Black hair. Crimson eyes. Purple gourd earrings.
"You really found me this quickly, Ren."
Teach clenched his fists, his eyes filled with a savage ferocity. "Are you planning to wipe me out completely? We're on the same side, aren't we?"
"Negotiation? There's no point, Teach. From the moment you left Marine Headquarters, you became a traitor.
"Though I'm not in any position to criticize you. I defected too, after all."
Ren raised his head and looked upward. Golden light poured down through the gaps in the ruins, landing right upon this area.
He stood up naturally, stamped his foot against the ground, and said, "Speaking of which, this place is pretty nice. Maybe it can serve as your burial ground?"
"Hey, hey, don't be so murderous."
Teach seemed to think of something and hurriedly raised both hands, waving them in the air. "I think we can work together, right?
"Judging from what you said, you're no longer one of the Warlords of the Sea. Then there's no reason for us to fight to the death.
"To be honest, choosing to leave in front of my old man—no, Whitebeard—wasn't a mistake.
"He's the world's strongest man. But if you're unhappy about it, maybe I can help you vent your anger?"
It was a very subtle way of putting things.
Ren's expression turned strange.
"Tell me, did you misunderstand something?"
Ren walked out of the area covered by the golden light and tilted his head. "Why do you think I left because of Whitebeard?
"You have your own schemes. Did you think I wouldn't have mine?"
"Zehahaha! Is there anything in this place that you want?"
Teach laughed it off while becoming faintly unsettled.
Then he noticed that the other party's gaze was burning hot as it stared at him.
"The Yami Yami no Mi. The only Devil Fruit recorded in the known Devil Fruit Encyclopedia that can transfer Devil Fruit powers.
"And one of the core reasons Impel Down was built is that some prisoners possess troublesome Devil Fruit abilities.
"In other words, there are quite a few excellent materials here."
Ren did not answer the question directly. Instead, he looked at him with mockery in his eyes.
Damn it.
He's here for me.
Teach's pupils contracted as he instantly realized the problem.
The other party could not have learned this from their conversation just now. He must have known before the Warlords were summoned to Marine Headquarters.
In other words, the other party had also read the complete Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. That was why he could determine that Teach's Devil Fruit power was the Yami Yami no Mi.
And he had prepared a whole series of arrangements in advance, even going so far as to abandon his status as a Warlord of the Sea to come here!
Cold sweat emerged on his forehead. He felt an extreme chill crawling up his spine.
"Looks like you've already understood. Then choose."
Ren reached out and grasped. Heavenly Might appeared in his hand. "Work for me, or be buried here."
"…"
Teach fell silent and subconsciously observed his surroundings.
He saw many translucent things drifting around them, passing through walls and the ground without any obstruction.
The area nearby was probably already under the other party's control.
At the same time, whistling sounds rang out. Upon closer inspection, the source of those sounds came from the hole.
The Angels of Glory on standby had already entered Impel Down.
There were still many valuable prisoners alive within the several floors of the structure that had not yet been destroyed. They were one of the Angels' targets.
Battles had even already broken out.
At the same time, Angels also went to recover materials. Among them, Byrnndi World was silently brought to the place where the two of them were.
It could now be confirmed.
This place had probably fallen completely into the hands of Demon Ren.
Those specially shaped flying creatures had appeared before during the major incident at Dressrosa. It was certain that they were Ren's subordinates.
And there was a high probability that they were creations made from a Devil Fruit ability.
Teach seemed to realize something. Then he revealed the side of himself that belonged to a true ruthless schemer.
"Zehahaha, no problem. If there's something you want me to do, I'll definitely do it."
Teach laughed twice, then raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. "As long as you don't kill me, you can take whatever Devil Fruit power you want."
"Then this one."
Ren made his choice without the slightest hesitation, as though he truly trusted Blackbeard that much.
An Angel of Glory brought Byrnndi World over.
Teach's eyes flickered. Then he stepped forward and placed one hand on Byrnndi World's body.
His other hand reached toward Ren. "If my Devil Fruit ability is to transfer this Devil Fruit, then contact is required."
"I know."
Ren walked over. Heavenly Might, which had been held in his hand, collapsed and vanished.
Then he pressed the back of his hand against the back of Teach's hand.
Judging from this alone, he seemed completely undefended.
Teach's expression changed several times, but he did not dare use Dark Water. He felt that this might be a test.
Byrnndi World, who had been brought over, was not dead. He was still barely breathing.
Teach did not believe that the so-called World Destroyer could have withstood that devastating black sphere of light.
In other words, this had been deliberately arranged.
The other party knew that if the Yami Yami no Mi's power was to transfer a Devil Fruit ability, it had to be done when the Devil Fruit was about to be reborn, but before it had actually been reborn.
Likewise, the other party also knew that one of the Yami Yami no Mi's powers could absorb Devil Fruit abilities.
Then, would such an incredibly young yet ruthless character, someone who had made Teach suffer such a huge loss…
Really give him a chance to launch a sneak attack and turn the tables?
