What kind of gaze was that?
The man couldn't describe it. All he knew was that under such a gaze, he felt like a lamb being watched by a predator—no will to resist, no strength to run.
"Tell me where Harles is. I'll help you take back what's yours," growled Marshall D. Teach.
"Th-the harbor! He's at the harbor! He hired a bunch of thugs to keep me away while he sells the fruit!"
Teach let out a low chuckle, dropped the man, and turned toward his half-drunk crewmates.
"Hey, Captain Portgas D. Ace, I'm stepping out to buy something. I'll be back soon!"
Ace waved lazily, barely looking up. "Yeah, yeah. Be quick."
Teach bolted out of the tavern, heart pounding.
"It has to be it… it has to be the Dark-Dark Fruit! Zehahaha… it has to be!!!"
Twenty-eight years. Twenty-eight years waiting for this one Devil Fruit. The shape and description were burned into his mind. There was no mistaking it.
He raced toward the harbor.
An Unexpected Encounter
But when Teach arrived, he stopped dead in his tracks.
The docks were almost empty. Only a few scattered laborers were working. No shady dealers. No heavily guarded cargo.
Something wasn't right.
"Marshall D. Teach… right?"
Teach's body went rigid. Instantly, his claws shot out, poisoned blades glinting as he slashed behind him.
The next second—
His arm froze mid-swing. It felt like it was caught in a vice.
"Easy," a calm voice said. "I'm just here to discuss who the Dark-Dark Fruit belongs to."
Teach turned sharply, eyes narrowed at the cloaked stranger before him.
"You… have it?"
"I do. If you want it, follow me."
The stranger turned and leapt away across the rooftops.
Teach gritted his teeth.
Even if it was a trap… he couldn't walk away.
The Offer
Deep in the forest, the cloaked man stopped.
"No one around. Here—this is what you want, right?"
He revealed the fruit.
Under the moonlight, the twisted, purple, spiral-patterned fruit gleamed.
Teach's breath hitched. His pupils shrank.
The real thing.
The real Dark-Dark Fruit.
"GIVE IT TO ME!!!"
He lunged like a wild animal.
But before his fingers could close around it—
A brutal impact smashed into his abdomen.
Pain exploded through his body. He was launched backward and crashed into the ground.
"I told you to calm down," said the man—none other than Karl.
"Listen this time. Can you do that?"
Teach clutched his stomach, nodding quickly. That kick had told him everything—he was completely outclassed.
He forced himself to stay calm… but his eyes never left the fruit.
How did this man know?
How did he know about the dream Teach had buried for over two decades?
Had he seen the future?
"You want this fruit?" Karl asked.
"Zehahaha… yes. Give it to me, and I'll trade anything for it!"
Karl smiled faintly. "Good. Because I want a few lives in return."
Teach's eyes flickered. "Whose?"
"The lives of men from the Whitebeard Pirates."
Teach sucked in a sharp breath. Killing crewmates was the ultimate taboo aboard the Whitebeard crew. It meant eternal betrayal.
But he'd already decided to betray them long ago.
"Fine," he said. "Who do you want dead?"
"Rakuyo. Whitey Bay. Thatch."
Three heavy names.
Rakuyo—the Seventh Division Commander, a veteran with deep ties to Whitebeard.
Whitey Bay—the "Ice Witch," a seasoned ally of the crew.
Thatch—the Fourth Division Commander, close to Ace and well-liked by the crew.
If those three died… the Whitebeard Pirates would descend into chaos.
Teach broke into a dark grin.
"So if I kill them, the fruit is mine?"
Karl tossed him a secure Den Den Mushi.
"Call me with this when it's done. You have one month. And remember—tell no one about this. If word gets out… the fruit vanishes forever. I promise you, I can make that happen."
With that, Karl disappeared into the night.
Teach stood there for a long time, staring at the Den Den Mushi.
Then he returned to the tavern.
"Teach! You finally came back!" Ace laughed. "Where'd you run off to?"
Teach rubbed the back of his head with a goofy grin.
"Ah… something I ate wrecked my stomach!"
The crew burst out laughing.
"Then drink up! Whoever passes out first is the loser!"
"Zehahaha! Bring it on!!!"
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