This time, Shiranui Rei had been driven into a dark corner outside the ship’s cabins.
Behind him were layer upon layer of thick wooden planks and the boundless ocean.
In Teach’s eyes, Rei no longer had anywhere left to retreat.
But in Shiranui Rei’s eyes, wasn’t this also the perfect opportunity to lure Teach far enough away?
As he faced the heavy punch that seemed to carry the weight of a thousand tons, Rei was once again shocked by the physical prowess of the strong in this world.
Yet his feet remained firmly planted on the ground like the roots of a tree.
No dodging.
No fear.
Not even a defensive stance.
Shiranui Rei simply stared blankly at the rapidly enlarging fist in front of his eyes, as though he had been stunned.
But in the very next second, Teach’s eyes suddenly widened.
He stared in astonishment at the smile spreading across the corners of his opponent’s mouth.
“Teach, I’ll gladly take that Yami Yami no Mi off your hands!”
Half of Rei’s face was hidden in darkness, while the other half was illuminated by the moonlight streaming down from above.
After delivering his cutting remark, Rei’s lips curled into a teasing smile.
What?
The killing intent boiling within Teach’s heart was instantly diluted by overwhelming confusion.
How did he know that fruit was the Yami Yami no Mi?
And what did he mean by “take it off your hands”?
Boom!
The force of the punch had already arrived.
Teach’s right fist, covered in thick black hair like a wild boar’s bristles, slammed forward with tremendous force, kicking up a powerful shockwave.
Yet the punch hit nothing.
All of its force was poured into empty air.
Just one second before Teach’s fist would have smashed into Shiranui Rei’s head, the living person abruptly disappeared right before his eyes, leaving behind only a cloud of smoke slowly rising from the spot.
Teach’s pupils contracted sharply.
He didn’t even turn his head.
His Observation Haki had already detected movement more than ten meters behind him!
At the entrance to Thatch’s room, a Fuma Shuriken was embedded in the floor.
Along with another cloud of smoke, it suddenly transformed directly into a human figure.
It was that kid who called himself Shiranui!
A triumphant smile appeared on Shiranui Rei’s face.
At the same time, he formed hand seals.
Chakra surged upward from his abdomen, while heat gathered inside his mouth.
“Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!”
Aside from Wind Release, Shiranui Rei was also proficient in Fire Release ninjutsu.
His teacher, Jiraiya, was likewise highly skilled in Fire Release.
Under Jiraiya’s guidance, Rei had mastered techniques similar to those used by the Third Hokage, combining ninjutsu of different natures into coordinated attacks.
Wind fueled fire, while fire amplified the might of wind.
The destructive power and attack range would both rise to another level!
But right now, Shiranui Rei’s goal wasn’t to attack.
It was to create a distraction!
Clusters of flames flew toward Teach like seeds bursting from a phoenix flower.
Teach had thought the kid was about to spit out another barrage of wind blades, but his expression immediately changed.
He could spit wind and spray fire?
What kind of Mythical Zoan ability was this?
An ability that seemed to resemble a Mythical Zoan immediately reminded him of another Emperor of the Sea who ruled the oceans like Pops did—
Kaido of the Beasts!
But in the very next instant, when he saw Shiranui Rei turn around, violently smash through Thatch’s door, and rush inside, Teach’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Only then did he realize it.
During their fierce battle, it had seemed as though he had driven his opponent into a dead end.
In reality, his opponent had been luring him away from Thatch’s room!
Step by step, bit by bit, Rei had gradually created a distance of more than ten meters between them.
And then there was that strange weapon that had flown past his cheek earlier!
His Observation Haki had indeed sensed something unusual about it, but he had never imagined that the weapon itself had been transformed from this kid!
Even the Clone-Clone Fruit, which could imitate another person’s appearance, could only allow its user to imitate humans.
It couldn’t transform them into objects!
And if that weapon really had been this kid in disguise, then what exactly had been fighting him all this time before turning into smoke and disappearing?
Substitution.
Transformation.
Cloning.
Spitting wind.
Spraying fire.
When he counted everything up, his opponent had displayed so many different abilities within just a few minutes.
Limited by his understanding of this world, Teach’s mind was completely overwhelmed.
He couldn’t figure out how any of it was possible!
But his longing and desperation for the Yami Yami no Mi overwhelmed all his other chaotic thoughts.
Before his brain could even fully process the situation, he had already coated his arms in Armament Haki and lunged violently toward Thatch’s room.
Some of the flames were brutally slapped away by him.
But others had never been aimed at Teach in the first place.
They flew directly into the sky above the Moby Dick.
“Damn it!!”
Teach’s pupils contracted, and he couldn’t help cursing.
There was no time to turn around and look.
But he knew that on this silent ship, they had just set off a spectacular fireworks display!
Next, both he and that unknown kid would probably have to face the terrifying fury of that man!
…
The Moby Dick was enormous, and its crew was equally massive.
Therefore, ordinary crew members usually shared rooms with several others.
Only division commanders like Thatch could have private bedrooms.
After smashing through the door and rushing inside, the scene within entered Shiranui Rei’s dark eyes.
For people of this world’s stature, the room was somewhat cramped and low.
But for Shiranui Rei, a shinobi from Konoha in the Land of Fire, it was spacious enough.
A large wooden bed was fixed against the wall, occupying nearly a quarter of the room.
Neat, coarse-fabric bedding was arranged upon it.
Thatch’s weapons hung on the wall beside the bed, along with the pelts of some unknown creatures serving as decoration.
Near the head of the bed stood a wooden table.
Several thick notebooks could vaguely be seen stacked against the wall at one corner of the table.
Considering Thatch’s other profession besides being a pirate, these were probably recipes he had collected or created himself.
Of course, Shiranui Rei had no interest in learning about the life of a stranger who was already dead.
After quickly scanning everything in the bedroom, his eyes locked onto the small box sitting neatly on the table.
Thatch had never even considered going to great lengths to hide a Devil Fruit somewhere in his bedroom.
Whoever found a fruit had the right to claim it.
That was the rule of the Whitebeard Pirates.
And no one had the courage to break that rule, hurt a companion, or betray Pops just for the sake of a Devil Fruit.
So the box had simply been placed in the most conspicuous position on the table.
Shiranui Rei hurried forward.
He pressed the latch with his finger, and the closed box immediately opened.
Inside, a red cloth with a golden border lined the bottom.
A dark-purple fruit quietly rested upon it.
Looking at the strange fruit only inches away, its mysterious appearance carrying an unmistakably sinister aura, Shiranui Rei’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.
The Yami Yami no Mi!
After all his careful planning, risking his life to disguise himself and maneuver around Teach, who was several times stronger than him, he had finally managed to stand in front of this fruit first!
So what reason did he have to hesitate?
Shiranui Rei reached out, grabbed the fruit from the box, and without the slightest hesitation stuffed it into his mouth.
Dark-purple juice smeared across the corners of his mouth, appearing strangely sinister in the dim room.
“Kid, die!!!”
The wooden wall of the room was smashed apart.
Blackbeard’s bulky body, covered in Armament Haki, charged savagely into Thatch’s room.
The moment he saw Shiranui Rei from behind, taking huge bites of the fruit, his eyes nearly bulged from their sockets.
At the same time, the lookout who had noticed the flames rising into the sky had already sounded the alarm.
Countless crew members aboard the Moby Dick were jolted awake from their dreams.