Dark-Dark Fruit

Pizarro panted heavily, covered in blood, his face dyed red as well. Yet he still clenched his fist and threw a punch the instant the dragon claw drew near.

Haki wrapped around his fist, its gleaming black color forming a stark contrast against the crimson dragon scales.

Bang!

The Haki-clad fist collided with the dragon claw. It did not shatter like his earlier stone-and-earth body.

A smile appeared on Pizarro's face. "Don't look down on me, damn it. I'm the Corrupt King!"

"The Corrupt King?"

Mobius muttered from his dragon head, his eyes growing ever more excited.

This feeling of overwhelming power, of freely venting it to his heart's content, was truly intoxicating.

Perhaps because he was still a Supernova, even though the Corrupt King had mastered Haki, he seemed merely ordinary in Mobius's eyes.

The twenty-seven-year-old Corrupt King was far inferior to the elderly Garp Mobius had fought at Hachinosu when he was forty-two.

Strength, defense, speed, Haki...

Not a single one could match Mobius. The only thing worth praising was his absurd health pool, which he could share with the island through the Island-Island Fruit.

"It's only Haki!"

A low voice exploded beside Pizarro's ear. Before he could figure out what was happening, the enormous dragon claw before him suddenly became coated in a layer of black light.

The pitch-black color nearly swallowed his entire field of vision. Pizarro froze, his mind ceasing to think.

You've got to be kidding...

Boom!

Mobius laughed loudly as his Armament Haki-coated dragon claw clenched down, bursting the air with a deafening blast.

The crackling sound of shattering bones rang out. Blood sprayed uncontrollably from Pizarro's entire body, as though he were a crushed tomato, turning him into a man of blood.

His consciousness began to blur. Pizarro could only faintly sense that he seemed to be moving.

When the sound of wind against his face stopped, Pizarro forced open his eyes with his last bit of strength. Before him was a savage dragon head.

"Who... are you?"

Pizarro moved his lips and made an almost inaudible sound.

He could not accept that, even now, he still did not know the name of the man who had defeated him.

"Mobius, a member of the Naval Science Unit, currently carrying out a mission."

Mobius answered with a laugh. He did not mind letting Pizarro die knowing the truth. After all, this man had allowed him to see the extent of his current strength.

"Well then, goodbye~"

Heat Breath!

Flames emerged from his throat once more. Firelight instantly filled Pizarro's vision, and scorching heat rushed toward him.

"Mobius..."

The name of the man before him surfaced in his mind, and Pizarro understood his defeat.

He had never expected the Corrupt King of the North Blue to meet the end of his journey here.

Boom!

A thick torrent of fire swallowed everything, including Pizarro and the dragon claw. When the flames dispersed, all that remained in Mobius's hand was a lump of charcoal.

"It seems I can claim a place on these seas now."

The future Level Six prisoner of Impel Down, victor of the great battle royale, Blackbeard Pirates officer, captain of the Fourth Ship, and Hachinosu's driver had met his end at Mobius's hands.

From this, Mobius also roughly judged the extent of his current strength.

After three years of training under his old uncle, coupled with the Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit, aside from the famous powerhouses of the seas and hidden figures, Mobius was confident that at Marine Headquarters, he was at least an elite vice admiral. He might even qualify as an admiral candidate.

He released his dragon claw and let the charred Pizarro fall to the ground, then transformed back into human form.

The surroundings had already become a field of ruins. The scorching heat of Heat Breath, lightning strikes, colossal remains, and ash-covered earth and stone... it looked like some ancient battlefield.

Mobius landed, stretched his arms a few times, and wore a broad smile.

He had done all of this!

Walking over to Pizarro, Mobius prepared to take him back. As a pirate Supernova with a bounty exceeding a hundred million, he was worth bringing in.

Just as he lifted the carbonized Pizarro, Mobius's brows twitched. No matter how faint the aura was, he could still sense that this man was alive!

"Pirate physiques are truly terrifying."

Mobius sighed and raised his hand, ready to finish him off. There was no reason to spare someone like this.

Thud~

The instant Pizarro's body was lifted, a round black shadow suddenly fell and rolled across the ground.

Mobius looked over instinctively, then his body abruptly froze. A blackness capable of devouring every color appeared before him.

His pupils trembled, his face filled with disbelief.

"No way..."

He tossed Pizarro aside and strode forward. Bending down, he picked up the Devil Fruit, examined it briefly, and immediately recognized it.

The Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit!

At Dr. Vegapunk's place, Mobius had thoroughly studied the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.

"How is this possible..."

"Wait!"

As though he had suddenly thought of something, Mobius looked at the fruit again and revealed a relieved smile.

"You chose me, didn't you?"

The Dark-Dark Fruit in his hand seemed to roll slightly because Mobius had not held it firmly.

The smile on Mobius's face widened even further.

"I won't disappoint you."

It was said that top-tier Devil Fruits sought out their own masters. The Nika Fruit had done so, and Blackbeard had also claimed that the Dark-Dark Fruit had chosen him.

Then, for Mobius, who possessed the ability to contain infinitely many Devil Fruits, who could be more suited to the Dark-Dark Fruit's power of plunder?

Thinking of what Pizarro had endured earlier—burrowing underground, being blasted away, crushed, struck by lightning, squeezed, and burned... after all that, the Dark-Dark Fruit had remained completely unharmed.

Mobius became even more certain that this Dark-Dark Fruit had come looking for him!

A crisp crack sounded as the fruit split open and juice spilled out. Mobius bit into the Dark-Dark Fruit without hesitation.

Then, in the next instant, Mobius's expression turned unnatural.

"So this is the price of power?"

After muttering a few words, Mobius shut his eyes and swallowed the rest in two or three bites.

The instant the Dark-Dark Fruit entered his stomach, a new power was born. Smoke-like darkness rose from Mobius's body, ethereal yet incomparably profound.

Looking at his palm, a dark spot like a black hole appeared there. Mobius could sense that, if he wished, he could release an unending force of attraction.

Darkness could devour everything.

It felt as though a space had formed within his body. So long as Mobius wished it, he could absorb all objects into it, including living beings.

Everything drawn inside would be compressed by endless darkness. Unless Mobius stopped it, it would only be crushed into pieces.

He casually picked up a nearby stone and drew it into the darkness.

After storing it for a while, he stopped restraining the pressure of the darkness. In the next instant, the stone turned into powder.

"It's suitable for storing things, though they'll be crushed if I'm not careful."

It was an ability similar to a black hole. Though it could not compare to a black hole in the scientific sense, it was still terrifying enough.

After a brief test, Mobius was immensely satisfied with this ability. Then his gaze fell upon the dying Pizarro beside him.

After thinking for a few seconds, Mobius stepped closer, profound darkness rising from his hand.

Luckily, this man was not dead yet. He could use him to test the Dark-Dark Fruit's power of plunder.

Tap, tap, tap...

Clear footsteps sounded outside Thunder God Island's commercial street as Mobius slowly approached, dragging Pizarro's corpse behind him.

Looking at the villagers, whose expressions varied wildly, Mobius gave them a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, everyone. I won. This is that guy's corpse~"

The villagers froze. They looked at the corpse Mobius was holding, then exchanged glances with one another for several seconds.

Then cheers erupted one after another, filling the entire street.

This is great!!!