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Chapter 41: VS Blackbeard
Rumble... Rumble...
It was just before 10:00 AM.
The Great Impel Down Escape Operation!!—led by me, Luffy, Ace, Jinbe, Bon Clay, Ivankov, the residents of Okama~Land, and Densuke—had officially begun.
Level 5.5, Okama~Land, had secret passages connecting to each floor, such as Level 1 and Level 2. If I were escaping alone, using those passages to get out would have been the quickest method. However, this time, the goal was a mass breakout.
Because of this, our Great Impel Down Escape Operation!! kicked off in Level 5: Freezing Hell, completely out of sight from the Surveillance Transponder Snails.
But...
"Bwaaah...!? I-I-It's so c-c-c-cold...!!!"
Isn't this floor way too cold!?
Trembling uncontrollably, I hugged my tail tightly. Back in Level 4: Blazing Hell, I had complained about wanting to shave off all my tail fur because of the intense heat, but I was really glad I hadn't done it...
"Listen closely, everyone! Thanks to Line Boy's efforts, Impel Down's military forces are completely depleted-chable! Even so, it doesn't mean there are zero guards left. Reinforcements might have arrived. Stay sharp, and let's aim for the top with extreme caution!"
"""Uwooooh~~!"""
Ignoring my shivering, Ivankov rallied the okamas.
...I get that getting pumped up is good and all, but we should have done this back in Level 5.5. There's no need to go out of our way to do it in this freezing cold...
J-j-j-j-j-j-j-j-j-j...
Look, even Densuke is shivering so much I feel sorry for her. Transponder Snails are weak to the cold, you know.
Left with no other choice, I decided to secretly tuck Densuke inside Ivankov's hair. It had to be a little warmer inside that massive, frizzy afro.
"Alright, let's go! Straw Hat Boy! Ace Boy! Line Boy!"
"Those two already went on ahead."
"So free-spirited!! Hee-haw!!"
Luffy and Ace had already bolted ahead through the Freezing Hell. Following their lead, the rest of us pushed forward rapidly.
"Let's go! Follow them!!"
"""Ooooooh!!"""
Rumble... Rumble...
Several guards tried to block our path along the way. However, since we had already dealt with their main forces—Magellan, Hannyabal, Shiryu of the Rain, Sadie, and the Jailer Beasts—we managed to break through Level 5 and Level 4 with anticlimactic ease.
"Nga-hah-hah! This is a piece of cake!"
The whole situation screamed "easy mode." Bon Clay was spinning around even more than usual.
If only we could have escaped Impel Down smoothly without losing a single person... But life rarely lets you off that easy.
Rumble... Rumble...
The "unexpected problem" occurred in Level 3: Starvation Hell. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say we stumbled right into it.
Standing right in front of us was a mysterious and highly suspicious group of five who were clearly not guards.
"Ooh!? If it isn't Ace! Zehahahaha!! To think you really were set free!"
"Weehahahaha! This is a surprise!"
"There are no coincidences in destiny... That means..."
"You sure are... lucky... cough."
"Hohoho!"
The suspicious five had arrived. A fat slob with a dirty beard, a masked muscular man, a scrawny man with weird glasses, a sickly man who looked like he was about to drop dead, and a pale-skinned man in a top hat. All of them were towering at around three and a half meters tall. Yep. It pissed me off.
Just who the hell are these guys?
They didn't seem to be Impel Down's top-secret forces. Judging by my Observation Haki, they gave off an incredibly eerie presence. As I tilted my head in confusion...
"...!! Teach...!!"
Ace gnashed his teeth, his expression twisting into pure rage the moment he saw the bearded man's face.
...? What's wrong, Ace—oh, wait! It's this guy! This is the pirate who defeated Ace, sent him to Impel Down, and earned the title of Warlord of the Sea!!
Commonly known as... Blackbeard.
He was the mastermind behind this entire incident. Why the hell is he here?
Rumble... Rumble...
"Zehahaha! I never thought we'd meet alive again, Commander Ace!"
"...Commander, my ass. You're a piece of shit who committed the greatest sin in the Whitebeard Pirates—killing a crewmate. I'm going to avenge Thatch!"
"You're only here because you failed to do exactly that! Right? 'Commander' Ace! Zehahahahahahaha!!"
"Fire Fist!!"
"Buoh!?"
Without warning, Ace slammed a fist of fire right into Blackbeard's laughing face. It was a flawless sneak attack.
"Gwaahhh! Hot, hot, hot!! What the hell are you doing, you bastard!?"
"That's my line! I'm going to make you pay once and for all! Teach!"
"Ah~? Zehahahaha! ...You really think you can?"
Ace and Blackbeard took their stances, glaring at each other.
...Huh? Are they actually going to fight? Right here and now!? No, no, no, no! Panicking, I clung to Ace.
"Wait, wait, Ace! Our top priority right now is escaping Impel Down! We don't have time to fight these guys!"
"Then you guys go on ahead! Once I face an enemy, I won't run...!!"
"Huh!?"
That makes zero sense.
We came all this way to save him. There was no way we were just going to leave him behind.
Rumble... Rumble...
"Ace-san. I understand how you feel, but for now, we must..."
"I won't run!"
"Ace Boy! We absolutely don't have the time to deal with them-nable."
"I won't run!!"
"You've got to be jooooking me~~!"
"I won't run!!!"
Despite Jinbe, Ivankov, and Bon Clay's desperate attempts to persuade him, Ace absolutely refused to budge.
Seriously... why won't he just run?
He already lost to this guy once, right? And he doesn't have any realistic chance of winning right now, does he? So why stop? Even if he miraculously wins, the time we lose is a much bigger disadvantage right now!
"...Ace has this habit... he absolutely refuses to run away," Luffy explained to me, noticing my confusion.
I see. A habit of absolutely refusing to run away... wait, no, I still don't get it at all!!
My personal mottos were: "He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day," "Bigger is always better," and "The more boobs, the better." As someone who survived by running away from strong enemies as much as humanly possible, Ace's "habit of never running" was utterly incomprehensible to me.
I understood that he couldn't forgive the guy... but we were in the middle of a prison break. Running away was the only viable option right now.
"Alright! If Ace is going to fight, then I'll fight too! Gum-Gum JET Gatling!!"
And now Luffy is joining in!? Crap. This is turning into a full-blown battle.
"Zehaha... Kurouzu!!"
"Uwaah...!?"
...Wait, what!? A black mist-like substance erupted from Blackbeard's hand... sucking Luffy's body toward him, and then—
"Take this!!"
"Gyaaaaah!!!"
Blackbeard grabbed Luffy and slammed him brutally into the ground. Blood spurted out as Luffy screamed in sheer agony.
Huh? W-What just happened?
Blackbeard wasn't even using Haki just now. So why did a physical attack hurt Luffy? He's supposed to be made of rubber.
"Zehahahaha! Before my Dark-Dark powers, all abilities are completely useless!! You think a scrub like you can beat me when even Ace couldn't stand a chance!? Straw Hat!"
Oh, he just exposed his own trick.
Apparently, Blackbeard was a user of a Devil Fruit called the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Dark-Dark... like a dark mood? No, actual darkness.
It sounded like an ability a final boss would have. It seemed ridiculously strong.
"Luffy-kun! Ace-san! Tch, I guess we have no choice but to fight... Fish-Man Karate...!!"
"Weehahaha! Jinbe of the Seven Warlords! I won't let you!"
"Zehaha! I'll drag every last one of you into the darkness! Black Hole! — Liberation!"
"""Gyaaaaah!!?"""
"Blackbeard! How dare you hurt my precious Candy Boys! Death Wink!!"
"Hohoho, Ivankov. We won't let you interfere with the captain."
Rumble... Rumble...
T-This is turning into an all-out war...!
This is bad... If we waste too much time here, Magellan might recover and come after us! If that happens, it's game over for everyone.
We had to end this fight as quickly as possible. And to do that...!
"Alright! Blackbeard, I'm your opponent!"
Leaping effortlessly over Luffy and Ace, I landed right in front of Blackbeard. The fastest way to end a battle... was to quickly take out the enemy leader, Blackbeard! Truth be told, I had a one-time "secret plan" that could only be used right here, right now. Fuhehehe!
