Dark Water: Victory

"Smash Fist!"

Brom a powerful punch, staring intently at Teach, and shouted loudly. The punch collided with Teach's claws.

The two constantly shifted their battlefields in the sky, creating waves of air, the sound of collisions and explosions, and the surging waves of the sea.

The two figures appeared on the sea surface. Wherever the shattering force passed, it touched the sea surface, and in an instant, all the seawater on the surface disappeared, annihilated and vanished by Brom's power.

A deep pit with a diameter of 100 meters appeared on the sea surface, and seawater from all around kept surging into the central cavity to fill the missing seawater.

This demonstrates the terrifying power of this ability; calling it the Destruction Fruit wouldn't be an exaggeration.

However, he was blocked by Teach's Haki and the continuous flow of black energy. Brom had used all his strength to try to finish off Teach as soon as possible, but the two were locked in a stalemate, and Brom could not hurt Teach.

This is a duel between the strong. The two are not far apart in terms of attack power. For Brom, the best defense is offense. With the power of the Smash Fruit, he has a slight advantage.

However, Teach's Observation Haki completely overwhelmed Brom's, coupled with his own ability to fly.

Brom was anxious, sensing Teach's formidable strength. Although he held a slight advantage with his own power, he was unable to change the course of the battle in the short term.

However, below, screams of agony echoed as the members of the Night Pirates began their massacre of the Marines.

The high-ranking officers in the naval fleet were able to hold out, but the ordinary marines at the bottom, despite being elite, were unable to withstand the attacks from the members of the Night Pirates.

Finally, Brom couldn't hold on any longer and changed his target, quickly moving downwards to help the members who were being suppressed by the Night Pirates.

Teach naturally saw his actions, and he couldn't let Brom do that. Looking at Brom trying to leave, a cold smile crept across his face. "Come back here."

"Dark Water!"

Teach raised his left hand, which turned completely black, and faced Brom. A dark vortex formed from black energy swirled around Teach's palm, and an invisible force directly grabbed the Devil Fruit inside Brom's body.

The next moment, Brom's eyes widened as he felt his body slipping out of his control, unable to resist. An irresistible force grabbed his body, drawing him in and sending him flying rapidly backward.

Brom's body came directly in front of Teach, whose arm was grabbed and locked tightly by Teach.

Brom had no idea what had happened or why this was happening.

Before he could react, Teach had already thrown a powerful punch, which landed squarely on Brom's back.

"Pfft!" Brom spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes filled with confusion, before his body flew through the air.

With overwhelming force, Brom was sent flying hundreds of meters away. Just as he was about to hit the water, he stepped on the surface with one foot and used the powerful momentum to steady himself. He leaned forward and quickly rushed towards the Marine warship.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" Teach chuckled. "Dark Water!"

Teach used the same move again, with the same force, and grabbed Brom's body.

His body was drawn to Teach once again, flying directly towards Teach, where he was caught by Teach hand.

After being captured, Brom felt unable to move his body. The powerful gravity enveloped his body, making it extremely difficult for him to move. Teach did not use the Dark Binding, but the gravity was enough to restrict Brom's movements.

The next moment, Teach swung his right fist again, landing directly on Brom's abdomen. Brom shuddered; the force of this punch was even more domineering. With a "crack," Teach's fist sank deep into Brom's abdomen, almost breaking Brom's bones.

His body was sent flying backward again, this time even further than before. The powerful impact sent Brom's body flying, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood, writhing in intense pain throughout his body.

With great difficulty, Brom steadied himself, hunched over, his arms trembling as he clutched his abdomen, the spot where Teach had punched him.

With that punch, Brom felt his abdomen churning violently. He had underestimated Teach's strength; the powerful force was almost unbearable for him.

This time, he didn't go to the Marine warship to provide support, because he knew that Teach wouldn't give him another chance. Until he found a way to counter this tactic, everything he did would be in vain.

"Is this gravity?" Brom couldn't help but say. Unlike before when he was caught off guard, this time he was fully prepared. Even so, he still couldn't resist. "And why?" Brom was puzzled. He opened his palm and, the moment he was grabbed, he felt that he couldn't use his abilities.

He needs to figure this out and come up with a solution, otherwise, no matter how much he struggles, it will be useless.

"Hahaha, since you want to know, I'll tell you. It's not a secret; it'll be revealed sooner or later." Teach chuckled wickedly at Brom. "The Dark-Dark Fruit is Logia Devil Fruit, but unlike other Logia Devil Fruit User, I can't use elemental transformation to evade attacks."

