"My friends," Teach sighed, "I know Ace, Marco, Jozu, and Vista far too well."
"They're overly sentimental, bound by old rules. We've used the same surprise-attack tactics to kill three of their division commanders and many captains, yet they can't do a thing about it."
"In theory, they could hunt down one of us when we're alone and strike back."
"But unfortunately, Whitebeard raised them too… unlike pirates. They still want to fight us—and even Weevil—in some honorable, straightforward confrontation."
"We've seized a tremendous amount of territory that Whitebeard left behind. They can only turtle up and defend—they can't counterattack or take anything back."
"They don't understand which islands actually hold strategic value; they only know how to rigidly split their forces. They even lost the 'Grain Depot Island,' and still haven't organized a mission to reclaim it."
"They're surrounded on all sides by hungry predators. Kaido, Doflamingo, the Navy Headquarters… We and Weevil are merely the closest enemies."
"If Big Mom's crew hadn't been crushed, the 'Whitebeard remnants' should've been suffocated completely—unable to even breathe."
"Under such severe pressure, have they recruited any powerful allies?"
"They ignored the olive branch 'Red-Haired' Shanks extended to them. They failed to make use of the Revolutionary Army, of 'Sea Knight' Jinbe, or even of 'Davy Jones of the Deep.'"
"They're prideful, arrogant, and self-righteous. People like that can't achieve anything, let alone restore Whitebeard's legacy."
"Now that we've taken this island"—Teach tapped the yellowed map on the table, his fingernails stuffed with grime—"it's like a dagger pressed right into their lower back."
All eyes shifted to the map, and they immediately understood—Teach's metaphor was precise.
The island they now occupied was indeed positioned like a blade stabbing into the flank of the Whitebeard remnants' territory.
For the remnants, this place would be a thorn they must pull out.
Whether they understood strategy or not, the assembled pirates all nodded in agreement.
Teach continued proudly:
"If they stay defensive, we'll keep slicing away—killing their commanders one by one, slowly weakening their power."
"If they let anger cloud their judgment and abandon their main base to come at us with everything, we'll use teleportation and sudden strikes to stretch out their formation—and crush them piece by piece."
"If they insist on concentrating their entire force, we'll lead them around like a dog on a leash… then seize their headquarters when they least expect it, shattering their morale."
"No matter what they choose, we stand undefeated. And the Whitebeard remnants will eventually collapse."
"Once they're gone, Weevil will be nothing to worry about."
Outside, icy winds howled through the snowy island—white drifts hiding unknown amounts of blood and bone.
Inside, warmth filled the hall, the fireplace roaring, smoke and flame staining the chimney pitch-black.
Teach had revealed the reason he had to take this island, and the others found the explanation quite entertaining.
"Brilliant plan!" Diamante's eyes lit up; he grinned wide. "If Doffy were here, he'd love your idea."
Teach spread his arms and laughed. "That's why we can be perfect allies."
At that moment, Shiryu removed the cigar from his mouth.
"Teach," he said, "weren't you focused on hunting Weevil for the Gura Gura no Mi? Why the sudden change?"
He was still wearing the same Impel Down Chief Jailer uniform, the famed blade Thunderstorm hanging at his waist—as if he were simply taking a break from patrol.
It wasn't sentimentality; he simply regarded the uniform as one of his trophies.
It reminded him, over and over, of the pleasure he felt tormenting the inmates of Impel Down.
He had once been merely a swordsman with ambition. But then Teach "hunted" the Suke Suke no Mi for him—an ability that fit his nature perfectly.
Saving Teach back in Impel Down had proven a worthwhile investment.
Shiryu also knew Teach wanted the Gura Gura no Mi desperately.
Ordinarily, a person could only eat one Devil Fruit. The moment they consume a second—even a single bite—they explode and die instantly.
But Teach, through the Yami Yami no Mi, could achieve the impossible: wield two, even three Devil Fruits simultaneously.
At Marineford, he had planned to seize Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi, and only stopped because Davy Jones intervened.
Later, after learning Weevil had eaten the reincarnated Gura Gura no Mi, he set his sights on hunting Weevil.
Teach's goals had always been clear. So Shiryu couldn't understand why he'd suddenly shifted course.
"I did change my mind." Teach grinned, revealing the gaps in his teeth. "The Gura Gura no Mi is certainly impressive—but I don't need to risk everything for it."
"As long as we crush the Whitebeard remnants and break the three-way balance, Weevil won't be able to stand alone. The Gura Gura no Mi will naturally fall into my hands."
Teach used the Yami Yami no Mi for one purpose: to hunt Devil Fruits for his crew.
But he himself hadn't rushed to obtain a second or third fruit.
This was a man who could endure twenty years undercover in the Whitebeard Pirates—he had patience to spare. He could wait for the perfect moment.
And in his heart, Teach already knew the two types of Devil Fruits he desired.
One: a destructive fruit, like the Gura Gura no Mi.
Two: a powerful control-type fruit, like the Mero Mero no Mi wielded by the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.
The Mero Mero no Mi could turn people to stone, and even strong Haki often couldn't stop it—terrifying in its own right.
In other words, Teach didn't specifically need the Gura Gura or the Mero Mero.
He simply needed one destructive fruit and one control-type fruit.
The Yami Yami no Mi had two more terrifying properties.
First: Anyone Teach touches with his hands loses their Devil Fruit ability temporarily.
Like seawater, Seastone, and Haki—another form of Devil Fruit suppression.
Second: Any fruit ability he "hunts and transfers" keeps the previous user's level of mastery.
Had Teach succeeded in taking Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi at Marineford, he would've instantly wielded world-shattering power.
But if he took the reincarnated fruit, he'd need to start from scratch.
That was why he wasn't urgently pursuing Weevil—he could simply wait until Weevil's mastery "ripened" before hunting him.
And waiting was something Teach excelled at.
Yet just as he felt everything was under control, a pirate suddenly burst into the hall, dragging in the storm and snow with him.
Everyone turned to look, pressure weighing down on the rugged, snow-covered pirate.
"What is it?!" Teach frowned, clearly displeased.
The pirate shivered violently, then stammered:
"Admiral Blackbeard—bad news! Something big happened!"
Teach loved being called "Admiral," and preferred Shiryu, Burgess, Van Augur, and the others to be called "captain."
But hearing it now gave him a bad feeling.
"What happened?"
"Weevil… Weevil has been killed…"
The pirate didn't dare hide it.
"What?!" Teach shot up from his seat, his swollen belly trembling. "What happened? Who did it?!"
Shiryu, Burgess, Van Augur, Lafitte—all of them turned pale.
Teach's entire plan was now in chaos. The Gura Gura no Mi was slipping from him again.
He had already decided—whoever in the Whitebeard remnants ruined his plan would die in the next raid. He would kill them himself, just to vent his fury.
But then the pirate delivered an even more explosive message.
"It was Davy Jones! Davy Jones killed Weevil!"
The hall fell into absolute silence.
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