After inadvertently seeing the Devil Fruit illustrated guide, a special plan emerged in Blackbeard's heart. For this, he gave up his dignity and begged Whitebeard to let him aboard.
Because, at that time, he believed that only by boarding Whitebeard's ship could he increase his chances of obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Having hidden his ambition for decades, he finally achieved his goal. But at this moment, an ability user ignored his Dark Gravity, disregarding the suppression of the Dark-Dark Fruit over other Fruit Abilities.
Previously, when Drake could resist gravity, Blackbeard could still blame it on his unfamiliarity with the ability. But it was wrong that she could still use her ability after contact.
To give an analogy, it was as if he had eaten the Rubber-Rubber Fruit before but hadn't turned into Nika yet, which wasn't surprising.
But now, he hasn't even obtained the basic rubber body, something Blackbeard cannot accept.
If he hadn't tested his ability on other ability users during his previous escape, he might have doubted his decades of lurking were all for nothing.
"Could it be that the Mythical Zoan has something different... or is it not an ability at all... Zehahahaha, I'm even more interested in your ability. Is it still in time to join me now?"
Even after fighting to this extent, Blackbeard still hadn't given up on recruiting Drake.
In the original timeline, it was the same during his battle with Ace. Even before Ace was defeated, he extended his recruitment invitation, hoping Ace would become a powerful ally.
In this regard, Blackbeard had his own confidence, believing that no matter what kind of person, he could eventually subdue them.
"Thunder Fang Strike!"
Not wanting to continue communication with the conceited man in front of her, Drake formed new claw blades out of lightning. The violent lightning, once condensed into a solid form, became exceptionally sharp. The sharp Thunder Spear pierced straight into Blackbeard's chest.
Puchi!
The lightning spear pierced through Blackbeard's corpulent body. Amidst the thunderous roar of the lightning, Blackbeard let out a scream, but simultaneously, he punched toward Drake.
Bang!
Drake's figure flew backward, and after landing, she retreated several steps before stabilizing herself.
"This guy's punch... is quite troublesome..."
Rubbing her rib area, even with a Zoan-like body, she felt pain from this hit. The seemingly ridiculous body seemed to hide terrifying power.
"Dark Water!"
Blackbeard reached out and grabbed the lightning that had pierced through his body. Under the effect of darkness, Drake's attack was gradually absorbed by the darkness. Besides the sweat on his forehead, there were no injury marks left on Blackbeard.
This is also the ability of the Dark-Dark Fruit. It doubles the pain felt by the user but does not double the effect of the attacks they receive. Instead, it can absorb that damage, preventing it from affecting the user's body.
"It's useless. Even if your ability is somewhat special, your attack will still eventually be swallowed by the darkness. My ability is the invincible one!"
Blackbeard was more willing to believe that Drake was exceptionally special due to being a Mythical Zoan, or that it was the product of other forces, rather than accepting that something was wrong with his power.
"Heh, the prejudice of a frog in the well is always amusing. If you can take it, then take it all from me!"
Light began to gather at the corners of Drake's mouth, with the Hyper Beam rapidly forming. Like Protect, it's a skill standard for most high-level officials, and the stronger the person, the faster they condense the Hyper Beam, and the shorter the rigidity afterward.
At this moment, Kaidou and Yamato can instantly use Hyper Beam without falling into rigidity, and although Drake is a bit behind, the preparation for the attack only takes a few seconds.
"No matter how many times, it's useless. Whether light or thunder, darkness is the final destination!"
Blackbeard confidently stretched out his right hand. His dark devouring ability is exceedingly strong, capable of absorbing nearly the majority of attacks.
Boom!
Bang!
Lightning and darkness alternated, and the battle between Blackbeard and Drake gradually reached a fever pitch, accompanied by Blackbeard's screams. Despite constantly being thwarted, his body hadn't suffered any fatal harm.
The majority of the attacks were neutralized by the ability of the Dark-Dark Fruit, and not even did the contests in body techniques allow Drake to gain an advantage. Blackbeard's body was inherently peculiar; it's said that this guy never sleeps, having more than twice the time to do other things compared to others.
Many of the elderly in the Whitebeard Pirates knew he was such an anomaly, and the first outsider to notice this trait... should have been Buggy.
He once swore to Shanks that Blackbeard hadn't closed his eyes for three days and nights, leaving one to wonder, did Buggy stare at him for three days and nights?
...
"The officers of the Hundred Beasts are really tough, the captain might be making such a big commotion for the first time."
"Yeah, not easy to deal with."
On the periphery of the battle between Drake and Blackbeard, members of the Blackbeard Pirates watched the pervasive lightning with a slightly shocked expression. According to their understanding, NO.4 couldn't be considered a high-level official, yet even such an officer could create such a big commotion, far exceeding their expectations.
"Quit the nonsense over there! Hurry up and help! This woman is too hard to deal with!"
Van Augur and Laffitte chatted idly beside, Doc Q lay on his horse looking as if he was about to die, only Burgess was genuinely fighting with Kikunojo.
Blackbeard chose these people primarily for their potential; at this point, they had just joined the Blackbeard Pirates not long ago, and their own strength was limited.
Though Kikunojo was considered a "prisoner of war," over the years, he frequently fought on behalf of the Hundred Beasts, continuously growing stronger through numerous battles.
Burgess initially looked down on this seemingly weak woman, so he proposed a duel with Kikunojo and soon regretted it, barely a few minutes had passed before he regretted it.
Ziii!
Dense sword flashes forced Burgess back. Though he possessed brute strength, against Kikunojo, who mastered high-tier Armament, his brute strength was rendered ineffective.
The several bloody holes on his arm were proof, and just as he was preparing to behead her with one strike, a cane blocked him.
Laffitte arrived in front of Burgess with a slightly amusing step, using his cane as a weapon to block Kikunojo's blade.
"Miss, being so ferocious is not good at all, can't you just wait patiently for the battle over there to end?"
"Zansetsu Kesa!"
Kikunojo continued to slash at Laffitte with a reverse swipe. Among these people, Laffitte gave him a very unique feeling, and from Laffitte, Kikunojo sensed a distinct sense of danger...