New World, aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' Moby Dick.
Today, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates were all gathered on the ship for a massive banquet.
The previously continuous warfare had resulted in the division commanders being deployed for various campaigns, making it rare for them to all gather around Newgate.
Now, with both sides preparing for a decisive battle, there was a lull in the fighting, making it the perfect time for a reunion.
At the same time, it was definitely necessary to gather everyone for a good meal and drink before the full-scale war began.
The Second Division had been without a captain since the demise of Kozuki Oden.
Therefore, the Second Division was loosely overseen by the old crew member, Teach, up to this point.
Although he wasn't officially the captain, he had seniority, and the members of the Second Division listened to him.
Due to the looming war with Kaido, Newgate had received some relevant news about Wano Country.
He learned that his good friend, Second Division Commander Kozuki Oden, had been killed by Kaido.
Old Man Whitebeard was so enraged he almost spat blood. This was, in fact, one of the main reasons he hardened his resolve to go to war against Kaido and Big Mom.
He intended to avenge Kozuki Oden!
The Moby Dick was large enough, and the deck space was ample to accommodate all these pirates eating and drinking.
In the crowd on the deck was Rob Lucci, the young man Diarmuid had sent to infiltrate the Whitebeard Pirates as an undercover agent years ago. He was now a full-grown adult in his twenties.
There were absolutely no signs of him being an agent. After living on Whitebeard's ship for so many years, he looked completely and utterly like a genuine pirate.
However, Lucci was very handsome and striking, making him stand out in this crowd of rough-looking men.
After coming aboard Newgate's ship, Lucci joined the Second Division. Sitting beside him now was Marshall D. Teach, the future Blackbeard.
Before revealing his ambitions, Teach was the ship's resident good-natured crewmate, maintaining excellent relations with everyone.
Whether it was to cultivate a public image or for some other reason, he took good care of Lucci.
Consequently, the relationship between the two was quite good.
Lucci was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, and a carnivorous one at that. Furthermore, he was naturally talented in combat and had received Marine training since childhood. He didn't let his skills stagnate on Newgate's ship.
On the contrary, he had gained extensive practical experience through battles both large and small.
Now, in terms of strength, he could be considered one of the more outstanding fighters among the Whitebeard Pirates.
And that was with him still concealing some of his abilities; after all, it wasn't appropriate for him to use things like Rokushiki while maintaining a pirate identity.
To be honest, over the years, he had developed a deep affection for the Whitebeard Pirates. The overall atmosphere on the Moby Dick was genuinely pleasant.
But thankfully, Lucci was a boy with an unwavering sense of duty. While he had feelings for these people, he knew they weren't on the same path. He was a Marine!
And he would uphold his own brand of Dark Justice as an undercover Marine!
"Ah, once the war starts, we won't see such a lively scene again. I wonder if we'll ever get the chance to gather here for a banquet, all together like this..." Teach sighed, feigning deep emotion.
Anyone who didn't know him would think he felt deep camaraderie with his 'brothers' and had a profound emotional attachment to the Whitebeard Pirates.
Lucci held a bowl of sake, taking a large gulp, "When you live this life, you'll eventually have to pay the price. We're pirates; haven't we always lived with our heads hanging by our belt? If you want to eat big, drink hearty, and stand firm in the New World with authority, how can you do it without risking your life?"
"When you live this life, you'll eventually have to pay the price... Zehahahahaha, that's well said," Teach roared with laughter.
Yes, when you live this life, you'll eventually have to pay the price.
Sometimes, Teach thought that if he couldn't find the Dark-Dark Fruit, wouldn't it be quite nice to die under Whitebeard's flag, dying on this very ship?
That's right. Although Teach turned ruthless after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, killing his brothers and betraying his father figure without hesitation, before he truly got his hands on the Devil Fruit, Teach was gambling. If he lost, he genuinely intended to serve under Newgate for the rest of his life.
"Speaking of which, your bounty has increased again, Lucci. Two hundred fifty million Berries. The Killing Machine... You're really ruthless. I hardly ever find any survivors when you're done," Teach looked at Lucci beside him with a chuckle.
Lucci was indeed ruthless. This might be related to his personality, or perhaps he was venting the pressure inside him.
Only a handful of people, like Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Zephyr, knew Lucci's true identity.
To minimize the risk of Lucci being exposed, they hadn't informed anyone else within the Marine ranks. Thus, Lucci's bounty was completely legitimate, earned through genuine pirate actions.
"Bounties are meaningless. Having Pops' name to protect us is enough. Didn't you teach me that, Teach-senpai?" Lucci smiled.
He felt more and more that Teach was not simple.
The fact that Teach was noticed by the Admiral already proved he was no ordinary person.
But the more Lucci interacted with him, the more he realized he could never accurately gauge Teach's true strength.
It seemed that every time Teach faced an enemy, he put in his maximum effort, appearing to win barely by sheer luck.
At first, Lucci was fooled, but having been sent to monitor Teach, Lucci eventually realized something was amiss.
This guy acted the same way when facing strong opponents and when facing weak ones.
Over time, Lucci realized that even with his current strength, he couldn't see through Teach's abilities. Without a doubt, Teach's strength was far beyond his imagination.
And that was just the first point.
What Lucci found even more outrageous was that after all these years on Whitebeard's ship, while the underlings Teach recruited already had high bounties, Teach himself still had a zero-Berry bounty!?
