"Crushing Fist!"
Brom roared as his punch thundered forward, the destructive force tearing through the air. Teach met it head-on, his demonic claws colliding with the blow.
Their battlefield shifted constantly through the sky. Shockwaves rolled outward, air detonated, and the sea below churned violently. Wherever Brom's crushing power brushed the surface of the ocean, seawater vanished outright, erased into nothingness.
A vast pit more than a hundred meters wide appeared on the sea's surface. Surrounding water surged inward, desperately filling the hollowed void.
It was a terrifying sight. Calling this ability the Destruction Fruit would not have been an exaggeration.
Yet even this power was blocked by Teach's Armament Haki and the endless black mist pouring from his body. Brom fought with everything he had, determined to end the battle quickly, but the result remained a stalemate.
This was a clash between true powerhouses. Brom's attack strength was slightly superior, forcing Teach onto the defensive, while Teach's Observation Haki overwhelmingly suppressed Brom's movements. Combined with his ability to fly freely, Teach held the battlefield itself in his grasp.
Brom grew anxious. Teach was far more troublesome than he had anticipated. Even with his advantage in raw power, he could not secure a decisive outcome.
Below them, Marine screams echoed across the sea.
The Nightfall Pirates had begun their slaughter.
High-ranking Marine officers managed to hold their ground, but ordinary Marines, even elite ones, fell rapidly under the Nightfall Pirates' assault.
Brom could endure no longer. Gritting his teeth, he dove downward, attempting to support his collapsing forces.
Teach noticed instantly.
A cold smile curled across his face. "Come back here."
"Dark Water!"
Teach raised his left hand. Darkness swallowed it whole as a violent vortex spun in his palm. An invisible gravitational force reached straight into Brom's body and seized the Devil Fruit within him.
Brom's eyes widened.
His body lurched violently, completely beyond his control, dragged backward through the air.
In the next instant, Brom was yanked directly in front of Teach. His arm was caught and locked in an iron grip.
Before he could react, Teach's fist slammed into his back.
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed from Brom's mouth as his body was sent flying hundreds of meters away.
Barely managing to steady himself on the sea's surface, Brom staggered toward the nearest Marine warship.
Teach's smile never faded. "Didn't learn your lesson?"
"Dark Water!"
Once again, the unseen force seized Brom.
His body was dragged back through the air, locked in Teach's grasp. Gravity crushed down on him from all directions, pinning him in place even without Dark Bind.
Teach's right fist struck again.
The blow sank deep into Brom's abdomen with a sickening crack. His body convulsed violently before being hurled even farther away than before.
Brom crashed through the air, vomiting blood as pain exploded throughout his body. He barely stabilized himself, hunched over, clutching his shattered abdomen.
This time, he did not attempt to flee.
Before he could find a way to counter this power, resistance was meaningless.
"Gravity…" Brom muttered hoarsely. Even prepared, he still could not resist it. His palm trembled as he stared at it. "And my ability… it vanished."
Teach laughed. "Since you are curious, I will explain. It will be public knowledge sooner or later."
"The Dark-Dark Fruit is a Logia. Unlike other Logia users, I cannot turn intangible. Because of that, my body endures double the pain of every attack."
"But in exchange, darkness can extract the true form of a Devil Fruit user. This gravity cannot be resisted. And once I touch you, you already felt it, didn't you?"
Brom's expression collapsed. His fists trembled as realization struck.
"It nullifies Devil Fruit abilities…"
"That's right." Teach grinned. "The most evil Devil Fruit. The bane of all Devil Fruit users."
He leaned forward slightly. "In Marine Headquarters, there are only two people I truly fear."
"Garp and Zephyr?" Brom asked hoarsely.
"No." Teach shook his head. "Garp and Sengoku."
"Zephyr is strong, but his weakness is obvious. If he comes, those cadets will die again."
Brom's face twisted. The memory of Sabaody cut deep.
Teach continued coldly, "You came for me without fully understanding my abilities. Should I call that confidence, or stupidity?"
His gaze dropped toward the sea below. "If you have no other tricks, your subordinates are finished."
Brom followed his gaze and froze.
Marine corpses littered the warships.
The Nightfall Pirates stood unscathed.
Dark armor covered their bodies, blocking fatal blows. Brom mistook it for Teach's power, never realizing its true source.
Rage exploded inside him. "Don't underestimate the Marines!"
Teach shook his head. "This struggle is meaningless. The battlefield has already decided your fate."
"Demon Claw!"
"Crushing Fist!"
This time, Teach did not use Dark Water. He met Brom head-on.
The sky split into two domains. One of endless darkness. One of shattered air glowing faint blue.
Darkness and crushing power clashed relentlessly.
"Crushing Kick!"
Brom's spinning kick collided with Teach's own, both infused with Haki and dark energy. Waves of power surged outward as Teach lunged forward, his claw flashing with killing intent.
"Die!"
"You will be crushed!"
Steam poured from Brom's body as Life Return pushed him beyond his limits. Muscles swelled, veins bulged, and his justice cloak shredded further under Teach's claws.
The battle raged for over an hour.
Below, the Marine warships fell one by one.
Every Marine was dead.
Brom was finished.
He hovered weakly in the air, gasping, staring at the conquered fleet.
"I am a sinner of the Marines…"
Madness overtook him. "Then we will all die together!"
Burning his remaining life force, Brom unleashed his final punch toward the Nightfall Pirates.
Crew members stared in horror.
A shadow flashed upward.
Redyat appeared beneath the attack, laughing softly. "Dragon's Breath."
A massive pillar of shadow erupted from his mouth, colliding with the crushing force in a blinding explosion.
The punch was stopped.
Brom's eyes went dull.
A gust of wind struck his back.
Teach's kick sent him plummeting.
Boom.
Brom smashed into the deck, creating a massive crater. Teach descended and planted his foot on Brom's head, crushing him completely.
"Be swallowed by darkness."
Blackness engulfed Brom's body and erased every trace.
"Haha! Let's feast!" Teach spread his arms wide. "The era of the Dark Emperor has begun!"
The Nightfall Pirates roared in triumph.
Across the sea, blood spread endlessly, drawing predators from the depths.
The ocean itself began to feast.