Chapter 87: The Tyrant's Pain and the Dragon's Folly
"Is this the power of his Devil Fruit?" Peacock murmured, awe-struck as she watched from the back of her newly tamed Pegasus. "Anything that touches that black substance just... vanishes."
"Major General Ian has to face such a terrifying opponent alone..." Skylark's voice was thick with worry as she observed the escalating battle.
"Adjutant Peacock, we should follow the retreat order!" Nami interjected, her tone unusually calm and decisive. "Let's not forget what Major General Ian instructed. Our mission isn't over. We need to evacuate the surrounding civilians immediately. And we must coordinate with the arriving soldiers to establish a full perimeter around this entire area!" Deep in her heart, she held an unshakable faith in Ian. No matter how fearsome the enemy, she believed he would prevail.
"Little Nami is right," Peacock agreed, snapping into her role as adjutant. "Our part on this battlefield is done. Everyone, with me! Evacuate the civilians immediately! We will await our Major General Ian's triumphant return!"
With that, Ian's cadre swiftly withdrew, trusting their leader to handle the threat.
…
Sensing his companions had cleared the area, Ian focused entirely on the fight. If allowed to run rampant, Teach's Dark Vortex could engulf entire sections of the archipelago, causing catastrophic damage—an outcome Ian would not permit.
"Hahahaha! You think you can stop me?" Teach bellowed, his voice echoing with manic energy. "I'll give you a present, you brat! Liberation!"
The swirling dark matter erupted upwards, forming a raging hurricane of pure darkness. It condensed in the air before hurling itself at Ian, a compressed mass of everything the vortex had previously absorbed, now a terrifying projectile. The air screamed as it tore through the grove, the object now as wide as a city street.
Ian made no move to dodge. Instead, he channeled his immense Armament Haki, forming a concussive blast that carved a clean path straight through the heart of the dark hurricane.
BOOM!
Debris and dust exploded outward, but they did nothing to slow Ian's relentless advance.
"What the hell?!" Teach's eyes widened. "His Haki is this powerful? But my Armament Haki is no joke either!"
As Ian closed in, a greedy, calculating gleam appeared in Teach's eyes. It was as if he had been waiting for this.
"Shihihihi..." Teach grinned, his missing teeth on full display. "I've been waiting for you to get close, Ian... Your tricky fruit skill isn't something you can rely on forever! Dark Water!"
A torrent of black energy erupted from Teach's right hand, lashing out towards Ian. In an instant, a tremendous gravitational force enveloped Ian, pulling him inexorably toward the darkness. It was the first time Ian had truly felt the overwhelming pull of this ability—a strange magnetism that seemed to target the very essence of his Devil Fruit power. The Dark-Dark Fruit was indeed a terrifying, BUG-level power in the world of abilities. No wonder Teach was considered the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users. It was a power truly worth coveting, even at the cost of betraying a lifelong comrade—a despicable, yet effective, ambition.
In the blink of an eye, Ian was within Teach's grasp, held firm by the dark gravity. His Devil Fruit abilities were completely sealed.
"Hah..." Ian, held tightly, looked Teach directly in the eye, a cold sneer on his lips. "I was waiting for you to do that, too. As expected, 'Dark Water' isn't the same as Seastone. It only nullifies my fruit ability; it doesn't drain my strength. The powers of the Human-Human Fruit are just one card in my deck, and not the most important one."
Hiss!
As he finished speaking, a crackling, brown-red aura of lightning erupted from Ian's body. The sheer, oppressive spiritual pressure made Teach's blood run cold. It was a spectacle he had witnessed only a handful of times in the New World, from the likes of the Emperors themselves... and now it was emanating from this so-called 'kid'.
Conqueror's Haki Infusion!
The advanced application of the Color of the Supreme King!
"Conqueror's Haki?! You know how to use this?!" Teach stammered, his mind reeling. He no longer had time to ponder how Ian had known about Dark Water's properties. The emergence of infused Conqueror's Haki was a blow that struck at his very soul. I have to block it... I have to block his attack! No matter how much it hurts, I have to endure!
"Hiss...!"
BOOM!
Human Fist: Earth-Shattering Storm!
Before Teach could launch his own strike, Ian's Haki-infused fist connected squarely with his face. Teach's own tactic of closing the distance had given Ian the perfect opening for a point-blank, devastating blow.
BOOM...!
CRRRASH...!
Teach was sent flying backward, a chaotic mass of dark matter and brown-red lightning. The ancient mangrove roots in his path were utterly obliterated, turned to dust. A trench several meters deep was torn into the earth as his body carved a destructive path through the grove. In mere moments, the vast, undeveloped woodland was ravaged and torn asunder.
Overconfidence in his newfound power and arrogance toward a rising star had led the not-yet-infamous Blackbeard to a crushing defeat on Sabaody.
"He's still not dead..." Ian noted, sensing Teach's tenacious vitality still flickering. Even a direct, Haki-infused punch to the face hadn't finished him.
"Hey, I'll give you a parting gift before you go..." Ian muttered.
As Teach's body was still flying backward, Ian activated his Awakened skill once more. But this time, it wasn't [Five Senses Severance]. It was... [Five Senses Enhancement]!
Cough...!
"AGHHHH!!"
A blood-curdling scream, raw with unimaginable agony, ripped through the suddenly silent battlefield. The man who had stubbornly withstood Ian's earth-shattering punch was now writhing, completely broken by the amplified, excruciating side-effects of his own Devil Fruit.