Chapter Forty-Five: Buffon Takes Action (Requesting Recommendation Votes, Requesting Monthly Votes)

In the face of his two companions’ defeat, Teach seemed completely unfazed, continuing his performance as though nothing had happened. He believed that as long as he ultimately emerged victorious, these companions could always be rescued in the end.

As the area of darkness beneath his feet steadily expanded, Ace and Moriah both sensed something unusual. This black substance seemed as if it could swallow everything in its path.

Moriah continued to battle Doc Q with his Shadow Mage, while sending a swarm of shadow bats from his own shadow toward the black matter. Ace, on the other hand, took the initiative to transform his body into fire with the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit, waiting for the darkness to reach beneath his feet.

Neither of them had ever seen this technique before, so they exercised extreme caution.

Only Buffon, aboard the Juventus, knew the truth about this guy. This must be Teach’s devastating move, the Dark Pit!

By unleashing the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, he spread darkness widely across the ground; anything or anyone that touched the black substance would be sucked down, compressed, and crushed—a miniature black hole of sorts, and with a vast reach.

“This is the gravitational force born of darkness—an absolute pull that won’t spare a single trace of light!” Teach’s voice grew higher, his expression ever more maniacal. “But Ace, I’m not ready to fight you yet. Let me devour Moriah’s crew first, then we’ll have our battle—fire against darkness.”

Moriah, hearing this, responded with utter disdain, “Hee-hee-hee! As it happens, I’m rather fond of darkness myself.”

With that, a swarm of shadow bats flew directly toward Teach. Though the Dark-Dark Fruit didn’t allow Teach to turn his body into an element, he released dark water with a flick of his hand, and the shadow bats were instantly absorbed into the inky mass.

Meanwhile, Doc Q’s death scythe swung toward Moriah’s flaming head, the blade shimmering with a ghostly green light.

At the instant the scythe struck, Moriah activated his Shadow Warrior ability, switching places with his Shadow Mage to evade the blow. Yet, he was a fraction of a second too slow, and his body grazed the eerie green glow. Blood began to seep from the wound, which showed signs of spreading.

It had been many years since Moriah had been wounded. Now, his ferocity exploded. He commanded the Shadow Mage to transform into a Shadow Horn Lance, thrusting it straight at Doc Q.

The Shadow Horn Lance pierced through the death scythe Doc Q tried to block with and lunged for his head. But at the last moment, the noose around Doc Q’s neck seemed to come alive, floating up and tying itself in midair to bind the Shadow Horn Lance tightly.

No matter how much power Moriah exerted, the lance could not advance even a fraction further.

This move surprised not only Moriah, but even Buffon, who was watching. Could it be that Doc Q, too, was a Devil Fruit user, and this rope was his power?

While the Shadow Horn Lance and the noose were deadlocked, Doc Q’s death scythe fell again. This time, Moriah had no substitute to switch with and took the blow head-on.

Staggering from the hit, Moriah quickly withdrew his lance. His shadow swelled and scattered into countless shadow bats that flew at Doc Q, swarming him, and finally forming a black box to trap him inside.

Seeing this, Moriah finally breathed a sigh of relief, though his form wavered, as if he might topple at any moment. Glancing down, he saw the wound inflicted by the death scythe had been invaded by that green light, which was still spreading.

Perona, watching this scene, grew anxious and called out, “Lord Moriah, are you all right?” She was about to transform into a ghost and fly over, but Buffon seized her arm.

“Stay on the ship—don’t leave the Juventus!” With that, Buffon flashed to Moriah’s side.

Before Moriah could speak, Buffon’s needle danced, instantly stitching up both of Moriah’s wounds. Yet the green glow refused to dissipate, continuing its relentless spread.

Buffon frowned. “It might be a virus,” he said.

Moriah grew impatient. “Do you have a way to cure it?”

Buffon nodded. “Not now, but after the fight, I can handle it.”

After a brief consideration, Buffon undid the stitches and directly sealed off all the capillaries around the wound. This measure finally halted the spread of the green glow.

Just then, a voice sounded behind them. “Ahem! Fate is often used to measure the worth of a man’s existence. Boy, you’re interfering with fate’s arrangement!”

Though Doc Q still spoke in his enigmatic manner, inwardly he was shaken by Buffon’s skill and quick thinking. In all the years he’d been called the Grim Reaper, Buffon was the first to recognize the peculiarity of the green glow and immediately find a solution.

Buffon turned, calmly facing the sickly figure who had somehow escaped the shadow box. “The Grim Reaper, is it? I’ve met such before,” he replied.

With that, Buffon switched his Devil Fruit power to the Gas-Gas Fruit, and thought silently to himself, “I never expected that the first time I’d use this would also be the last.”

In a flash, Buffon used Soru, one of the Navy’s Six Powers, appearing directly before Doc Q and seizing the noose that snaked toward his own neck.

In an instant, tangible poisonous gas produced by the Gas-Gas Fruit surged along the noose and enveloped Doc Q, coiling around his neck like a lasso, tightening gently.

Buffon yanked Doc Q toward him. A green mist appeared on the white glove of his left hand. Before Doc Q could react, Buffon forced the mist into his mouth.

He murmured to himself, “Gas explosion!”

Smoke poured from Doc Q’s seven orifices and he collapsed to the ground.

Buffon summoned the “Character Compendium” and, using the Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability he had just copied from Moriah, replaced the gas.

Moriah, watching Buffon so effortlessly dispatch the man who had wounded him so severely, was filled with a thousand questions.

“Is this really the Buffon I know? It seems to me he should be the one among the Seven Warlords of the Sea!”

Shaken and full of questions, Moriah spoke. “Buffon, what kind of man are you?”

Buffon turned and answered calmly, “The kind of man who will never hurt Perona.”

Though it seemed not to be an answer, Moriah smiled, satisfied. His massive body dissolved into a swarm of bats, flying toward the Juventus.

In the air, only his trademark laughter lingered: “Hee-hee-hee-hee! Buffon, fight well—I won’t get in your way. I’ll see to Perona’s safety!”

Buffon turned and kicked the unconscious Doc Q aside, refocusing his gaze on Teach.

The first to step into the darkness was Baggio. His whole body was cloaked in Armament Haki, seemingly unaffected. Only the boots on his feet vanished into the dark matter.

“Armament Haki, is it? Looks like, Moriah, these zombies of yours are truly something!” Teach sneered, extending his right hand and commanding the darkness to surge at Baggio.

“Dark Water!” Teach looked supremely confident.

But as the darkness swept over Baggio, it devoured only his clothes—nothing else.

Teach was shocked. He knew Armament Haki could counter Logia powers, but only if there was a difference in strength. Now, considering his own strength among the Seven Warlords was hardly weak, there was only one explanation left.

This zombie’s strength, when alive, must have been on par with a Yonko!

Realizing this, Teach noticed another detail: the zombie’s two arms were different lengths, and clearly mismatched. With Baggio’s white cloak it hadn’t been obvious, but now, without the cloak, Teach saw it plainly.

Though he couldn’t yet pinpoint the problem, he made a mental note of this detail.