Blackbeard felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head; his head was practically buzzing.
He understood from Senga's words that the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit was to be stripped from him!
If anyone else had said that, Blackbeard would have laughed his head off, but since it came from Senga, he wouldn't be laughing.
Because he truly felt that his Dark-Dark Fruit was about to leave him!
Why is he so concerned about the Dark-Dark Fruit?
The most important point is that darkness can absorb the Devil Fruit that is about to detach from its host when the Ability User dies. As long as a fruit is prepared in advance, the Devil Fruit can be reborn on the spot. (Just guessing, please be gentle.)
Blackbeard's body is also extraordinary, allowing him to possess the power of more than one Devil Fruit. Therefore, he could use the Dark-Dark Fruit to absorb the power of another powerful Devil Fruit he desires. This way, he could simultaneously possess the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit and another top-tier Devil Fruit. He could also distribute the extra Devil Fruit to his subordinates, creating a powerful team of Ability User!
Blackbeard originally believed that only he, after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, could accomplish such a feat.
However, Senga's existence is an anomaly. When Blackbeard was with the Whitebeard Pirates, he deliberately collected a lot of information about Senga and knew that he could also possess the power of more than one Devil Fruit, and the number was quite astonishing!
As far as we know, Senga already possesses the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the Gravity-Gravity Fruit, the Asura Fruit, and the Matatabi Fruit. Blackbeard deduced this from Senga's experiences.
Which of these fruits wouldn't be a powerful Devil Fruit would cause a frenzy of fighting over if placed on the high seas? Blackbeard would be drooling with envy!
Blackbeard even boldly speculated that the reason Senga was able to do such outrageous things was most likely because of his eyes, which were called the Rinnegan!
Because every time Blackbeard saw a photo of Senga in the newspaper, it featured a close-up of the Rinnegan, he keenly noticed that the number of Tomoe in Senga's Rinnegan was increasing each time, and Chiga happened to display even more abilities in the battles that followed!
Blackbeard is absolutely obsessed with Devil Fruit, so he's more interested in Senga's secrets than anyone else.
Based on his speculations, if there were a school that specialized in studying Senga, Blackbeard would definitely be qualified to be the principal of that school.
Blackbeard never imagined that he would one day become Senga's target, especially since he had only recently obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit and hadn't even had a chance to enjoy it!
This was the Dark-Dark Fruit he had waited years for in the Whitebeard Pirates! He was counting on this fruit to help him realize his dream; how could he be willing to lose it just like that?
Thinking of this, Blackbeard clenched his fists, staring intently at Senga in front of him. He roared and activated the Dark-Dark Fruit with all his might.
Under Blackbeard's intense emotional turmoil, an extreme darkness spiraled out of his body and shot straight into the sky.
He stretched out his hand, pointed it at Senga, and shouted.
"Liberation!"
The large amount of architectural debris that he had previously absorbed surged out of the darkness and rained down on Senga.
Senga looked at the massive amount of construction debris falling from the sky, a purple glint flashing in his eyes.
Boom boom boom!
A series of explosions rang out, and the large amount of building debris that crashed towards Senga instantly shattered into dust.
Looking at the dust filling the air, Blackbeard's face turned grim, and he thought to himself,
"Explosion? Is it another Devil Fruit ability? Judging from what happened just now, it seems to be the power of the Explosion-Explosion Fruit!"
Blackbeard had seen the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and was familiar with most of the Devil Fruit abilities, so he guessed correctly again this time.
However, he no longer had the energy to study Senga's abilities. He only knew that if he didn't go all out, he would not only lose the Dark-Dark Fruit, but also lose his life.
His only remaining trump card is the Dark-Dark Fruit's ability to nullify all Devil Fruit, which is why the Dark-Dark Fruit is known as the "most vicious existence."
In his view, once touched by darkness, it would be useless for Senga to possess any number of Devil Fruit!
Thinking of this, Blackbeard extended a jet-black hand towards Senga and said in a deep voice,
"Dark Water!"
A dark vortex appeared in his palm, emanating a terrifying attraction that was aimed directly at Senga.
Enveloped by this gravitational pull, Senga's body trembled slightly. Seeing this, Blackbeard was overjoyed, as if he had seen hope of defeating Senga.
However, what happened next immediately shattered the hope that had just risen in his heart.
Shinra Tensei.
An even stronger Repulsion Force erupted from Senga's body, instantly neutralizing the gravity generated by the darkness and even rebounding back at Blackbeard.
"What!?"
Blackbeard's face showed disbelief, and before he could react, he was sent flying.
Since the surrounding environment had been cleared of everything under his previous Dark Hole, there was no obstruction in his path as he was launched, and he was about to fly out of Senga's sight.
Of course, Senga wouldn't let Blackbeard disappear right in front of him like that. He reached out again towards the direction where Blackbeard had been flung away and used the Banshō Ten'in.
"Aaaaaah!"
A terrified scream grew louder as the Blackbeard, who had been flung away, was pulled back by Senga and finally grabbed by the Senga.
At this moment, Blackbeard's hat had been blown away, and his gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if he had not yet recovered from the Shinra Tensei.
Senga showed no intention of bringing him back to his senses and immediately began to strip the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit from him.
Suddenly, a sinister smile appeared on the face of the previously dazed Blackbeard. He abruptly raised his hand, grabbed Senga's arm, and laughed loudly.
"Hey, you thief! Got you! Witness the terror of the Dark-Dark Fruit, Dark Water!"
Darkness surged from his grasp on Senga's hand, instantly spreading to Senga's entire arm.
Looking at Senga's arm that was being "swallowed" by darkness, Blackbeard's eyes were filled with excitement. He really hadn't expected to have such an opportunity to get close to Senga; this was simply a godsend!
Blackbeard looked at Senga smugly, hoping to see a look of fear and helplessness on Senga face, but to his disappointment, Senga's expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of distress.
Senga's arm trembled slightly, and the darkness that enveloped his arm dissipated like a wisp of black smoke, disappearing without a trace.
Looking at the blank-faced Blackbeard in front of him, Senga asked, feigning confusion.
That's it?