On Banaro Island, Blackbeard's raft was moored at the very edge of the harbor, with only Doc Q and two other men idly playing cards on the deck.
Blackbeard himself sat at the foot of the clock tower, eating a large basket of cherry pies with crumbs all over his face.
He was waiting for someone.
He was waiting for Ace.
Blackbeard knew very well that Ace, that stubborn guy, would never give up on hunting him down.
Instead of letting him chase you around, it's better to find a place and wait for him to come.
Banaro Island is remote and desolate enough that you don't have to worry about being targeted by the navy or other forces when you fight.
Moreover—he was confident of winning.
The Dark-Dark Fruit's power completely counters all Devil Fruit User; if it touches Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit, it's just a pile of useless fire.
Although Ace was much stronger than in the original story, Blackbeard was unaware of this.
All he knew was that with the Dark-Dark Fruit, he was invincible.
The shadow of the clock tower slowly lengthened on the ground, stretching from dusk to evening, and from evening to nightfall.
Then, a cluster of lights appeared on the distant horizon.
The flame started out as small as a pinhead, but within moments it expanded into a burning fireball.
The fireball glided rapidly across the sea, leaving a trail of orange-red light in its wake.
The sea surface was evaporated by the high temperature, producing large plumes of white water vapor that looked like it was on fire under the firelight.
Blackbeard put down the cherry pie in his hand, stood up, and dusted off his butt.
He grinned, revealing a mouthful of missing teeth, and his eyes gleamed with barely suppressed excitement.
"They've arrived."
The fireball stopped over Banaro Island.
The flames slowly died down, revealing a young man wearing an orange cowboy hat inside.
Ace stood in mid-air, the flames beneath his feet supporting his body as he slowly descended.
The brim of his orange cowboy hat was pulled low, obscuring his expression, but the scorching heat emanating from him caused the surrounding air to distort violently.
The temperature in the entire clock tower square rose by at least ten degrees the moment he appeared.
His gaze pierced through the scattered pebbles and weeds in the square, locking onto the fat, dark-skinned man beneath the clock tower.
" Teach."
The voice wasn't loud, but every word sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.
"Thief! Hahahaha!"
Blackbeard opened his arms in a welcoming gesture.
Captain Ace!
You've finally found me!
So, are you tired after following this for so long?
How about a slice of cherry pie?
I have a question for you.
Ace interrupted his nonsense, his voice as cold as if it had been pulled from an ice cellar.
" Teach, what are the ironclad rules on the ship?"
Blackbeard's smile froze for a moment.
But he quickly started laughing again, his laughter becoming even more exaggerated and unrestrained.
"Hahaha! Ironclad rule? Captain Ace, are you talking about that—'Don't kill your comrades'?"
He tilted his head and asked in an extremely irritating tone.
Ace didn't speak, but the flames on his body burned even brighter.
"The dead cannot be brought back to life, Captain Ace."
Blackbeard spread his hands, his tone as casual as if he were just talking about how nice the weather was.
" Thatch was unlucky, it's that simple."
The Dark-Dark Fruit chose me; it's fate! Blame it on bad luck—"
He hadn't finished speaking.
The ground beneath Ace's feet exploded.
The enormous fiery fist, imbued with purplish-black Armament Haki, left a blazing trail of flame in the air as it slammed down towards Blackbeard's face.
Where the fiery fist passed, the rubble on the ground was melted into magma by the high temperature, and the air crackled and popped as it burned.
" Fire Fist!"
Blackbeard's expression changed, and he suddenly opened his arms wide.
Dark Water!
Darkness surged from his palm, forming a swirling vortex of gravity.
Black mist spread wildly in front of him, like a gaping maw trying to swallow the fiery fist.
The entire square fell silent for a moment as flames collided with darkness.
boom--!!!
The shockwave exploded from the center of the collision, sending all the surrounding debris flying.
The walls of the clock tower were shaken open, creating several cracks, and the old, worn-out hammers jingled dully inside the tower.
Blackbeard's Dark Water vortex was frantically absorbing the flames, but Ace's flames were much hotter than he had expected.
As darkness was absorbed, it was continuously evaporated, and the mist at the edges was burned to a grayish-white by the flames.
Sweat beaded on Blackbeard's forehead as he gritted his teeth and desperately tried to maximize the absorption power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Finally, the fiery fist was completely swallowed by the darkness.
But Blackbeard showed no sign of victory—on the contrary, he let out a painful groan, and smoke rose from several places on his body.
Although the Dark-Dark Fruit can absorb damage, the user will suffer double the pain during the absorption process.
Moreover, Ace's flames were imbued with Armament Haki, which the Dark-Dark Fruit couldn't absorb, and it struck him directly.
"It's not over yet!"
Ace gave him no chance to catch his breath.
Firefly Daruma!
Dozens of firefly-like green dots flew from Ace's fingertips, tracing crooked paths in the air as they drifted toward Blackbeard.
Blackbeard's pupils contracted sharply.
He instinctively tried to absorb the light with the Dark Water, but there were too many points of light, and they were so elusive that he couldn't capture them all.
Green lights landed on Blackbeard's men.
Doc Q screamed as his body was blasted several meters away and crashed heavily to the ground.
Seeing that things were going badly, the other two henchmen retreated frantically.
Blackbeard himself was also covered in fireflies, which exploded several times, tearing his skin and causing black blood to flow from multiple wounds.
Flame Ring· Fire Pillar!
Ace slammed his right foot into the ground, and a Fire Pillar of fire shot up and spun around him.
The pillar of flame was over ten meters in diameter, and the orange-red flames, carrying terrifying heat, engulfed Blackbeard.
Blackbeard rolled and tried to dodge, but the Fire Pillar covered too much area.
He was engulfed in flames, and a scream came from within the flames, so shrill it sent chills down one's spine.
Ace's attacks did not stop.
Taking advantage of the moment when Blackbeard was trapped by the Fire Pillar, he flashed and rushed directly into the flames.
Fists wreathed in Armament Haki rained down on Blackbeard, punch after punch.
The first punch landed on his face, knocking out three teeth. The second punch struck his abdomen, causing Blackbeard to bend over and spit out a mouthful of blood.
The third punch landed on his chest, breaking several ribs with a cracking sound. The fourth punch landed on his shoulder, shattering his shoulder blade.
Blackbeard was beaten so badly he rolled on the ground screaming, his Dark-Dark Fruit absorption ability not even having time to activate.
Mirror Flame!
Ace waved his left hand, and a huge barrier of fire appeared between him and Blackbeard.
Blackbeard struggled to unleash a Dark Water attack at Ace, but the Dark Water was deflected back upon hitting the flame barrier.
Blackbeard was hit by his own attack and rolled several times on the ground before crashing into a broken wall and coming to a stop.
Banaro Island has been turned into an inferno.
The town's ruins were burning, the distant forest was engulfed in flames, and even the harbor Water 7 were boiling from the intense heat.
The sky was bathed in an orange-red hue, making the entire island resemble a burning altar.