"Michael-san, what you said... is truly profound."
"You didn't understand?"
"I wish I hadn't understood." Blackbeard's perpetually arrogant, ugly face finally showed a bitter smile that was hard to describe.
"I just wanted to gain power..."
"I'm also letting you gain power." Michael held Lily firmly in his arms, lowering his head to indicate.
"Use the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit to seize Lily's Human-Human Fruit."
"No, it's not the sa."
"How is it different?"
"If before, I could gain power through ambush and sneak attacks, that was my ability... But now, you're actively letting seize Queen Lily's power, wanting to beco the new dragon to maintain the balance of the new order... This is nurturing a threat to strengthen oneself." Blackbeard spread his hands.
"I have ambition, but I'm not a fool."
Michael raised an eyebrow.
Blackbeard... has this kind of character?
Regardless of what Blackbeard was in the original work, in this parallel universe, he leans more toward lawful evil rather than the chaotic evil of the original.
It seems he isn't purely driven by a desire for power, domination, or becoming the Pirate King…
Instead, he uses such actions to maintain a certain underlying balance.
Thinking this, Michael looked thoughtfully at Blackbeard.
"When… did you first realize you were of the sa kind as Joy Boy?"
"I've known from the very beginning," Blackbeard's expression instantly turned serious. "Joy Boy and I were created at the sa ti, then placed in incubation pods to sleep until this era, when we were released…"
"Alright, enough. I'm not really interested in your origins."
Michael shook his head.
All he needed now was for Blackbeard to obey.
"By the way, you were born in Shadow Harbor, adopted by Lady Anne of Shadow Harbor… and you have two younger sisters."
As soon as Michael finished speaking, all of Blackbeard's pretenses fell away, and his Conqueror's Haki surged violently.
Though it couldn't make waves within the dense Conqueror's Haki that Michael had spread throughout the Garden of Flowers, there was…
Not a trace of fear in Blackbeard's eyes.
From this man's gaze, Michael could sense that for Lady Anne and his two sisters…
He would not hesitate to draw his sword against the world's strongest, even if it ant futile resistance.
This only strengthened Michael's confidence in Blackbeard becoming that "evil dragon."
Because Blackbeard was a man with weaknesses.
"Why… did you set your sights on ?"
"Because of your Devil Fruit power. By seizing Lily's Devil Fruit, you can quickly reach a new level… and ensure that a necessary factional opposition continues to exist," Michael said confidently.
"In tis of overall peace, there must always be external threats to prevent the new governnt and new order from rapidly decaying."
Blackbeard thought for a long ti.
In the end, he chose to compromise.
He understood that once Michael revealed his true identity and ntioned Lady Anne and his sisters, this was the only path left for him.
So Blackbeard reached out and placed his hand on Lily's head.
Lily, who had already been on the brink of fading away due to the exhaustion of her Devil Fruit power, had gradually slipped into a critical state during their conversation.
But the mont Blackbeard's hands, transford into tangible darkness, touched Lily…
The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit activated.
As the Devil Fruit specifically designed to nullify all other Devil Fruits, rely touching Lily rendered the power within her ineffective.
And precisely because the Dark-Dark Fruit nullified her ability, the life force she had been endlessly dissipating due to her refusal to deactivate it instantly ceased to drain.
With her life force no longer draining, the Immortality Surgery regained dominance.
Lily, who had been barely breathing monts ago, showed signs of improvent almost instantly.
Though her face remained pale, she no longer looked like soone on the verge of death.
"I'll ask one last ti... are you sure you want to do this?" Blackbeard said with a furrowed brow.
"Once I beco stronger, even you might not be able to stop ."
"What nonsense are you talking about? If I have the ability to defeat Lily, naturally I have the ability to defeat you..."
Blackbeard fell silent.
Michael's words didn't seem to be an exaggeration.
After all, he could sense that even if his touch nullified the other's Devil Fruit power...
That unparalleled Conqueror's Haki would still be enough to tear him to shreds.
A monster... wouldn't care how many of its tentacles were severed.
"So, let's begin now..."
"Ti waits for no one."
Blackbeard didn't hesitate. Since he couldn't refuse...
He might as well enjoy it.
Then, the unique property of the Dark-Dark Fruit began to take effect.
Lily's Devil Fruit power, while she was completely unconscious and on the brink of death, was effortlessly stripped away.
And on Blackbeard's body, black demonic spikes identical to Lily's began to grow.
Feeling the surging Devil Fruit power within his body, even though he was forced to absorb it, Blackbeard showed an expression of enjoynt.
At least in this mont, he felt unparalleled strength.
The process didn't take long. Soon, Lily's power was completely absorbed.
"Truly worthy of a Devil Fruit nad 'demon.' In terms of pure Devil Fruit power, it's no weaker than your Seraphim."
Blackbeard instinctively looked up at Michael.
The montary surge of power made him desire to challenge Michael...
But soon, his self-awareness suppressed that urge.
What a joke!
Blackbeard would rather face the entire Angel Alliance than beco Michael's enemy.
And in the foreseeable future, it seed Blackbeard would never have the possibility of surpassing Michael.
Even though Blackbeard was sowhat younger than Michael.
"Is that it?" Michael looked at Lily, whose breathing had mostly stabilized.
"Are you sure there's no trace of the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Demon Form power left in her body?"
"Even if you don't trust ... you should at least trust my Devil Fruit power, right?" Blackbeard said sowhat exasperated.
"No matter what, the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit doesn't lie..."
Michael nodded.
Regardless, judging by the life force he sensed, Lily would probably survive now.
"Actually, as an observer, I'm more inclined toward your initial suggestion... to kill her."
"That was just tough talk during the fight... If Lily were one of your two younger sisters, could you still bring yourself to kill her?"
"...You have a point."
"People are always most brazen when they're just spectators."
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