Chapter 170: Hope Within The Darkness

Despair.

Though many didn't reveal it, a sense of despair crept into their minds.

The torches that they lit up have gone useless. Though they still burned and emanated the heat, the light was no longer there.

No. Rather, it wasn't that light wasn't there, but that the darkness was engulfing it all. Strangely, their eyes somehow managed to see nonetheless even without the light.

And therefore, they watched, watching as Blackbeard became something else. He was now someone who stood a plane above the others, their instincts told them.

The might of Blackbeard's Conqueror's Haki was surreal. Coupled with the characteristics of his Dark Dark fruit, everyone on the spot felt as if gravity was pulling them down to the ground...

They couldn't help but stare at such a man in horror.

"How are we supposed to..."

Said one marine.

And even those, ones who were honed by countless battles and held strong will, found said will crumbling down in front of the abomination.

"...One hell of a situation,"

Mumbled Saul as he, along with the other giants, gazed ahead in pale expressions.

It was as if this fearful response was engraved in their DNA. Their bodies froze and refused to budge, overwhelmed by the simple presence of the Buccaneer ahead of them.

Resonating to such a fear, their souls, slowly, began to peak out of their hearts, being pulled toward Blackbeard in response to the power of his Soul Soul fruit.

And as they helplessly watched, even now,

BOOOOOM!

Smoker was combatting such a being.

BOOOOOM!

For how many times did Smoker attack Blackbeard, only to be knocked back without inducing a single bit of damage?

How much time has passed since the blood was spilled?

How many times did the solid platform of darkness break, only to be reformed right away after?

BOOOOOM!

Everyone on the scene could tell that Blackbeard wasn't even at his fullest.

He was toying with 'Smoker' out of everyone—that Smoker who defeated the being that ruled over the world for centuries.

BOOOOOM!

Smoker, with his arms crossed, gritted his teeth as his feet skidded back on the platform of darkness.

"Zehahaha... how pitiful."

Blackbeard walked toward Smoker, disregarding everyone else.

"This world is all about the outcome. No matter what kind of things you've gone through, it is only the results that matter in the end!!!"

Lifting his arm and clenching his hand into a fist, Blackbeard swung it horizontally. The darkness burst out and shrouded his form, and when it cleared, Blackbeard's body emanated the fire-like darkness, one that brimmed with dense energy unlike any other.

The black coat of dark energy manifested and fluttered. The captain's hat which he wore morphed into that of a pitch-black crown.

"Soul Soul fruit... its ability allows me to take and stockpile the souls within me. Serving as the fuel for a variety of needs, not only do they strengthen my will, but also heal me in the case of being injured."

Cautiousness was no longer within the definition of Blackbeard. He felt as if he could do anything.

"Tremor Tremor fruit, the strongest of all Paramecia. I would even argue, that its offensive potential is greater than any other."

Yes, he's become the god.

"Then, of course, there is the Dark Dark fruit empowered by Nika's heart... or should I say, Human Human fruit, Model: Earth God?"

ZEHAHAHAHA!!!!!

Blackbeard appeared right in front of Smoker at an incredible speed.

Smoker's eyes narrowed as they managed to read such a quick movement.

Then, the black lightning crackled as Smoker met Blackbeard's fist with his own that was imbued with vigorous Haki.

The wind arose, and everyone shielded their faces. Two fists dared to push one another away as they, without coming into contact, began a struggle.

Blackbeard grinned.

Then, the power of tremor was imbued into Blackbeard's fist, multiplying the force behind his attack by numerous folds.

BOOOOOM!

The platform of darkness centering Smoker and Blackbeard broke into pieces as the vibration spread all around. Simultaneously, Smoker was blown away by such a force.

"ZEHAHAHAHA!!!!!"

Blackbeard broke the platform underneath him as he propelled his huge body toward Smoker.

Smoker, quickly regaining his balance through the use of Geppo, rotated his body before slamming his fist onto Blackbeard's own for the second time as Blackbeard appeared right before him.

PAZZZZZZZ!

The black lightning spread throughout the area, bringing shivers to anyone nearby.

Smoker and Blackbeard were separated momentarily afterward, before they met again,

PAZZZZZZZ!

The force rippled out in the form of a gust.

Retracting once more, Blackbeard blasted his punch for the third time, which Smoker met once again with his utmost strength.

PAZZZZZZZ!

Blackbeard's body glowed in that crimson, indicating the use of Soul Soul fruit's ability to empower his body.

And slowly, Smoker began to be pushed back.

"Look at yourself, White Hunter."

Blackbeard mocked.

