Chapter 246 - 104

Chapter 104Luffy didn't answer, but simply stared intently at Blackbeard. An invisible pressure spread out like something tangible, actually causing Blackbeard to feel a hint of pressure even greater than when he had faced Ace!Wait, what's with this kid?!Blackbeard's heart was filled with surprise and uncertainty.The pressure Luffy was giving him was a bit too strong.He was a man most skilled at endurance, having lurked on Whitebeard's ship for twenty years, but after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, his mindset had inevitably inflated. At this moment, the aura Luffy emitted made him feel danger for the first time in a long while, and he even began to wonder if he had been too reckless this time.Without looking back, Luffy asked, "Nami, is there still time?"These guys are too dangerous. Since I've run into them anyway, I'll settle this traitor for Ace!Nami closed her eyes to feel the increasingly violent ocean currents and changes in air pressure around them, saying urgently, "The knock up stream will erupt in less than a minute. There's no time left!""One minute is enough."Luffy stared at the Blackbeard Pirates, then turned and shouted, "Leave things on this side to me for now. You all get ready to handle the knock up stream.""This is such a pain!"Nami complained while holding her head, but she got into the zone the next second, loudly commanding,"Zoro! Sanji! Usopp! Everyone to your positions and follow my steering commands.Chopper, secure all loose items. Don't let things fly away.Robin, Vivi, help out!"Robin watched Nami quickly enter her command state and chuckled while covering her mouth, "It seems Nami-san really spoils Luffy."Nami's face turned red.Over there.Blackbeard's sharp intuition told him things were looking bad, especially seeing Luffy's determined expression and the terrifying aura beginning to surge from him; he even had the thought of retreating.His goal was the Shichibukai position; there was no need to clash head-on here with a tough nut who felt off.However, Luffy had already moved.He leapt up from the going merry, activating his Gum-Gum Fruit ability. After briefly floating in mid-air, his right arm rapidly expanded like it was being inflated, instantly turning into a giant's arm!"Hey, Van Auger, hurry and shoot to stop him! What does that kid want to do?!" Blackbeard's face changed drastically as he shouted sternly.Bang!Bang!Bang!The sniper on Blackbeard's ship, Van Auger, immediately raised his gun and fired, but when the bullets reached Luffy, they seemed to hit an invisible wall and exploded prematurely, sparks flying everywhere.What?!Blackbeard's pupils constricted sharply. He saw the pitch-black Armament Haki coiling around Luffy's arm, and even caught a glimpse of faint flickering sparks of electricity.First compression.Second compression.Third compression!"Rubber — Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun!!"Luffy's voice was like thunder, echoing over the violent sea.He compressed his giant arm to the absolute limit.Boom!A devastatingly huge shockwave erupted from the giant fist, instantly tearing through the air and blasting towards the Blackbeard Pirates' ship."How is this possible!" Blackbeard cried out.At this moment, Blackbeard felt as if he were seeing a miniature of the space-shattering power of Whitebeard in his prime!Facing the old man was like a father beating his son.No one knew better than him how terrifying that man, known as the strongest in the world, truly was.After a moment of hesitation, he quickly activated his Dark-Dark Fruit ability, attempting to swallow and absorb this power.Darkness spread before him like a giant abyss-like mouth.However, the impact of the Hegemony was too concentrated and its speed was incredibly fast.The darkness only swallowed a portion, and the remaining power still struck the hull solidly.Boom!A violent explosion rang out, and the hull of the Blackbeard Pirates' ship was visibly destroyed. Exclamations and screams erupted from the ship."Luffy, the knock up stream is here!" Namiscreamed with all her might."Waaaaah!""Hold on tight!""Entering the whirlpool, the going merry is starting to sail along with its direction."Nami gripped the railing tightly and shouted commands, "We can't get too close to the center, or the ship will be smashed to pieces by the erupting knock up stream. Steer forty degrees to the left!""I know, I'm already doing it!" Zoro and Sanji turned the ship's wheel with all their strength."No, the current is too fast, I can't steer it!" Usopp's face turned red from the effort."Don't worry, Merry has already calculated it." Merry's figure emitted a soft light, merging into one with the ship.Under Merry's precise control and Nami's direction, the going merry narrowly sailed along the edge of the whirlpool, following the massive power that was about to erupt.After throwing that punch, Luffy used the recoil to fall back like a cannonball onto the violently jolting going merry.He glanced at the Blackbeard Pirates, whose ship was broken and falling into chaos under the double blow of the explosion and the knock up stream, and ignored them further.He believed that strike was enough to give them a hard time."Luffy!" Nami shouted."I got it!" Luffy responded, took a deep breath, and slammed both hands onto the deck.His ability instantly spread to the entire ship, temporarily turning the going merry into Rubber.This was the best way he could think