On the Fourth Floor of Blazing Hell, Blackbeard clutched his chest as blood seeped from a deep wound. He staggered backward, retreating as rolling black smoke swallowed his figure.
Katakuri stood firm, gripping his trident diagonally, its surface coated in hardened Armament Haki. He had no intention of engaging Blackbeard barehanded. Lucien had warned him beforehand about Blackbeard's ability, and using a weapon was the safest and most effective way to fight.
"Dark Water."
The black smoke surged violently, spreading across the air like an expanding tide. Darkness gathered in Blackbeard's right hand, spinning rapidly like a vortex as he reached out toward Katakuri from afar.
Katakuri frowned slightly as his body was forcibly pulled forward, his feet leaving the ground against his will.
"So this is your power."
His voice remained calm. A faint red light flashed across his eyes as Observation Haki activated to its highest level. At the final moment, Katakuri thrust his trident forward, Armament Haki roaring around it.
Blackbeard pulled harder, the gravitational force intensifying as he attempted to drag Katakuri off balance and nullify the attack through forced contact.
But something felt wrong.
A sense of imminent danger exploded in Blackbeard's mind, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Katakuri's right arm stretched unnaturally, extending while maintaining a firm grip on the trident. The sudden gravity had no effect on him at all as the weapon shot straight toward Blackbeard's head.
A chill ran up Blackbeard's spine. Ignoring his battered condition, he lunged sideways in desperation. Pain tore across his face as the trident sliced past his ear, its sharp pressure making his hair stand on end.
But Katakuri had already foreseen this.
As Blackbeard moved left, Katakuri's right leg, reinforced with Armament Haki, swept through the air with overwhelming force. The kick struck cleanly, leaving Blackbeard no chance to evade.
Blood sprayed from Blackbeard's mouth as he was sent flying, crashing violently into a mound of rubble. He groaned, writhing in agony.
"It hurts. It hurts!"
"Bastard!"
Before his screams could fade, Katakuri was already moving.
With a sharp sound, the trident cut through the air.
Enduring the doubled pain tearing through his body, Blackbeard vanished from his original position and reappeared five meters away. Before he could even catch his breath, Katakuri appeared directly in front of him, as if he had been waiting there all along.
The trident spun violently, forming a deadly spiral as it descended toward Blackbeard's head.
"Dark Water!"
Fear crept into Blackbeard's expression. Darkness engulfed his right hand as he unleashed another surge of gravitational force, barely diverting the trident's path.
At the same instant, the red glow in Katakuri's eyes flared again.
He stepped forward and drove his foot into Blackbeard's chest.
A horrifying cracking sound echoed through Blazing Hell as bones shattered. Blackbeard spat blood and was sent hurtling backward, crashing through multiple rows of ruined buildings. His face twisted as he screamed in pain.
The Dark Dark Fruit, the Logia-type ability Blackbeard claimed to be the most evil Devil Fruit in history, granted him gravity akin to a black hole. It could absorb, compress, and crush anything swallowed by darkness.
It could even draw Devil Fruit users toward him from afar, and with direct physical contact, it could temporarily nullify their abilities, regardless of type.
Its power was terrifying, but its weaknesses were just as severe.
The darkness itself had no offensive strength. Unlike other Logia users, Blackbeard could not fully transform into darkness to avoid physical damage. Instead, he absorbed the attacks directly, suffering twice the pain.
To nullify another Devil Fruit user's power, direct contact was mandatory. Without it, the effect was useless.
Against most opponents, this ability was devastating.
But against Katakuri, it was nearly useless.
Katakuri's mastery of Observation Haki, specifically Future Sight, allowed him to see and hear moments ahead. In his eyes, Blackbeard's movements were completely exposed.
Lucien had already informed Katakuri and the others about Blackbeard's abilities in advance. As long as they avoided direct contact, Blackbeard was nothing more than a target.
Even if the darkness absorbed damage, once it exceeded Blackbeard's tolerance, the outcome was inevitable.
"Bastard…"
Blackbeard was not foolish. After just a few exchanges, he had confirmed the truth.
Among the seas, it was rumored that Charlotte Katakuri, the strongest Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates, possessed an advanced form of Observation Haki rarer even than Haoshoku Haki.
Future Sight.
The rumor had circulated only among top-tier forces, and many had dismissed it as impossible.
Now, Blackbeard believed it completely.
Every attack and dodge felt like he was walking straight into Katakuri's strikes. Ordinary Observation Haki could never achieve such precision, especially against another Observation Haki user.
Haki was a clash of wills. When evenly matched, prediction was impossible.
But Future Sight was different.
Even a single second was enough to determine victory or defeat.
"Zehahaha… so the rumors were true," Blackbeard laughed hoarsely, coughing blood as he stared at Katakuri advancing with trident in hand. "You really do possess Observation Haki, Future Sight."
Katakuri did not reply.
His expression was cold as he thrust his trident forward once more, Armament Haki roaring as the strike tore through the air, producing a deafening sonic boom.
"Dark Water!"
Blackbeard's face darkened. Darkness surged from his hand again, pulling Katakuri violently upward before slamming him toward the ground.
The red light in Katakuri's eyes flashed.
Even as his body lost balance, the trident never wavered.
"Boom!"
Katakuri crashed into the ground, shattering the floor beneath him. At the same time, a deep wound ripped across Blackbeard's chest, bone visible beneath torn flesh. The doubled pain hit him like molten iron, forcing a scream from his throat.
Elsewhere, chaos consumed Blazing Hell.
Cracker, Smoothie, Oven, and the others clashed fiercely with Burgess, Doc Q, and Blackbeard's crew. Big Barrel was surrounded, besieged by Bones and several Jailer Beasts.
The entire floor was in ruins. Rioting jailers fled upward toward the Third and Second Floors, too terrified to intervene.
Deep within Infinite Hell, Magellan held a torch as he reached the deepest level. The empty cells stared back at him, his expression grim and heavy.
His fears had been realized.
The legendary prisoners from the era of Gol D. Roger were gone.
They had escaped Impel Down.
The prison had become an isolated island, with no supply warships in sight. There was only one possible way out.
Flight.
For monsters of that level, such a method posed no difficulty. Using techniques similar to geppo, or even riding Sea Kings, escape was inevitable.
From the moment the gates were opened, the outcome had already been decided.
Lucien stood atop Zeus, flames reflecting in his amethyst eyes as his short hair fluttered in the heated air. He descended from Freezing Hell into Blazing Hell with calm authority.
Behind him, Crocodile followed in silence, his body already transformed into a demon. His wounds had fully healed, but his fate rested in another's hands.
"Not good!"
Blackbeard's group stiffened as they saw Lucien and the grim-faced Crocodile.
A powerful sense of dread surged through them.
In the next instant, Crocodile charged straight toward the nearest enemy, the Evil King, without hesitation.
Lucien's gaze locked onto Blackbeard.
Malice twisted his expression.
Blackbeard's heart sank to its lowest point.
Facing Katakuri alone was already pushing him to his limit.
If Lucien joined the battle, defeat was certain.
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