! Time for you to witness the terror of the Dark-Dark Fruit—Dark Water!"
Darkness gushed from where he gripped Kaito, instantly engulfing his entire arm.
Watching Kaito's arm being "devoured" by darkness, Blackbeard's eyes gleamed with excitement.
He hadn't expected to get another shot at closing the distance with Kaito—it was like a gift from the heavens!
Blackbeard looked triumphantly at Kaito, eager to see fear or panic on his face.
But what he saw only disappointed him.
Kaito's expression was the same as before—calm, unreadable, without the slightest hint of emotion.
Kaito's arm trembled slightly, and the darkness around it dissipated like smoke, vanishing completely.
Blackbeard stood there, stunned.
Kaito tilted his head and asked in mock confusion,
"That's it?"