...However, as I stepped forward, Ace held his arm out to stop me.
"Line, and Luffy... Sorry, but I need you two to stay out of this... This guy was my subordinate. I have to be the one to settle things with him!"
"Ace...!"
Ah, I see. So that's how it's going to be...
"I understand... Ace."
Resigning myself, I stepped back behind Ace... or so it seemed, before I kicked him right in the shins. Crack.
"Gaaah...!?"
"'I need you to stay out of this...' Smirk! Shut up, you idiot! You lost to Blackbeard, got thrown into Impel Down, and had to be rescued by me... The current you has absolutely zero right to be acting selfish!"
"...Guh!"
"I hate to say it like this, but I'm your savior. So for once, just listen to me! Step back!"
I shooed Ace away like a nuisance. He looked like he desperately wanted to argue... but unable to retort, he reluctantly backed down.
"So with that settled, I'm your opponent! Blackbeard! Let's do this!"
"Oh? To think you actually made that stubborn Commander Ace step back... Zehaha! I know who you are. You're the Invisible Phantom Thief, aren't you? The crazy dwarf who picked a fight with a Marine Admiral and the Celestial Dragons...!"
"...Is that really what the world is calling me?"
"Zehahahaha! Hilarious! How about it, Invisible Phantom Thief! Why don't you join my crew?"
"...Huh?"
A sudden recruitment pitch right before the battle. What's with this guy? Is he Lord Frieza? Or maybe Lord Vearn?
"I think we'd make a great team! With your help, my plan's success rate jumps to practically 100%! Invisible Phantom Thief! Let's conquer the world together!"
"...Uh, conquering the world isn't really my thing..."
As I gave him a dubious look, Blackbeard continued.
"If there's a specific Devil Fruit you've got your eye on... I can even help you get it. I know a way to kill an ability user and steal their Devil Fruit powers."
"..."
—My heart skipped a beat.
To be perfectly honest... I was actually a little bit tempted by his offer. But my answer remained unchanged. It was a hard NO. Because I refused to become such a "small man" that I'd murder someone just to satisfy my own desires!
Just as I opened my mouth to flat-out reject his invitation—
"Don't screw with me! Line's not joining your crew! He's going to be part of my crew!"
Luffy shouted his refusal before I even could... Wait, no, no, no! That's not right either! I already clearly told you I'm not joining your crew either!?
While I was mentally complaining—
"Hold on, you two! Line Boy is an exceptional talent that we, the Revolutionary Army, have our eyes on! Don't just invite him without permission-nable!!"
Ivankov! You too!?
Apparently, I was even being targeted by the Revolutionary Army... Yeah. No thanks! I don't want to join some dangerous organization filled with okamas! And I definitely don't want Luffy's friend's dad as my boss either! I'm absolutely never joining!
As I thought that—
"W-Wait! All of you! Line-san is the savior of Fish-Man Island! Don't just stake your claims on him!"
Even Jinbe spoke up. ...Enough already!! Stop fighting over who gets to recruit me!!
"I'm refusing all of you! The only one who gets to boss me around is the woman I love!!"
"Zehahahaha! I see, what a shame!"
I infused my tail with Armament Haki.
"I don't really want to drag this out... Blackbeard, I'm ending this battle... in a single strike!"
"Oh? Let's see you try."
"Tontatta Combat..."
"!!"
"Tail Impact!!"
"Gubuoohhh!!"
BAM!!! My highest-firepower tail strike landed a direct hit right on Blackbeard's solar plexus. The sheer force sent Blackbeard flying backward. But...
Rumble... Rumble...
"Gehoh...! Gah...! Hah, hah, what a strike... It completely defies the common sense of a dwarf...! But if that was your 'single strike,' it's a massive disappointment... Zehahaha..."
H-He completely tanked it...!?
He hadn't even guarded with Armament Haki. It was a direct, unguarded hit... yet he endured it. Just how damn tough is this guy!!?
"Then it's my turn, alright? How about it, Invisible Phantom Thief! Zehahahahahahaha!!"
As if to counterattack, Blackbeard summoned a massive clump of darkness from both hands. T-This looks really bad...
