Chapter 426: You

In the Flower Province waters, on the deck of the Queen Ship.

The moment Hiyori appeared, Blackbeard's forehead burst into cold sweat, his heart flooded with intense resentment and fury.

What are you doing? What exactly are you doing?

He, Blackbeard, had endured for half a lifetime, plotted for years, and finally seized the chance to grow strong—only to face head-on the Marine Admiral Hiyori...

And as Blackbeard was still reeling from shock,

his gaze passed over Hiyori and saw a colossal entity, blotting out the sky, hurtling toward them at breakneck speed—he froze completely, eyes bulging, utterly stunned.

An unprecedented sense of despair and absurdity slammed into Blackbeard's mind.

What the hell is this thing?!

Far larger than any Sea King he'd ever seen...

When did Little Bai Mao acquire such a massive black dragon? This is clearly a move to exterminate him completely, leaving not a single path to escape?!

"Marshall D. Tich."

Hiyori smiled lazily: "No, it's Davy D. Tich. According to the United Kingdom's Minor Protection Act, you're arrested for kidnapping the minor, Wapol."

Before Blackbeard could object, Wapol burst into loud sobs.

"I am Wapol."

"Save me! Quickly, save me!"

Wapol wept and laughed: Farewell, cage.

Also, praise the Marine Admiral! Praise the United Kingdom! Praise Lord Saint Saint Saiwen!

Lord Saint Saint Saiwen's grace can never be repaid in a thousand lifetimes.

From now on, I, Wapol, will serve the United Kingdom faithfully, live in a mansion, drive a luxury car, find a beautiful bride, and never leave the Holy Land.

As Blackbeard stood frozen, Lafitte stepped forward with a forced smile to explain.

"Admiral, it's all a misunderstanding."

"We found Wapol in the Paradise Sea, not kidnapping a minor."

Lafitte explained while signaling to Blackbeard: Captain, the enemy is too strong—we can't fight. We must retreat for now and buy time with lies.

Blackbeard blinked: I don't understand.

Lafitte had no choice but to glance at the three Devil Fruits in Blackbeard's arms—only then did Blackbeard realize... but these three Devil Fruits are the very foundation of the Black Crew's growth—they absolutely cannot be handed over to Hiyori.

At that moment, Loki had shifted into his giant form, cloaked in a black cloak, hovering above the sea.

"Why waste so many words? You go save him—I'll deal with Locks' son."

Loki, gripping the massive hammer Tie Lei, smiled warmly at Blackbeard.

"Little Black Fatty,

you really do look like your father, Locks. I hope your strength matches his too."

With that, Loki swung Tie Lei.

"Primordial~ World—"

Within a radius of several kilometers centered on the Queen Ship, the sea surface instantly froze, completely cutting off Blackbeard's escape by sea.

Loki had used the minimum possible force, since the entire ocean belonged to Little Bai Mao's domain.

Little Bai Mao treated him well, letting Tie Lei accompany him on outings—but if he angered Little Bai Mao, Tie Lei might be recalled to the Holy Land.

How could that be allowed?

Seeing this, Blackbeard had no choice but to fight, and handed the Devil Fruits to Lu Bianyi, signaling for Lu Bianyi to eat one first.

"Hehehehe!"

"Brother Loki,

my father and the Giant King were as close as brothers. Today, I, the younger brother, come to test your skills."

Flames erupted around Blackbeard.

According to Vegapunk, when the Lunaria tribe ignites their flames, their defense increases dramatically—Blackbeard intended to test this against Loki.

Loki said nothing, but gripped the hammer handle and slammed it hard toward Blackbeard.

He too wanted to see: just how strong was Locks' son, Blackbeard?

Facing Loki's descending hammer, Blackbeard drew a deep breath, coating both fists in Armament Haki while concentrating all his flames.

But to avoid damaging the Queen Ship, he stomped the deck for leverage, leapt into the air, then stepped on Moon Step—actively charging toward the hammer.

