282 Not Everything Born Evil

"I gave you the Dark Fruit for a reason. Why are you so fixated on this?"

"If it's not the Dark Fruit, would you accept any other devil fruit? The Dark Fruit already exists. Don't think of it as Blackbeard's possession just because he had it before.".

"Speaking of which, the Dark Fruit was originally acquired by one of my sons a long time ago, but it was stolen by Blackbeard. Strictly speaking, it has always been under my possession."

"Furthermore, you mentioned that the Dark Fruit gives off an evil impression to the people. I gave it to you precisely to help you correct this misconception"

Whitebeard fixed his gaze on Benjamin, expressing each word sincerely: "I want people to understand that Devil Fruit itself isn't inherently good or evil; it all depends on how the person who possesses it chooses how to use it."

"When you create goodness with the power of the Dark Fruit, perhaps in the future, Dark Fruit could symbolize the good itself" 

Whitebeard suggested optimistically.

Whitebeard's words struck Benjamin's heart deeply. He realized how misguided and prejudiced his previous thoughts had been. Wasn't he, in essence, acting just like those who prejudge justice?

Benjamin suddenly hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Oyaji. I shouldn't have had such stupid thoughts. How narrow-minded of me!"

"Alright, now that you have the Dark Fruit, let's see what it capable of" 

Whitebeard suggested, patting Benjamin on the shoulder.

Benjamin nodded, then turned to face the crew members. With a swift motion, he opened his palms, unleashing a surge of dark gas that quickly enveloped the surrounding space.

As the black gas emerged, Marco, Shirahoshi, and others instinctively took a step back, even though it posed no immediate threat.

But there's an uncomfortable feeling when they see the black gas, urging them to distance themselves. Soon, the black energy expanded, swirling into a massive dark whirlpool in front Benjamin.

"This is a good opportunity. Who's brave enough to try breaking through his defense head-on?" 

Whitebeard proposed.

"I'll give it a try!" 

Charles Vane volunteered eagerly, prompting the crew to quickly clear a space in the middle.

Charles Vane stepped forward and unleashed a small, fierce whirlwind. Despite its small size, its compressed form packed a powerful punch.

As the whirlwind erupted from Charles Vane's hands, a gust of wind howled around him. Then, the whirlwind spun rapidly and rushed toward Benjamin.

Charles Vane intended to test Benjamin's dark vortex defense by directing the whirlwind towards it. However, Benjamin remained passive. Upon contact, the whirlwind was swiftly engulfed by the dark vortex.

The whirlwind vanished entirely, while Benjamin's dark vortex expanded slightly, apparently absorbing the energy of the attack.

"This..." 

Charles Vane was stunned. Although he had heard about Dark Fruit's power before, he hadn't experienced it firsthand, let alone fought against it.

So, when he realized that his relatively strong attacks had no effect at all, Vane felt a bit bewildered, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

"Let me try it." 

Jozu stood up and said eagerly

Reluctantly, Charles Vane backed away as Jozu stepped forward, transforming his entire body into diamond in an instant.

Compared to Charles Vane, Jozu has more knowledge and experience in combat. He understands that relying solely on strength can be reckless when dealing with Dark Fruit.

There must be a strategy because Dark Fruit nullifies the abilities of other fruits. Once touched, it invalidates them and can swallow them up.

In this situation, Jozu rushed forward confidently, extending the diamond on his arm with a punch.

Jozu's fist extended by a full meter, hammering directly onto the dark vortex, causing a shockwave.

Although the power of the diamond was absorbed, the resulting momentum still exerted force, pushing the dark vortex back several meters.

"This guy, there's something." Charles Vane couldn't help but admire him.

The other crew members cheered, but Whitebeard remained cautious about Jozu's success, as he had only managed to repel the dark vortex without fully neutralizing it.

If the attack doesn't completely neutralize the Dark Fruit in one strike, it could pose a great threat. In real combat scenarios, opponents will likely exploit any openings left after their initial attack.

"It's not over yet!" 

Jozu exclaimed, readying himself for another assault on the dark vortex.

This time, Jozu extended his arms, covering a larger area with his diamond ability, and closed in around Benjamin.

With Jozu's arms extending all the way to Benjamin's back, the powerful enclosure effectively trapped Benjamin.

"Hey, Jozu, you're got it wrong. Oyaji said that we need to attack from the front." 

Marco immediately stood up and said to Jozu

"Yeah, you have to win that way." 

Charles Vane also said, because if he can attack from behind, then Charles Vane can go behind Benjamin in an instant.

Jozu released Benjamin, scratched his head, and asked: "Isn't this just practice? Is this method okay?"

"Definitely not!" 

Marco replied with a blank expression. Then he turned to Vista and said: "Vista, why don't you give it a shot?"

Vista has the upper hand because he doesn't have a fruit ability, so Dark-Dark fruit can't restrain him. Plus, Vista's sword skills are hard for Dark Fruit to counter.

"Alright." 

Vista leaped into action right away, his swords dancing in his hands without hesitation.

Vista unleashed a flurry of rose-like strikes towards Benjamin, with countless red petals falling from the sky. Amongst them, his sharp sword slashes remained concealed, blending seamlessly with the flurry of petals, making his sword slash seem invisible.

Amidst the dazzling sword slashes, Benjamin's dark vortex was sliced into numerous small pieces, yet they gradually fused back together.

Whitebeard was pleased, nodding in satisfaction. Vista praised him, saying, "Well done, Vista. You've become more skilled with Emision Haki."

"Thanks for the praise, Oyaji," Vista replied with a smile, definitely proud to be praise by Whitebeard

"Marco, you should be able to do it." Whitebeard looked at Marco at last.

Marco immediately displayed confidence. Whitebeard had so much faith in him. How could he not live up to Whitebeard trust?

"Oyaji, watch me," Marco said, transforming into a blue phoenix and flew into the air, facing Benjamin.

"Let's keep it simple" 

Marco said casually, and suddenly the blue flames on his body doubled in intensity.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED

________________________

I put an advanced chapter at P@treon, you can read 110+ chapters ahead of everyone. 

Link : patreon.com/MoonEater18