Chapter 450

Above Jiayadao, Lafite carefully cradled the wooden crate, his gaze fixed on the pale purple Devil Fruit, confirming it again and again.

After a long while, accompanied by unrestrained laughter, Lafite finally confirmed it without doubt.

This was the target the captain had sent him to infiltrate the Blackbeard Pirates for—and the Natural Logia Devil Fruit Blackbeard had sought for years.

Remembering his captain’s instructions, Lafite quickly locked the crate to prevent the Devil Fruit from escaping, then flew toward the Sacred Sky City.

Meanwhile, beside the helm of the Queen Ship.

Blackbeard steered with one hand, his bare feet planted on Kobi’s face, while the other pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket.

“Hello, is that you?”

“Captain, it’s Lu Bianyi. The crew you sent to Jiayadao found a Devil Fruit—Lafite is bringing it to you. Please slow down.”

“A Devil Fruit?” Blackbeard was momentarily confused.

But then he suddenly remembered—over the past eight years, every time he passed an island, he had personally led men to search.

After repeated failures, recently he’d grown too lazy to move himself, instead ordering crew members to disembark and search.

Not long ago, after deciding to split up, his heart was already racing back to Luffy—he’d forgotten some crew members were still unaccounted for.

“What did the Devil Fruit look like?”

There was a pause on the Den Den Mushi, then Lu Bianyi spoke as if recalling a casual glance.

“Purple, with spiral patterns, like many tiny droplets tightly squeezed together—somewhat like a cluster of ripe grapes…”

With every word Lu Bianyi spoke, Blackbeard’s heart thudded harder, his throat dried up, and an unprecedented excitement surged within him.

“Are there… a few green leaves on it?”

“Huh?” The Den Den Mushi mimicked Lu Bianyi’s surprised expression: “Captain, how do you know?”

At that moment, Blackbeard was utterly certain—the Devil Fruit Lafite was about to deliver was the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit he had searched for over twenty years.

The foundation of his coronation as king.

At this moment, Blackbeard no longer thought of Luffy.

He even conceived a thought: after consuming the Dark-Dark Fruit, once Luffy gave birth, he would find a way to obtain her Soul-Soul Fruit.

Whitebeard’s Gura Gura Fruit was out of the question.

Those old-era Four Emperors were all retired in the Sacred Sky City; Blackbeard had no chance at all, so he settled for second best.

He would begin hunting for power users among those close to him.

“Lu Bianyi, don’t go to the Army. Wait for me on Jiayadao—I’ll come pick you up soon.”

Hearing this, Lu Bianyi wanted to slap himself—why the hell did you open your mouth?

“Yes, Captain.”

Even so, after hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Lu Bianyi first tossed it into the sea, then blended into a departing merchant ship.

If not now, when?

He had no chance before—but now, holding the whereabouts of those old-era remnants, he intended to sell them for a high price using Blackbeard’s behind-the-scenes alliance with the old aristocracy!

The United Kingdom was the true tide of history; following Blackbeard in rebellion led nowhere.

Lu Bianyi left Jiayadao from then on.

On the Queen Ship, Blackbeard was beyond ecstatic—he lifted Kobi off his feet and kissed him several times.

On the Queen Ship, Blackbeard was ecstatic beyond words; he first lifted Kubi from the ground, then hugged and kissed him several times.

“Kid, you’re my lucky star.”

Ever since capturing the Celestial Dragon Kobi, Blackbeard’s luck had become extraordinary.

Not only had he married the Four Emperor Luffy, gained three hundred gifted bastard sons, but now he’d found the Dark-Dark Fruit he’d longed for.

Blackbeard kissed Kobi again, fiercely.

“I—I am the chosen one!”

Twenty years had passed since he joined the Whitebeard Pirates at twelve—how could he not be overwhelmed?

Even though the fruit had not yet arrived, and he still had to wait for Lafite to deliver it before truly possessing the Dark-Dark Fruit, Blackbeard trusted Lafite.

Hadn’t Lafite rescued him from Vegapunk’s laboratory?

