Michael looked at the excited Yamato and chuckled softly.
"Yamato, there's no need to be so surprised. This kind of thing is actually quite normal. The power of a Devil Fruit will drift between heaven and earth after its previous user dies, then randomly merge into another fruit, transforming it into a new Devil Fruit."
"It's not that I don't know the basics..." Yamato said helplessly, half laughing, half crying. "But why did this Devil Fruit have to attach itself to a durian!?"
As she spoke, Yamato brought forward the oddly shaped fruit in her hands.
Though its form had become abstract and its color now shimmered with a swirl of hues, it still faintly resembled a durian.
"Uh... that's... kind of incredible, actually..."
Michael took the fruit in mild surprise and weighed it in his hand.
The shell was still hard!
Normally, Devil Fruits could be eaten whole, though they retained some characteristics of the fruit they had merged with.
For example, a Devil Fruit that merged with a banana had to be peeled first.
And this one—there was no doubt—would need to be cracked open.
But still...
"This Devil Fruit... why does it look so familiar?" Michael frowned, then noticed the stem—it had two small, swirling spiral patterns...
He recalled the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia in his mind.
The type of fruit might change, but the stem pattern always remained the same.
After a quick search through his memory, Michael's eyes flew open wide in shock.
"This is..."
"The Float-Float Fruit!"
At Michael's words, both Yamato and Jack's attention snapped to him.
The Float-Float Fruit!
They had just witnessed the battle between its previous user and Michael—a short but earth-shaking clash.
Now, as they looked at the fruit, their gazes grew solemn.
Jack even swallowed nervously.
"Jack, that look on your face... don't tell me you're thinking about the Float-Float Fruit?" Michael frowned. "Don't forget—you've already eaten a Devil Fruit! If you eat another, it's no different from suicide."
"Of course I know that!" Jack sighed. "I just reacted subconsciously when I saw the durian, that's all."
"What, you like eating this thing?"
"It's... okay, I guess." Jack nodded, his eyes drifting in recollection. "Not exactly tasty, and it scratches the throat..."
"Scratches the throat?"
Michael and Yamato exchanged a look, both puzzled.
"Wait, how could it scratch your throat... hold on, you didn't eat it without opening the shell, did you? You're supposed to eat the pulp inside!"
"Don't try to trick me! I'm not that dumb—I'd never fall for that!"
Jack pointed confidently at the Float-Float Fruit merged with the durian.
"The inside of a durian smells awful anyway!"
...
"Hey! Teach! Come take a look at this!"
Out on the seas of the New World, the 4th Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, Thatch, burst into the room of 2nd Division member "Blackbeard" Marshall D. Teach, holding a light-purple Devil Fruit in his hands.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Thatch! Even if you're the 4th Division Captain, don't just barge in like that!" Blackbeard sat up from his bed with a sigh. "What happened this time? Don't tell me you found some legendary treasure and came to share it with me?"
"This is worth more than any treasure!"
Thatch spread his arms excitedly, revealing the light-purple fruit.
Teach's sleepy eyes widened bit by bit.
Light-purple, shaped like a pineapple, with spiral patterns across its surface...
This was exactly like the Dark-Dark Fruit he had seen in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia!
Which meant...
Thatch had found the most powerful Logia he'd ever dreamed of possessing!
As the realization hit, Teach's breathing grew heavier.
But the momentary loss of composure was quickly crushed beneath his control.
He instead put on an eager grin and "sincerely" congratulated his "good friend."
"This is the Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit! We actually found it!"
"Hahaha! Yeah! We captured a bunch of desperate pirates during a patrol near the border, and this was confiscated from them!" Thatch's voice was filled with joy. "This is amazing—with this, we can help Pops even more, and create the ideal world he dreamed of!"
Blackbeard smiled warmly on the surface, but deep down, he sneered.
As a true villain, he had long grown disgusted with what the Whitebeard Pirates had become.
Especially since Whitebeard had appointed that foolish genetic clone as the new 2nd Division Captain!
A family-happy ending? Sickening.
He could endure it—barely.
But the Dark-Dark Fruit in Thatch's hands was the final straw crushing what little restraint remained.
That fruit was his life's ambition.
And at that moment, every vile impulse he had burst free.
Marshall D. Teach was no longer the same man—he was becoming Blackbeard.
"Thatch, I'm really touched that you came to share this with me first," Teach said with a smile, patting his friend's shoulder. "But don't you think Pops should hear about this before anyone else?"
"You're right! This is a huge discovery!"
Thatch nodded eagerly, too excited to notice the murderous light already flickering in Blackbeard's eyes.
Then...
The moment he turned around, a massive arm coated in pitch-black Armament Haki punched straight through his back, piercing his heart.
For an instant, Thatch didn't even feel pain—just numb disbelief.
But when he turned and saw Teach's twisted, grinning face, agony erupted through him.
"Te... Teach!"
"Don't blame me, Thatch. Blame your luck—it's just too good. You actually found the Dark-Dark Fruit..." Teach sighed as if regretful and took the fruit from Thatch's hand. "If you'd eaten it right away, I wouldn't have had the heart to do this. I'd have stayed your best friend forever... But instead, you brought it straight to me. So... sorry, pal."
"You... what are you..." Thatch could barely speak as his life drained away.
But Teach understood exactly what he wanted to ask.
He leaned down, his grin stretching wider.
"Marshall D. Teach will always be your dear friend."
"But me..."
"I am Blackbeard!"
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Fanfic is finished. 583 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg