A chill shot up from the soles of Blackbeard's feet to the crown of his head, his mind spinning in alarm.
One thing was clear from Uchiha Chiga's words—he intended to take the Dark-Dark Fruit from him.
If anyone else had said that, Blackbeard would've laughed in their face. But coming from Chiga?
He couldn't even smile.
Because he could feel it—deep in his gut—his Dark-Dark Fruit was already slipping from him.
Why had he coveted this Devil Fruit for so long? Because its true horror wasn't just in absorbing attacks—it could draw in a Devil Fruit's essence when its user died. With the right setup, a Devil Fruit could be reborn immediately into a vessel prepared in advance.
And Blackbeard's body was unique. Unlike others, he could harbor multiple Devil Fruit abilities. That meant he could absorb another powerful fruit after the Yami Yami no Mi… and maybe more. Build an army. Shape the world.
It was the very foundation of his plan for dominance.
But Chiga? Chiga broke all the rules.
Back when Blackbeard was still with the Whitebeard Pirates, he had investigated Chiga's background extensively. What he found was terrifying.
Chiga already wielded the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the Gravity-Gravity Fruit, the Asura Fruit, and the Nekomata Fruit—each an elite-tier ability.
And all signs pointed to the Rinnegan in Chiga's eyes being the key. Blackbeard noticed something strange in every photo: with each appearance, the number of tomoe in Chiga's Rinnegan increased—and so did the scope of his abilities.
To Blackbeard, who had practically memorized the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, the correlation was undeniable. He would've opened a university just to study Chiga's biology if it helped him unlock that power.
But never—never—did he expect to become Chiga's target… especially not right after finally obtaining the fruit he had waited years for.
He wasn't going to let it go. Not now. Not .
His fists clenched. His jaw tightened. He stared down Chiga, then bellowed with all his might, his fury exploding into a spiral of darkness that surged toward the sky.
A deafening buzz followed. Chunks of debris, shattered buildings—everything he had absorbed earlier—was ejected violently from the vortex, falling toward Chiga like a meteor shower.
Chiga glanced upward. A faint violet glint flickered in his Rinnegan.
The raining debris exploded midair—shattered into dust before it even reached him.
Watching from across the battlefield, Blackbeard scowled. Explosions? Could that be… the Bomb-Bomb Fruit?
He knew the fruit well. That was exactly how its destructive capabilities functioned.
Still—he didn't have time to dwell on it. If he didn't act now, he wouldn't just lose the Dark-Dark Fruit… he'd lose his life.
The Dark-Dark Fruit's one great edge was its ability to nullify other Devil Fruits. As long as he could touch Chiga, it would render his arsenal useless.
He extended a pitch-black hand and roared,
A swirling black vortex formed in his palm. It pulled at Chiga with terrifying gravitational force.
Caught in the pull, Chiga's body wavered slightly.
Blackbeard's eyes widened. He's reacting to it… It's working!
But the hope that bloomed in his chest died the very next second.
A colossal shockwave erupted from Chiga, overwhelming the pull of the vortex and slamming directly back toward Blackbeard.
Blackbeard had no time to defend. The repulsion flung him like a cannonball across the ruined battlefield.
His own previous attack had cleared everything around them—no buildings, no trees, no walls. There was nothing to break his momentum.
He flew helplessly through open air.
But Chiga wasn't done.
Raising a single hand toward the sky, he muttered,
Blackbeard's scream drew closer. He was yanked backward, like a ragdoll on a string, and before he could resist, Chiga snatched him out of midair—one hand around his neck.
His signature hat was gone, swept away in the chaos. His eyes swam in confusion, his breath shallow and erratic. He still hadn't recovered from the Almighty Push.
Chiga didn't give him a moment to breathe.
Without a word, he began to channel energy—intending to extract the Dark-Dark Fruit from Blackbeard's soul.
But suddenly—too suddenly—Blackbeard's dazed eyes snapped into a cruel grin.
With a burst of movement, he seized Chiga's arm and shouted,
"Zehahahahaha! Got you now! This is the power of the Yami Yami no Mi—Dark Water!"
The darkness surged again, crawling rapidly up Chiga's arm from Blackbeard's grip.
He laughed like a madman. He touched him! He actually touched him! That means his Devil Fruit powers should be disabled—right now!
This was it—the only chance he would ever get to defeat Chiga. The only opportunity fate would give him to snatch back control.
Blackbeard looked at Chiga's face, expecting to see fear… or even surprise.
But Chiga just looked down at his arm—calm, unbothered.
His arm trembled slightly.
The darkness began to unravel—like smoke dissipating in the wind.
Blackbeard stared in disbelief.
Chiga tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
Then he spoke, quiet and cold:
100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter
200 Powerstones = 3 Bonus Chapters