"What was the point of taking down the World Government? What was the point of your rebellion four years ago? In the end... it is me who stands as the victor."

The darkness suddenly exploded from Blackbeard's arm. The force behind his fist suddenly amplified, and Smoker was sent down to the ground, skidding.

Without any time to take a breather, Smoker ducked.

The air above him exploded as Blackbeard's fist shot out, missing Smoker.

Right after, Smoker blasted a punch of his own, which Blackbeard guarded with his Haki and darkness-imbued arm.

The black lightning continued to crackle ever so vigorously, revealing brilliant yet gloomy sparks every time two conquerors exchanged blows.

BOOOOOM!

Smoker, dodging the spike of darkness that suddenly arose from right underneath him through a swift movement, twisted his body before sending forth a kick at the back of Blackbeard's head, only for Blackbeard to turn around with an expected grin and meet said kick with a punch.

Numerous fists of dark matter suddenly condensed from the thin air and were shot toward Smoker.

As Smoker quickly dodged them, they crashed onto the platform and exploded like meteors.

BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

Blackbeard transformed into wisps of darkness. Circling Smoker, he laughed as he freely flew, materializing back into his human form here and there and attacking Smoker at his blind spots.

BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM! BOOOOOM!

It was a complete chaos. Smoker was imprisoned by the endless darkness that contained the crushing force of Tremor Tremor fruit, dodging and countering those strikes with nothing but his fists.

Smoker continued to react against them with a blinding speed. Like a ghost, he flew through the countless of them and while repelling those he couldn't avoid with his Conqueror's Haki-infused fists, his eyes roamed around the surroundings, looking for traces of Blackbeard who continued to disappear and reappear.

However, those manifestations of darkness continued to multiply in number. Hundreds, thousands, millions—the creatures and natural disasters of darkness were poured onto Smoker, and even Smoker had limits.

BOOOOOM!

At one point, Smoker was caught off guard as one of such manifestations of darkness abruptly exploded in front of Smoker, knocking him back.

Then, the rest of them proceeded to simultaneously strike Smoker, who guarded himself through the full-body emission of Armament Haki.

BOOOOOOM!

As those manifestations were dispelled, Blackbeard revealed himself from beyond, grinning with his right fist imbued with the swirl of gigantic energy—one that contained that of darkness.

And he launched said fist straight at Smoker.

"BLACK HOLE!!!"

Centering Blackbeard's fist that struck Smoker, the swirl of darkness exploded, pulling everything in its proximity.

And following the attraction, the secondary explosion arose, one that repelled everything it pulled with force greater than any other.

BOOOOOOOM!

The air rippled.

Unable to fully block such a strike, Smoker gritted his teeth as the blood exited his mouth.

The crevices burst open within the platform underneath Smoker.

Nonetheless, Smoker withstood the blow, to which Blackbeard seemed pleasantly surprised.

However, this wasn't the end.

As Smoker huffed, Blackbeard's eyes blazed in crimson.

Clenching his fist, the dense darkness and the power of tremor encased it in the form of a ferocious energy storm.

From the sheer force of it, the dimension itself, surrounding Blackbeard and Smoker, seemed to be cracking.

And he launched it straight at Smoker at an incredible speed.

"DEATH HOLE!!!!!"

Smoker, watching the arrival of such an attack and knowing full well that it would be impossible the attack of such a speed, clenched his hand before meeting Blackbeard's chaotic blast with his fist, one that was reinforced with nothing but his Haki.

The lightning crackled as two Conqueror's Haki clashed.

The tremors rippled throughout the air. The darkness swirled into the voids, filling the fissures generated by the destruction of the space itself.

There arose an incredible explosion, one that generated an incredible gust of wind that knocked everyone off their feet.

BOOOOOM!

Smoker felt the sheer force—one unlike any other—from the blank range.

His vision briefly went black. His sense of hearing became muffled. For a split second, his body lost a sensation.

Then, the pain penetrated through his nerves, and all senses returned to him.

Smoker found himself being flown back at a high speed. He inhaled heavily as he realized that he wasn't breathing.

With bloodshot eyes, he gritted his teeth. Rotating his form, he placed his feet on the platform and with all his will, prevented a further propulsion by the force.

"Huff... huff..."

He finally came to a stop. His body swayed and his head felt nauseous. However, his back didn't touch the ground.

He withstood the attack, just barely, however.

"Zehahaha!"

Blackbeard laughed. He enjoyed his sense of amusement to its fullest.

The smoke, generated from the friction upon the act of Smoker's skidding against the platform, blew.

As the blood dripped down from Smoker's body, he unconsciously reached his hand out at such a smoke.

