Chapter 368: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, But the Oriole Lurks Behind

Blackbeard stood dumbfounded, feeling an indescribable sense of frustration.

At this critical juncture, leaving Marineford inherently carried enormous risk.

The war between Marineford and Whitebeard, with the interference of Luo Jie's remnants and the Laffitte faction, was gradually becoming increasingly bewildering.

But regardless of the outcome, the Marines would not collapse, and the World Government even less so.

In other words.

No matter the result of Blackbeard's current actions, after the great war he would inevitably become a key target of the World Government's attention, subjected to pursuit and interception by the Marines.

There might even be an Admiral stepping in to eliminate him directly.

And what he was gambling on was his ability to liberate the prisoners of Impel Down in one go, rally a sufficiently powerful crew, then ride the momentum to return to the Summit War to reap the battlefield, and even go a step further to seize Whitebeard's power.

In that case, he would have the combat power of an Emperor, the crew of an Emperor, and even, simply by taking over Whitebeard's territory, the foundation of an Emperor!

Yet right now, the most crucial link in the plan had collapsed outright.

Without being able to rally a sufficiently powerful crew within Impel Down, he would be unable to play a decisive role in the subsequent battlefield; indeed, once he appeared, he would likely face targeting from both the Marines and Whitebeard.

By then, he wouldn't even know how he died!

Being unable to intervene in the war at Marineford and seize Whitebeard's power would render everything mere empty talk!

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Blackbeard cursed in a low voice, furious to the extreme.

Laffitte's expression likewise turned ugly as he spoke:

"It is likely that the group which just left took the heavy criminals from Level Six with them."

"Captain, should we..."

Halfway through his sentence, Laffitte's voice trailed off.

This was because, apart from the prisoners from Level One of Impel Down, that ship also carried the right-hand man of the Pirate King Luo Jie, the solitary Crimson who had dominated an era, known as the Mightiest Support.

With these three joining forces, they would likely have the qualification to assault Marineford directly and contend with an Emperor-level pirate crew!

For Blackbeard's crew to confront them now would be no different than smashing an egg against a rock.

"What do we do?"

"Captain!"

Laffitte's gaze fell upon Blackbeard, while Burgess and Doc Q nearby did the same.

Their long journey had long since made them realize that the man before them possessed the spirit to handle any desperate situation, no matter what.

This time...

Would be no exception!

After a few breaths.

Blackbeard's expression gradually sank; he looked toward the deepest part of Impel Down, where a tall man sat cross-legged in a cell, refusing to yield and meeting his gaze squarely, and an unmistakable madness emerged in his eyes!

"Laffitte!"

"A person's life is composed of choice after choice, and before making a choice, no one can predict what result they will ultimately obtain."

"In other words..."

"Every single step I take is a gamble!"

"I infiltrated the Whitebeard Pirates for over thirty years to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, and used Luo Jie's bloodline to provoke war between Marineford and the Whitebeard Pirates—I won again!"

"This time... I will win again!"

Laffitte paused slightly, following Blackbeard's line of sight toward the depths of Impel Down.

Even though completely shrouded in darkness, that tall and sturdy figure still made him feel a tremor originating from his very soul!

"That guy is..."

"Demon Progeny—Douglas Bullet?!"

"The madman who attempted to challenge the entire world single-handedly?!"

Laffitte knew Bullet's reputation, and he knew even more that beyond this title, the man before him possessed strength sufficient to shake the world!

"Captain..."

"We might have other options; even if you can defeat this guy, we cannot escape unscathed!"

"No!"

Blackbeard's lips curled up, his gaze growing ever more resolute:

"The value of this single individual alone might well equal all the prisoners in Impel Down except for the Solitary Crimson!"

"As long as we can bring him under our command, we still have a chance to return to Marineford and continue our previous plan!"

"Seize Whitebeard's power, and thereby dominate this entire sea!"

With these words.

Blackbeard walked step by step toward the depths of Impel Down.

Watching this scene from afar, Burgess couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for Blackbeard.

"Is this another battle that decides fate?!"

Laffitte raised his hand to adjust his hat, twirled his cane between his fingers, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

They had witnessed a scene like this not long ago, and that time, the winner was Blackbeard.

Boom!

Blackbeard placed one hand on the cell door, locking eyes with Bullet inside the cell without the slightest retreat:

"I'll let you out, we fight, if I win you come with me, and we go together to challenge the strongest in the world!"

"Good!"

Barrett's lips curled upward as invisible Conqueror's Haki erupted with a boom; a gray-black curtain of light swept over everything around the table, making even Baggy and the two others beside him shudder involuntarily!

They suddenly realized that the legends they had heard about Barrett contained no falsehood.

Even after twenty years of imprisonment, not a shred of this man's power had declined.

Compared to the already aged Luo Jie, he remained young, he remained powerful!

Was Blackbeard strong?!

Strong!

Undeniably strong!

The Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit, which suppresses Devil Fruit users with unreasonable force, stood head and shoulders above even the vast sea of Devil Fruits; that was precisely why Ace of the Fire Fist fell to him.

Yet few knew that Blackbeard also possessed formidable martial arts.

That was the very foundation that had allowed him to hold his ground in the Whitebeard Pirates, even to leave a scar on Red-Haired Shanks' face!

The combination of the two had created one of the strongest monsters born of this era.

But this time, he was facing a monster who, at fifteen, had matched Lei Li in prowess and, though defeated, had earned honor by single-handedly challenging the Buster Call!

Even the other members of Blackbeard's crew now lacked confidence in this battle.

"Dark Vortex!"

Endless black smoke spread outward from Blackbeard as its center, swallowing every cell within Impel Down!

Moreover, a gloomy, oppressive aura radiated from his body!

A formidable pressure rushed straight at their faces!

As endless darkness crept toward the cell where Barrett stood, not a trace of fear appeared in the latter's eyes, only puzzlement and incomprehension!

For an unusually sharp aura, seeming capable of tearing everything apart, had suddenly erupted from Blackbeard!

Just as everyone stared in astonishment.

A gold coin leaped from Blackbeard's bosom, then transformed midair into a doorway that slowly opened!

Several figures stepped out from within the doorway.

Whoosh—!

Their clothes fluttered without wind; standing inside Impel Down, they instantly captured the attention of everyone present.

"Devil Fruit users? But these fellows are..."