Teach would not dare dream of such a thing. In that instant, he tried hard to recall, and from a corner of his memory, he found a fragment of information.
It was a rumor on the sea, originating from Mock Town, the place where Ren had once clashed with the Marines.
And the specific content seemed to involve a duplication ability?
In that instant, Blackbeard made his choice and judgment.
First, he snapped Byrnndi World's neck. Then black energy wrapped around that empty shell of a body.
Using Teach as a transfer station, the More-More Fruit's extracted power flowed toward Ren.
But in the next second, Teach's eyes widened in great astonishment, because the power of the More-More Fruit had truly passed over.
It was not the fake body he had imagined, nor was it a Devil Fruit creation.
It was the real person!
"You're much bolder than I imagined."
Several minutes later, Teach withdrew his hand. His eyes held some apprehension, along with a faint trace of relief.
He was apprehensive of the other party's sheer nerve, daring to make such an act that could be called an enormous gamble.
If Teach had used Dark Water at that moment to absorb the other party's Devil Fruit ability, perhaps there would have been a chance to counterkill him.
Only, he had been uncertain whether this Ren was a duplicate body, so he had not dared to gamble.
His relief came from the change in his situation.
Without question, he was safe now. As long as he was needed, he could not be killed.
Only the Yami Yami no Mi could transfer Devil Fruits. And if the user of the Yami Yami no Mi died,
the Yami Yami no Mi would also be reborn. Outsiders would have no way to intercept that fruit.
The other party's choice was clearly the most advantageous one.
Keeping him, the user of the Yami Yami no Mi, alive would allow Ren to quickly create an army of Devil Fruit users—
Teach's eyes suddenly widened. A hint of disbelief emerged in them. Then intense pain erupted from his chest and throughout his limbs and bones.
"Pfft—!"
He violently spat out a mist of blood. Black energy emerged from his palm as he tried to absorb the other party's Devil Fruit ability.
But the Thunder Seeds slipped away through the gaps between his fingers.
Ren appeared not far away, looking indifferently at Blackbeard, who was suffering from the invasion of gaseous blades within his body.
At this moment, the latter swayed in disbelief, yet he had no way to deal with this fatal attack that erupted from the inside out.
Bulges rose across his skin one after another. Countless dense "blades" almost pierced straight through his body.
"Why… how could you…"
Even now, Teach still could not believe this result. He glared at his enemy in fury and confusion.
After witnessing such a terrifying ability, shouldn't Ren have kept him alive and worked with him?!
Or was the other party only planning to take that one More-More Fruit?
He could not understand. The intense pain made Teach increasingly crazed, but after taking only two steps forward, blood dyed every part of his clothes red.
Internal bleeding had already turned into penetrating massive hemorrhaging.
"Arrogance and rashness. Those are your greatest weaknesses.
"When the confidence supported by your arrogance is crushed, you become as cunning as a rabbit. But because of that, you also lose your courage.
"You didn't even dare gamble. Instead, you obediently trusted your own judgment.
"That is also the second reason for your defeat—rashness.
"You should have treated everything you encountered with greater caution, Teach. Including your own Devil Fruit ability."
Ren spoke softly while accepting Teach's desperate struggle. The other party fought with all his strength and managed to launch several attacks, using black energy to devour a small number of Thunder Seeds.
He also tried to use techniques like Dark Water. However, it was useless. Ren was not a true Devil Fruit user.
The Yami Yami no Mi's special counter against Devil Fruit users simply did not exist against him.
Only when Teach finally could no longer hold on and collapsed did Ren chuckle and say,
"For example, why did you take it for granted that only the Yami Yami no Mi could transfer Devil Fruit abilities in this world?"
Teach froze in astonishment. Then he completely lost consciousness.
Ren merely shrugged, not caring whether Blackbeard understood or not.
To put it simply, it was because of that bug-like thing known as the Reincarnation Pool.
The reason he went through all these twists and turns with Blackbeard was only because he wanted to obtain the More-More Fruit's power ahead of time.
After all, taking dead things away was no problem, but neither Ren's inventory nor his four-dimensional space allowed living people to be placed inside.
To ensure that he would not waste time, he had planned from the very beginning to fleece Blackbeard once before sending him into the Reincarnation Pool.
The gap in information caused Blackbeard to suffer a complete defeat in a ridiculous and comical manner.
Of course, this did not mean Teach was incompetent.
There had been nothing particularly wrong with his actions. They fit very well with the thinking and reasoning of a clever person.
After confirming at the time that Ren was not an opponent he could face, he had directly abandoned his dignity and chosen to flee.
After being caught, he could still propose all kinds of conditions to survive. He even avoided attacking Ren directly to prevent accidents, instead choosing to show sincerity.
From these points alone, one could see how troublesome Teach was.
However, his thinking could not comprehend an out-of-spec existence like Ren, which led him to misjudge one crucial factor and fail outright.
After all, Ren did not need the Yami Yami no Mi at all.
Of course, there was only one true mistake.
He should never have appeared within Ren's reach while he was still not strong enough.
(End of Chapter)