Feel the Love of Mother Ocean!

The dark power of the Dark-Dark Fruit exerts an irresistible, formidable attraction upon other Devil Fruit users.

At this moment, Bane was unleashing this very pull, dragging Ace directly toward him from the air.

Seeing Bane take over the fight against Ace, Garp did not hesitate in the slightest. A flash of murderous intent crossed his eyes as he leaped into the abyss on the ground, preparing to finish off Teach in one fell swoop.

On the other side, although Ace was being dragged toward Bane by the powerful gravitational force, there was still some distance between them. Realizing he could not break free from the pull while in mid-air, Ace changed his plan. His arms ignited with flames, and he unleashed a continuous barrage of fire toward Bane in the distance.

"Divine Fire: Shiranui!" Ace roared.

Several flames transformed into long spears, piercing through the air toward Bane.

Just then, Smoker stopped worrying about the state of his naval base. His body turned into white smoke, shot into the sky, and he shouted, "White Smoke: White Fist!"

The fist formed from smoke struck Ace's fire spears with precision, helping Bane deflect the assault. Simultaneously, smoke erupted from Smoker's lower body, and he lunged toward Ace in the air.

Drawing his Seastone Jitte, Smoker didn't care if Ace was Garp's grandson; he swung the weapon down hard.

Trapped by the gravitational pull, Ace couldn't dodge. He coated his arms in Haki, crossed them in front of his chest in an 'X' shape, and took the blow head-on.

"White Smoke: White Vine!" The moment Smoker brushed past Ace, he activated his ability again. His entire body turned into vine-like white smoke, rapidly wrapping around Ace. He exerted force with both hands, pinning Ace's arms from behind.

"Damn it." Ace's flames erupted, attempting to force Smoker back.

However, their elemental abilities were mutually antagonistic, and neither could truly overcome the other.

It was at this moment that Ace finally collided with Bane's hand. The instant he made contact with Bane's palm, he felt the raging flames within him suddenly sputter out, as if his ability had been sealed!

He had never experienced such a sensation; even when suppressed by Seastone, he had never felt his internal power completely vanish like this!

The sudden turn of events left Ace panicked.

Bane grabbed Ace by the throat with one hand, a fierce smile spreading across his face. "It's over, Fire Fist!"

Before Ace could say a word, Bane unleashed his monstrous strength, slamming Ace and Smoker together into the ground.

Ace had lost his ability and could no longer turn into fire, but Smoker could. A loud bang echoed as the ground shattered, sending a massive cloud of white smoke billowing outward—Smoker's elemental form. Ace, however, landed back-first, slamming deep into the cracks of the earth.

Ace had already taken a heavy blow from Garp at the start, suffering several broken ribs. Now, with his ability sealed by Bane and being slammed into the ground, both injuries flared up at once. With a cough, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura wilting significantly.

Bane had no intention of killing Ace in front of Garp, but he wouldn't hold back either; he had to beat the guy until he was incapable of resistance. While one hand gripped Ace's throat, sealing his fire, Bane's other hand clenched into a fist coated in Haki, raining down a series of heavy blows onto Ace's head.

After several heavy strikes, Ace's nose was crooked, and his eyes began to roll back, as if his consciousness were drifting away.

It was then that Smoker, wearing his gloves, quickly snapped a pair of Seastone shackles onto Ace's wrists, finally subduing him completely.

"That was unexpectedly smooth. Your Dark-Dark Fruit ability is a bit too unfair to other users," Smoker remarked after locking Ace up.

Bane ignored the comment and instead asked, "Does this guy's bounty count toward mine?"

If he remembered correctly, Ace had a bounty of 550 million Belly!

Smoker froze for a moment, at a loss for words.

"Hahahaha, just kidding. You watch him; I'm going to help Vice Admiral Garp finish off that Teach!" Bane laughed, releasing Ace.

Using Soru, he arrived at the edge of the abyss. Bane peered down; it was pitch black and bottomless, but intense movements were coming from within. It was a clash of Haki; every time their fists collided, Haki rippled through the abyss, accompanied by sparks of electricity.

Inside the pit, Teach gritted his teeth as he traded blows with Garp. Due to the confined space, it was like an octagon with no room to dodge, so every punch landed squarely on flesh.

They traded blow for blow, neither willing to yield.

Garp's fighting spirit was resolute, but Teach had no desire to fight to the death here. He felt he should find an opportunity to run; Ace had gone silent, and he might already be finished. If he kept fighting Garp, the outcome was obvious!

Garp, meanwhile, felt exhilarated. It had been a long time since he'd had a suitable opponent to trade blows with so ruthlessly in such a setting. Every punch felt great, and even taking hits was stimulating.

Garp was covered in wounds; blood streamed from his temple, and there was a deep claw mark across his chest with exposed flesh and bone, proving that Teach's strength was indeed formidable.

Just as Teach parried one of Garp's punches and prepared to deliver a vicious claw strike with his other hand, a strange gravitational pull suddenly yanked him upward.

This caused Teach to lose his balance for a split second. The claw strike that should have hit Garp's chest instead grazed his shoulder, drawing blood.

At the same time, Garp landed a heavy punch squarely on Teach's face, nearly knocking out a few more of his teeth.

Garp was confused about what had just happened, but Teach knew clearly: the Dark-Dark Fruit had affected him!

Indeed, although Teach hadn't used his own ability yet, it was only because there hadn't been a need. In reality, he had already become a user of the Munch-Munch Fruit back in the Drum Kingdom!

Therefore, the Dark-Dark Fruit could affect him!

At the edge of the abyss, Bane sensed his ability and a wicked smile curled his lips.

"A reaction—that proves there's a user down there. And since it's common knowledge that Garp isn't a user, the one below must be Teach. Hehehe." Bane's laugh was sinister.

A Devil Fruit user, currently pinned down by Garp in a deep pit—Bane could now torment him however he pleased!

Bane took a deep breath, reached his hand into the abyss, and whispered, "Feel the love from Mother Sea, Teach."

As Bane spoke, a Darkness Gate opened in front of his palm. The gate expanded rapidly, engulfing the entire abyss, and surging seawater poured out, flooding into the pit.

Teach was still locked in a struggle with Garp when he suddenly heard the sound of rushing water above. He looked up just in time to see a massive volume of seawater pouring down, drenching him instantly. The familiar feeling of powerlessness brought by the sea washed over him.

"You son of a—" Before Teach could finish cursing the people above for being despicable, Garp punched him down. The seawater instantly submerged him, and Teach never managed to climb back up.

"What's going on?" Garp looked on, puzzled as the rising water began to flood the area.

Despite his confusion, he didn't dwell on it. He dove into the water, grabbed the limp, water-logged Teach, and swam toward the surface.