"Because of the nature of this ability, my body suffers double the pain no matter what attack I face."

"But compared to this weakness, it can also absorb something else. The power of darkness can accurately draw out the physical form of Devil Fruit User. This is an attraction that the user cannot resist. And, if it gets caught by my body, or even touched, what happens? You've already noticed, haven't you, Brom?" Teach raised an eyebrow and looked at Brom with a smile.

Brom's face had turned extremely pale. His fists were clenched and trembling slightly. He gritted his teeth. He now understood that the feeling he had experienced earlier was not an illusion, but rather the work of Teach's abilities.

"To nullify the abilities of those with superpowers." Brom uttered these words slowly, his body trembling with disbelief.

"Haha, that's right, this is the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit. It can even absorb and nullify Devil Fruit abilities. In other words, you can't unleash your crushing power anymore. The most vicious Devil Fruit, the nemesis of Devil Fruit users, this is the Dark-Dark Fruit."

Teach laughed excitedly, then fixed his gaze on Brom and slowly said, "So, in Marine Headquarters, there are only two people I truly fear."

"Is it Garp and Zephyr?" Brom slowly uttered the names of the two Marines' martial arts masters.

"No." Teach shook his head with a smile, "It's Garp and Sengoku."

"Black Arm Zephyr is strong, but unfortunately, he no longer poses a threat to me. His weaknesses are too obvious. If he dares to come, those promising young marines will likely be destroyed by our hands."

Teach smiled as he uttered words that made Brom's face turn ugly: the battle at Sabaody Archipelago nearly two years ago was a painful memory for the Navy, one that was still unforgettable. It resulted in the loss of not only a Marine Vice Admiral and thousands of marines, but also the future of the Naval Academy.

These naval academies housed elites from all corners of the world, as well as the sons of Marine Headquarters and soldiers. For a long time afterward, the entire Marine Headquarters was buried in grief.

Former Navy Admiral Black Arm Zephyr paid a heavy price in that incident. According to intelligence, Zephyr's final burst of power cost him five years of his lifespan. After all, life burns out very quickly, and in order to unleash a speed beyond his limits, Zephyr accelerated the burning of his own life.

More importantly, the emotional damage to Zephyr meant that he was unable to teach for the next year. His exceptional teaching abilities were undoubtedly a huge loss for the Navy.

If we're talking about who the Marine Headquarters hated the most, it would be Mostima, the captain of the White Bird Pirates, known as the "Cherons," in the New World.

During these days, the navy organized troops to encircle and suppress them on several occasions, but each time they failed and suffered heavy losses.

Even though Staff Officer Crane devised a plan against Mostima, it ultimately didn't win him much favor.

"The information about the Dark-Dark Fruit should be available at Marine Headquarters, or perhaps in the hands of the World Government. Before obtaining specific details about my ability, you dare to come looking for trouble? I don't know whether to call you confident or foolish," Teach sneered sarcastically. "Is it this ability that gives you your confidence?"

"Besides, if nothing else is done, your men below won't be able to hold out." Teach pressed Brom step by step. While Brom was furious, he was also jolted awake by Teach's words and turned his attention to the many corpses of naval soldiers lying on the Marine warship below.

What shocked him even more was that the Night Pirates suffered no losses whatsoever; each member possessed a hidden suit of dark armor that protected them from fatal damage.

He didn't focus on Rediat, but instead assumed the armor that could withstand attacks was Teach's ability. He didn't examine it too closely; if he had been more attentive, he would have noticed that Teach's dark aura was quite different from the shadow armor worn by these members.

But he absolutely refused to accept such a result. More importantly, Teach's words completely enraged Brom: "Don't underestimate the Navy, you bastard."

A surge of rage welled up within him, but Teach remained unfazed by the furious Brom. "A dying struggle? It seems you haven't grasped the situation. The tide has completely turned in our favor. Your navy has no hope left."

"Demon Claw!" "Smash Fist!"

Teach didn't use Dark Water to completely defeat the Marine Vice Admiral. Facing the desperate Brom, Teach also began to take things seriously.

The entire sky seemed to be divided into two worlds: one half was Teach, an endless darkness, and the other half was Brom, with countless cracks in the air, densely packed, emitting a pale blue light.

This is a battle between darkness and shattering, a struggle where darkness and shattering wear each other down, evenly matched. Darkness devours and attracts, while shattering destroys everything. The two constantly charge at each other, exchanging blows.

"Smash Kick!"