Not that being modified was bad—but the sea offered far greater freedom.

Blackbeard naturally trusted Lafite’s loyalty.

Seconds ticked by; Blackbeard forcibly suppressed the urge to call Lafite—what if he disturbed Lafite’s flight?

What if the Dark-Dark Fruit fell into the sea? Blackbeard would have no one to cry to.

The more he thought, the more excited he became—he already began imagining using the Dark-Dark Fruit to absorb Luffy’s Soul-Soul Fruit, then assimilating his three hundred sons.

Finally, he would hunt down the Marine’s Yamata no Orochi user, Enel, to obtain the Mythical Zoan Yamata no Orochi form.

With the combined power of three Devil Fruits, Blackbeard would surely ascend as king.

With the Dark-Dark Fruit, he feared no Devil Fruit user—any damn Marine Admiral, Aokiji, Kizaru, Akainu, were all paper tigers.

With the Dark-Dark Fruit, Blackbeard feared no Devil Fruit user—no matter who the Marine admirals were, Aokiji, Kizaru, Akainu, all were nothing but weaklings.

[53] With the enemy weakening and me growing stronger, sooner or later he would use the power of three fruits to overthrow the United Kingdom and restore freedom to this sea.

Even he couldn’t do a thing against the Dark-Dark Fruit.

As his power grew and his enemies weakened, one day he would use the power of three fruits to overthrow the United Kingdom and restore freedom to this sea.

Under the trend of the enemy weakening and me growing stronger, one day he will use the power of the three fruits to overthrow the United Kingdom and restore freedom to this sea.

Blackbeard grew frantic—truly frantic.

“...Why hasn’t he arrived yet?”

Knowing Lafite’s flight speed, this journey should have taken far less than half an hour.

Blackbeard immediately tried contacting Lafite—but no matter what, he couldn’t reach him, nor could he reach Lu Bianyi either.

Like an ant on a hot pan, Blackbeard paced wildly, with no solution at all.

Like ants on a hot pan, Blackbeard paced frantically, utterly helpless.

“Lafite wouldn’t do this…”

If Lafite were right before him, Blackbeard had a hundred thousand ways to take back the Dark-Dark Fruit—but now Lafite was completely gone.

He wanted to immediately turn the ship back to Jiayadao, yet feared that if he left and Lafite arrived, he’d miss him entirely.

He had no choice but to remain in this sea.

At this moment, Blackbeard was filled with bitter regret—why hadn’t he waited a little longer? Why had he decided to return to the North Blue?

At this moment, Blackbeard was filled with unbearable regret—why hadn’t he waited just a little longer? Why had he decided to return to the North Blue?

If Luffy hadn’t been so tempting, Blackbeard, who had lain low for twenty years, would never have faltered at the critical moment! He would never have missed the Dark-Dark Fruit he’d longed for.

If Luffy hadn’t been so tempting, how could Blackbeard, who had lain low for twenty years, have failed at the critical moment? How could he have missed the Dark-Dark Fruit he had longed for?

It’s all your fault!

Watching Blackbeard descend into madness, Kobi curled into a ball, motionless, terrified of drawing his rage.

But just as fear invites fate.

Blackbeard’s eyes burned red as he stared at Kobi.

“You cursed star, damn Celestial Dragon—it’s all your fault! Die!”

Blackbeard seized Kobi’s throat, clearly enraged beyond reason, preparing to strangle him.

The other crew members, recalling the hellish torture Blackbeard had inflicted on Kobi over recent days, dared not move.

Kobi’s eyes rolled back—he was about to be suffocated to death by Blackbeard.

Kubi’s eyes rolled back, on the verge of being strangled to death by Blackbeard.

Suddenly, the sky darkened with thunderclouds, violent lightning cracked, and heavy rain poured down like pebbles—only then did Blackbeard snap back to his senses and fling Kobi onto the deck.

Suddenly, the sky darkened with storm clouds, violent thunder and lightning raged, and heavy raindrops pounded down like beans; only then did Blackbeard regain his senses and flung Kubi onto the deck.

Set sail, return to Jiayadao.