Pebbles clattered and rolled among the ruins. Endless black mist spread out from within, completely swallowing the buried rubble.
Teach staggered out of the black mist, chest heaving. Sweat drenched his forehead and clothes, and his eyes burned with raw fury.
Although the Dark-Dark Fruit could absorb damage, the pain was very much real. Teach had clearly suffered a great deal just now.
To be honest, he now had absolutely no desire to fight Allen anymore. For the first time in his life, he had encountered someone whose methods could be this insidious.
Snapping fingers, stomping on toes, and those slaps that lacked raw power but inflicted agony comparable to being whipped.
Rather than a battle, these moves were clearly meant to torture people!
*This bastard is simply a demon!*
Teach gritted his teeth, glaring angrily at Allen. He spread his legs, crouched down, and pressed his thick palms against the ground where the black mist was spreading.
The endless black mist on the ground surged rapidly, converging from all directions with him at the epicenter.
"Dark Star!!"
With a rough shout, Teach yanked his large hands up from the ground, grabbing the black mist as if it had materialized into something solid.
Teach raised his arms high. The endless black mist condensed into a massive sphere, hovering above his head like a black hole.
Black mist from all directions continued to gather, rising into the sky in wisps, wrapping around that Dark Star and constantly expanding its size.
"Oh? Didn't you surrender? I still remember your words begging for mercy just now."
Allen's tone was teasing.
Facing his mockery, Teach showed no trace of shame on his face. Instead, he gave a sinister smile.
"Don't get too arrogant, bastard. It doesn't matter how many times you fail in the middle. The so-called victor is only the one who manages to survive until the end."
"Enough, you two."
At this moment, a voice suddenly rang out. Kuma's figure abruptly teleported between the two of them. He raised his hands, making a gesture to stop both Allen and Teach.
"If you keep fighting, this entire town will be destroyed by you. I do not wish to see that happen."
"Cancel that dangerous thing, and I will let you leave."
Kuma spoke to Teach with a cold gaze, then turned his head to look at Allen.
"Your crewmates are still in town, right? Continuing this fight won't end well for you. The higher-ups also don't want to hear news of a town being destroyed by a Warlord of the Sea. It's about time to stop."
Allen didn't respond, merely meeting his gaze.
Kuma didn't say anything more, turning back to face Teach.
"Take your men and leave. If you still want to cause trouble, you'd better be prepared to face both of us at the same time."
"Hmph, I knew you wouldn't just stand by and watch."
Teach snorted coldly, seemingly unsurprised by Kuma's intervention. He then locked his eyes on Allen, smiling sinisterly.
"I'll admit defeat this time. Francis Allen, I will remember you. We'll meet again someday."
...
Soon, Teach retracted the Dark Star that was capable of destroying the town, recalled Burgess from his battle, and left the area with his other defeated crewmates.
...
After they left, in the residential area, Allen couldn't help asking Kuma.
"You, who are known as the most obedient to the Government's orders, usually never hold back against pirates. Why did you let them go this time?"
"I wasn't confident in taking him down. Don't underestimate him too much. Ever since he started fighting you, he has been on guard against my interference."
Kuma said, his tone completely flat.
Hearing this, Allen's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You think he's still hiding his true strength?"
"Not necessarily, but I am certain he was guarding against me."
Kuma stated again.
It wasn't that he hadn't thought about making a move, but Teach had noticed him several times. This was enough to prove that Teach's Observation Haki had been keeping an eye on his movements the entire time.
Of course, this didn't mean Teach hadn't gone all out in his fight against Allen. No matter how much he guarded himself, if Kuma and Allen attacked together, Teach would absolutely not have been able to leave here today.
When he said he wasn't confident, he didn't mean he couldn't take Teach down. He meant he wasn't confident he could resolve it without involving the civilians.
The Dark-Dark Fruit was a very dangerous ability, and the moves Teach displayed later proved this point.
If they forced a fight, the most likely outcome would be defeating Teach, but at the cost of the entire town's destruction, and he did not want to pay that price.
"In short, this is the best outcome."
Kuma said in a faint tone.
Seeing that the incident here had settled, he didn't plan to stay any longer and turned to leave.
But right at this moment.
"It might be the best outcome for you, but not for me."
Swish!
Allen suddenly burst forward, arriving in front of Kuma in a flash of lightning, and swung a hand chop upward from below!
Slash!
Under Kuma's astonished, off-guard gaze, Allen successfully sliced a tiny cut on his shoulder, his fingertips drawing out a few drops of blood!
"What is the meaning of this?"
Reacting quickly, Kuma immediately teleported to create distance, staring at Allen with a solemn and guarded gaze.
"This is the best outcome. Of course, it would have been even better if I could have killed Teach."
The corners of Allen's mouth curled up. The drops of blood on his fingertips slowly seeped into his skin as he spoke in a playful tone.
"No need to be tense. I just wanted a little something from you. Consider it the price for doing you a favor just now."
"Is this your ability?"
Kuma lowered his guard. Recalling Allen's ability to transform his body parts, combined with the scene before him, he seemed to understand something.
Possessing the bloodline of the Buccaneer Tribe, he was born with a robust body comparable to that of a giant.
Allen already possessed powerful physical combat skills. If he could obtain this strength, his power would inevitably reach an even higher level.
"I see. What an incredible ability."
Kuma couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Clearly, this was an ability with immense growth potential. Although Allen had not yet fully displayed it, one day, he might gather the abilities of various creatures into one body.
When that time came, there was no doubt that Allen would completely evolve into the strongest creature on the surface of the earth!
From Dragon's son setting sail, to the sudden emergence of powerhouses like Allen and Teach, and the Super Rookies making a name for themselves everywhere.
The seas were much livelier than in previous years.
Kuma looked up at the azure sky, his gaze thoughtful.
*I wonder where Bonney has traveled to by now.*
...
"Allen! Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
After Allen returned to the square, Nami and the others immediately gathered around him upon seeing his arrival.
Looking around, the Kid Pirates were no longer anywhere to be seen in the square. Allen couldn't help but ask.
"Where are they?"
"The Kid Pirates?"
Robin looked toward the edge of the square and said softly, "They were already gone when I got back. They probably ran away."
"Ran away? That doesn't seem like something that idiot would do. They're probably still on the island. Have someone go out and look for them."
Allen instructed after a moment of thought.
Hearing this, the group couldn't help but look surprised, thinking Allen wanted to hunt them down and wipe them out.
However, in the next second, they saw Allen grin as he added:
"That guy named Kid is pretty good. I want to bring him aboard. Let's go and assimilate their pirate crew."