Brom unleashed a powerful spinning kick, leaving behind endless pale blue cracks. Upon seeing this, Teach also raised his own foot, imbued with Haki and dark energy.

With his legs crossed and standing side by side, his powerful aura spread outwards continuously. Dark and pale blue shattering waves surged one after another. Teach took the initiative and swung his right claw, which had turned completely black, its tip gleaming with a sharp, chilling light.

"Die, you devil's claws!"

"You're the one who deserves to die! Smash yourself!"

Brom gritted his teeth and roared, his whole body emitting white smoke, all of which was steam. His skin was slightly red, and the muscles in his entire right arm swelled up, with veins bulging and throbbing menacingly.

The cloak of justice fluttered high behind him, with several holes in it—the scratches from Teach.

This power seemed to have reached the level of Admiral, and the space itself seemed to tremble.

Brom was extremely tenacious, and given his current strength, even his own physique and power, honed through countless trials, were weaker than Brom's crushing force.

Brom gave his Life Return enhance his power, and so did Teach.

The battle continued for over an hour, and including the previous fighting, it lasted nearly two hours.

At this moment, the Marine warship below had been completely occupied by the Night Pirates, and all the naval officers and soldiers above were dead, leaving not a single survivor.

Brom, who was fighting Teach, had also reached his limit and was almost exhausted, panting heavily. Teach, on the other hand, looked somewhat disheveled, with some torn clothes, but he was not injured.

Because these attacks that broke through his defenses were absorbed by his body, they did not leave any wounds.

Nevertheless, it caused him immense pain.

Brom struggled to use Geppo, hovering in mid-air, looking at the completely occupied Marine warship. Below, only the Night Pirates remained, while all the naval personnel he had brought with him had perished.

This dealt a huge blow to his spirit, and he muttered, "I am a sinner of the Navy."

Then, glancing at Teach, Brom's eyes flashed with madness. "In that case, you'll all perish with me."

Brom, burning with life, unleashed his final punch and roared.

This punch was aimed directly at the five warships and the pirate ship below.

"Since you killed my men, I'll destroy your Night Pirates! Hahaha!" Brom laughed maniacally.

However, Teach remained unfazed, seemingly unaffected by anything, even though his Observation Haki had already detected the whole thing.

A powerful punch hurtled downwards. Some members, facing this terrifying blow, couldn't help but show fear and despair on their faces.

At that moment, a shadow flashed and appeared directly beneath the punch, followed by a faint laugh, "Dragon Breath!"

The person who arrived was Rediat, the man who had single-handedly defeated all the executives, and now the Night Pirates, a man of great hidden talent.

Rediat opened his mouth, and the next moment, a terrifying pillar of shadowy light burst forth from Rediat's mouth, several meters in diameter.

Faced with the powerful crushing impact, Rediat's Dragon Breath soared into the sky. The two enormous forces collided, and an astonishing explosion erupted at the center of the collision. Many members couldn't help but cover their ears, and the earth trembled slightly from the impact.

Brom could hardly believe that his final punch had been blocked, and by another Night Pirates at that. He couldn't believe there was such a strong member in the Night Pirates. His expression was bitter, meaning that he had lost from the very beginning.

The next moment, a strong gust of wind came from behind, and he could no longer dodge it.

Teach kicked Brom, sending Brom flying through the air.

Boom! Brom's body slammed heavily onto the deck of a warship, creating a large crater in the hard surface, and the crew members rushed over.

Teach descended directly from the sky, stomping on Brom's head as he struggled to get up. The pressure from the stomp was so great that Brom was powerless to resist, and his head even sank in with a "crack" due to Teach's immense strength.

"Be swallowed by darkness, loser!" Teach said with a faint smile. The darkness beneath his feet directly engulfed Brom's body, and the surrounding black mist spread, consuming all the blood on the warship and the corpses of the navy.

"The captain's ability to clean up the battlefield is really convenient," one of the crew members couldn't help but chuckle.

What no one noticed was that the shadow hidden beneath the black mist swallowed Brom's body.

And with that, it all came to an end.

"Haha, let's have a proper banquet! Celebrate our victory! The era of the Dark Emperor has arrived! Haha!" Teach looked at the members around him and cheered with outstretched arms.

"Ooh!"

"Let's have a banquet!"

"Celebrating the Navy's defeat."

On the high seas, countless corpses of the navy liberated by Teach floated on the surface, their thick scent of blood attracting one underwater hunter after another.

A group of bloodshot, menacing eyes gathered together, as if a grand feast was about to begin.