In the passage from Level 3 to Level 4 of Impel Down, Jiang Lin walked alone past more than a thousand Prison Guards armed with prison-bullet rocket launchers. Frost spread from beneath his feet, freezing everyone along the way.
"Move!"
"No way!"
Luffy and Hannyabal's voices rang out from beyond the passage. Reaching its end, Jiang Lin slowly raised his eyes and looked outside.
Beyond the passage, Luffy and Hannyabal faced off, their heated argument echoing throughout Level 4.
"Jiang Lin!"
The moment Luffy saw him, he started forward excitedly to greet him.
But Hannyabal stood in Luffy's path. Gripping Blood Sucker, he blocked him with a determined stare.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Sweat had soaked Hannyabal's back, but his resolve never wavered. Even facing Jiang Lin, he refused to retreat a single step.
"Move... I'm in a very bad mood right now."
Ice spread ahead of Jiang Lin. A bone-chilling wave of cold swept out, making the already frigid Level 4 colder still.
"Take this! Frenzied Hannya Dance... Scorching Hell Chariot!"
Hannyabal whirled Blood Sucker in both hands until flames engulfed both ends, then charged straight at Jiang Lin.
"Ice Ball!"
The blazing flames did nothing to warm Jiang Lin's heart. At his quiet command, Hannyabal and his blade were sealed together inside a massive sphere of ice.
"Jiang Lin, have you seen my brother?"
As soon as Luffy saw Hannyabal frozen, he hurried over and asked about Ace.
"I saw him, but..."
Jiang Lin's hands trembled slightly, and his expression darkened.
"But what?"
Luffy pressed him anxiously.
"It's nothing. Let's go to Marineford together. This time, I'll save Ace!"
Jiang Lin drew a deep breath and cast aside every distracting thought.
A momentary setback was nothing to fear. Sinking into despair forever was.
He had failed once. He would let his next success heal the wound that failure had left.
Marineford was Jiang Lin's last chance. It was Ace's last chance, and Luffy's too.
This time, Jiang Lin would not let himself fail again.
"Okay! Then let's hurry!"
Luffy missed the trouble in Jiang Lin's words. Seeing that the way ahead was clear, he immediately set off.
Just then, thick black mist poured out of the passage.
The Prison Guards Jiang Lin had frozen inside were flung out in a heap as the mist spread.
"Oh... oh... oh... What a gathering of big names!"
Dressed in black, Blackbeard cleared the passage and appeared before Jiang Lin and the others with his men.
One minute has elapsed. The Gum-Gum Fruit has been copied.
Blackbeard's interruption had given Jiang Lin the time he needed to meet the system's requirement and copy Luffy's Gum-Gum Fruit.
After glancing at the system message, Jiang Lin turned his attention to Blackbeard. Since the man had come to him, Jiang Lin had no intention of letting him go.
The Dark-Dark Fruit was said to be the most vicious power in the history of Devil Fruits. Jiang Lin had coveted it for a long time.
"So you're D, the one with a bounty of 600,000,100 Beli? Join us!"
Blackbeard swept his gaze around the area. When his eyes settled on Jiang Lin, naked greed crossed his face.
Blackbeard had come to Impel Down to find Crewmates. A powerful pirate like Jiang Lin, who had only just made a name for himself, was exactly the recruit he wanted.
Jiang Lin looked at Blackbeard's outstretched hand, a hint of amusement crossing his face.
"Sure! Beat me, and I'll become your Crewmate!"
Jiang Lin reached out and clasped Blackbeard's hand firmly.
"Jiang Lin!"
Luffy looked visibly alarmed at Jiang Lin's answer.
"Don't worry! I'm strong!"
Jiang Lin smiled faintly, then turned back to Blackbeard.
"Well? Do you dare?"
Blackbeard accepted Jiang Lin's "challenge" without a moment's hesitation.
Blackbeard wanted to test the strength of this rising pirate himself. Releasing Jiang Lin's hand, he laughed with excitement. "Welcome aboard, D!"
Glint-Glint Fruit (enhanced by Love-Love Fruit) loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds.
As the system's voice sounded, Jiang Lin glided backward like a graceful dancer, putting distance between himself and Blackbeard.
The Dark-Dark Fruit favored close combat, while the Glint-Glint Fruit excelled at ranged attacks. Jiang Lin had no reason to fight Blackbeard hand to hand.
"Laser Beam!"
A dazzling ray shot from Jiang Lin's finger, heading straight for Blackbeard.
"Black Vortex!"
Thick black mist spilled from Blackbeard's hand. A fierce pull seized Jiang Lin and dragged him toward Blackbeard.
"Light-Speed Kick!"
As Jiang Lin was pulled in front of Blackbeard, he struck first, before Blackbeard could use his power.
The blow sent Blackbeard flying, sparing Jiang Lin from having his power nullified.
"That power of yours really is a nuisance."
Jiang Lin stared at Blackbeard, who was shrouded in black mist, irritation creeping across his face. If Blackbeard pulled him in, his power would stop working. For someone who relied on a Devil Fruit, that was bad news.
"Hahaha... My power is far greater than you've seen, D! Become my companion. I'm the man who's destined to be Pirate King!"
Blackbeard stood there laughing arrogantly. Across from him, Luffy's face filled with anger.
Blackbeard had captured Ace, and now he had set his sights on Luffy's companion Jiang Lin. Luffy's anger at him reached its peak.
If Jiang Lin had not confronted Blackbeard first, Luffy would have stepped in and given Blackbeard a beating himself.
"Pirate King? Saying that doesn't just offend me. It offends every reader who loves the Pirate King! I'm going to be Pirate King!"
Light flared around Jiang Lin's hands as he unleashed his ultimate attack.
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!"
A dense storm of light bullets, seemingly endless as rain, engulfed every inch of space around Blackbeard.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Light bullets scattered around Blackbeard. After a barrage of explosions, everything they touched instantly turned to stone.
Dense blue-white stone spread across the blast-scarred surfaces, like bandages plastered over wounds.
"Hahaha... That really hurt!"
An angry laugh came from the smoke. Wounded in several places and wreathed in black mist, Blackbeard slowly emerged, stepping across ground completely coated in stone.
"Captain!"
"Captain!"
"..."
Seeing Blackbeard in such a sorry state, his Crewmates cried out and moved forward to help him fight Jiang Lin.
"What's this? Planning to gang up on me?"
Dazzling light radiated from Jiang Lin as he faced the entire Blackbeard Pirates and spoke coldly.