Chapter 7: First Time Using the Preta Path

In the blink of an eye, their side had already lost a companion under inexplicable circumstances, and the pirates below became restless.

"Damn it, not only can he fly, but he can also make others fly?"

"How do we fight against this? We can't even touch him!"

"Why is our luck so terrible? How can we encounter such a tough opponent in the East Blue?"

The pirates were clearly panicking, and some of them even started to move discreetly towards their own pirate crew behind them.

Bang!

A subordinate among the pirates fired a shot into the sky, momentarily stunning the agitated crowd. The pirates looked at him, waiting for his next move.

"Pull yourselves together! We've seen all kinds of Devil Fruit users in the Grand Line. Don't forget that our captain is also a Devil Fruit user. Flying is not unbeatable!"

One of the pirate leaders saw that the morale was about to collapse before the fight even started, so he quickly spoke up to stabilize everyone.

Upon hearing these words, the pirates' emotions stabilized slightly, and they began to console themselves.

"That's right! Our captain made a name for himself in the Grand Line. He's the notorious Bounty Brand with a bounty of one billion berries. He must have a way to deal with this flying brat!"

"That's right!"

"Damn flying brat, you better not run away. Our captain will soon show you the terror of pirates!"

"Wait! Where's our captain!?"

The pirates were taken aback and quickly turned their heads towards the direction of the pirate ship, only to find that Brand, who had been standing at the bow of the ship, had disappeared without a trace.

"Could it be that the captain has already run away??" The pirates couldn't help but feel a sense of despair.

At this moment, Chika was still floating in the sky, not making a move yet. When the pirate crew became restless, he noticed that their captain, Brand, had opened a door in the air and jumped into it.

Suddenly, Chika turned his head towards an empty space and spoke.

"Come out. If you plan on ambushing me, I suggest you give up that idea."

However, there was no response, as if Chika had been talking to himself earlier.

"It seems like you want me to drag you out."

Chika focused his gaze on a specific spot, his eyes narrowing slightly.

[Rinnegan: Yomotsu Hirasaka]

It's a spatial ability that appeared in Naruto used by Kaguya, creating a black hole in space and allowing for teleportation between different spaces. It can be activated instantly without any preparatory actions like hand seals or markings.

However, the teleportation portal cannot be opened immediately, so it's not very useful in battles against strong opponents. Its advantage lies in its powerful functionality, and it's naturally the best ability to deal with a spatial-based ability user like Brand.

Chika's focused gaze caused a black hole to appear out of thin air in the space he was staring at, and Brand appeared within the black hole.

Brand's face turned pale.

Ever since he acquired the Doa Doa no Mi (Door-Door Fruit), even when facing unbeatable enemies, he had countless times escaped using his incredibly powerful and "buggy" Devil Fruit ability.

Just now, within the space of his door-door ability, he heard Chika's voice and saw his gaze seemingly passing through space, observing him. A slight unease flashed through his mind.

However, relying on his confidence in his own Devil Fruit ability, he temporarily suppressed the unease in his heart and patiently waited for an opportunity when Chika would let his guard down, preparing to strike.

But now, Chika had actually opened his own door-door space, exposing him directly. He now felt as if he were a little girl, forcibly dragged out from her chamber and exposed completely.

This time, it was truly over for him. Seeing his most prized ability being worthless in front of Chika, Brand's mind was already filled with thoughts of retreat. He knew that with Chika's ability, it was impossible for him to escape.

"Can you spare me? I'll give you all of my treasures. They are worth more than my bounty, I swear!" At this point, Brand didn't care about his pride anymore; he just wanted to save his life.

Chika tilted his head. "But if I kill you, all of that will be mine."

"No! It's different. If I die, you'll never be able to find them!" Brand quickly pleaded.

Naturally, his treasures were stored in his door-door space. Once he died, this space would disappear. Even if the next user opened the space, it wouldn't be the same one. This was his last resort to save his life.

However, the next scene left him in despair.

Chika once again used the same move as before, extracting numerous boxes from a black hole. Inside those boxes were all the riches that Brand had accumulated over the years.

"Damn it, I'll fight you!" Seeing that his final trump card was gone, Brand became desperate.

"Armament!" Brand's right hand was covered in a layer of black substance as he struck fiercely towards Chika's face.

Snap!

Brand couldn't believe it as he watched his full-force strike easily held in Chika's palm.

"That's Armament Haki, right? It seems you've learned a thing or two in the Grand Line." Chika looked at Brand's pitch-black fist and gave a bit of acknowledgment. However, he shook his head afterward.

"Unfortunately, you're too weak."

Without giving Brand another chance to speak, Chika transformed his palm into a claw and grabbed Brand by the neck.

[Rinne Sharingan: Preta Path]

Brand widened his eyes as he felt his life force rapidly draining away.

He wanted to struggle, but his body clearly no longer obeyed his commands. At this moment, all he felt was endless despair.