"Damn it..." Teach's face was ashen, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow.
In a situation like this, even a victory would be a crushing defeat!
Just then, steady, deliberate footsteps sounded behind him.
Teach whirled around to see Ron slowly approaching, his robes stirring as if moved by an unseen wind, each step seeming to fall in time with Teach's own frantic heartbeat.
"Damn it... I have to make the first move!"
A ruthless glint flashed in Teach's eyes, and he erupted into motion.
"Dark Vortex!"
His palm was instantly wreathed in that devouring blackness, and he shot forward, his fingers closing like a steel trap around Ron's wrist with lightning speed!
"ZEHAHAHAHA!" Teach cackled, the flesh on his face shaking with triumphant glee. "I thought you were some master, but to let me get this close so easily!"
His five fingers tightened like industrial vices.
"Now, no matter what powerful Devil Fruit you've eaten, it's useless!"
Yet—
Ron's expression didn't change in the slightest. Instead, a mocking sneer touched his lips, his eyes looking upon Teach as he would a particularly foolish jester.
"Who told you... I was a Devil Fruit user?"
Ron slowly raised his other hand. Pitch-black Busoshoku Haki flowed over his arm like a living tide, the aura of his Haki so dense it surpassed even his own peak state!
"What?!" Teach's sneer froze solid on his face. "How could you...?!"
The next instant—
BOOM!
Ron's fist, sheathed in Haki condensed to its absolute limit, struck Teach's flank like a dragon erupting from the depths.
"GYAAAA—!!"
A shrill, piercing scream tore through the air. Teach's obese body was hurled backward like a ragdoll, smashing through several large trees before finally skidding to a halt.
He lay in a broken heap, vomiting blood, the dual shock and pain rendering him momentarily speechless!
When he finally recovered, his eyes were filled with abject, unbelievable horror. "H-how is this possible... This level of Haki..."
Ron stared down coldly at the incapacitated Teach. "You dared to make a move without even knowing your opponent's true strength?"
Seeing their captain defeated so decisively, the remaining Blackbeard Pirates' will to fight shattered. Their leader was down; what was the point?
But Ron wasn't finished. He stepped forward and, with methodical precision, delivered a single, Haki-infused punch to each of the stunned commanders, ensuring they joined their captain in unconsciousness.
Luffy looked on, stunned, from where he lay. "Big Brother... you're amazing! You took them all out with one punch each?!"
[Ding! Mission Complete!]
[Reward: 100 Jin of Premium Sea King Meat!]
[Other mission objectives failed. No additional reward.]
Though he had failed to kill Blackbeard, the reward for repelling him had Luffy leaping to his feet in excitement. "Meat! We get to eat meat! And it's premium Sea King meat! Too bad I didn't get those new moves, though."
Simultaneously, Ron's Tenfold Return System activated.
[Ding! Sub-system host has repelled Blackbeard. Tenfold Return activated!]
[Obtained: 1,000 Jin of Premium Sea King Meat!]
In a flash of golden light, a veritable mountain of meat materialized on the cloud-covered ground. Each cut was marbled perfectly, the fat glistening under the sunlight, and a rich, savory aroma instantly filled the air.
"So much meat! Thank you, Big Brother Ron! Let's have a feast!" Luffy's eyes turned into stars as he pounced on the meat pile like a starving animal, grabbing two huge chunks and shoving them into his mouth, swallowing them almost whole.
Ron smiled and waved a hand. "Don't hold back, everyone! Eat your fill!"
The Straw Hat crew erupted into cheers.
Zoro hauled over a barrel of sake. Sanji expertly set up a grill. Usopp and Chopper excitedly began skewering meat. Even Robin smiled as she helped set out plates and utensils.
As the feast was in full swing, Ron suddenly stood and walked toward the unconscious form of Blackbeard Teach.
All eyes followed him, and the celebratory noise gradually died down.
"Ron? What are you...?" Nami asked, puzzled.
Ron knelt beside Teach, studying him. "I'm thinking... who should get this Yami Yami no Mi? Or... does anyone here want it?"
"The Yami Yami no Mi?" Sanji exhaled a thoughtful plume of smoke. "That guy's ability was strange. It was pitch black, felt unnatural, and it swallowed Enel's lightning whole."
Ron looked up, his gaze sweeping over the crew. "The Dark-Dark Fruit is special. Extremely special. It is the most anomalous of all Logia-types."
"Special?" Zoro paused in cleaning his swords, intrigued.
"First," Ron explained, "it does not grant the user the ability to elementalize their body, unlike every other Logia."
Usopp's jaw dropped. "Wait! A Logia that can't turn into its element?! Then what kind of Logia is it?!"
"That's its first anomaly," Ron continued. "Secondly, its true terror lies in its power to nullify. If the user makes physical contact with a target, that target's Devil Fruit powers are temporarily neutralized, rendering them as vulnerable as any ordinary person for the duration."
"WHAT?!" a chorus of shocked exclamations erupted.
Luffy, his mouth full of meat, looked up and chimed in, "Yeah! When I was fighting him, he grabbed my arm and my rubber powers just... stopped!"
Robin nodded, a look of understanding dawning. "So that's how he was able to capture Enel so easily."
"And that's not all," Ron stood, his expression grave. "The Dark-Dark Fruit can also absorb and nullify all forms of attack, including... the ability-based attacks of other Devil Fruit users."
A heavy silence fell over the group, broken only by the crackle of the bonfire.
Chopper's little hooves trembled. "S-such a terrifying power..."
Zoro's grip tightened on Wado Ichimonji. "So this guy... he's a hard counter to every other ability user?"
"Precisely."
Then, Ron dropped the bombshell that made everyone's jaws hit the floor.
"Most importantly... the Yami Yami no Mi has one final, monstrous ability. It can extract the power from another Devil Fruit user, allowing the ability to be taken for oneself... or given to another."
"WHAT?!!!"
The firelight danced over a sea of utterly stunned faces.
Ron's words were like a colossal boulder hurled into a still pond, sending shockwaves through everyone present.
"Captain!" Usopp shot to his feet, his grilled meat forgotten on the ground. "You're saying the Dark-Dark Fruit can... steal other people's powers?!"
Ron nodded, tapping a finger lightly against his knee. "That's correct. The Yami Yami no Mi can forcibly extract another's Devil Fruit ability and transfer it, either to the user or to a third party."
"Isn't that just like that purple-glowing scroll Nami dug up before?" Sanji asked, his cigarette nearly falling from his lips.
Robin's beautiful eyes were wide; this new information had clearly shocked her to her core, again and again.
"No, it's different." Ron shook his head, producing the mysterious purple scroll. "The scroll's ability is... broader. It isn't bound by the same limitations."
Everyone held their breath.
Zoro voiced the question on all their minds. "What do you mean?"
....
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