of to protect the ship from the massive impact.Almost at the same time, in the center of the massive whirlpool where the going merry was located, the seawater was pushed violently upward from below by an invisible giant hand. A massive water column of immeasurable diameter erupted with world-destroying momentum.The going merry was instantly caught by this irresistible force, and its bow tilted high up, almost perpendicular to the sea surface.This is the knock up stream!Chapter 145: Laffitte: We Were Wiped Out?Just as Luffy and the others were following the knock up stream to Sky Island.In distant Marineford, Laffitte, who had just left Marine Headquarters, was using a transponder snail to try and contact his Captain.Purupuru, purupuru... Gacha.The transponder snail connected, but what came from the other side wasn't Blackbeard's trademark wild laughter, but a panicked voice. It was the ship doctor Doc Q, who sounded like he was panting and coughing violently."La, Laffitte! It's over! We were almost wiped out!"The elegant smile on Laffitte's face instantly froze.Is this a joke?Hadn't he instructed Teach and the others to wait for him in Mock Town?Mock Town is at the very beginning of the Grand Line, not in the New World!"Calm down, Doc Q. Explain clearly what happened. Where is Captain Teach?""The Captain, the Captain is critically injured and unconscious!"Doc Q's voice was full of fear and disbelief, "It was that Straw Hat brat Monkey D. Luffy! He used just one punch to nearly smash our ship. To defend against it, the Captain used his Dark-Dark Fruitability, but he was still heavily wounded and hasn't woken up yet!""Straw Hat Luffy?"Laffitte felt like his brain couldn't quite process this.But as an intelligence gatherer, his mind worked fast, and he remembered that was the pirate rookie whose bounty had recently soared.A brat whose bounty supposedly soared to two hundred million because he kidnapped a princess.He almost wiped out Captain Teach, who possesses the Dark-Dark Fruit?Laffitte even instinctively wanted to ask who the Straw Hat was just to confirm he hadn't misheard.The Dark-Dark Fruit—it's known as the nemesis of all Devil Fruits, capable of nullifying the abilities of any Devil Fruit User.Of course, the condition is that one must get close to the opponent.In other words, his Captain couldn't even manage to get close to the other person?A sense of absurdity and deep powerlessness surged in Laffitte's heart.The goal of their Blackbeard Pirates was to replace Crocodile, become one of the new Seven Warlords of the Sea, and then implement a grander plan.But now, before the plan had even begun, the Captain had been beaten down by an obscure rookie pirate?For the first time, Laffitte's decision to follow Teachbegan to waver.You endured for twenty years just to come out and take this one punch?And things kept happening on that end."There's worse news."Doc Q's voice carried despair: "Our trail seems to have been discovered by Fire Fist Ace.Laffitte, hurry and think of something. If this continues, we're really going to be wiped out here by the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander!I'm currently dragging the unconscious Captain and the injured Van Auger and Burgess; we can't get far!""Think of something? What could I possibly do?!"Laffitte, who was usually known for being calm and devious, was also losing it at this moment, nearly swearing at the transponder snail.The Captain was heavily wounded, they were surrounded by powerful enemies, and he, a Navigator, was far away at Marine Headquarters. What kind of brilliant plan could he have to instantly turn the tide?Just as Laffitte was feeling frantic, a laugh with a unique tone rang out behind him."Fuffuffuffuffu, the Blackbeard Pirates' Navigator, Demon Sheriff Laffitte, right?"Laffitte was startled and turned around abruptly.He saw Doflamingo, wearing his pink feathered coat, standing in the shadows not far away with his hands in his pockets, his face wearing that trademark smile that seemed to see through and toy with everything.Laffitte quickly suppressed the great shock in his heart, restored his surface composure, and elegantly turned to bow: "Heavenly Yaksha, Lord Donquixote Doflamingo. I didn't expect to meet you here."Doflamingo walked closer, the gaze behind his sunglasses unfathomable:"In the meeting room just now, you mentioned Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach. I'm quite interested in him.A man who can make someone like you follow him and dares to scheme for a Shichibukai position must not be an ordinary person.But from the sounds of it, you seem to have run into a little trouble?"Laffitte's eyes flickered rapidly as his brain spun at high speed.Doflamingo was one of the emperors of the Underworld, with deep-rooted influence and unfathomable strength.Their team's current situation was not good; in other words, they were in dire need of an external capital injection.Perhaps this was a good opportunity.That captivating smile reappeared on his face as he actively extended an invitation:"Lord Doflamingo, you are right; we have indeed encountered some challenges. But that just goes to show how magnificent this sea is, doesn't it?Perhaps we could find a place to have a detailed chat? To discuss a major event that could change the existing landscape of this sea!"The curve of Doflamingo's grin grew even wider.Interesting, very interesting.Change the existing landscape of this sea?