In the woods to the north, Rubick lay on the ground, gazing at the stars as he tried to make sense of the Dark-Dark Fruit's powers.
The Dark-Dark Fruit really was like a black hole. It could pull, absorb, devour, and even release. No wonder it couldn't enter Elemental Form. If anything, Rubick thought it was more like a superpowered Black Hole Fruit.
The way the Dark-Dark Fruit stripped others of their powers also relied on the force of a black hole.
Normally, when a Devil Fruit User died, their Devil Fruit would immediately reappear somewhere else in the world, attaching itself to a random piece of fruit.
But the Dark-Dark Fruit narrowed the place where that fruit could reappear to almost nothing. It was as though a black hole had caught it, leaving it no way to escape.
In other words, the target was bound to die.
Sitting beside Rubick was Shandora of CP9. Her short blond hair fell to her shoulders, parted down the middle to reveal a smooth forehead. Her delicate face was cold and impassive.
She wore a black suit, and at 175 centimeters, she was tall and slender, with curves that made Rubick steal a few more glances.
"Keep looking, and I'll gouge out your eyes," Shandora said coldly.
Rubick gave her a placating smile. "Come on. If you gouge out my eyes, I won't be able to copy anyone else's Devil Fruit."
"Then I'll gouge out one."
The look on Shandora's face told Rubick she meant it, and he backed down. He still had no idea what was happening on Jaya Island. With his life in someone else's hands, he had better keep a low profile.
But they had been hiding in the woods for ages to avoid Blackbeard. Rubick felt as though he