"Die in the darkness! Dark Matter!!"
"Guh!? Uwoh...!! This gravitational pull...!?"
Crap! I'm getting sucked in!
"Zehahaha! Zehahahaha! Zehahahahahahaha!!"
Ah... It's no use... I can't resist it. I'm done for...
Blackbeard was a Warlord of the Sea. A man who had even defeated Ace. There was no way someone like me could win against a monster like that... The moment I failed to finish him in one strike, this battle was my loss...
"...Did you really think I'd say something like that? Blackbeard!"
"Zeha... huh?"
Even as I was being helplessly sucked into the darkness in a seemingly hopeless situation... I flashed a wicked grin. Blackbeard's expression twisted in confusion.
Did he finally realize something was wrong? Too late!
"I told you, didn't I? That I'd end this in a 'single strike'... but I never said I would be the one landing it!! Do it! Arlong!!"
"You got it! Big Bro Line!!"
Clack.
"Huh?"
In that instant, Blackbeard's eyes went wide with shock. From his perspective, a shark Fish-Man had suddenly emerged from behind him and done something to him. But the moment he failed to dodge that "something," he had lost.
Because this was the secret plan I had mentioned. Ending it in a single strike meant... Arlong, who had been hiding behind him... Slapping Seastone Handcuffs on his wrists!!
"W-What the hell is this!!??"
"Shahahahaha! Serves you right! Human!!"
Blackbeard panicked. Seastone Handcuffs possessed the power of the sea, completely nullifying a Devil Fruit user's abilities. Once they were snapped on, Blackbeard could no longer generate his darkness, freeing me from its gravitational pull.
"Phew, that was close... Fuhehehehe! Excellent work, Arlong! Perfect timing!"
"I'd do anything for you, Big Bro Line! Shahahaha!"
"Yeeaaah!"
I cheered, giving Arlong a high-five.
Due to Arlong's abrupt appearance, everyone present—the Blackbeard Pirates, Luffy, Ace, and Ivankov—was wearing expressions of sheer astonishment. ...Jinbe, in particular, had his eyes practically popping out of his skull.
"A-A-Arlong!?"
"Hm? Oh! If it isn't Bro Jinbe. It's been a while."
"Don't 'It's been a while' me! Arlong! What on earth are you doing in a place like this!?"
"What do you mean? I'm Big Bro Line's underling. Isn't it obvious?"
"Big Bro!? Underling!? Eeeeeehhh!!?"
Fuhehehe, that's right. Do you remember? When I met Arlong back on Level 3... I had "made a few arrangements with Arlong" before heading down to Level 4. This was exactly the arrangement I made.
—————
This happened after I listened to the story of Arlong's Fish-Man life and told him a little bit about myself...
"Line-san... No, Big Bro Line! Please, make me your underling! I want to see the world you're going to create! I'm begging you!!"
"Huh...?"
From inside his cell, Arlong suddenly bowed his head to the floor, desperately pleading for me to make him my subordinate.
"..."
When I heard that... I was pretty sure my face twisted in utter disgust. I mean, Arlong is the psycho who conquered a human village, right? Why would I ever want someone like that as an underling? Hell no.
As I was internally rejecting the idea...
"If you ever find me useless, you can kill me! I'll listen to every single thing you say, Big Bro Line! So please...! I want to follow a huge man like you, Big Bro Line!"
"...Huh? A-A huge man...? Me...?"
"Of course! There isn't a man huger than you in this entire world, Big Bro Line!"
"...Fuhe."
I hesitated. I hesitated a lot. To be completely honest... I wanted to say no. But he genuinely didn't seem like a bad guy... I could feel his absolute sincerity... And he was apparently friends with Hatchan...
Plus, as he said, I really am a huge man! Fuhehehehe...
"Mmm... I-I guess I have no choice... Alright. I'll make you my underling."
"...!! Yes!!"
After much internal debate, I chose to accept Arlong as my underling. ...Just to be clear, it absolutely wasn't because being called a "huge man" flattered me, okay? It wasn't. It totally wasn't.
