Blackbeard

---

As soon as Akira refused Blackbeard's offer, Van Augur aimed his rifle on him, and the other Blackbeard Pirates prepared to strike.

"Tsk, hahaha! Who wouldn't be tempted by an ability like the Thunder Fruit?" Blackbeard sneered.

Akira's expression remained cool. "True enough. Honestly, I almost felt bad about taking it. But now that you're all ready to steal it, I suppose I'm justified in fighting back to take my things."

Bang!

Van Augur fired a shot, the bullet whistling toward Akira—who stopped it between two fingers.

"What?!"

Before the crew could recover from the shock, Burgess heaved a massive boulder at Akira. With a single hand, Akira caught it mid-air and tossed it back at Burgess.

"No!" Burgess braced himself, but the impact threw him backward, crashing through buildings. The surrounding pirates scattered, screaming.

Van Augur fired several more shots in rapid succession, but Akira dodged each one effortlessly. In a flash, he appeared before Van Augur, ripping the rifle from his grip and striking him across the face with its butt. Van Augur crumpled, sent flying through more structures.

The commotion drew Doc Q's attention, and he stared in horror as Akira unleashed fire from his mouth "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" A massive orb of flame engulfed Doc Q, the explosive blast leaving him and his horse unconscious amid the smoldering wreckage.

"Van Augur! Burgess! Doc Q!" Blackbeard's eyes widened in shock as his crew fell one by one.

"Damn you!" he growled. In response, Blackbeard activated his Dark-Dark Fruit, dark energy swirling around him. "Kid, you don't know who you're dealing with!"

He pressed his hands to the ground, spreading a dark void that swallowed the surrounding area. Akira, encased in darkness, stood calmly amid the growing shadows.

"Tsk, hahaha! You fell right into my Black Hole! Darkness is gravity; it pulls everything—even light itself. And now, it'll crush you into nothingness!"

Akira watched Blackbeard's gloating, unimpressed. He began channeling chakra, a massive Rasengan forming in his hand.

The Rasengan's swirling energy glowed fiercely. Without a word, Akira launched it at Blackbeard, whose smug grin vanished as the dense chakra struck his dark vortex.

Boom!

"Dark Water" Blackbeard used this move wanting to use his Devil Fruit nullification ability.

The Rasengan's impact sent Blackbeard flying, unable to absorb the force any longer.

Akira used a massive amount of chakra to let it hit.

"Arghh! Damn it!" Blackbeard writhed in pain, clutching his side.

He finally gasped, "What was that power? My Dark Water didn't work!"

"Because I'm not a Devil Fruit user," Akira replied, his voice calm. Blue-white arcs of lightning crackled around him as he gathered more energy.

Boom!

The ground shattered as Akira closed the distance, appearing in front of Blackbeard in a blink. Before Blackbeard could react, Akira drove a fist into his face, then grabbed his head, slamming him into the ground with a resounding impact.

"Aaagh!" Blackbeard screamed in pain.

Without hesitation, Akira raised his leg and stomped down on Blackbeard's gut, driving him further into the earth. Blackbeard's eyes bulged from the pain.

With another swift motion, Akira formed another Rasengan, pressing it into Blackbeard's back, embedding a unique mark onto him.

"Arghhhhhhh!"

Blackbeard's scream echoed, and as Akira prepared to end the battle with an even more powerful attack, Blackbeard finally shouted, "I surrender!, please stop"

---

Hearing Blackbeard's surrender, Akira immediately stopped his attack.

"Aaagh! It hurts! It hurts so bad!" Blackbeard writhed on the ground, clutching his side in agony. After a moment, he caught his breath. "Hah… hah… I'm alive…"

Blackbeard looked up, a mix of awe and fear on his face. "Who… who are you?"

Blackbeard still couldn't believe that his dark water didn't work. He was strong man with a strong Haki but he still felt fear from this person who can use abilities without devil fruit.

Despite his arrogance, Blackbeard had been around powerful people for decades within the Whitebeard Pirates. But the strength Akira had just displayed was staggering—reminiscent of a Division Commander's power.

Blackbeard had his big plan now, he didn't want a variable into it.

"My name is Uchiha Akira," he said. Then, with a small grin, he added, "And about we, the Uchiha clan? Well… we're in the security business."

"Security?" Blackbeard repeated, confused. "With that kind of strength?"

"Yes—security, not just 'guarding'." Akira corrected him. "Our company specializes in protecting items and clients. It's respectable work."

Blackbeard's mouth twitched in disbelief, but he held his tongue, wary of Akira's Sharingan gaze. Even he wasn't foolish enough to risk another beating.

"You're powerful enough to roam the world," Blackbeard argued, trying to entice him. "With strength like that, you could have anything—money, power, fine liquor, beautiful women. Join me, and I'll make you my vice-captain. Together, we'd dominate the world!"

Akira stroked his chin as if considering it, then shook his head. "Sounds tempting, but I'll have to decline."

"Why?!" Blackbeard was baffled.

"I'm just not into the whole 'fighting and killing' thing. My greatest wish is world peace." Akira replied with a serene expression.

Blackbeard stared, dumbfounded. Was this guy serious? He'd just demolished half of his crew without breaking a sweat using violence, yet now he claimed to seek peace? And there lay Enel, who'd been pummeled into the dirt. Blackbeard almost laughed out loud at the irony.

But then Akira added, "However, since you're so interested, you could always hire our security company."

Blackbeard's brow furrowed. "Hire… security? Can I even afford it?"

"That depends," Akira said coolly. "Our security ranks have five levels."

He began listing them: "First-level security agents are around the strength of someone with a 50 million berry bounty. Second-level agents are closer to 100 million. Third level? 500 million."

Blackbeard was intrigued. "What about the fourth level?"

"two times stronger—1 billion berry level," Akira replied.

Blackbeard's eyes widened, his mind racing. "What about the fifth level?"

Akira's eyes sparkled. "Fifth-level security? That'll cost you a cool 10 billion berries."

"Ten… billion?!" Blackbeard shouted. "That's ridiculous! The highest bounty out there barely breaks 5 billion! How could anyone be worth 10 billion?!"

Akira chuckled. "Simple math, Teach. Two 5-billion-level people make 10 billion, right?"

Blackbeard's face went pale. Did this guy mean he had people who could take on two Yonkō-level threats at once?

With a gulp, Blackbeard asked, "And how much would it cost to hire someone at the fifth level?"

"100 million berries."

"100 million? Not bad…" Blackbeard murmured, relieved.

"Per day," Akira clarified.

"100 million per day?! Why don't you just go and grab it?!"

Akira shrugged with a smirk. "Because we don't stoop to robbery. Our rates are fair and much faster than robbery anyway."

...