However, they didn't respond to Smoker's will.

Never did smoke feel so strange to Smoker.

...

Against Blackbeard, Smoker felt as if he was walking through the darkness, into the unknown.

At the sight of Blackbeard, his friends and allies succumbed to fear. Resisting against the effect of Blackbeard's Soul Soul fruit with all their will was all that they could do.

And until Blackbeard is defeated, the veil of darkness that took over the entire world won't cease to exist. In other words, Blackbeard has to be defeated at his strongest.

Truthfully, it sounded like an impossible task.

But did that mean he should give up?

Was Smoke Smoke fruit the reason why he was strong?

The wind blew. The silence returned as Blackbeard, without moving, stared at Smoker in that of mockery. Even now, he was chuckling, full of exhilaration.

"..."

Smoker chuckled lightly as he clenched his bloody fists tightly.

'Of course not.'

The events, the journey that he's gone through his arrival on this world flashed through his mind.

There surely were many things that happened.

He fought through so many.

Sometimes, he lost. Sometimes, he made mistakes.

However, through those experiences, he improved. He made it through.

And many of those experiences, the achievements of his, were born from his will to resist what others considered 'impossible'.

Those causes produced the result called Smoker, the person he's become today.

'Was everything that we've done up until now pointless? Was everything that others did for this world, pointless?'

"Yes, it is,"

"No, it isn't."

Smoker knew full well.

"Even the tiniest thing, no matter how trivial it may seem, has a purpose of its own.

...Listen."

For how many times was Smoker exposed to the might of Blackbeard's attacks?

For how many times did Smoker withstand?

Smoker grinned.

"Nothing is absolute."

The friends and allies, watching Smoker, gazed at him with widened eyes in realization.

"In other words..."

Nothing is impossible.

Bastille's finger twitched. Maynard's eyes shook.

"...Hina ashamed."

Just as how they could feel the power of Blackbeard, they could feel, the undying will of Smoker.

"Standing still and doing nothing like a coward..."

Hina bit her lips, as the fear was slowly being replaced by the rage.

"...Rahahaha,"

The shaking of Aramaki's body stopped.

Shakuyaku revealed a knife, one that was carved out of seastone.

Saul, smiling, bumped his giant fists together.

The light returned in everyone's eyes.

The souls have returned to their original places. Blackbeard's Conqueror's Haki no longer was able to exert an oppression enough to indulge fear in them, for they now recognized, the conqueror of an equal standing—or greater, perhaps.

"..."

And the grin on Blackbeard's face died, before it was replaced by the frown.

After all, this wasn't the response that he was expecting. What he wanted to see were the faces full of despair, recognizing and hailing him as the king of the world.

"...It is a futile resistance."

Blackbeard growled.

"How many times do you think we heard the word 'futile' from our enemies? And how many times do you think we overcame them?"

Smoker took a step forward with his hazel-coloured eyes blazing in a pure will. As he did so, his justice coat fluttered, which appeared majestic.

And the others followed. Stepping up, they stood behind him.

It wasn't one versus one anymore.

"...Sorry, Smoker."

Robin mumbled, and Smoker simply grinned in response.

"Then I suppose that my next best course of action,"

Blackbeard's eyes gleamed in crimson,

"Is to show you, of how meaningless that pitiful hope of yours is!!!"

The darkness arose, and the situation was still the same as before.

Then, the incredible surge of Conqueror's Haki rose and burst out of Blackbeard as his hair stood up, brimming with the power of Soul Soul fruit.

The specks of dust picked up into storms. The platform of darkness continuously broke and shattered before being reformed over and over. The numerous cracks appeared throughout the sky—all from the sheer impact of the Conqueror's Haki.

Such a Conqueror's Haki, however, failed to creep into the minds of its targets, for Smoker stood.

His feet didn't budge. His body didn't glow or exhibit some otherworldly power either.

"On we go."

Smoker, as he took on the full-blown impact of Blackbeard's Conqueror's Haki, stated without turning around.

To those behind him, Smoker's back looked larger than ever.

"I will be relying on you guys."

Filled with pride, the marines in the group nodded,

"""Yeah!!!!"""

The giants grinned. The warriors of the Kuja Tribes slammed their spears on the ground as a sign of compliance.

Brook, revealing his cane sword, laughed in delight as he prepared for the battle.

Crocus seemed to be lying in disbelief, unable to understand how they managed to overcome the fear and face Blackbeard head-on.

"You..."

He whispered as he stared at Smoker,

"Smoker..."

And began, the grandiose raid against the calamity named Blackbeard.