In other words, if Teach were to leave the Whitebeard Pirates' ship right now, he would be considered a clean citizen!
Who would guess that he was a veteran who had been on Whitebeard's ship for over ten years?
Lucci didn't understand why he would hide himself.
If he was a pirate not for fame or fortune, he might as well go home and grow sweet potatoes.
It was a waste of his exceptional power!
Moreover, how did a nobody like him get noticed by Admiral Diarmuid?
And why was Diarmuid so concerned that he sent Lucci to monitor him?
Was it just because of that supposed Dark-Dark Fruit?
What kind of logic was this?
Lucci couldn't figure it out all these years, so he eventually stopped trying and decided to just follow the Admiral's orders.
"Zehahahaha, are you jealous of me? I'm the man with no bounty. That's just how I live my life. When I get old, I can leave the ship and blend into any environment as an ordinary person. It's quite exciting when you think about it." Teach laughed heartily.
This seemed to be the excuse and justification he used while on the Whitebeard Pirates' ship.
The other members of the Whitebeard Pirates didn't find anything unusual about his 'lack of ambition.'
After all, not everyone had to remain a pirate until they died or grew old.
Take the infamous Silvers Rayleigh, the Dark King; hasn't he retired now?
Many people on the Whitebeard Pirates' ship held similar thoughts: getting a lump sum of money when they got older and then retiring.
Lucci scoffed at Teach's explanation inwardly, but on the surface, he looked contemptuous, tilting his chin up, "I'm different. I'm going to become a great pirate in the future!"
"Zehahahaha, then I wish you the best of luck with your dream!" Teach laughed loudly.
In reality, Teach took such good care of Lucci because of some personal motives.
On one hand, as a senior member of the Second Division, it was reasonable for him to look after his crewmates, which was beyond question.
On the other hand, Lucci was still a kid when he boarded the ship, only in his teens. Teach had essentially mentored him, so Teach considered himself Lucci's guide.
Additionally, he highly respected Lucci's talent and ability. He knew the young man hadn't reached his peak yet, and judging by his age, he would undoubtedly grow into a figure no less powerful than the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates.
In other words, Lucci was worth cultivating and winning over.
In Teach's view, his relationship with Lucci was undoubtedly the best on the entire ship. If he really managed to find the Dark-Dark Fruit and go solo in the future, maybe he could coax Lucci away and make him a powerful subordinate.
Given their closeness and relationship, there shouldn't be any problem, right?
In fact, up until now, Teach was only thinking of going solo once he found the Dark-Dark Fruit. He hadn't yet planned to kill his good friends on the ship or betray his 'Pops' so quickly.
It was only later that the situation changed too rapidly, and plans couldn't keep up with unforeseen circumstances.
"By the way, about that thing you told me..." Lucci suddenly interjected.
Teach immediately covered Lucci's mouth and whispered, "Didn't I tell you not to mention it? I was hoping to give everyone a surprise later..."
That's right. Teach hadn't told anyone about his search for the Dark-Dark Fruit, except for Lucci, the young man he had 'raised' personally.
After all, Teach truly trusted and thought highly of Lucci.
Of course, he only told Lucci that he wanted to find the Dark-Dark Fruit, become an ability user, and give his crewmates a surprise.
Lucci quickly pulled Teach's hand away and whispered, "Don't worry, I haven't told anyone..."
Teach nodded. Seeing that no one around was paying attention to them, he asked, "What is it? Did you find any news?"
A spark of excitement flashed in Teach's eyes as he asked this.
Lucci shook his head slightly, then whispered, "I have a bit of related news. I heard that someone else is also aggressively searching for the Dark-Dark Fruit recently..."
Teach: "???"
His face changed, and a dark, ominous aura flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal and whispered, "Who? Who else has the insight to appreciate the Dark-Dark Fruit like me?"
"It seems to be that Heavenly Yaksha. Do you know him? He has considerable influence in the Underworld and is the biggest Devil Fruit broker there. Not long ago, he reportedly spent two billion Berries to acquire a Flame-Flame Fruit. Now, he's offering a fifty million Berry bounty in the Underworld for information leading to the Dark-Dark Fruit..." Lucci whispered.
"Doflamingo?" Teach was surprised.
Didn't that guy already have a Devil Fruit?
Why would he be looking for the Dark-Dark Fruit? Did someone commission him?
"Fifty billion Berries?" Teach murmured again. The people on the Whitebeard Pirates' ship were all poor wretches, and Teach was no exception. Otherwise, he would have looked for a chance to put up a bounty in the Underworld himself.
As of now, he simply couldn't afford to pay fifty billion Berries for the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Because he didn't have the money!
After thinking for a moment, Teach quietly instructed Lucci, "Help me keep an eye on this Heavenly Yaksha. If there's any news, tell me immediately."
Lucci didn't refuse, just nodded casually, "I understand. But does it absolutely have to be the Dark-Dark Fruit? Nothing else will do?"
"Nothing else will do. I'm gambling my life on this Devil Fruit. Otherwise, I'd rather not be an ability user at all," Teach said carelessly.
There was no need to hide this, as it was a normal thing.
It was said that many people were still frantically searching for Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, determined not to be swayed by any other power. Such resolution was quite common.
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]