章 43: Bright Night (I)
Ace POV:
Ace strode into the dimly lit pub, his gaze immediately drawn to a towering figure hunched over at the bar, happily devouring a heap of pies. Blackbeard was oblivious to Ace's arrival, laughing between bites, entirely lost in his meal. Ace took the opportunity and tossed the burnt corpse he had brought with him straight toward the bar.
"Teach," Ace called out, his voice calm but carrying an edge, "sorry for burning your new recruit. But I needed information; you understand, right?"
The charred, unrecognizable body landed with a thud, instantly killing the noise in the pub. Blackbeard froze mid-bite, his wide, toothy grin fading as he took in the corpse. Silence settled over the room as the patrons took in Ace's arrival, a notorious figure with a daunting bounty on his head. One by one, the pirates recognized the infamous "Fire Fist" Ace, and in seconds, they scrambled for the door, leaving the pub empty. That was the kind of reputation Ace carried.
In all honesty, Ace wasn't a fan of tossing corpses around for theatrics. But Zephyr had insisted that this display would create the right atmosphere. Ace didn't know much about the man who had died, only that he'd matched Zephyr's height and that, according to Zephyr, he deserved to die. Even so, Ace hadn't enjoyed lugging the body around while Zephyr did whatever preparations he needed. Yet he had to admit it had the intended effect. The sight of the corpse had made Blackbeard hesitate, visibly shaken, his usual cocky grin replaced by something closer to rage.
"Ace," Blackbeard finally spoke, his tone sour, "you've come to take my head. So why are you hurting bystanders?"
"Hm. Seems he was right—you somewhat do care about your crew in your own twisted way." Ace's reply was calm, but there was a mocking undertone.
Blackbeard's eyes narrowed. "He? Who's 'he'?"
Ace shrugged. "Honestly, even I don't know exactly who he is. Call him a freelancer. He's busy taking care of your crew for me."
Blackbeard's face contorted in anger, but a second later, his expression shifted to one of amusement. He broke into loud, manic laughter, his voice booming through the pub.
"Zehahahahaha! You've changed, commander. The Ace I knew would never get help from someone else."
Ace's eyes narrowed, his patience thinning. "Don't call me 'commander.' You committed a sin that can't be forgiven. My job now, as your former superior, is to kill you."
Blackbeard's grin faltered. "I had to do it, Ace. Thatch found a Devil Fruit I wanted. The only reason I joined the Whitebeard Pirates was to get that fruit. I couldn't let him have it."
"Yami-Yami no Mi," Ace interrupted, his tone sharp and cold. Blackbeard's face went from smug to stunned, confusion flickering across his expression.
"How... How do you know that?"
Ace scoffed. "Seems he was right about this too. But it doesn't really matter, does it, Teach? No matter what powers you gain, I'm going to kill you today."
Ace's eyes blazed with a hatred that was impossible to mistake. Blackbeard's smirk returned, wider and more deranged than ever. He was exhilarated, almost thrilled by the intensity of Ace's fury.
"Fire Fist!"
Ace roared, his right hand igniting in a fierce blaze. The flames radiated heat throughout the room, casting shadows that danced across the walls before the entire pub erupted into flames.
Blackbeard barely had time to react before he was engulfed in red hot flames, consuming him in an instant. He screamed, stumbling back, his clothes and skin catching fire as he rolled on the ground, trying desperately to extinguish the searing heat.
Ace said darkly. "What happened to your new power, Teach? I thought you had a Logia-type fruit. Right now, you're burning like any other weakling."
As Blackbeard finally put out the flames, he slowly got to his feet, the foolish, panicking man now replaced with someone cold and menacing. Darkness began to seep from his body, a void so deep that it seemed to devour even the night around them. Blackbeard's laughter, now low and full of malice, echoed through the empty room.
"You want to see my power, Ace? This darkness consumes everything," he sneered, raising his arms as the entire pub trembled. A force seemed to pull at everything within its reach, drawing them toward Blackbeard. The ground itself began to sink, warping under the unnatural gravity of the dark power emanating from him.
Ace watched; his muscles tensed, assessing every movement. Blackbeard's voice rang out, triumphant. "My darkness pulls in everything. Swords, bullets... and even fire. I don't have the luxury of phasing through attacks like you guys. When someone attacks me, I feel it—every bit of it." He clenched his fists, his right hand turning pitch black, darkness pulsing ominously from it. "But in return, I get something far more dangerous."
Seeing that hand that desired to consume everything, Ace's instincts screamed at him, his muscles twitching involuntarily. That hand radiated a dreadful energy, a palpable sense of doom that made his skin crawl.
Before he could react, he felt his body shift, as if being pulled against his will. In an instant, he found himself in Blackbeard's grasp. Blackbeard's right hand clamped firmly around his shoulder, binding him with an iron-like grip. Ace struggled, but the darkness seeping from Blackbeard seemed to sap his strength, nullifying the power of his Devil Fruit.
Blackbeard grinned, his laughter wild and sinister. "This is the true power of my fruit. My darkness can attract even Devil Fruit users, and a single touch—"he squeezed Ace's shoulder harder, emphasizing his point, "-nullifies their abilities."
Blackbeard reared back his left fist, ready to strike Ace down. His face was twisted into an expression of dark satisfaction, fully expecting to see terror or despair on Ace's face. But instead, he was greeted by an unexpected sight—Ace's face, stretched in a defiant grin.
Ace's voice was calm, almost casual as he spoke, despite Blackbeard's hold on him. "Someone told me something important recently. Wanna know what he said, Teach?"
Blackbeard hesitated, something in the way Ace spoke setting off an instinctive warning. But Ace continued, his grin only widening. "He told me that information is everything."
Blackbeard's face contorted in confusion and a trace of fear as he watched Ace's right hand, now free from his grasp, curled into a fist. The hand shimmered, coated in the dark, hardened sheen of Armament Haki, and before Blackbeard could react, the fist shot forward, connecting directly with his jaw.
The force of the punch reverberated through the pub, and the sound of Blackbeard's painful cry rang out as he stumbled back, his own body now vulnerable to the searing pain of Haki-infused blows.
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