Blackbeard spread his arms wide, his fists enveloped in translucent shockwaves, and laughed heartily.
"Zehahaha! I really love this power!"
Lindbergh glared at the arrogant Blackbeard. Looking around at the fallen Revolutionary Army soldiers, rage filled his chest. His eyes sharpened as his figure disappeared in an instant.
Before Blackbeard could react, a sharp pain mixed with a tingling sensation shot through his left side.
Lindbergh's claws embedded into Blackbeard's flesh, crackling with arcs of electricity. From the rear, Chiffon saw this and shouted in alarm,
"Honey!"
As she screamed, the Revolutionary Army officers charged toward Blackbeard, launching a coordinated attack.
Blackbeard gritted his teeth, and the shockwaves on his fists solidified further. With a ferocious punch, he unleashed a powerful shockwave that forced all the Revolutionary officers back.
Lindbergh tried to pull his claws out and launch another attack, but before he could act, a massive, pitch-black hand clamped down on his face.
Blackbeard roared,
"Damn it, that hurts, you bastard!"
Crack!
The sound of something shattering rang out. Lindbergh was slammed face-first into the ground by Blackbeard's hand. The vibrations distorted his face, almost unrecognizable.
When the chaos subsided, Blackbeard lifted his hand and looked down coldly at the motionless Lindbergh embedded in the ground. He sneered,
"Disobedient cats need to be taught a good lesson!"
As his words fell, Lindbergh's body twitched. Blackbeard hesitated for a moment, then moved to press him down again.
But Lindbergh's speed was astonishing. Before Blackbeard's hand could fully extend, Lindbergh had already sprung up from the ground.
Flipping mid-air, Lindbergh landed in front of the recovering Revolutionary officers. As soon as he touched the ground, he staggered, nearly collapsing.
Morley and Hack rushed to support him. Getting closer, they finally saw Lindbergh's condition clearly.
His furry face was stained with blood, his mouth dripping crimson. Spitting to the ground, a few broken teeth clattered out.
Wiping the blood from his mouth, Lindbergh gritted his teeth.
"Damn it! I underestimated him. That guy's strength is monstrous, and his body's ridiculously tough!"
Gildeo stepped forward with a serious expression.
"This is partly my fault. I didn't gather enough intel on Blackbeard. He kept a low profile before this, but I never expected him to have this level of power."
Lindbergh stared daggers at Blackbeard ahead, panting heavily.
"Forget about that for now. His mastery over the Tremor-Tremor Fruit is frighteningly good, and the destructive power is insane. A swarm tactic won't work on him, and I'm injured. If this continues…"
His face darkened with frustration as he growled.
"Damn it! Are we really cornered with no way out?"
On the other side, Chiffon crouched beside Blackbeard, gently blowing on his wounded side. Blackbeard grimaced, cursing under his breath.
"That damn cat's tougher than I thought. Took that hit and still managed to slip away!"
Chiffon looked up and asked softly,
"Honey, are you feeling better? Does it still hurt—"
"Get lost!"
Before she could finish, Blackbeard grabbed her and tossed her aside.
Don't mistake this for abuse, as Chiffon was flung away, a pale-blue beam of energy shot toward Blackbeard, crashing into him.
Lafitte swiftly intercepted Chiffon mid-air, catching her gracefully before she hit the ground.
Moments later, Chiffon snapped out of it and hurriedly looked toward Blackbeard. Her eyes widened in shock.
The once ferocious Blackbeard was now a humanoid ice sculpture.
Not far away, Lindbergh held a black-and-white gun. Unlike ordinary firearms, this weapon emitted a chilling frost from its barrel instead of smoke.
As an inventor, Lindbergh had created this freezing gun himself, capable of firing beams of ice rivaling the power of Admiral Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit.
Taking advantage of Blackbeard's distraction with Chiffon, Lindbergh had fired the freezing beam, encasing him in ice.
Smirking, Lindbergh slung the gun back over his shoulder and raised his claws, their tips gleaming with frosty sharpness.
Blackbeard, now an ice statue, seemed doomed to shatter into pieces.
With a burst of speed, Lindbergh closed the gap and slammed his claw into the ice, shattering it into fragments.
Yet, instead of triumph, shock spread across Lindbergh's face.
Among the ice shards lay an intact mouth—a large, unmistakable mouth with missing teeth and a scruffy black beard.
Frowning, Lindbergh couldn't comprehend why the mouth had survived. His unease grew as he noticed the Blackbeard Pirates, apart from Chiffon, watching the scene without panic but with amusement.
Something was terribly wrong.
Silver electricity crackled around Lindbergh's feet as he prepared to crush the mouth underfoot.
But then, the unexpected happened.
The mouth began to grow larger, twisting and transforming. Before Lindbergh could react, a massive arm shot out from the mouth.
Startled by the bizarre sight, Lindbergh leaped backward, his fur bristling in alarm. His freezing gun slipped from his shoulder during his hasty retreat, landing within the hand of the emerging figure.
When Lindbergh regained his footing, the figure had fully emerged—a hulking, muscular Blackbeard, holding Lindbergh's weapon.
The Revolutionary officers stared, dumbfounded. They recognized him as Blackbeard but couldn't fathom his surreal transformation.
Grinning, Blackbeard tilted his head back, opened his enormous mouth, and stuffed the freezing gun vertically into it.
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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg