บท 19: BlackBeard Arrives

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As Kai walked away from the battlefield, his footsteps slightly echoed down the cold stones of Impel Down, the aftermath of his battle with Sadi-chan fading behind him. His body still hummed from the surge of adrenaline, and he couldn't help but smirk to himself. "Another boss down. Not bad," he muttered under his breath, twirling his Glintstone Staff in one hand as if it were an extension of himself.

But as he reached the corner that would carry him from view, something made him stop. For once, there was no mad dash to press on. His gaze flashed back to the unconscious form of Sadi-chan, where she lay sprawled on the floor, her whip lying limply beside her. Her chest rose and fell in shallow, rapid breaths, testament enough that she still lived despite the hail of Night Shards she'd taken.

"Man. would've been so easy to finish her off," Kai muttered low and musingly while his stare remained to linger on her. It was the way she lay there, vulnerable and defeated that called some sort of time-out in his head. It wasn't pity-nothing like that-but more along the line of reluctance.

Kai let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke to himself. "It'd be a waste to kill her. I mean, she's just doing her job, right?" He frowned, shaking his head. "Maybe I'm getting soft when it comes to maidens, especially the crazy ones with whips."

The though finally occurred to him that he really ought to claim the quest rewards. He remembered the system promising Runes, and that damned Dex weapon Hoslow's Petal Whip. Part of him was looking forward to cashing in on the victory, but now. well, the idea of taking her life for that, just felt wrong. He didn't need the whip. And he most definitely didn't need more blood on his hands.

"I should just give up on the quest rewards," he grumbled, ready to leave for good.

But no more had passed before a familiar ding resounded in his ears as the system notification blinked into view.

[Objective Complete: Defeated "Cruel Dominatrix of Hell" Sadi-chan]

[Rewards Granted: 10000 Runes, Hoslow's Petal Whip]

Kai froze, staring at the screen before him. "Wait. what?"

He scanned the notification once more, and sure enough, the rewards were listed right there, sitting pretty in his UI.

"Whoa," he breathed, eyes wide in utter disbelief. "So. I don't have to kill them?" He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a low chuckle. "It did say 'defeat,' rather than 'kill' after all. Interesting."

Kai shook his head, grinning as he unequipped his Glintstone Staff. "Man, loopholes, talk about that. That's actually. kind of awesome. I beat her, got the rewards, good. I should only kill those I deem deserving of death, after all; these guys don't respawn."

He turned back once more, watching as Sadi-chan remained still on the cold floor. "Guess I'll leave her be," he muttered, the weight leaving his shoulders. "Not like she'll be much trouble after that beating."

Kai ran back to the group ahead, the echoes of his feet running off the cold stone walls. The residual rush from his battle with Sadi-chan was still coursing through his veins, but his mind was already transferred onto the next stage of their escape. He could hear the chaos ahead-shouts, the sounds of bodies hitting the ground, and the unmistakable roar of Luffy's voice cutting through the noise.

The scene in front of him, after he turned the corner, was that of total destruction. Luffy and his motley crew had run through all the remaining jailer beasts and guards. Broken bodies littered the floor of the prison, groaning in defeat. Only Hannyabal and a few guards still stood, faces filled with determination against the fear of what was to befall them.

Standing amidst the destruction, tall and proud, Luffy merely turned around and suddenly found Kai. "Oh, Kai! " Luffy called out with his usual, unbothered grin.

Kai chuckled to himself as he took in the sight. "Oh, it's the Pharaoh guy." Kai said in a smooth and calm tone, his words leaking sarcasm. His eyes locked onto Hannyabal, who stood defiantly with his giant weapon in hand, trying to conjure up some semblance of authority. Kai walked forward slowly-almost lazily-as his sharp gaze never left Hannyabal.

"Be so kind and move away," Kai continued, his voice even but laced with undeniable edge. "You know, you're clearly outnumbered. Outmatched. There's no point in prolonging this. Surely someone as 'wise' as you can see that."

Hannyabal's eyes darted anxiously from Kai to Luffy to Jinbe, crocodile and the rest of the escapees. The hold he had on his weapon was sure, yet his stance quavered. "You scum will rot here for the rest of your lives!" he shrieked, trying to make a last stand. "Justice will be served, and you never would-"

Kai rolled his eyes over him, cutting him off with a highly exaggerated, annoyed sigh. "Seriously, this again?" he muttered, clearly unimpressed. "You all love to talk about justice like it is some magical shield that will protect you from reality." He glanced sideways at Jinbe, who was standing beside him, serenely composed against the rising tension.

"Let's just kill him," Kai raised his hands in mock defeat, as if he was tired of the theatrics. His tone was casual, as though discussing something no more interesting than the weather. "Honestly, it'd save us all some time."

Jinbe nodded knowingly but kept quiet, his eyes narrowing as he thought of their next move. Luffy, on the other hand, was less discreet and was already cracking his knuckles and grinning as he prepared to pound whoever remained standing.

Hannyabal wavered. His boastfulness failed him as Kai's tranquil lethal composure finally sank in. The guards behind him shifted uncomfortably, casting a glance around them, as if searching for an escape route, conscious they, too, were outmatched.

The air was thick with tension. Hannyabal stood resolute, bloodied but stubborn, his refusal to yield an almost palpable thing in the face of defeat. Kai would have to give him that-there was something twistedly admiring about seeing a person stand when they had no chance of victory.

"Tenacious little cockroach, aren't you?" Kai said to himself, his face a mask of disdain as he readied his Glintstone Staff. His fingers quivered slightly as magical energy compacted at the tip of his weapon. "Night Shard," he uttered coolly, casting the spell in quick succession.