How many years?

Since joining the White Crew, Blackbeard had never, not once, unleashed his full power without holding back—until now.

"I am Blackbeard!"

I am Blackbeard, bearing the bloodline of the Davy clan, fused with the divine Lunaria tribe and the ancient Giant tribe!

His fist, containing all his will, all his hidden cards, all he had—crashed violently into the hammer.

At this moment, Hiyori had already seized Wapol and the two stolen Devil Fruits, moving far from the battle center.

On the Queen Ship, only the pale-faced Lafitte remained, still chewing the Devil Fruit, alongside Lu Bianyi.

Boom—

A violent explosion thundered across the sea.

The furious shockwave from the colliding forces swept outward, churning the calm sea into towering white waves; the Queen Ship's hull cracked with countless fissures, nearly capsizing.

Thud—

Immediately after, a figure was slammed into the ocean depths.

Loki retracted Tie Lei and grumbled discontentedly.

"Way weaker than Locks. Little Black Fatty, you've truly disgraced your father."

"Boring. Let's go."

Seeing this, Kizaru had no intention of continuing the search for Blackbeard, after all, Blackbeard was part of the Captain's grand design.

"Everyone, do not commit illegal acts."

Lafayette and Lu Bianyi nodded frantically.

"Mr. Admiral, we are all law-abiding citizens, great law-abiding citizens. Look, we are registered merchant ships, and no pirate flags are flying on board."

It seemed these words worked; after dropping a sentence, Kizaru picked up Wapol and left.

"Keep it up."

Watching Kizaru and Loki leave, Lafayette and Lu Bianyi sat weakly on the deck, panting heavily.

Lafayette: The Captain indeed did not forget me.

Lu Bianyi: The Captain fell into the sea again.

Moments later, Lu Bianyi spoke first to break the silence.

"Shall we go save the Captain?"

"Let's wait a bit longer,"

"The Captain possesses Lunarian bloodline and can survive in any extreme environment. You and I are both Devil Fruit users; we simply cannot dive into the sea to save someone."

Recalling Arlong, who was still training in Impel Down, Lafayette muttered.

"We must advise the Captain to recruit a Fish-Man crew member as soon as possible; otherwise, if we fall into the water, no one will dive down to fish us out."

They waited until noon the next day; Blackbeard, who had been soaking in the deep sea for a day and a night, surfaced with a swollen, bloated face.

Seeing this, Lafayette quickly flew over and hoisted Blackbeard onto the deck of the Queen.

Blackbeard lay on the deck, saying nothing, staring blankly at the sky as the grievance in his heart suddenly erupted.

"Vegapunk... you deceived me."

He said the Lunarian flame defense was unparalleled, yet I couldn't even withstand a single hammer strike from Loki.

Is this called unparalleled defense?

That doesn't make sense.

Why is Little Bai Mao's defense so strong?

Even Kaido, as strong as an Emperor, could not break Little Bai Mao's defense with his strongest attack move,

Could the Lunarian bloodline factor provided by Vegapunk... be fake?

Seeing that Blackbeard was about to lose all confidence from Loki's single hammer strike, Lafayette knew: it was his turn to step in.

"Captain, do not be discouraged."

"Prince Loki of the Giants has very likely already stepped into King-level strength."

"And you withstood a King-level Loki's hammer strike and remained unharmed; this proves you already possess the strength to join the ranks of the Emperors!"

"Truly?" Blackbeard's eyes lit up.

"Truly!" Lafayette nodded heavily.

Only then did Blackbeard sit up from the deck and look at Lu Bianyi, asking.

"Brother Lu Bianyi, which one did you eat?"

During the battle between Blackbeard and Loki, Blackbeard had caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye as Kizaru snatched Wapol and two Devil Fruits, hence he asked this.

Lu Bianyi wore a tearful, wretched expression.

"Captain... I ate the Mantis Fruit."