Lina turned toward the voice. Besides three familiar faces, a tall man sat cross-legged across from them.
He had a head of fluffy black curls, a rugged appearance, and a thick covering of body hair. Grinning broadly, he showed off several missing teeth. His somewhat sleazy-looking face still carried a hint of bold, rugged charm.
Blackbeard, Teach. He had endured in silence aboard Whitebeard's ship, remaining utterly unremarkable. He had even thought that if he never found the Dark-Dark Fruit he dreamed of, he might as well spend the rest of his life aboard Whitebeard's ship. But then...
The wheels of fate had finally led that Devil Fruit to this man.
"Let's go."
Luffy watched Blackbeard push himself up with a blank expression. Without another word, he lowered the brim of his straw hat and turned away. Blackbeard also silently turned and left.
Lina watched Teach leave without a change in expression. He wondered what Teach would think when he went back and saw his beaten-up subordinates. For now, Lina had no plans to fight Blackbeard—but he certainly wasn't afraid of the man coming after him, either.
It was true that he was wary of the Dark-Dark Fruit's ability. Unlike Seastone and seawater, which could only drain a Devil Fruit user's strength and prevent them from actively using their powers, it didn't directly take those powers away. For example, Luffy still had his rubber body even when he fell into the sea.
But Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit worked in the opposite way. If he touched someone, they wouldn't become weak, but they would be completely unable to use their abilities.
As far as Lina knew, it was the only way to directly counter the power of a Devil Fruit itself.
But Lina knew that Blackbeard would be wary of him,