Chapter 128: Brontes vs Blackbeard Pirates
"Bang!"
A gunshot cracked through the scene, piercing Brontes's forehead and leaving a hole alive with crackling lightning.
"Looks like your crew's come."
Brontes laughed lightly, as he observed with a grin.
Blackbeard's face shifted instantly, a sense of unease washing over him as he glanced up.
"ZliZli!"
Before Blackbeard could say a word, Brontes pointed skyward, sending a bolt of lightning streaking upwards.
"Just sit back and enjoy the show." Brontes said, lowering his gaze towards Blackbeard.
Brontes had Blackbeard pinned down, rendering him unable to move, just a spectator to Brontes's actions.
The lightning ventured into the wispy clouds above. Meanwhile, on the rooftop of Jaya Island's tallest building, a man sporting a black hat wielded a modified long gun with an extended barrel and trumpet-like mouth.
Complete with a top-mounted scope and a special lens over his right eye for enhanced vision, the man took aim. "Right on target!" Van Augur muttered quietly.
Having spotted Blackbeard's predicament earlier amidst the chaos, Van Augur swiftly raised his long gun and fired a shot at Brontes.
The bullet harmlessly pierced through Brontes's head as Van Augur witnessed another bolt of lightning shooting skywards.
"ZliZli! Rumble!''
Realizing Brontes's Logia devil fruit powers, Van Augur retrieved three rare black bullets from his waist pouch. With precision, he meticulously loaded them into his gun, preparing to take action.
However, a sudden surge of heat in the air drew Van Augur's attention skyward.
Amidst the crackling of lightning and the rising temperatures, he gazed up in confusion just as a bolt of lightning descended, engulfing him and the clock tower in a thunderous explosion.
"Boom! Rumble!"
"Van Augur...!" Blackbeard's eyes locked onto the scene, taking in the destruction of the clock tower. Shock visibly spread across his face.
"A sneaky little mouse. Was he one of your subordinates? Impressive. He's got some skill with that sniper rifle." Brontes remarked with a chuckle.
"Damn it!"
Blackbeard's fury intensified upon realizing the loss of one of his crewmates.
A surge of ominous power engulfed him as he glared up at Brontes, a hand wreathed in dark smoke reaching out to grip Brontes's leg.
"Dark Water!"
Brontes felt a drain on his strength as Blackbeard used the moment to rise and deliver a powerful punch.
"Boom!"
Brontes swiftly raised his arm to block Blackbeard's blow, being knocked back several steps from the impact.
"Heh! Heh!"
Blackbeard smirked, struggling to catch his breath, acknowledging his inferiority to Brontes. His sneak attack using the Dark-Dark Fruit proving ineffective, Blackbeard pondered his next move.
"Bang! ZliZli!"
Terrifying lightning erupted from Brontes's body suddenly, reducing nearby buildings to rubble.
Walking forward, Brontes gestured while saying: "Truly an unusual power. The Dark-Dark Fruit, a Logia type, correct? It can neutralize other devil fruit abilities, much like Seastone."
"How did you figure that out?" Blackbeard's eyes widened in astonishment, fixed on Brontes.
"I know all there is to know in this world. The Dark-Dark fruit is among the most potent and peculiar devil fruits. You turned on Whitebeard and eliminated Fourth Division Captain Thatch for this very fruit, didn't you?" Brontes said with a smile.
Blackbeard's heart sank at Brontes's revelation, a sense of impending dread washing over him.
Just as Brontes spoke, a man with striking yellow hair emerged from the ruins.
"That basterd had the nerve to attack me!" The man glared fiercely at Blackbeard and Brontes before targeting Brontes directly.
"Prepare to face your death!" With a sudden crouch, his legs twisted into spring-like mechanisms around his calves.
"Springman!"
No introduction necessary; it was undoubtedly Bellamy, also known as the 'Hyena,' holding a bounty of 55,000,000 berries. He had earned a reputation as a formidable pirate in the first half of the Grand Line.
"Kaboom!"
"ZliZli!"
Brontes raised his hand, unleashing a surge of lightning.
Bellamy crumpled to the ground, unconscious with a distinct palm mark on his face.
"Worthless." Brontes spared no further attention to him, disregarding Bellamy's crew as well. To Brontes, these minor pirates were insignificant, not warranting his effort.
"C-Captain! Captain, what's happening? You need to get up quickly!" A man in a white fur coat shouted in distress.
"Too much garbage around. You all are too noisy." Brontes shot them a chilling glance.
In a flash, Brontes's Conqueror's Haki surged, causing nearly everyone in Mock Town, save a few, to collapse.
"Zehahaha! Your Conqueror's Haki truly lives up to the rumors." Blackbeard said solemnly, gazing at Brontes.
"You can still chuckle. Don't you want to become a Shichibukai? Keep going; let's see if you've got the strength." Brontes said with a shrug.
"Got you!"
Just as Brontes finished speaking, a figure darted out from the ruins, wielding a hefty rock, and brought it crashing down on Brontes from behind.
"Boom!"
The rock crumbled as the figure toppled, raising both hands triumphantly.
