"Do you really enjoy explaining your abilities to others so much?"
Delia sensed a strong feeling of superiority in Blackbeard's tone. This feeling seemed familiar to her—it was just like Queen in the past. Whenever he made a new invention and showed it off in front of others, he would use the same kind of tone.
"No, no, no, this is, of course, a special case. I already said it—you're worth recruiting. Join me and become my comrade! Isn't the position of senior officer far superior to being a mere No. 4? If you're willing, even the position of vice-captain isn't out of the question."
Blackbeard wasn't the type to explain his abilities to just anyone. He shows off his strength as a way to attract others to his side. As for that last remark about the vice-captain position, there was clearly something more to it.
He knew that recruiting someone wasn't as simple as saying a few words. That's why he showcased his ability—to prove that he had the potential to stand at the pinnacle of the world.
"Don't look at me with that disgusting gaze. No matter how much nonsense you spout, I have absolutely no interest in you."
Delia paid no attention to the sphere formed of debris above her. Instead, she used her speed to approach Blackbeard. At the same time, the debris in the sky, controlled by Blackbeard, came crashing toward her. However, such a slow attack couldn't even graze her.
When the wreckage of buildings, rocks, and other objects smashed into the ground, it kicked up a massive cloud of dust. But Delia's X-ray vision allowed her to ignore the obstruction of smoke and dust completely. With deadly, gleaming claws, she slashed at Blackbeard.
Her claws landed solidly on Blackbeard's abdomen. However, the sensation she felt was off—it was neither as hard as Armament Haki defense nor as soft as an ordinary stomach.
The powerful strike, which should have been enough to disembowel a person, felt like it had sunk into a bottomless abyss, failing to achieve Delia's expected result.
Watching Blackbeard once again writhing on the ground in pain, Delia didn't stop like before. Instead, she swung her tail, unleashing countless star-like energy fragments that bombarded Blackbeard.
"Black Vortex!"
Enduring the pain, Blackbeard stretched out his right hand amidst the barrage of Swift move. Darkness coalesced in his palm, absorbing all of the Swift attacks that Delia had unleashed.
"It's useless! My dark gravity can absorb another thing—Devil Fruit abilities! Logia, Paramecia, Zoan—it doesn't matter what kind of devil fruit user you are, I counter them all! You should have felt it by now, right?"
Blackbeard increased the strength of his Black Vortex, attempting to pull Delia toward him. However, while Delia's body swayed slightly, she did not get dragged in as he had expected.
"Strange... How could this be...?"
Gravity is just one aspect of the Dark-Dark Fruit's power. Whether someone is a devil fruit user or not, they will be affected by the gravity produced by the Dark-Dark Fruit. The buildings and rocks from earlier were proof of this.
However, due to the presence of a Devil Fruit in their body, devil fruit users experience a sense of powerlessness when facing Blackbeard, making it easier for him to pull them in.
But Delia was purely a Pokémon Ability User—there was no such thing as a Devil Fruit in her body.
The Dark-Dark Fruit could absorb her attacks, but it had no other effect on her body. She was only dealing with simple gravity, which she could counter purely through physical strength.
"Zehahaha! You're really strong, huh? You can actually resist my ability, even though I'm not familiar with it yet."
Blackbeard attributed this situation to his own lack of proficiency in using his ability. He didn't want to believe that something he had pursued for so many years could be ineffective against a devil fruit user. So, either he wasn't yet skilled enough in wielding his ability, or Delia's physical strength was simply too great.
Maintaining his Black Vortex, Blackbeard suddenly moved toward Delia at a completely different speed than before, reaching out to grab her shoulder directly.
"Gotcha! This is the true power of the Dark-Dark Fruit. Once I make contact, no matter what ability the user has, it will be nullified."
"No matter how strong your devil fruit ability is, it's useless against me!"
"This time, you must have felt it, right? You can't use your ability anymore... can you...?"
However, Blackbeard soon realized something was off—Delia, whom he had grabbed, was still in her Zoan form.
The Dark-Dark Fruit was supposed to have an effect similar to seawater and Seastone on other devil fruit users—Logia-type users couldn't transform into elements, and Paramecia-type users couldn't activate their powers. This was the unique property of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
In theory, the moment he grabbed Delia, she should have reverted to her normal form.
"Looks like I underestimated your skills. But let me return your words to you—your ability is useless against me as well!"
Blackbeard's reaction speed took Delia by surprise. Among the Beasts Pirates' officers, there were no weaklings when it came to close combat. The fact that he had successfully grabbed her proved that Blackbeard had a solid foundation in physical skills—his body wasn't as feeble as she had imagined.
However, his intentions were utterly crushed by the "power of the god."
Since Delia wasn't a 'Devil Fruit' Ability User, Blackbeard's fruit-nullifying power was naturally ineffective against her. And in the very next moment, he was forced to let go of her.
"Take your filthy hands... off me!"
Because of the close proximity, Delia immediately activated Wild Charge, enveloping her entire body in powerful electricity.
The Dark-Dark Fruit's double pain side effect made the pain even worse for Blackbeard. The intense electric currents left Blackbeard with a pair of "blackened arms."
At the same time, Delia took the opportunity to shift into her Beast Form. The transformation, combined with the electric attack, forced Blackbeard to release his grip. Immediately after, flames ignited on Delia's fangs—Fire Fang burned fiercely as she lunged at Blackbeard's neck.
Biting an opponent with her teeth might not be the most elegant method, but if it meant taking down an enemy, she didn't care.
"Liberation!"
Blackbeard raised his other arm, and a massive amount of rubble and trees spewed from the darkness in his palm. These were objects he had previously absorbed with Black Hole—since he hadn't discarded them all, he could now release them again in this way.
Forcing Delia to back off, Blackbeard no longer had the same composure he did at the start of the fight.
"Impossible! The Dark-Dark Fruit is the most vicious power in history—it's the bane of all devil fruit users! How could you possibly ignore its power?! This is impossible!"
"Hah, that's a question someone will answer for you when you're in hell."
Arrogance and recklessness—these were Blackbeard's greatest weaknesses. When he believed he had the upper hand, he would become excessively arrogant. Showing of his abilities to Delia earlier was a direct result of thinking he had her completely in his grasp.
Delia was different. She had no interest in explaining on the battlefield. If someone wanted to know what abilities she had, they would have to slowly figure it out for themselves through combat.
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