In an instant, dark energy crackled through the air; semi-invisible shards materialized around Kai and darted toward Hannyabal with the quickness and deadliness of bullets. Every shard whistled through the air with a whispery tone, burrowing deep into the precision cuts within Hannyabal. One hit his shoulder, another his side, and many more followed, ripping through his defenses. The impact was strong enough to send him flying backward as his body convulsed in pain, each wound spurting out fresh streams of blood.

But even as the shards embedded themselves into him, Hannyabal stood his ground. Labored breathing, legs shaking beneath him, yet he refused to fall. Kai could see that his faint health bar was flickering in the corner of his vision, dangerously low. Yet still, Hannyabal refused to give up.

Kai narrowed his eyes in frustration. "Just fall already…"

"Jet Gatling!" Luffy's voice roared from beside him.

Kai didn't even have the time to register the flurry of fists as Luffy's attack fell upon Hannyabal. Hundreds of punches came down one after another, with each strike strong enough to cause shockwaves to course through the air. The near-endless barrage smacked into what was already a weakened body of Hannyabal and crushed his defenses, caving him even further into the ground. Explosions of dust and debris erupted around the two as Luffy's fists tore through what was left of the prison floor.

Each of them struck with a strangled scream from Hannyabal, but even then, bloodied, battered, and at the verge of collapse, he refused to fall. Wide-eyed with half-pain and half-defiance, his body twitching with a struggle to rise, that sent him staggering back to his feet. His hands shook, his chest heaved, but he still stood on.

Kai's face clouded as he turned his gaze to the men behind Hannyabal, staring in horror and in utter disbelief at him, their eyes wide open, evidently more worried for the welfare of their superior than by the fight present before them.

"Why. won't you. stay down?" Kai exclaimed in exasperation. His Glintstone Staff glowed faintly as he did, but before he could cast another spell, a sudden change in the atmosphere cut him off.

The ground beneath their feet shook. In the air, dark and ominous energy thrived as if pent-up. A low, rumbling voice cut through the chaos that filled the prison.

"Blackhole!"

The word echoed through stone walls, and suddenly the earth under the other guards went black as pitch. A whirling vortex of darkness spread like an oil slick, sucking in everything in its reach into its abyssal maw. The screams of the guards were horrific to hear, sucked into the void, their bodies appearing to vanish traceless into the dark depths of the black hole.

Kai's eyes widened; his heart missed a beat at the realization of that power. And then, he heard it.

"Zehahahahaha!"

That laugh-he knew it only too well.

"Blackbeard," Kai whispered, his voice low and laced with the grim realization of it. Turning, there he was: Marshall D. Teach, Blackbeard himself, at the edge of the battlefield-a wide grin on his face, his hulking frame casting a shadow over the prison, wild, unkempt hair and dark coat swaying with the unnatural winds of the black hole he had summoned.

All eyes had turned to Blackbeard, and the weight of his presence in that small room grew even heavier.

"Shut up already!" Blackbeard's voice thundered as the man moved with astonishing speed for a man of his bulk. His monstrous leg moved forward in a wide arc as it crashed into Hannyabal's midsection with frightening power. The prison warden's eyes popped as the wind was knocked out of him, and his battered body flew backward to slam into a wall with a sickening crunch.

Hannyabal crumpled to the ground, unconscious, with his body utterly broken from the kick. Blackbeard loomed over him with his grin wide and manic. "You were annoyin', you know that?" he said almost in a casual tone, as if he had just swatted aside some minor nuisance.

The moment Kai saw Luffy begin to take his slow but calculated steps toward Blackbeard, his heart just about sank. The reckless determination in Luffy's eyes could hardly be mistaken for anything else, so Kai cursed under his breath, knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"Oh no." Kai muttered, his eyes going wide with incredulity. Luffy had already squared up with so many strong opponents in this chaotic prison; he was now about to face Blackbeard. This wasn't bad; this was a disaster.

Standing a few paces away, Jinbe watched the unfolding situation with great care. His hands clenched into tight fists and his body tensed as he studied Blackbeard. The experience that this Fishman had with this kind of foe taught him how dangerous he truly was. His eyes darted between Luffy and Blackbeard, but he didn't move in yet. Not unless he had to.

On the other side, regarding Crocodile, his cold, calculating stare also rested upon Blackbeard. The former Sea Warlord tittered to himself, a slight curling of his lips. "So this is the one that replaced me, huh?" he mused almost fascinated with the irony of it all. His tone was mocking, but from his eyes came a flicker of interest, weighing the strength of this man who had taken his post.

But Luffy didn't take any of that into account; instead, he focused all his attention on Blackbeard, his eyes filled with a hard light. He stopped a few feet from the towering figure, fists clenched down at his sides.

"Is your name Blackbeard?" Luffy asked, forthrightly, his voice flickering just like it had when he'd dashed through so many burning battles.

Kai's stomach flipped. He ran a hand through his hair, muttering in a high-pitched voice, "Ah, fuck no." He felt the weight in the air start to build as Blackbeard's presence seemed to expand larger than life.

Kai glanced between the two anxiety crawling up his spine. If it went the way it was about to, they were screwed. 'If I have any chance of changing anything-even saving his brother if we could-I need this idiot to preserve his energy.' Kai thought his heart pounding against his chest.

"That Jet Gatling Gun just now." Kai swallowed hard, remembering the pure destructive force Luffy had inflicted upon Hannyabal a moment ago. "If it hit me, I'd probably die. I'm still weak compared to these guys."

His mind was racing. Blackbeard wasn't an average opponent, he was in a completely different league of danger, not just because he had obtained powers from the Dark-Dark Fruit but also because he could do anything, including betraying his former comrades to get something he wants. Confronting Blackbeard right now would be suicidal.

"Damn it," Kai hissed under his breath.

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