"It's all taken care of, Captain!" Burgess chuckled.
"Watch your back!" Blackbeard shouted anxiouly.
"What?" Burgess turned, only to feel a frigid grip on his head before he could react.
"There are plenty of little mice skulking about here!"
"Ah!!!"
Burgess's cry of pain echoed as Brontes compressed his head with a single hand.
"Please... Let me go... I beg you!" Burgess started begging loudly.
Initially unaware of Blackbeard's clash with Brontes, Burgess had only realized after the explosion that Blackbeard was in combat, unaware of Brontes's true identity.
Stealthily armed with a hefty stone, he had waited for the right moment to strike. Finally seizing his opportunity, he hurled the stone at Brontes's head.
Now fully recognizing Brontes as Blackbeard's opponent, Burgess felt his fight spirit falter.
Blackbeard had lamented that had they encountered Shiki before Brontes, he might have ascended to the rank of the Seven Warlords.
Seeking reputation, and with the Golden Lion's prestige rivaling Whitebeard's, turning Shiki over to the Marines could have secured Blackbeard a place among the Seven Shichibukai much earlier.
"ZliZli!"
"You thought you could sneak up on me with your feeble skills, thinking I wouldn't see through it?" Brontes chuckled with a chilling edge, electricity crackling from his hand.
"Captain, save me!" Burgess called out, witnessing the crackling lightning before him, aware that the next strike could end his life.
Observing Burgess trapped as if ensnared, Blackbeard gritted his teeth. Although he wanted to flee, he couldn't abandon the crew he had painstakingly assembled to face death in this perilous situation.
Blackbeard steeled himself and directed his hand at Brontes.
"Dark Water!"
A swirling void manifested in Blackbeard's hand, the encroaching darkness imbued with an otherworldly aura.
Brontes sensed a peculiar tugging within his being. The power from his Devil Fruit abilities was being drawn, the allure of 'Dark Water' proving effective specifically against users of Devil Fruits.
Remaining steadfast, Brontes found himself inexorably pulled closer to Blackbeard, the ground unable to resist the pull exerted by 'Dark Water.'
"Fascinating!" Brontes remarked lightly.
Having experienced firsthand the might of the Dark-Dark Fruit, Brontes understood why Ace had fallen to Blackbeard, who had yet to unveil the full extent of his capabilities.
The deceptiveness of 'Dark Water' made it a potent weapon against those unacquainted with Blackbeard.
"ZliZli!"
However, Blackbeard's attempt to make contact with Brontes was thwarted as lightning erupted from Brontes's grasp, swiftly engulfing Burgess.
In a heartbeat, the scent of charred flesh wafted through the air, prompting a look of disdain from Brontes as he unceremoniously discarded Burgess.
"Bang!"
"Burgess!"
Blackbeard watched in despair as Burgess was left charred and barely clinging to life, his fate sealed without immediate medical intervention. Compared to Brontes's might, Burgess amounted to nothing more than a little ant.
In retaliation, Blackbeard conjured a dark sphere within his palm, then smashed it against the ground.
"Dark Hole!"
The inky darkness unfurled, an anomaly akin to neither water nor flame, inching toward Brontes's feet.
Curiously, Brontes bent down to inspect the obscure entity, noting its resemblance to the shimmering light of fireflies—ethereal yet composed of dark, granular matter that elicited aversion and a chill upon initial contact.
"What an enigmatic substance, lacking the brilliance akin to Borsalino's light and bearing more resemblance to water. The concept of darkness has forever intrigued me. Light, derived from stars, casts away the shadows, while darkness holds its own place in the universe. Yet, encountering dark matter for the first time is an anomaly." Mused Brontes, as his gaze was fixed on the inky material.
Despite claims that the Dark-Dark Fruit embodies 'darkness', the essence of darkness remains elusive and undefined.
Brontes's curiosity was piqued, although he lacked the luxury of delving into in-depth research.
Presently, his being was enveloped by darkness, not due to the absence of solid ground beneath him, but because the darkness had unveiled a passage to an alternate realm.
This scenario reminded him of a rare cosmic entity—a black hole. Comparable to a space-related phenomenon, a black hole operated as a portal from which not even light could escape, its far side eternally shrouded in mystery.
As the ground seemingly dissolved beneath him, Brontes descended further, indicating his integration into a black hole.
"It appears to involve spatial elements." Brontes exhaled.
Reflecting on space-manipulating abilities, Brontes acknowledged their intricacy.
His past encounters with space-oriented Devil Fruits, such as Blueno's Door-Door Fruit capable of generating distinct dimensions, came to mind.
Utilizing Blueno's abilities, Brontes had traversed into an alternate realm, impervious to attacks, presenting a peculiar scenario where the surroundings mirrored reality, yet within a separate dimension—a truly surreal experience.
Observing Brontes deeply engrossed, Blackbeard refrained from underestimating him.
Witnessing Brontes's prowess and his evident fascination with exploring his fruit's capabilities, Blackbeard felt a sense of relief before a daring idea dawned upon him.
"Perhaps getting the Rumble-Rumble Fruit wouldn't be a bad idea after all!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone