Faced with the sudden appearance of Roy, what kind of desperate situation hadn't Blackbeard, a veteran pirate who had been in the New World for decades, seen?
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear that was rising from his very bones, and tried to force a smile.
"Thief... thief hahaha!"
His laughter was dry and strained, but he managed to force it out.
" Captain Roy! No, Emperor Roy! Is there some misunderstanding between us?"
Roy tilted his head, watching him perform.
"Think about it, we have no grudges against each other. I've never harmed anyone from Hachinosu, nor have I ever robbed any goods from Hachinosu. The Whitebeard Pirates don't have much of a conflict with Hachinosu either."
How about this? I'm announcing my joining Hachinosu; I'm now Shichibukai.
If it were revealed at this time that the Shichibukai had joined Hachinosu, it would damage the reputation of the World Government and the Navy.
I can also help you deal with the Whitebeard Pirates. With my abilities and understanding of Whitebeard Pirates, I'm sure I can defeat them...
How about it? Let me go! If we join forces, this ocean is ours—"
Roy looked at Blackbeard Teach, who was now rambling incoherently, desperately trying to buy his way out.
"Give up the struggle, Teach!"
"From the very beginning, you were the prey of Hachinosu."
I already noticed something was wrong with your body on the island where Whitebeard and Roger fought.
Your fate was sealed the moment you defected from the Whitebeard Pirates.
Roy's words completely shattered Blackbeard's psychological defenses.
His face changed from white to green, from green to black, and finally turned into a grotesque and twisted expression.
So, he was just doing all the work for someone else the whole time?
He endured for over twenty years, killing Thatch, stealing the Dark-Dark Fruit, scheming against Ace, scheming against Whitebeard, scheming against the Marines—only to find himself merely a pawn on Roy's chessboard?
"No--!!!"
Blackbeard suddenly sprang to his feet.
He pushed the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit to its limit, and an even more intense vortex of darkness surged from his right palm.
Darkness churned and boiled in his hands, and a corrosive, acrid smell filled the air.
"My plan cannot fail! I am destined to become the King of the World!"
" Dark Water --!!!"
The dark vortex slammed into Roy once more.
Roy remained motionless.
He even deliberately removed the Telekinesis: Barrier in front of him.
The semi-transparent barrier silently dissipated into the air, leaving his physical form completely exposed to Blackbeard.
Blackbeard's hand suddenly gripped Roy's wrist.
That hand was twice the size of an average adult man's hand, with five thick fingers like five carrots, and dirt accumulating under the fingernails.
The dark mist in his palm spun rapidly, maximizing the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
The fear on Blackbeard's face was replaced by ecstatic joy.
"Gotcha--!!!"
His voice was sharp and shrill from excessive excitement.
"My power renders all Devil Fruit ineffective! You're finished!"
Roy!
You will pay the price for your carelessness!
Roy ignored him.
The moment he was caught, Roy felt the flow of Telekinesis within his body suddenly freeze.
It's as if some force has severed their connection with the outside world.
He could sense the presence of Telekinesis within him; every wisp of power remained obediently within his body.
But when he tried to activate his Telekinesis, it was like hitting a black wall; he couldn't get it out.
Observation Haki or Armament Haki, all combat methods that require the assistance of Devil Fruit abilities have come to a standstill.
Roy closed his eyes and turned his Observation Haki inward.
This is an ability he honed through countless battles: the ability to use Observation Haki to precisely perceive every subtle change within the body.
Without the aid of Devil Fruit powers, the range of Observation Haki is greatly reduced, but the precision of its internal perception is actually higher.
He clearly "saw" the mechanism of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Darkness, like countless fine tentacles, burrowed into his body from his wrist, coiling around every cell in his body.
These tentacles do not damage cells or absorb energy; they simply provide "isolation."
It's like covering each cell with a black membrane, preventing the transmission of signals between cells.
Seal. A purely physical seal.
Just like when Roy was captured by Seastone before, but the Devil Fruit is different from Seastone. Seastone's seal suppresses Devil power through a special magnetic field.
The sealing of the Dark-Dark Fruit involves forcibly severing the pathways of its power using dark energy.
