"Zehahahahaha…"
The rough-looking man, missing several teeth, with a hairy chest, rings on his fingers, and dripping in jewelry, swaggered forward with a booming laugh.
"Didn't expect the legendary Demon Child to know my name. I'm honored, zehahahahaha…"
"Blackbeard!?" Crocodile frowned, a swirling sandstorm forming in his hand. "One of the Shichibukai—what are you doing here!?"
Before Blackbeard could respond, Crocodile whipped the sandstorm forward, engulfing him instantly.
Blackbeard screamed in pain, thrashing wildly as if each grain of sand cut into his skin like a blade.
"…Hn?"
Crocodile frowned. "You've taken out several members of the Whitebeard Pirates, and yet this is all you've got?"
The other pirates looked on in surprise.
For all his bluster, this big-mouthed intruder hadn't even taken one attack.
Behind Blackbeard, the medal-wearing fighting champion Burgess called out,
"Captain, I think you'd better show your strength—otherwise these guys are going to underestimate us."
Van Augur, calm as ever, added,
"He's right. In the pirate world, only strength grants the right to speak."
"You're right," Blackbeard gritted, sweat beading on his brow. He glared at Crocodile.
"Suna no Crocodile, you bastard—you didn't even let me finish before attacking. I'm no longer a Shichibukai…"
His right hand suddenly became wrapped in a black, flowing darkness, stretching outward like a current.
"Kurouzu!" (Dark Water)
Crocodile's brows furrowed. He braced himself—then his expression changed in shock.
"What is this!?"
He could feel an unseen gravitational pull dragging him forward—and worse, his Suna Suna no Mi powers were being suppressed.
As Crocodile was forcibly pulled toward him, the gap-toothed Blackbeard grinned.
His left fist shot out.
Bam!
The punch landed square in Crocodile's gut.
Blood spurted from his mouth as his body was sent flying, crashing heavily onto the icy ground.
The watching pirates were stunned.
"He's… that strong!?"
"Crocodile was sent flying in a single punch…"
"And he's no weakling—I heard he even tried to assassinate Whitebeard…"
Grimacing, Crocodile stood, teeth clenched.
"Your Devil Fruit… it can nullify my powers, can't it?"
A veteran fighter, he could still deduce Blackbeard's abilities despite his disbelief.
The crowd of pirates inhaled sharply.
"Nullify Devil Fruits!?"
"No—it's worse. Total negation. Crocodile couldn't even turn into sand."
"If that's true… then isn't he the natural enemy of every Devil Fruit user!?"
"Zehahahahaha…" Blackbeard spread his arms wide, laughing proudly.
"That's right! This is my power—the Yami Yami no Mi! So… how about it, you lot? Want to join me and conquer the seas!?"
The pirates hesitated, exchanging glances. Then, almost as one, their eyes turned toward Naruto.
They were Naruto's subordinates now. This arrogant, fat pirate was openly trying to poach them from under the Demon Child's nose.
Still, a few pirates' eyes flickered. Blackbeard had that classic pirate feel—lawless, greedy, vicious—more than Naruto's mysterious dominance.
"Captain, now's not the time to recruit," drawled Lafitte, the pale man in the black top hat and theatrical cane.
"If we wait too long, the men you came for will burn to ash in the Demon Child's flames."
Blackbeard's eyes widened—he looked down into Infinite Hell.
Sure enough, in the roaring inferno, the screams had dwindled to nothing. Most were likely reduced to ash already.
He hurried forward, forcing a laugh.
"Uzumaki Naruto, I've heard plenty about you. Put the fire out—we can work together.
"We can rally these great pirates, head for Marineford, and take down that old man Whitebeard…"
"Zehahahaha… Whitebeard's territory is the largest in the New World. You and I could split it right down the middle…"
"Kōrin!"
Flames surged in Infinite Hell, boiling upward through the broken floor into the sky.
From the blaze, Naruto stepped forth, eyes gleaming as he licked his lips.
"Blackbeard… Marshall D. Teach. I've wanted to meet you for a long time."
Blackbeard blinked. "Why?"
He didn't recall ever meeting Naruto, though he had heard the man's reputation.
"That's none of your concern…" Naruto's smile widened.
In his mind, he recalled the Yami Yami no Mi's true value—not only could it nullify powers, but it could also steal them.
It was because of this fruit that Blackbeard could, in the original timeline, take the Gura Gura no Mi from Whitebeard's corpse.
Naruto didn't know how Blackbeard could eat a second fruit without dying—but that didn't matter.
Naruto could travel between two worlds, erasing the fatal flaw of Devil Fruits entirely.
He could eat as many as he wanted.
The Dark-Dark Fruit was the perfect match for him.
Blackbeard suddenly sensed danger.
"Uzumaki Naruto, this is Impel Down—the Marines could arrive any moment. You're not planning to start a war with me here, are you?"
He looked to the other pirates, laughing loudly:
"Come on, all of you! You've just regained your freedom—are you really going to let him stop you from leaving!?"
Silence.
Utter silence.
The surrounding pirates stared at him like he was an idiot.
They were Naruto's men now—and even if they wanted to leave, they bore his binding seals.
Their lives were in his hands.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down Blackbeard's brow.
This… was not the reaction he'd anticipated.
(End of Chapter)
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