💖 If you enjoy my work, consider supporting me on ! I’m offering advanced Chapters there as a thank-you to readers. Check out advanced Chapters on : /Veni_V New Soul Land Book has been released go check it out..... Book Name :- Douluo Dalu : Blue Silver Emperor Douluo ----------------------------- New One Piece Book has been released go check it out... Book Name :- One Piece : Cursed Crew ----------------------------- Even though the Dark-Dark Fruit doubles any pain its user experiences, its recovery capabilities are surprisingly strong. Ace’s Fire Dragon combo just now dealt significant damage to Blackbeard, but within minutes, Blackbeard had almost fully recovered. However, the most crucial factor isn’t the Dark-Dark Fruit’s recovery; it’s Blackbeard’s sheer willpower. The fact that he could endure such agonizing pain without passing out speaks volumes about his mental fortitude. Blackbeard gave up the fight, sitting heavily on the ground. "I know I can’t beat you," he said in a low, raspy voice. "I don’t want to die. Just give me a chance to see my father!" Ace stared at Blackbeard, wary of his intentions. While Ace was contemplating, Ikki descended from the sky. "Ace, looks like you won!" Ikki said with a grin. "Of course!" Ace scoffed. If he still lost after experiencing a parallel world, Kaido’s teachings, and Ikki essentially cheating on his behalf, he might as well just give up. Ikki looked at Blackbeard and remarked, "This guy seems to have accepted his fate!" Content originally comes from novel·fire·net Seeing Ikki watching him, Blackbeard managed a surprisingly honest smile. "I wonder what other tricks he has up his sleeve," Ace mused. Hearing this, Ikki pulled a pair of Seastone handcuffs from his spatial ring. "Just cuff him!" he declared. As he spoke, Ikki stepped forward, intending to shackle Blackbeard. Blackbeard’s hands, hidden behind his back, tensed. If he could grab Ikki now and threaten Ace, he’d have a high chance of escaping! But he quickly abandoned the thought. He didn’t know Ace’s companion well, but anyone who could casually chat and laugh with Ace wouldn’t be an easy opponent. Bringing his hands forward, Blackbeard proactively put on the Seastone handcuffs. His only goal now was survival. As long as he lived, he still had hope of reaching the world’s summit and becoming the King of the Pirates. Dying meant losing everything! Thinking this, he glanced at Burgess, Doc Q, and Van Augur, who lay motionless. These were his first crewmates. Though not incredibly strong, their potential was immense. Seeing them all fall at Ace’s hands filled him with genuine regret. Ikki hadn’t expected to succeed so easily in handcuffing Blackbeard with Seastone. He’d actually had a monkey charm and a special jelly bean ready. If Blackbeard had turned violent, Ikki planned to first transform him into a tiny pig, then force-feed him a jelly bean that magnified pain a hundredfold. That combined with the Dark-Dark Fruit’s inherent pain-doubling would surely have been enough to kill him. It was a shame, really... this guy was genuinely captured without a struggle. With Blackbeard now subdued, Ikki and Ace took him back to the Going Merry. The Merry was currently docked on the other side of Jaya Island. They were there to find a dreamer named Mont Blanc Cricket, hoping he had clues about Sky Island. By the time Ikki and Ace arrived, the Straw Hats were already interacting with Cricket and the Saruyama Alliance. "What happened on Jaya Island?" asked one of the Saruyama Alliance members curiously. "Yeah! I just felt an earthquake. Earthquakes on Jaya Island are rare!" another added. Hearing the brothers, Luffy laughed heartily. "It wasn’t an earthquake! I think it was Ace fighting." Just as Luffy finished speaking, Ikki and Ace approached, bringing Blackbeard with them. "Oh! Ace, you won the fight! Is this guy super strong?" Luffy stepped forward and peered at Blackbeard, who offered Luffy his honest smile. "Yeah! Pretty strong. At least you’re no match for him right now!" Ace replied. Then, he looked at Ikki and continued, "Ikki, please help my mother, Rouge, get back to Windmill Village! I want to take Blackbeard back to the Whitebeard Pirates!" Ikki thought for a moment. "I’d rather escort Blackbeard with you! This guy is extremely cunning." "Haha... don’t worry! I’ll be fine. No matter how cunning he is, he’s handcuffed with Seastone now. And haven’t you seen my current strength? Even a Marine Admiral wouldn’t be a problem for me!" After Ace’s confident words, Ikki agreed to escort Rouge back to Windmill Village. And indeed, considering Ace’s current power, he truly had no reason to fear an Admiral. Ace was now at the level of an Emperor’s First Mate, a T0-level among them. With further training, he could even reach the level of a Four Emperor. If he only had the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace would never have reached such strength. After all, Logia-type Devil Fruits are difficult to awaken, and the Flame-Flame Fruit itself is only a second-tier Devil Fruit that few would covet. But Ace was different now. He was essentially "cheating," a dual-Devil Fruit Awakening Dragon Force meant his body was gradually transforming, becoming more draconic. In a few years, he might even become a being similar to Acnologia. It was just a shame there were no dragons in this world for him to slay, so reaching that level might take longer. Even so, with awakened Dragon Force, Ace’s physical strength was undoubtedly at a T1-level in the pirate world. "Alright! Then go ahead. Rouge and I will safely bring you back to Windmill Village!" Ace nodded, then walked towards his brother, Sabo. "Sabo, Ikki said I can use electrotherapy to restore your memories when we go to Sky Island this time. When I come back, you’ll remember our past, and we’ll go back to Windmill Village to see Dadan!" Sabo smiled, patting Ace on the shoulder. "Be safe!" After giving some instructions to the other Straw Hat members, Ace took the yacht Ikki had provided and departed with Blackbeard, sailing towards the New World. Once Ace left, everyone began to discuss how to reach Sky Island. Mont Blanc Cricket offered an unconventional, yet currently the only known, method to reach the sky: using the Knock Up Stream. Navigating the Knock Up Stream was incredibly dangerous, a desperate gamble, but Luffy still chose this method. "Hey... Luffy, don’t be so impulsive!" Nami and Usopp immediately rushed forward and hugged Luffy, hoping to deter his reckless decision. "Luffy! We can definitely choose to use bamboo dragonflies to get to the island!" Usopp pleaded. "Yes, yes! The Knock Up Stream is too dangerous... What if the Merry gets destroyed?" Usopp added, looking hopefully at Ikki, silently urging the co-captain to persuade Luffy. Ikki smiled, then walked to the side of the Merry and gently patted its hull. "The Merry is our partner too!" Ikki’s words immediately silenced the entire scene.