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The atmosphere became lively for a while until Marco arrived, and things finally calmed down a little.
"Alright, everyone, stop bothering Teach."
Marco walked up to him. Seeing Teach's honest smile and sincere expression, he felt a wave of emotion inside, thinking that perhaps he really had misunderstood.
He handed Teach a package and said with a smile, "Don't worry about Pops. We'll take care of him. This is what Pops asked me to prepare for you: some dry rations and a bit of money. You might need it on the way."
"Thank you!"
Teach accepted the package with a deeply moved expression. His eyes even turned red as he swept his gaze across his brothers. Then, holding back his reluctance, he turned around, jumped onto the small ship prepared for him, and shouted: "Everyone, wait for my good news! I'll be back as soon as I can!"
"Teach, safe travels!"
Amid the cheers, Teach didn't hesitate; he raised the sail, caught the wind, and the small ship drifted away.
As the ship slowly moved forward, Teach continued standing at the stern, looking at the brothers who had come to see him off, reluctant and touched... until they were far enough.
Only then did the reluctance and emotion disappear from his face.
"They really are a group of moving idiots. What a pity."
If he truly found the Dark-Dark Fruit, he absolutely would not return.
If he slipped away quietly and triggered Whitebeard's displeasure, and if he failed to find the Devil Fruit and got expelled by the Whitebeard Pirates, that would ruin everything. That was the only reason he wasted so much time acting here.
Retracting his gaze, Teach looked ahead. His fists tightened. His previous sincerity and simple smile instantly vanished, replaced with unwavering determination.
He had waited so long. Finally, he had gotten news of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
No matter what, he would not give up.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit is definitely going to be mine!"
...
At the same time, in the New World, at Egghead.
After receiving Ian's last message, Vegapunk had not relaxed at all. He was even more restless than before.
After all, that might be the bloodline left behind by Rocks D. Xebec, the man who once dominated the seas!
If the World Government learned this, he would definitely be implicated.
Although, as the world's greatest scientist, they would not dispose of him, such troublesome matters were still a massive headache.
But if he wanted the experiment to continue and to mass-produce it, a stable blood supply was absolutely necessary. Yet that guy was now one of Whitebeard's sons. If they captured him, it would definitely lead to war!
How could he not have a headache?
He even felt that he should never have asked that person in the first place.
Great, not only did he not get the blood, but he also learned something extremely troublesome.
In the end, with no solution, Vegapunk sighed helplessly. "Forget it. We can only stop for now. If we really have no options, I'll try to see if there's a suitable blood donor inside the Marine Headquarters."
But just as he finished, a figure walked over lazily, hands in pockets. "I need to return to headquarters for a bit. Don't cause trouble while I'm gone."
"Return to headquarters?"
Vegapunk immediately collected his chaotic thoughts and looked at Borsalino, hands in pockets, puzzled. "Even you're being called back? Did something happen?"
"Something troublesome indeed. A ten-billion bounty appeared in the East Blue."
Borsalino scratched his head in annoyance and spoke with a sigh. "All major forces now have their eyes on the East Blue. They're afraid something unexpected might happen. So Fleet Admiral Sengoku wants me back to keep watch."
"A ten-billion bounty? What pirate crew has a bounty of ten billion?"
"Not a pirate crew, a Devil Fruit. Someone is offering ten billion on the black market for the Dark-Dark Fruit."
Seeing Vegapunk's astonished expression, Borsalino yawned. "Anyway, I'm leaving. If you want to know more, investigate it yourself. It's not a secret anymore."
He was about to turn around when…
"Wait!"
Vegapunk suddenly stopped him. Then, as if realizing something, his eyes shone with intelligence. "You said all forces have been drawn to the East Blue?"
"Yes. The Beasts Pirates, Big Mom Pirates, and Whitebeard Pirates have all sent fleets."
Borsalino frowned at him. "What is it?"
"I need you to help me obtain someone's blood and biological tissue!"
Borsalino: "...?"
Borsalino showed confusion, but before he could react…
"It's for research."
Vegapunk said directly. "If possible, please get me as much as you can. My research is just one step away from completion!"
As soon as the word research came out, Borsalino, who originally wanted to refuse because it was troublesome, instantly became serious.
"Who?"
…
The Beasts Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, the Red-Haired Pirates...
When even the crews of the Four Emperors began to move, Marine Headquarters immediately received the news. Facing such forces, how could the current Fleet Admiral possibly remain indifferent?
Although each of the four emperor crews had only dispatched a single fleet and their captains had not yet moved, this alone was enough for Marine Headquarters to treat the matter with extreme caution.
After bringing up the topic of the meeting, Sengoku folded his hands and looked at the Marine Headquarters high officers he had summoned, the three admirals, and the Great Staff Officer, his expression extremely grim.
The three admirals and the Great Staff Officer all wore equally solemn looks.
The four emperor crews... Even if it was only a single fleet, for the forces of the Four Emperors to gather in the East Blue, no matter how one saw it, this was an extremely serious matter.
If anything unexpected happened, a large-scale war could break out in the East Blue.
"The only thing to be grateful for is probably that the captains of the four emperor crews have not acted yet."
Tsuru pondered for a moment and said, "It looks like they understand as well. If the four of them were to appear in the East Blue, the Marines absolutely would not sit still."
"But there's no guarantee that they won't act in the end."
Compared to Tsuru's slightly optimistic view, Sengoku's thoughts were much more cautious.
In a serious tone, he said, "Right now, it's only because the Dark-Dark Fruit hasn't appeared yet, so it's not enough to make them act. But once the Dark-Dark Fruit appears, those guys will never give up that massive bounty!"
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