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"Oh?" Arashi's smile remained, but a glint flashed through his eyes.
The moment those large hands grabbed him from behind, he clearly felt an inexplicable force surging through him.
The abilities of all three of his Devil Fruits were completely suppressed and rendered ineffective.
However, unlike Sea-Stone, only his abilities disappeared—his physical strength remained intact.
He had long since adapted to this feeling, and to him, it had almost no effect.
"You veterans who have made names for yourselves always have the habit of looking down on those beneath you!"
"You believe yourselves to be superior, and when facing weaker opponents, you instinctively disregard them, growing arrogant and careless!"
Marshall D. Teach laughed loudly, clenching one hand into a fist and swinging it fiercely at his opponent.
"But! That arrogance is precisely the biggest obstacle preventing you old-timers from seeing the reality of the present!"
"Zehahaha!" Amid his wild laughter, Teach launched his attack.
He had never exposed his full strength, hiding even within the Whitebeard Pirates, willingly letting others take the rank of division commander.
His power, combat skills, and mental fortitude had already reached the pinnacle of the world. That extra time he had was far from wasted.
However, at that moment, the shoulders he had grabbed suddenly trembled.
A force beyond comprehension surged through him in an instant, forcing him to let go.
His once-laughing face shifted into one of shock. "Since that battle, the words 'letting my guard down' have ceased to exist in my world."
A calm voice rang out. At some point, Arashi, who had just been facing away from him a second ago, had already turned around.
"I was simply curious about how powerful the abilities granted by the Dark-Dark Fruit truly are!"
"A fruit known as the most dangerous in history—what kind of power does it hold?"
Teach reacted quickly, his gaze turning sharp as he swung his fist forward.
But— "Bang!" The impact sent ripples of force through the air, causing his coat to flutter.
Staring at the hand that had effortlessly blocked his punch, sweat began to bead on Teach's forehead, and he could not contain his inner shock.
"I have never believed that Devil Fruits alone create the world's strongest individuals."
"That is why I never solely rely on their abilities." Arashi spoke lightly, his sharp gaze locked onto Teach. "Your fruit can suppress Devil Fruit powers?"
Teach's body trembled as he quickly retreated to create distance. "Whoosh!" The ocean roared around them as fierce winds howled.
Not far away, a massive waterspout stretched into the sky, piercing the clouds in a scene of sheer devastation.
Rain poured down in torrents, drenching the entire Blackbeard Pirates.
"That's right! But its power is far beyond just that! That is exactly why I went through such great lengths to obtain it!"
Teach declared in a deep voice, his eyes filled with intensity and determination.
Without a doubt, the pressure from Arashi was no less than what he had felt from Whitebeard—perhaps even greater.
"Show me then. Teach!" Arashi suddenly smiled. "Let me see the power you now command!"
His tone was casual, almost indifferent, yet it sent a wave of tension through Teach, as well as Lafitte, Burgess, and Van Augur.
They couldn't comprehend how a man simply standing there could radiate such a terrifying aura and exert such overwhelming pressure.
Was this what it meant to be a true powerhouse? But why had they never heard of this man before? What was his ability? How strong was he really?
What was his true identity? To Van Augur and the others, this man was a complete mystery.
"My power, huh?" Teach's pupils contracted.
He stared into Arashi's calm eyes, yet within them, he felt as though he saw something else—something unfathomable.
"What a terrifying man..." he muttered inwardly. Under those eyes, he felt as if his every secret had been laid bare, with nothing left hidden.
"It seems...I have no choice but to go all out!" Suddenly, Teach's expression turned cold.
The nervousness and fear on his face vanished completely. He had grown accustomed to hiding his true nature behind his crude and cowardly facade.
But now, with Arashi seeing through it all, he finally shed his disguise.
"Since you wish to witness the power of darkness! Then let me show you!"
His sharp voice echoed as the surrounding waves crashed louder.
The raft they stood on swayed violently in the raging storm, and the sea ahead became increasingly difficult to see.
Suddenly, a wisp of black smoke billowed out, spiralling around Teach and forming a menacing shadow above his head.
A chilling, ominous aura spread instantly, silencing the turbulent ocean. Even Arashi's eyes showed a flicker of seriousness. Against someone as adept at hiding as Teach, caution was always necessary.
"Whoosh!" The fierce wind howled, tugging at everyone's clothes.
Van Augur and the others took a deep breath, exchanging glances and immediately understanding one another.
The tension in their eyes faded, replaced by a cold, steely resolve. "Attack!"
Burgess was the first to leap high into the air, clenching his fists tightly as he plummeted toward Arashi, throwing a powerful punch.
"Take this!" He roared with laughter as he rapidly closed the distance.
Arashi's expression remained unchanged. Watching the incoming fist, he neither dodged nor displayed any reaction.
"Boom!" To everyone's shock, Burgess's punch landed squarely on Arashi's face. The sheer force behind it caused the very air to tremble.
