"Oh???"
Hades narrowed his eyes, a hint of interest appearing on his face as he looked at the ambitious, confident, and arrogant black-fat man standing before him.
"But I've already eaten a Devil Fruit."
"It doesn't matter. After all, the secret to perfectly housing two Devil Fruit abilities—only I in this entire world know it!!!"
"If you're willing to help me, Hades, I'm willing to help you successfully master a second Devil Fruit ability!!!"
"Zehahaha… become my right hand, Hades!!!"
Extending his large hand, he showed a cruel smile full of ambition.
Teach's plan was very good. With Hades—the future Yonko-level right hand—joining, their Blackbeard Pirates would never be inferior to any of the past kings of the sea.
The "dual kings" configuration—this was something Rocks, Roger, Orin, and Shanks all had.
That is, the right-hand man wouldn't be too much weaker than the captain—someone who could dominate a sea on his own.
"If you want me to assist you, then defeat me first!!!"
For strong men, submission—aside from people like Rayleigh or Zoro with mysterious idealistic resonance—relies mostly on strength.
Hades demonstrated this perfectly.
Honestly, when he first changed his appearance and appeared on the sea, he was just wandering around for fun.
And when he heard Teach saying those things, he had indeed thought of switching back to his main identity and giving Blackbeard a little "surprise."
But on second thought—this was Blackbeard after all.
The most shameless, cunning, and treacherous man in the entire story. Even if he switched back to his main identity, he couldn't guarantee this guy would tell him the truth.
Who knows—Teach might burst into tears, act sincere, and then hand him a castrated, downgraded version of the dual-fruit method?
His Observation Haki's mutation was toward future sight and fine-detail perception—not like Redfield or Queen Otohime's ability to hear voices.
Given how unreliable Blackbeard was, he would absolutely scam him again, even if he repented.
Thinking of this—
His hand, which had hovered over the mental "delete disguise" button, paused for now.
Interesting.
Sneaking into the Blackbeard Pirates?
Even as a temporary experience, it might be a nicely nostalgic taste of youthful passion.
After all, for him, changing identities to play around was just a spice for his otherwise boring life—it wouldn't affect his real business.
"Of course. A strong man like you deserves my serious treatment!!!"
Clang—
Two axes flashed instantly into view as Hades' aura completely shifted, like a demon god descending.
"What terrifying pressure!!!"
"Zehahaha… only someone like you is worthy of being my vice captain!!!"
"I'm the man you're destined to assist—the future King of the World!!!"
Blackbeard laughed and stepped forward, Armament Haki instantly coating his fist as he clashed with the twin axes.
The ring of metal echoed continuously, sparks and lightning bursting as the dark axe edges collided with hardened knuckles—neither able to overpower the other.
Both men wore smiles.
Seeing the smile of a true powerhouse forming on Hades' face, Teach thought the other man was acknowledging his strength.
His confidence swelled.
But in truth, Hades simply found it amusing.
This Blackbeard really was the guy who scarred Shanks' eye—his Haki and physical combat weren't bad at all.
If not for his Observation Haki being of the micro-detailed type…
He might've accidentally killed him—
And that wouldn't be fun at all~
Yet Blackbeard only thought: this Hades really was strong—able to match him after years of hiding and preparation.
Zehahaha… worthy of the man I set my eyes on!!!
After another axe clash forced a brief separation, Hades seemed impatient… or simply done acting.
"Gravity Field!!!"
With the shout, an indescribable pressure instantly engulfed Teach, making him stumble in shock—
And Hades' axe slammed into his chest.
He was a professional at carving patterns onto strong opponents.
"Aaaah—pain pain pain pain pain!!!!"
Clutching his bleeding belly, Teach immediately rolled on the ground, face twisted as if enduring immense agony.
"Good physical skills, but…"
"I am a Thought-Force Human who ate the Thought-Thought Fruit. I possess the power to pull meteors out of the sky. You can't possibly defeat me!!!"
Hades said with a confident smile.
Orin was having a blast with this performance!!!
If this were normal, as soon as he appeared, he wouldn't even need to fight—no one dared to face him one-on-one.
Perhaps he'd been too overwhelming in his youth, beating down every notable pirate and marine—he hadn't felt youthful passion in ages.
Being so strong that no one dares provoke you is its own form of boredom and loneliness.
But with this identity, he could play around from time to time~
Orin felt like a genius.
"Tch…"
Clutching his chest wound and calming down, Blackbeard finally regained composure. He looked at the powerful man before him—partly grim from injury, but mostly admiring.
"Zehahaha… Thought-Thought Fruit, huh… never heard of it, but it really is a terrifying ability~"
"But no matter the ability, it's useless in front of me!!!"
The stronger Hades was, the happier Teach felt—after all, a future king's right hand should be this strong. But he couldn't let Hades stand above him.
"Come and witness it, Hades!!! The power I possess—once called the most evil Devil Fruit ability in the world by that man known as the "Black Gun"!!!"
Hearing this, Hades' eyes narrowed slightly.
Teach's hands slowly released a flowing black substance—like liquid and yet like gas—before he slammed it into the ground.
"Dark Vortex!!!"
Countless black mists surged outward, even engulfing the ground beneath Hades. The darkness emitted an overwhelming gravitational pull.
"Zehahaha… it's useless, Hades. Before my Dark-Dark Fruit, all Devil Fruit abilities are worthless. No matter how strong the monster—it's the same!!!"
As the pull released from Teach's hand, Hades felt himself being dragged, while the Devil Fruit power within him—the force he always controlled—truly vanished.
It reminded him of the battle with Teach's father long ago.
"A tricky ability. But tell me—have you ever heard a certain phrase…"
"Nani??"
Seeing Hades being pulled in, his abilities erased, Blackbeard's face revealed shock.
"Only Haki can stand above everything!!!"