"Oh? So there's another reason?"
Lafitte narrowed his eyes, studying Teach's rough yet unhurried face. Curiosity stirred in him despite himself.
What could possibly make a man with ambitions that reached the heavens act this cautious?
"If it were only Pops, we wouldn't need to be this careful. The real key is…"
Teach trailed off midway. A few beads of cold sweat formed on his vicious face, yet his tone remained stubbornly hard.
"This Yami Yami no Mi of mine, the fruit that can restrain all Devil Fruits, the one called the most evil of them all…"
"It can be said I took it from that man without permission."
"That man?"
Lafitte's expression sharpened immediately.
Teach spoke title after title, and with each one, Lafitte's calm cracked. The shock in his eyes was impossible to suppress.
Van Augur, too, widened his eyes, staring at Teach as if he'd just heard something unreal.
"The former Black Emperor."
"The master behind the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"The king who suppressed an entire era."
"Black Spear, Dotor Ozz."
The moment the name was spoken, Lafitte could not sit still. He nearly turned around and walked out on the spot.
You have to be kidding.
Offending Whitebeard was one thing. The old man was a remnant of a previous era. His time had passed.
But offending Black Spear?
Even Lafitte, who'd lived in the West Blue, knew exactly what that name meant.
Van Augur, on the other hand, looked more excited than frightened.
That sensation was not far from how Zoro looked the first time he saw Mihawk.
Because Black Spear was the peak of all snipers in the world.
"But you don't need to worry…"
Seeing Lafitte waver, Teach quickly explained.
"This was something he promised to give me anyway. I just took it a little early, that's all."
"As long as we don't run head first into that monster."
Lafitte sipped his coffee. With that explanation, he barely steadied himself. Then a cruel smile surfaced.
"Still… if your plan succeeds, Captain…"
"If the Blackbeard Pirates expand until we reach that man's level, it isn't impossible."
"Zehahahaha! Of course it isn't!"
After that, Teach and the others stopped dwelling on it and turned their attention to something else.
"Captain, are we really going to invite that guy?"
Van Augur's gaze slid toward the window, sharp with a sniper's instinct, locking onto the man outside with twin axes hanging at his waist.
"Yeah… he really does look like him."
Teach's mouth curled into an ambitious grin.
He wasn't impressed by just anyone. The person had to match his ambition.
And this man, who resembled someone Teach had once encountered, the Pirate King Roger's right hand man, Scopper Gaban…
Was exactly the kind of person Teach picked at first sight.
Strong people shared similarities.
Ace, Shanks, Tesoro. Their younger faces all had a strange overlap.
And that aura unique to true power was not something an ordinary nobody could fake.
That man was born to be his right hand.
"But… he's the one who escaped Admiral Kizaru."
"How are you so sure you can recruit him?"
Van Augur admitted Teach was strong, but the intelligence on "Hades" made it clear he wasn't weak either.
This would not be easy.
"Zehahahaha… if I can say it with this much confidence, then I've got a reason he can't refuse."
"Just watch."
Teach moved without hesitation, heading straight out.
And Hades, meaning Ozz, with Observation Haki maxed out…
Noticed him the instant he approached.
I haven't even come to find you yet, and you come running out on your own?
Interesting.
Ozz had originally planned to beat Teach up using his alt identity. Teach had broken the deal, snatching the fruit before the time.
And honestly, Ozz was bored out of his mind. This would also help his "Hades" identity build reputation.
But Teach's prepared manner made Ozz's instincts rise.
Could it be…
"Zehahahaha…"
"Hades, I've heard your name. A strong man with Conqueror's Haki."
"My name is Teach. Join my crew."
"I promise you the position of vice captain of the Blackbeard Pirates!"
"…?"
That actually stunned Ozz.
He'd only opened a small identity to wander around for fun. His main identity would show up later for the big scenes.
And now someone was recruiting him?
But Ozz's nature was playful. He loved games, and sometimes he loved acting even more.
"Teach? Never even heard of you."
"The only man I would ever serve…"
"Is the man who can become the king of the world!"
Hades gave the perfect reaction a proud newcomer, or an ideal right hand man, should have.
He acted as if he didn't recognize Teach at all. His attitude was arrogant and untamed.
"Zehahaha… doesn't matter. You'll hear of me sooner or later."
"But before you refuse, you should listen to my terms."
"Terms?"
Hades's eyes flickered. He already guessed what was coming, but he played along.
"Captain, he hasn't agreed to join yet. Are you really going to tell him?"
Lafitte could not help doubting. Even Van Augur frowned slightly.
But Ozz's presence, even with a disguise, was still top tier on the sea. The kind that pulled strong people in like gravity.
He was the sort of man who could talk his way into Roger's crew in a few sentences.
The strong, whether old or young, almost all acknowledged him.
"It's fine."
Teach was confident. Even if Hades knew, it would not ruin anything.
After all, there were countless powerful Devil Fruits in this world.
He stepped closer, looking straight at the man with the perfect aura and presence of a top tier fighter. Teach grinned.
"Do you know why Lafitte and Van Augur would join me, a man with no fame?"
"Zehahaha…"
"It's because I'm the only man in the world…"
"Who has mastered a perfect method of transplanting Devil Fruit abilities!"
"The only one?"
"That's right!"
Teach's smile grew even more confident.
"Even the greatest scientist, Vegapunk, and even Black Spear, the man who suppressed an era…"
"What they know is only the castrated version of the secret I deliberately let them learn!"
"…?"
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