But after a brief moment, the man before him grinned—a mocking expression appearing on his face.
"Such a weak punch... It feels like a fly's wing fluttering against my face!"
As he spoke, Arashi finally moved, clenching his right fist, sinking his stance, and preparing to strike.
"Go back and train some more, you clumsy brute!" With those words, he drove his fist directly into Burgess's abdomen.
"Ugh!" The devastating punch instantly forced Burgess's muscular body to double over.
Clutching his seemingly shattered stomach, he staggered backwards in agony.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Suddenly, he erupted into violent coughing fits, blood splattering onto the deck.
He felt as if that one punch had drained all his strength. His vision blurred, forcing him to shake his head vigorously before it finally cleared.
Standing before him was a man clad in a white Marine coat with the word "Justice" emblazoned across it.
Standing over three meters tall, his powerful physique radiated explosive strength.
His short black hair, chiselled face, and unwavering stance made him seem like an immovable mountain—majestic and indomitable.
Then, suddenly, the man seemed to smile.
Lafitte was momentarily stunned, his face filled with confusion.
However, Van Augur did not explain, and beside him, Doc Q swiftly used the broken wooden planks as a makeshift raft, rowing into the distance.
Without hesitation, the two of them jumped onto the raft.
"What about the captain?" Lafitte asked.
"Worry about yourself first!"
"Their battle is about to escalate!" Van Augur said gravely.
Having just brushed past the edge of death, he was certain they had no place in this fight. The power of that man was beyond anyone's imagination.
"Boom!"
At that moment, a violent tremor erupted from the raft ahead.
"Zehahaha! Do you see this, Arashi? This boundless darkness will swallow everything in existence! You are already engulfed in the dark!" Marshall D. Teach's laughter rang out.
Like flowing water, the darkness spread unknowingly, expanding over a vast area, even reaching where they were.
The raging sea, which had been surging moments ago, fell eerily silent.
The torrential rain from the heavens, upon touching that abyss of darkness ahead, vanished without a trace as if devoured entirely.
Arashi stood in the darkness, his brows furrowing slightly. Before he even realized it, everything around him had been consumed.
Teach's ability had swallowed even the raft, along with the surrounding seawater.
Light itself seemed to have faded from this place. An unseen force bound his feet. He tried to move but found himself trapped as if pulled into another world.
The Dark-Dark Fruit's power was indeed bizarre, like a miniature black hole, pulling and devouring everything around it.
"Zehahaha! You will disappear along with this entire stretch of ocean-spanning ten thousand meters!"
"Arashi!" Teach cackled. This was one of the few times he had unleashed his full strength in battle.
The silent darkness spread, already binding Arashi's legs while swallowing large volumes of seawater.
"Are you really so confident? Teach," Arashi asked calmly.
"No, it's you who are too arrogant, Arashi! You have no idea what my power truly is!" Teach laughed.
Seeing the darkness creeping up to Arashi's lower legs, his grin widened.
The Dark-Dark Fruit had the power to devour and pull in anything it touched, compressing and crushing it with infinite force.
It was an ability terrifying enough to reduce an entire town, an entire island, to dust in an instant.
"I've got a general idea now! It is quite interesting!" Arashi narrowed his eyes slightly.
He could already feel the invisible force compressing and crushing his legs.
However, since he hadn't been completely swallowed yet, the power remained weak, like a passing gust of wind.
"But this is where it ends." Raising his head, a cold light flashed in his eyes.
The next moment, his right hand gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist.
"Clang!"
The sound of metal scraping against the sheath rang out as a brilliant flash of light burst forth.
"I've seen your ability! It's interesting, but nothing more."
Seeing Arashi draw his sword, Teach's pupils shrank, and the grin on his face faded.
He had witnessed the entire battle between this man and Whitebeard firsthand and believed he had a rough understanding of his strength.
Powerful physical combat, immense strength, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's abilities—yet his Dark-Dark Fruit could counter all of them.
So then, what other trump card did Arashi have? Suddenly, Teach's body trembled.
A black-red light flickered into his vision, and an overwhelming, tyrannical aura came crashing down.
At the same time, the man before him swung his blade with a sudden, forceful motion.
"Divine Departure!"
The two deep words sent shivers down Teach's spine.
He had seen this technique before—on the Pirate King, Roger, and that red-haired kid as well.
The black-red light erupted with unmatched dominance, streaking forward like the slash of a dragon's fangs.
"Shing!"
Bolts of lightning crackled through the air. A faint rumble of thunder echoed as the strike tore through the darkness.
Teach's pupils shrank. Black smoke billowed from his body.
The slash was unbelievably fast—even his Observation Haki couldn't react in time.
"Gah!"
Before he could register what had happened, blood sprayed from his right shoulder, followed by a deep gash over a meter long.
Agonizing pain shot through his body in an instant, making his entire mind go blank. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
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