Bane wasn't entirely sure whether the thing floating in front of him was really a Dimensional Gate.
After all, he'd never seen one up close before.
Still, for now, "Dimensional Gate" would do.
As the gate fully materialized, time and space around it seemed to slow to a crawl, almost as if the world itself was holding its breath.
Bane could feel it—his stamina was being rapidly drained to keep the gate open. And even stranger, he could sense that he could shut it down at will.
That didn't match any of the reports he'd read in the papers over the last two weeks. From what he'd gathered, Dimensional Gates varied in size—some were colossal, towering into the sky and visible from miles away. Others were the size of a regular door and went unnoticed by most.
But one thing was constant: they were uncontrollable.
You couldn't just open or close them on a whim. And none of them were described as feeding off someone's stamina.
"Could this mean… something's changed about my transmigration? Is this… my cheat ability kicking in?!"
His heart thumped with excitement.
At that moment, the shimmering light around the portal began to fade, and Bane could finally get a clearer look at what lay beyond.
The other side was still in flux, space and time not yet fully stabilized. But even in this half-frozen state, he leaned forward for a peek.
And sure enough, there it was—something unexpected.
The scene on the other side resembled a crime scene. A man dressed like a chef lay face-down on the wooden floor of a dimly lit room, blood pooling beneath him. The wound? A deep stab in the back.
And the murderer?
Still standing there, unaware he was being watched.
From Bane's angle, the killer's back was turned. He was large and stocky, wrapped in a black bandana, long unkempt curly hair spilling over his shoulders in tangled locks. Clearly someone who didn't care about appearances—a rogue.
He stood over the corpse, bloodstained dagger in one hand… and in the other—
A strange, swirled fruit.
The moment Bane laid eyes on it, a jolt of recognition hit him.
"Wait a second… no way—that's a Devil Fruit!?"
There was no mistaking it. The distinctive spiral patterns, the unnatural shape—it was unmistakable. Bane had been a huge fan of manga and anime in his old world. He knew exactly what this was.
And suddenly, everything clicked.
This wasn't just any scene.
This was that moment—the night Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates and murdered Thatch to steal the fabled Yami Yami no Mi… the most dangerous Devil Fruit in history.
The portal had opened… into the One Piece world!
The timing couldn't be more precise.
The moment Bane realized what he was seeing, the world inside the gate seemed to snap into motion again.
"Zehahaha! Thatch, you can blame your own fate for this. The Yami Yami no Mi is mine now—!"
Teach's manic laughter echoed through the room as he reveled in his kill, flaunting the stolen fruit like a trophy.
But before he could finish his gloating—
He froze.
A chill crept down his spine.
Someone was behind him.
Bane didn't hesitate. The second Teach lifted the fruit, practically waving it in his face, Bane lunged forward and snatched it right out of his hand.
Not a word. Not a warning.
Just yoink—gone.
As soon as the fruit hit his palm, Bane mentally shouted:"Close the gate!"
He knew Teach wasn't someone to be underestimated—not even without the Yami Yami no Mi. The man had once scarred Shanks during a full-power clash. His low-key act aboard Whitebeard's crew had never been about weakness—it was a calculated deception.
Stealing the fruit from him was basically a declaration of war.
No thanks.
In that instant, Teach spun around, just in time to catch a glimpse of a man disappearing into a glowing portal.
"YOU BASTARD! The Yami Yami no Mi—!!"
His roar shook the room as a terrifying burst of Haki exploded from his body, dark and suffocating.
He lunged forward to grab the thief—but the portal closed, vanishing before his fingertips could reach.
And with it, his long-awaited Devil Fruit was gone.
Teach's face twisted in rage.
He'd waited years for this chance, patiently lurking within the Whitebeard crew for the perfect moment to kill Thatch and claim the most fearsome Devil Fruit in history.
Now, at the final moment, it had been stolen from him—by some stranger who came from nowhere.
He was livid.
He immediately unleashed his Observation Haki, casting it wide across the ship and the surrounding sea, trying desperately to sense the interloper.
But it was too late.
The commotion didn't go unnoticed. A moment later, the cabin door burst open.
"Teach! What happened?!"
A young man with flame tattoos on his arms and an unmistakable aura of strength rushed in—worried, but ready to fight.
If Bane had still been watching, he would've recognized him instantly.
Portgas D. Ace—second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, son of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, and soon to be the spark that ignites the Paramount War.
Ace's eyes fell on the bloodied body.
"Thatch!?"
He rushed to the fallen commander's side, face darkening as he checked for signs of life.
Meanwhile, Teach calmed himself, forced his fury down.
His Haki couldn't locate the thief. The gate was gone. The fruit was gone.
But the story? That needed rewriting. Fast.
"We were drinking," he said, gritting his teeth, his voice laced with just enough fury to seem real. "Thatch was walking me out. Suddenly, this weird glowing door opened out of nowhere. Some bastard stepped out, grabbed my dagger, stabbed him from behind, and stole the fruit. Must've been a Devil Fruit user with some kind of spatial ability."
Ace's hands trembled.
He was in shock, overwhelmed with grief and fury—but he didn't doubt Teach for a second.
He trusted his crewmates deeply. And Teach's rage looked real. There was no reason to suspect him. None that Ace could see.
Plus… Ace wasn't exactly known for thinking things through.
"Did you see what he looked like?" he asked, voice low, eyes burning with pain and hatred. "Whoever touches a single hair on our crew… I don't care where he runs. I will find him. I'll make him pay."
Teach nodded solemnly, the lies rolling easily off his tongue.
"I saw him. We'll get a sketch artist. I'll hunt him down myself. He'll wish he'd never been born."
Back on the other side of the gate…
Bane stood in the dim stairwell of his apartment, holding the stolen Devil Fruit in his hand. The Yami Yami no Mi. The most dangerous fruit in One Piece.
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So… does it still work outside that world?"
He didn't know for sure. But if the strange powers crossing through Dimensional Gates were anything to go by, chances were… yes.
And just knowing that the portal could open again—if his stamina allowed—gave him confidence.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"…Maybe this isn't such a bad situation after all."