Repeated Chances

Jin An's eyes flickered as he stared at Blackbeard, a wave of irritation and helplessness rising within him.

"Whenever I'm about to kill you, something strange always happens. You really are cursed."

He muttered under his breath, his tone carrying a hint of resignation.

He had never encountered an opponent as hard to kill as Blackbeard, not only because the man's body was extraordinarily resilient, but also because of his unpredictable abilities. It was as though he always had a way to turn the tables from the brink of despair.

And at that moment, deafening drums sounded once more from deep within Blackbeard's heart, as if an earthquake were spreading from the inside out.

Those drums were not merely a signal of Blackbeard recovering his strength. They were more like a summons, driving the entire battlefield into madness and unrest.

"Thump... thump... thump..."

With every beat of the drums, Blackbeard's body seemed to be infused with fresh strength. The muscles all over his body swelled violently, and his eyes grew even more frenzied and excited, as if everything in the world existed to serve him.

His arms shook violently before he suddenly lunged at Jin An, moving so fast that his trajectory was nearly impossible to see.

Jin An did not hesitate. He tilted his body slightly and instantly dodged Blackbeard's attack. Taking advantage of the opening left after the attack, he counterattacked without delay.

The sharp blade, gleaming coldly, slashed toward Blackbeard's abdomen. Yet the moment it touched his skin, it was knocked away by a powerful force of darkness.

The power granted by Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit could not only devour everything, but also rebound outside attacks. In some extreme circumstances, it could even absorb the attacker's own strength and turn it to his own use.

"Damn it!"

Jin