Chapter 443: Blackbeard Surrenders?
When Ian sensed that the exit of Teach's Dark Passage had been opened, he immediately knew his attack had been effective.
However, since Ian and the others were inside that strange space and unaware of what was happening outside, they feared Teach and his crew might have set a trap for them. To prevent this, Ian and Ace joined forces to launch a Hellfire Incineration, blasting their way out through the pitch-black passage!
It could be said that when Teach faced Ian, he encountered far too many "surprises"!
Was the Dark-Dark Fruit powerful? Absolutely! Its ability to attract Devil Fruit users alone was enough to handle most opponents with Devil Fruit powers. But when he used this move against Ian, he tragically discovered it had no effect on him. This effectively crippled a large portion of the Dark-Dark Fruit's power.
Then, using his Dark Passage to suck Ian and the others into that strange space was indeed a clever move. Without Ian there, Ace and the others would likely have been in grave danger once sucked in.
But as luck would have it, Ian possessed a bit of spatial ability...
It could be said that Ian had ways to counter Teach at every turn.
After being blasted away, Teach and his crew felt as if all their bones were shattered. Their clothes were set ablaze, and they writhed on the ground in pain, trying to extinguish the flames.
Teach had been hit by the Hellfire Incineration while in his Liberation state, so he hadn't had time to deactivate it. It was at this moment that Ian and the others tumbled out of the shadow space.
When Ian and the others fell out, they were somewhat disheveled. Dorry was at the bottom, with Ian and Ace landing on his chest. Then Reiju and Robin fell out, followed by Matthew. All five of them piled onto Dorry, and even with his thick skin and tough hide, he was crushed and struggled to catch his breath for a long time.
Especially since they had suddenly returned from that pitch-black space to the outside world, the intense light momentarily blinded Ian and the others.
Fortunately, Ian had anticipated this situation and immediately activated his Psychic Field as they fell out.
The Hellfire Incineration they had launched together directly destroyed the entire port of Rogue Town. Numerous ships docked there were shattered in a devastating blast. The surrounding ground was engulfed in raging flames, and the explosion's dust still drifted slowly through the air, filled with a scorched, foul smell.
Propping himself up with his sword hilt, Ian pressed down on his hat with lingering fear, exchanged a glance with Ace, who was gradually adjusting to the light, and then walked toward the Blackbeard Pirates ahead.
At that moment, all five of Teach's crew lay on the ground, groaning in pain. Even though they hadn't died from the Hellfire Incineration, the flames they had caught still made them suffer. All five had extensive burns, especially Death Doctor Q, who always looked half-dead and now seemed on the verge of kicking the bucket...
Seeing Ian approach, Teach propped himself up and roared angrily, "Why!? Why were you fine after being swallowed by the Dark Passage!?"
Ian naturally wouldn't explain. He simply drew Thousand Cherry Blossoms and said, "Die again!"
With that, Ian swung his blade down toward Teach's head!
To be honest, Ian didn't dare waste any more words with Teach at this point. He realized he had underestimated him. Being sucked into the Dark Passage, they had only escaped by sheer luck. Without Ian's spatial ability, they would have been drawn into the vortex, and even if they survived the immense pressure, they would have been severely injured upon emerging.
Who knew what other tricks Teach's Dark-Dark Fruit had up his sleeve? If he pulled out something else, what would Ian do if he had no counter?
Especially since Ian knew this was only with Teach having one Devil Fruit ability. What if he later obtained an even stronger one?
Teach had always been wary of Ian, but Ian was equally wary of him.
So, Ian wanted to settle this grudge while Teach was severely injured.
However, just as Ian's blade was about to strike, Teach suddenly roared, "You can't kill me!"
At the same time, Ace also shouted to Ian, "Stop, Ian!"
The sharp blade stopped just above Teach's brow. Teach panted heavily, staring at the blade inches away, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Ian turned around, frowning, and asked Ace, "What's wrong? Why do you want me to stop?"
Ace shook his head and said, "Ian, you can't kill him! Because you're not a member of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"What do you mean?" Ian frowned.
"Zehahaha!" Teach laughed loudly and said, "Ace is right! Even though I killed my own comrade, the right to punish me belongs only to the Old Man! Since you're not part of the Whitebeard Pirates, you can't kill me either!"
"Bullshit!" Ian turned back and pressed the blade down slightly, cutting a gash on Teach's brow. He stared coldly at Teach and said, "I'm not part of the Whitebeard Pirates, but do you believe that if I killed you right here, the Old Man wouldn't blame me?"
Teach immediately fell silent, his eyes darting around nervously.
He remembered that when Ian had tried to assassinate him before, the Old Man had been furious but only injured Ian and expelled him. He knew the Old Man had always admired Ian and wanted to take him as a son. Plus, after Teach killed Thatch and defected, the Old Man probably felt guilty about hurting Ian last time. So, as Ian said, even if he killed him here, the Old Man might get angry but likely wouldn't do anything serious to Ian.
With his life on the line, Teach had to behave...
However, Ace still stopped Ian, grabbing his sword arm and saying, "Wait, Ian, you still can't kill him! The Old Man has many questions for him. I have to take him back!"
"Dammit!" Ian couldn't help cursing, poking Ace's chest and shouting, "Do you know how dangerous this man is? And you still want to take him back alive!?"
"I know!" Ace was silent for a moment, then lowered the brim of his cowboy hat and said to Ian, "But have you considered that Teach's defection hurts the Old Man the most? If he can't ask him face to face, the Old Man's heart will never be at peace!"
"Old Man! Old Man!" Ian shouted angrily, "Is the Old Man really that important to you?"
"Yes!" Ace looked up and gave Ian a faint smile, "In this world, I only recognize Whitebeard..."
There it was again! Ian was so furious he wanted to throw his weapon. He really couldn't understand Ace's mindset.
But Ace's gaze was so resolute, determined to take Teach back.
Ian was silent for a long time, then said, "Fine! You can take him back, but... I won't let you take him back intact!"
With that, before Ace could react, Ian's Thousand Cherry Blossoms blade turned into a streak of light and slashed down from Teach's right shoulder!
A hairy arm flew up, followed by Teach's heart-wrenching scream.
Ian had cut off one of his arms.
Looking at Teach writhing on the ground, Ian turned to Ace and said, "You have two choices: either I go with you to take Teach back, or we wait here while you contact the Whitebeard Pirates to pick us up. I won't let you take him back alone!"
Ian had helped Ace chase down the Blackbeard Pirates this time to prevent history from repeating itself. So how could he let Ace take Teach back alone now? If something went wrong along the way, wouldn't all his efforts be wasted?
So, whether it was cutting off Teach's arm or the two proposals that followed, Ian was taking precautions.
Ace understood this too. As long as Ian didn't kill Teach, he couldn't complain. After thinking it over, he said, "Alright, I'll contact Marco and have him bring people to pick us up!"
"That's good," Ian nodded.
Even so, for some reason, Ian still felt a vague unease, as if he had overlooked something...