"Hahaha... Come on, then!"
Blackbeard waved his crew back and stepped forward alone. Thick black mist poured from his body and wrapped around the unlucky guards Jiang Lin had frozen, then Blackbeard had "liberated" once already.
"Liberation!"
Blackbeard did it again. The black mist hurled a mass of "ice men" toward Jiang Lin, blocking his view.
"Black Vortex!"
With Jiang Lin's vision obscured, Blackbeard aimed his right hand at him and unleashed his power.
A powerful pull seized Jiang Lin and dragged him rapidly toward Blackbeard.
"Light-Speed Kick!"
The moment the pull caught him, Jiang Lin struck before Blackbeard's power could fully take effect.
Dazzling yellow light lit up all of Level 4. Before anyone could react, the blow slammed into Blackbeard.
Jiang Lin had been hurtling toward him, but the kick stopped him cold. Blackbeard, meanwhile, flew backward ahead of him like a cloud of black mist.
"Captain!"
"He's so strong! Is this what a pirate with a bounty of six hundred million Beli is like? He's got to be far stronger than a Shichibukai!"
Jiang Lin's strength left the Blackbeard Pirates, Jinbe, and the others gaping.
As a Shichibukai, Blackbeard was no weakling. Yet against Jiang Lin, he had been powerless to fight back. Jiang Lin might well have surpassed the Shichibukai!
A pirate who had only just made his name had not only been given a staggering bounty of 600,000,100 Beli, but also possessed strength beyond a Shichibukai's.
Once someone like him entered the Grand Line, he could shake its very balance.
"Hahaha... D! Join me! I'm the man destined to become the Pirate King, and by helping me claim the throne, you'll become a world-famous powerhouse! Even the current Four Emperors won't come close to your standing!"
Despite the beating Jiang Lin had given him, Blackbeard showed no sign of backing down. He laughed even more wildly and tried to recruit Jiang Lin into his crew.
"I refuse!"
Jiang Lin's answer was firm. He had never wanted to join the Blackbeard Pirates, and he had not even decided whether he would keep traveling with the Straw Hat Pirates.
Perhaps the only man Jiang Lin would willingly serve with absolute loyalty would have to be stronger, more charismatic, and better-looking than he was!
"You haven't seen the full extent of my power. Watch! This is the Dark-Dark Fruit's true strength!"
Blackbeard wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The mist around him began to spread, surging outward from his body.
It rolled across the floor, swallowing and crushing everything it touched.
"Hey, hey, hey! The captain's gone way too far!"
Seeing the mist spread, the Blackbeard Pirates hurried toward the guards.
The guards Blackbeard had thrown around twice already were swallowed by the mist again. This time, they would be lucky to come out alive.
"Everyone, fall back!"
Jiang Lin took Blackbeard's attack seriously. After shouting for Luffy and the others to retreat, he switched Devil Fruit Cards.
Venom-Venom Fruit loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds.
As soon as the system message sounded, Jiang Lin sent his venom on the attack.
"Poison Dragon!"
Thick venom shot from his right hand and took the shape of a fierce dragon. It charged across the floor and engulfed Blackbeard as he attacked.
"Aagh! Aagh!"
The moment the venom entered his body, Blackbeard clutched his head and howled in agony.
Without Blackbeard controlling it, the mist spread even faster. What he had kept within five or six meters of himself now raced outward unchecked.
This is bad. I didn't expect that mist to be so troublesome!
Jiang Lin was about to withdraw when the system spoke first.
One minute has elapsed. Dark-Dark Fruit copied successfully.
Jiang Lin did not hesitate. He loaded the Dark-Dark Fruit, raised his right hand, and pressed it toward the approaching mist.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
A rush of wind filled the air before him, threaded with the faint sound of things being swallowed.
Then all the mist that had run wild was drawn toward Jiang Lin's right hand and sucked into his "body."
"You've lost, future Pirate King!"
With the mist under control, Jiang Lin slowly walked up to Blackbeard, who was rolling across the floor in agony. The Blackbeard Pirates watched in horror as Jiang Lin spoke with a mocking smile.
"What exactly is your power...?"
Blackbeard stared at Jiang Lin in shock. His Dark-Dark Fruit was formidable enough, yet he had been helpless against him. If Jiang Lin had not defeated him in a single move, Blackbeard might still have thought they were evenly matched!
"And what exactly is yours?"
Jiang Lin's question carried an implication, but Blackbeard was utterly baffled.
"Forget it. Luffy! I'll leave this guy to you!"
Jiang Lin pulled Blackbeard into his hand, then casually tossed him to Luffy nearby.
Blackbeard was the reason Ace had been captured. Luffy had far more right than Jiang Lin to decide what to do with him.
"Blackbeard!"
Luffy strode toward him through clenched teeth. His hatred had surged the moment he learned Blackbeard's name.
"A pirate named Blackbeard captured Ace and handed him over to the World Government."
That was what Gloriosa had told Luffy before he came to Impel Down.
Now that Blackbeard was right in front of him, Luffy could not simply let him go!
"Gear Second!"
With a low shout, Luffy charged.
"Wait! Luffy, stop! Not now. Hold back!"
Just as Luffy was about to strike Blackbeard, Jinbe rushed in front of him and blocked his path.
"Luffy! Think carefully about what matters most right now!"
Jinbe's words made Jiang Lin frown. Blackbeard's continued existence would be no good thing for the New World.
"Luffy! If you can't do it, I'll take care of him!"
Jiang Lin reached out and seized Blackbeard from the floor again. Thick black mist gathered around his right hand, looking especially sinister against the gleaming white ice.
"Boom!"
A violent explosion rang out across Level 4. The prisoners, who had been stunned by Jiang Lin's strength, burst into a frenzy.
"It's Magellan! Magellan's here!"
The terrified cries sent the pirates scrambling toward the passage to Level 3.
"Magellan!"
Jiang Lin gripped Blackbeard's neck tightly in his right hand, unable to hide the anger on his face.
"D! Let's get out of here!"
After dodging Sadi's whip, Ivankov leaped to Jiang Lin's side and spoke urgently.
"Jiang Lin, let's go."
Luffy looked at Blackbeard with unmistakable reluctance. But he knew what mattered most right now, so he chose to let Blackbeard go for the time being.
"You go ahead. I'm going to find Magellan and have a little talk!"
Jiang Lin tightened his right hand, then slammed Blackbeard to the floor like a sack of rags. He turned against the flow of fleeing prisoners and walked slowly toward the guards.