One is "suppression," and the other is "blocking." They are different in nature, but the results are similar.
Roy silently noted this key difference in his mind.
"You scoundrel! Die!"
Blackbeard finally got the opportunity he needed.
Those few seconds when Roy closed his eyes and remained motionless were, in his eyes, a golden opportunity.
He clenched his left fist and slammed it into Roy's face with all his might.
Although Blackbeard is arrogant, he didn't just coast along for twenty years on Whitebeard's ship; his basic physical skills are quite solid.
His unique physique, combined with his innate superhuman strength, meant that the force of his punch was enough to shatter a stone wall.
Blackbeard could even picture Roy being sent flying.
Without Devil Fruit powers, Roy has the body of an ordinary person, and this punch would at least leave him with a bloody head.
As long as it can inflict damage, the Dark-Dark Fruit allows it to continuously absorb the opponent's stamina during contact, growing stronger with each battle, until ultimately...
The fist landed precisely on Roy's left cheek.
A muffled thud was heard.
Blackbeard felt a cracking sound coming from his finger bones.
The sensation was not like being hit in the face, but rather like hitting a solid piece of Seastone.
A tearing pain shot through his Fist Bone, and all five of his fingers went numb at the same time.
Roy's head didn't budge.
Not even a millimeter off.
There wasn't even a red mark on his face.
Blackbeard was stunned.
Roy opened his eyes and looked down at Blackbeard.
His gaze was calm, devoid of anger or contempt, only the nonchalant acceptance of drawing a conclusion after completing the experiment.
"I see."
Roy's voice was neither hurried nor slow.
"It only seals the ability to cut through the Devil Fruit. It has no effect on pure physical strength or Haki."
He flexed his wrist, which was being held, as if testing the performance of a mechanical part.
Then he raised his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, and gave Blackbeard his final conclusion.
"Moreover, this seal is not absolute."
As long as you don't touch it, it won't be restricted.
Even if I catch them, at most they'll just fight me with physical skills and Haki.
"So this is what you're relying on?"
Blackbeard's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
Roy's arm muscles bulged slightly.
Enhanced by the core technology of Hachinosu, his physical strength has been honed through decades of countless battles.
Blackbeard felt as if he were grasping not a human wrist, but the claw of an awakened dragon.
That immense power erupted from Roy's arm, causing his five fingers to be flung apart one by one.
His hand was torn open, and blood gushed out from the wound.
My entire hand felt like it had been burned by fire, and it was still trembling uncontrollably even with my fingers spread open. I could no longer clench my fist.
Roy glanced down at his released wrist, rubbed it, and casually flicked the blood off his hand.
"Your ability is very interesting."
Roy's tone suggested he was evaluating a less-than-successful new product.
"But the limitations are too great."
I wonder what the effects will be after Awakening.
But now...
Roy raised his right hand, and a visible Telekinesis shockwave condensed at his fingertips.
The shockwave compressed at his fingertips into a fist-sized, translucent sphere of light, its surface shimmering with a pale golden luster.
"In the face of absolute power, it is insignificant."
The Telekinesis shockwave was released from his hand.
The ball of light struck Blackbeard precisely between the eyebrows, without any explosion or sound, disappearing into his forehead like a drop of water merging into the surface of water.
Blackbeard's body suddenly stiffened.
His pupils were dilated, and the terrified expression remained on his lips, but his eyes had lost all their luster.
His consciousness was completely shattered by an extremely domineering Mental Shock, and he fell forward like a puppet with its strings cut.
Roy reached out and grabbed his collar.
Then he took to the air, lifting Blackbeard's massive body and controlling Doc Q as they floated towards Hachinosu.
The sea breeze ruffled the hem of his cloak, carrying the lingering smell of blood from the deck into the air.
The wrecked ship drifted alone on the sea, rising and falling slowly with the waves.
The sails were still hanging, the rudder was still creaking, and all that remained on the deck was a pool of blood and a puddle of white foam.
Roy pressed his palm down from high above.
A moment later, the sea returned to calm.
A wrecked ship, without owner or crew, simply vanished on the surface of the Grand Line.