With the changing times, or perhaps due to updates, different strong individuals have completely different views on power.
Kaidou loves the powerful abilities of Zoan, but also values the strength of Haki, while Blackbeard is obsessed with strong Devil Fruit abilities.
Before these unique abilities attributed to the "Bloodline Factor" from the Hundred Beasts were born, Mythical Zoans were always considered even rarer than Logia-type Devil Fruits. Besides the inherent physical boost, the special abilities brought by Mythical Zoans are also extremely powerful.
The pursuit of various powerful abilities is one of the reasons Blackbeard desires the Dark-Dark Fruit. With the powers of the Dark-Dark Fruit, he can plunder the abilities from other ability users, breaking the rule where a fruit will randomly reincarnate at a certain location after the ability user's death.
If the recruitment fails, he will target Drake's abilities, which was part of his planned course of action all along.
"A total of five... Little Kiku! Get ready for a fight!"
Kikunojo looks like a woman, but his combat strength is more than sufficient. After all, he's an NPC from the later stages of the game, proficient in dual-color Haki and Swordsmanship, more than capable of handling ordinary enemies.
Drake brought him out without worrying he would be a burden. Kikunojo's combat prowess is enough to make him an official even in a pirate crew from the New World.
"I know..."
These people were not his former companions, so Kikunojo naturally wouldn't hesitate. To him, Drake could be called a friend, while Blackbeard's group was the purest form of enemy.
"You all disturbed my journey. You will pay the price, and I'll teach you how to greet someone politely!"
Ziz la.. Ziz la..
Electric currents surrounded Drake's fingertips, the bright electricity was blinding even in daylight. With his five fingers slightly open, Drake swung his palm toward Blackbeard in front of him.
Crack! Crack!
Thunder roared in broad daylight, and a few dark clouds gathered in the sky. As Drake's palm swung, the lightning followed suit, and multiple electrical currents descended from the sky, striking toward the Blackbeard Pirates.
"Dodge!"
The thunderfall from the sky forced them to scatter to a distance. Burgess and Van Augur were lucky, as there weren't many bolts aimed at them. Although they were in a sorry state, they managed to dodge.
As the primary target, Blackbeard wasn't so lucky, as he was encircled by what seemed like a dense net of lightning. After dodging the first two bolts, he was still directly hit by subsequent strikes.
"Ah!! It hurts, damn it, it hurts!"
Boom!
"Pain! Pain.. Pain!"
Blackbeard let out painful howls as he was struck by lightning, with not a trace of a strong person's dignity, rolling pathetically on the ground, and shouting in pain as if that could lessen the physical agony.
His reaction left Drake stunned. Few pirates fighting in the New World can claim to have never been injured, even top-tier fighters lose some parts, and even someone like Yamato isn't an exception.
She's broken her arm several times during her growth, and though Kaidou has been the one to injure her the most, it doesn't change the fact that she's taken plenty of hits.
Drake was sure even the children on Ghost Island, when injured during training, wouldn't act so pitifully.
How did a guy like this find the courage to challenge Whitebeard's limits?
"My opinion of you was already low, but now it's dropped to negative. What makes someone like you talk so grandly?"
"You all stand back, this woman is beyond your current handling!"
Shoving aside subordinates around him, Blackbeard got back up with labored breaths. Although he was screaming miserably, he didn't seem injured, just a few more charred marks.
Just now, as Burgess and the others tried to help him up, the residual power of Drake's lightning still remained, so those also struck by lightning, when approaching, instead triggered strong static, causing Blackbeard secondary harm.
"Ah ha... ha... There's no helping it, this is the cost. Even though the Dark-Dark Fruit is a Logia-type, it differs from other Logia-types. Not only does it not allow for elementalization to evade attacks, but it even absorbs all attacks.
Whether it's swords or bullets, or even your lightning, all the damage they cause will be absorbed by me. Correspondingly, the pain I endure is doubled."
"I see, no wonder you don't look particularly injured. But is your habit to ramble with your enemies?"
"Zehahaha, it's my gesture of sincerity.
The fourth of the Hundred Beasts Pirates is indeed strong, your abilities are impressive. Would you really not consider joining me? I can reserve a spot as a High-Level Official of the Blackbeard Pirates for you."
Even at this moment, Blackbeard still had the idea of recruiting Drake, but Drake remained completely uninterested.
"I've said, I have no interest in a guy like you. It's more practical to trade you to Whitebeard for money.
Doubling the pain, only a lunatic like you would have such masochistic tendencies."
"Unfortunately, you can't kill me, and this peculiar fruit is the most brutal ability in history!"
Darkness surged from within Blackbeard, and under the effect of the darkness, the attacks from Drake were visibly disappearing. Moreover, the darkness continued to spread outward.
"Run! The captain is about to go berserk!"
Seeing the darkness start to spread from Blackbeard's body, Burgess and the others began fleeing to a distant spot, taking along Doc Q and his nearly-dead-looking horse along the way.
"Little Kiku, keep your distance too, this guy... is a bit dangerous."
The Luxray gave Drake a strong gut feeling. At this moment, the hairs on her back stood up, and her body was sending out a warning.
"Be careful..."
Kikunojo knew well that Drake's powers were much stronger than his. To avoid dragging Drake down, he aimed at other members of the Blackbeard Pirates, preventing them from causing trouble from behind.
As for the residents who originally lived here, they fled once the fight started, and were at this moment watching from afar.
...
Blackbeard didn't care about anyone else; he had utmost confidence in his abilities and was currently showing off his powers.
"Zehahaha, what is called darkness is actually gravity, a force that attracts and devours everything, an infinite gravity that does not let any light escape! Your lightning, too, cannot escape the darkness's devourment! Dark Acupoint Path!"
The darkness spread like a river encompassing everything in its path. The boundless darkness formed a greedy swamp, and trees, rocks, houses, metal, everything twisted and shattered, subsequently vanishing into Blackbeard's darkness, leaving only a bare patch of ground.
"This is Dark Gravity, the powerful ability exchanged for pain."
The darkness extended into the sky, and the things absorbed by Blackbeard formed a large sphere, suspended above Drake, looking like it could fall at any moment...