...Anyway, after removing his handcuffs and unlocking his cell, I ordered Arlong to wait inside his cell until I returned after saving Ace. I also told him that if I happened to be fighting a strong enemy when I got back... he was to provide combat support. By using the very handcuffs I had just taken off him...
This was the arrangement Arlong and I made on Level 3.
—————
"Fuhehehehehe! Operation successful!"
"Shahahahaha! As expected of my Big Bro!"
We were incredibly lucky that the handcuffs restraining Arlong happened to be Seastone Handcuffs. Thanks to that, Blackbeard was taken down in one move. Life as an ability user must be tough.
"Guh!? Dammit! I can't use my powers! My strength is draining... Seastone!? You bastards!!"
"Fuhehehehe! You never expected Arlong to be sneaking up right behind you with Seastone Handcuffs while you were fighting me, did you? Blackbeard~."
"Guuuuuhhh...!! What a sneaky little rat!!"
Blackbeard thrashed his arms around, desperately trying to yank the handcuffs off, but... Seastone was as tough as diamond. They weren't coming off. Fuhehe...
Rumble... Rumble...
"T-The captain got taken down...!"
"No way... This can't be...!"
"...Is this fate too...?"
"Cough."
With their leader incapacitated, the Blackbeard Pirates were... well, just a group of reasonably strong guys. And we weren't weak enough to lose to "reasonably strong guys."
Whack! Pow! Bam! Thud!
"Alright. With that, the Blackbeard Pirates have been thoroughly subdued! You can't complain about this, right? Ace."
"...Y-Yeah... That's right... Line, thank you..."
Looking at the bruised, battered, and imprisoned members of the Blackbeard Pirates, Ace didn't look happy! ...Rather, he looked absolutely speechless.
"...T-To think you'd defeat Blackbeard so easily, using a method like this..."
"I've been non-stop surprised by Line Boy all day-chable..."
Jinbe and Ivankov were also completely speechless. It made sense that they were shocked. It was a pretty anti-climactic end to the fight. Man, I'm really glad I made Arlong my underling. If I hadn't, I probably would have hit a dead-end right here.
Rumble... Rumble...
"Dammit! Stop screwing around! My plan wasn't supposed to end in a place like this!! Let me out! Let me out of here right now!!"
Blackbeard continued to scream and throw a tantrum from inside the cell. It served him right.
Rumble... Rumble...
"Dammit!! I finally managed to slip in here while Whitebeard and the Marines were distracted...! To think I'd get caught in a place like this...!"
"Fuhehehe... Huh?"
...Hm? What was that last remark? Something felt off... While Whitebeard and the Marines were distracted? ...What does that mean?
Rumble... Rumble...
...Also, it's been bothering me for a while now, but what exactly is this earth-shaking sound and vibration I keep hearing? That rumble, rumble sound. I-I've got a really... really bad feeling about this...
Rumble... Rumble...
After defeating Blackbeard, we pushed through Level 3 and rushed up the stairs past Level 2 and Level 1. I thought that once we cleared these stairs, we'd be right at the main entrance. We were just one step away from escaping Impel Down.
However—
Rumble!! Rumble!!
"...Huh?"
As I reached the top of the stairs and arrived at the main entrance, I immediately looked up at the ceiling... No, I couldn't look up at the ceiling. Because the ceiling no longer existed.
Instead, the vast, cloudy, overcast sky stretched out above us... In fact, it wasn't just the ceiling; the walls were gone too. The entire first floor of Impel Down—everything except the floor itself—had been completely and utterly obliterated.
Rumble!! Crack! Pew... KABOOOM!! Bubble, bubble... BA-BOOOM!! Clack, clink... ZZZ-BASHHH!!
A scene straight out of the apocalypse unfolded before my eyes and ears.
"Gurararara...!!"
"Great Eruption!!"
"Brilliant Punk!!"
"Phoenix Brand!!"
"Ice Age!!"
"Yasakani no Magatama!!"
"Kishishi...! Tsuno Tokage!!"
"Mero Mero Mellow!!"
"Overheat!!"
The Whitebeard Pirates, the Marines, and the Warlords are fighting a massive war! Right here on the first floor of Impel Down!!?
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