On the scorched ground, arcs of purple lightning flickered sporadically, and a charred, unrecognizable figure lay sprawled.
It was none other than Blackbeard, who had just clashed with Chiga using the Emperor's attack.
There wasn't a single unburnt part left on his body, and the air around him reeked of scorched flesh. He lay motionless, eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
A sphere of violet lightning burst into existence above him, gradually coalescing into the form of Uchiha Chiga.
He looked down at the ruined body before him. Despite the terrible injuries, Chiga could still sense a faint breath.
"Still alive? Your durability is ridiculous."
Waving away the acrid stench of burnt air, Chiga used Almighty Push to lift Blackbeard's limp body. With one hand, he held him up again—but this time, Blackbeard couldn't resist.
Chiga activated the Preta path of his Rinnegan. A black tomoe swirled in his left eye as he extracted the Yami Yami no Mi from Blackbeard.
Extending his hand, Chiga tested the newly acquired power.
His palm turned pitch black, tendrils of darkness swirling upward, radiating a heavy gravitational force that threatened to consume everything.
Now possessing the Dark-Dark Fruit, the Gravity Fruit, and the Deva Path, Chiga's mastery over gravity had reached an absurd level.
He half-joked to himself that if he wanted, he could probably use Almighty Pull to drag Sengoku out of Marineford—tea and all.
After discarding Blackbeard's lifeless body, Chiga turned to leave, but a ripple flickered in the Heavenly Net.
His brow furrowed. One fish had slipped the net—Lafitte.
Chiga had read up on him: once a so-called sheriff, now a sadistic killer no better than Shiryu of the Rain. He wouldn't be allowed to escape.
From the Heavenly Net, Chiga saw that Lafitte was airborne, fleeing at speed.
Apparently a Devil Fruit user as well. Chiga recalled from the anime that Lafitte had wings—likely a Zoan-type Swan Model.
He had already flown several miles while Chiga fought Blackbeard, but to Chiga, the distance was nothing.
At first, he considered using Almighty Pull, but then smiled. Why not let Lafitte be the first test of the Dark-Dark Fruit?
A tendril of darkness flickered from Chiga's left eye. He looked toward the distant sea—and acted.
In the sky above, Lafitte flew frantically, wings of pristine white flapping hard.
He was indeed a Zoan-type: Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Swan. And swans were kings of high-altitude flight.
He soared at an altitude of nearly 10,000 meters, yet it didn't feel high enough. Panic clawed at his spine.
A black vortex appeared above him, completely enveloping his head. Terror gripped him.
Before he could finish, the vortex twisted his neck with horrifying force. Blood spurted into the sky.
His headless corpse plummeted, hitting the sea with a sickening splash.
Blood spread across the water, attracting sharks in seconds. In moments, nothing remained.
Lafitte's life signs vanished from the Sky Net. The darkness in Chiga's eye faded.
The technique resembled Kamui, but more brutal. Once pulled into his space—the Dark Prison—objects were pulverized beyond recognition.
Unlike Obito's Kamui dimension, there was no escape.
It was more akin to Kaguya's Amenominaka.
After sealing the fate of Lafitte, Chiga activated the Door-Door Space he had developed.
The massive door opened, stretching across half the island.
From it, a dense crowd of civilians surged forward. They were the inhabitants of the country Blackbeard had tried to annihilate.
When Blackbeard used Dark Vortex, Chiga had swiftly used ROOM to teleport everyone into the Door-Door Space. That's why there had been no screams.
From the crowd emerged a man wearing a golden crown—the king of the nation.
The monarch dropped to his knees with a heavy thump. Behind him, all citizens followed.
Tears welled in his eyes as he cried out:
"Admiral Purple Kirin! You saved us! I am eternally grateful!"
The king kowtowed three times. Blood appeared on his forehead, marking his sincerity.
Though his nation's treasures had been lost to Blackbeard's vortex, he expressed his gratitude the only way he could.
The crowd wept, embracing one another. Surviving this calamity made them feel reborn.
Chiga looked over the kneeling people and sighed.
In a world ruled by supernatural powers, civilians were constantly caught in the crossfire.
One attack from a powerful figure could wipe out everything they held dear.
His fingers drifted to the Rinnegan embedded in his eyes.
Thanks to these eyes, he had obtained everything.
And now, he had the power to change the fate of others.