Chapter 450: Dark-Dark Fruit

Above Gaya Island, Lafitte carefully cradled the wooden crate, his gaze fixed intently on the pale purple Devil Fruit, confirming it again and again.

After a long while, accompanied by unrestrained laughter, Lafitte finally confirmed it beyond doubt.

This was the target the captain had sent him to infiltrate the Blackbeard Pirates for, and the one Blackbeard had sought for years— the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit.

Remembering the captain's earlier instructions, Lafitte quickly locked the wooden crate to prevent the Dark-Dark Fruit from escaping, then flew toward the Sacred Land, Sky City.

Meanwhile, beside the helm of the Queen's Ship.

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

"Hello, is that you?"

"Captain, it's Lu Bianyi. The crewman you sent to Gaya Island found a Devil Fruit—Lafitte is delivering it to you. Remember to go slow."

"Devil Fruit?" Blackbeard was momentarily confused.

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

After repeated failures, he'd recently grown lazy and ordered his crew to disembark and search instead.

Not long ago, after deciding to split up and return home as quickly as possible, he'd forgotten that some crewmen 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?"

The Den Den Mushi mimicked Lu Bianyi's startled expression: "Captain, how do you know?"

At that moment, Blackbeard was utterly certain—the Devil Fruit Lafitte was about to deliver was the 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 Charlotte Lingling.

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

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

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

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

"Lu Bianyi, don't go to the army. Wait for me on Gaya Island—I'll come pick you up shortly."

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 threw it into the sea, then blended into a departing merchant ship.

If not now, when?

He had no chance before—fine.

Now that he held 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 Gaya Island from then on.

On the Queen's Ship, Blackbeard was beyond ecstatic—he first lifted Koby off his feet, then hugged and kissed him several times.

"Hehehehehe!"

"Kid, you're truly my lucky star."

Ever since capturing the Celestial Dragon Koby, Blackbeard's luck had become extraordinarily good.

Not only had he married the Four Emperor Charlotte Lingling and gained three hundred gifted adopted sons, but he'd also found the Dark-Dark Fruit he'd longed for so many years.

Blackbeard hugged and kissed Koby again and again.

"I—I am the chosen one!"

Twenty years had passed since he joined the Whitebeard Pirates at twelve—how could he not be overwhelmed with excitement after finally finding the Dark-Dark Fruit?

Even though the Fruit had not yet arrived and he still had to wait for Lafitte to deliver it to truly possess it, Blackbeard trusted Lafitte.

Hadn't Lafitte rescued him from being altered in Vegapunk's laboratory?

It wasn't that being altered was bad—it was just that the sea offered greater freedom.

Blackbeard naturally trusted Lafitte's loyalty.

Seconds ticked by; Blackbeard forcibly suppressed the urge to call Lafitte on the Den Den Mushi—what if he disturbed Lafitte'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 Charlotte Lingling's Soul-Soul Fruit, then recruiting his three hundred sons.

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

With the combined power of three Devil Fruits, Blackbeard would surely ascend to kingship.

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

What of little Bai Mao?

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

As my power grows and theirs wanes, one day I will use the power of three fruits to overthrow the United Kingdom and restore freedom to this sea.

Yet, half an hour later.

Blackbeard grew anxious—truly anxious.

"... Why hasn't he arrived yet?"

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

Blackbeard immediately tried contacting Lafitte—but no matter what he did, he couldn't reach Lafitte, nor could he reach Lu Bianyi either.

Like ants on a hot pan, Blackbeard paced frantically with no solution in sight.

"No… no… no…"

"Rafael wouldn't do this…"

If Rafael were right before him, Blackbeard had a hundred thousand ways to take the Dark-Dark Fruit from Rafael's hands—but now Rafael had vanished without a trace.

Blackbeard wanted to sail back to Gaya Island at once, yet feared that if Rafael arrived and he was gone, it would be the opposite of what he intended.

He could only remain in this stretch of sea.

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

It was all Charlotte Lingling's fault.

If Charlotte Lingling 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?

Damn it, damn Charlotte Lingling!

It's all your fault!

Watching Blackbeard slowly descend into madness, Kobi shrank into a ball, motionless, terrified of accidentally provoking Blackbeard's rage.

But just as feared, what was feared came to pass.

Blackbeard's bloodshot eyes turned toward Kobi.

"You cursed omen, damn Celestial, it's all your fault—die, you bastard."

Blackbeard seized Kobi's throat, clearly enraged beyond reason, ready to strangle him to death.

The other crew members, remembering the hellish torture Blackbeard had inflicted on Kobi over this period, dared not move forward.

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

Boom—

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

"Set sail. Return to Gaya Island."