Thinking of this, Vice Admiral Momonga's expression grew even more serious.
He quickly drew his sword, coating it with Armament Haki.
Even if it cost him his life—
He had to protect Xia Yu.
At that moment, Momonga, as a Marine, silently made his oath.
Seeing Blackbeard's move, Xia Yu narrowed his eyes slightly.
Fortunately, this time he had listened to Sengoku and brought ten Seraphim, allowing them to activate combined defense.
Otherwise, he wouldn't necessarily die—he knew his machines' strength better than anyone.
But against a large-scale attack like Blackbeard's, there was still a chance he might get injured.
In the future…
He really would have to use technology to enhance his own strength.
Relying only on machines for protection still had its drawbacks.
What Xia Yu didn't know—
Was that this very thought would one day lead to the rise of a technological overlord feared across the seas.
But for now—
He wasn't worried at all.
"Vice Admiral Momonga!"
"It's fine."
Xia Yu pushed Momonga's drawn sword back into its sheath.
Momonga looked confused.
Xia Yu simply smiled.
"Relax."
"With ten Seraphim here, anyone who wants to hurt me…"
"Would have to be at least Rocks-level."
Only then did Momonga relax slightly.
But beside them—
Ace was completely dumbfounded.
What the hell…
What kind of monster is this kid?!
Ace had heard the name Rocks while sailing with Whitebeard.
Even his infamous father—
Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King—
Had once stood below Rocks in power.
Rocks had nearly overthrown the Celestial Dragons.
The Marines had almost been destroyed by him.
Because of that, the name Rocks had become a taboo for the World Government.
And now—
Xia Yu casually claimed that only someone at Rocks' level could break his defense.
Didn't that mean—
No one Ace knew—
Not even Whitebeard, the world's strongest man—
Could break it?
Ace was completely stunned.
He began to seriously doubt something.
This kid…
Was he even human?
Could a human brain really create such terrifying war machines?
Meanwhile—
Blackbeard roared angrily.
"No defense can withstand the Dark-Dark Fruit!"
"At the very least, killing a brat with no combat ability will be easy!"
"You created these killing machines!"
"You're no better than a devil!"
"Come to hell with me!"
"Zehahaha!"
With a wild and arrogant laugh—
"Black Hole!"
Blackbeard shouted.
A massive surge of dark energy exploded from the ground.
It formed a terrifying black vortex—
Like a bottomless abyss swallowing everything on the island.
Animals screamed miserably as they were dragged into the darkness.
Even mountains and rivers were pulled underground—
Crushed by the overwhelming power.
"My Dark-Dark Fruit can devour everything in this world!"
"Xia Yu!"
"Let's see how you escape this time!"
Blackbeard laughed triumphantly.
But Xia Yu simply smiled.
He issued a calm command.
"Seraphim—activate Combined Defense."
His childish voice echoed.
In the next moment—
The Seraphim stationed around the battlefield used Shave repeatedly.
They flashed back to Xia Yu's side in an instant.
Then—
They stepped onto each other's shoulders, stacking together like a tower.
Their arms extended outward in a defensive stance.
Momonga and Ace stared curiously.
So this is the Seraphims' combined defense?
But could it really protect Xia Yu?
After all—
Xia Yu's body was still that of a normal child.
Even a small amount of damage could be fatal.
"Dr. Xia Yu…"
"Do you really not need my help?"
Momonga asked nervously.
Compared to his tension—
Xia Yu remained completely relaxed.
"Don't worry."
"The Seraphim can handle it."
Then—
The enormous darkness swallowed everyone.
Under the terrifying gravitational force—
Xia Yu and the others were dragged underground.
Everything around them turned pitch black.
Strange sounds echoed from the darkness, sending chills down their spines.
If anyone understood this ability best—
It was Ace.
"This is bad!"
"Once you're dragged into this darkness…"
"Except for Haki, all abilities stop working!"
Ace suddenly had a terrible feeling.
If you activated defenses before being pulled in, it might work.
But once trapped inside—
Your powers fail.
The crushing pressure makes it impossible to move.
There's no way to dodge.
The only thing left…
Was to wait for death.
Ace's face filled with despair.
However—
Several seconds passed.
And Ace realized something strange.
Other than the surroundings being completely dark—
He could move freely.
"Huh?"
Ace frowned.
Something's wrong…
He knew this feeling better than anyone.
Inside Blackbeard's darkness, movement should be heavily restricted.
So why could he still move normally?
And why—
Was he not suffocating at all?
Momonga was equally confused.
They had clearly been caught in Blackbeard's darkness—
Yet nothing had happened.
Finally—
Xia Yu spoke.
"So this is Blackbeard's Black Hole?"
"How boring."
"It's too weak."
In reality—
When the Seraphim were pulled underground by the darkness—
Xia Yu had already activated their Absolute Defense.
All the pressure from the darkness was completely blocked by a transparent Haki barrier created by the Seraphim.
Xia Yu smiled confidently.
"Seraphim."
"Follow my command."
"Attack."
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