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Chapter 266: A Destined Stare, Red Hair's Killing Intent, and Whitebeard's Haki
While Blackbeard was immersed in the grandiose blueprint of his own ambition, a gaze, sharp as a sword, pierced him with terrifying precision!
Blackbeard's heart skipped a beat. The smile on his face froze instantly.
He raised his head with difficulty and followed the line of sight. Not far away, the red-haired man was staring at him unblinkingly.
That gaze was calm and profound, yet it held a sharpness that seemed capable of penetrating his very soul!
The muscles on Blackbeard's face twitched uncontrollably. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
Dammit!
Why are you looking at me?!
Blackbeard roared internally.
I've hidden myself so well! I'm keeping such a low profile!
There are hundreds of people here, so many powerhouses! So many Commanders! Why the hell are you staring only at me?!
I'm just an ordinary, unremarkable crew member! Look at Marco! Look at Jozu! Look at that guy Katakuri! Don't look at me!
If you keep looking at me, how am I supposed to play the long game?! How am I supposed to stab people in the back?!
Blackbeard felt like he was going insane. All his plans, all his camouflage, seemed to turn into a joke in this moment. Under Red-Haired Shanks' all-seeing gaze, he felt like a clown stripped naked, all his dark ambitions exposed to the sunlight.
"Teach?"
Beside him, the 4th Division Commander, Thatch, seemed to notice his strange behavior and asked curiously, "What's wrong? You look terrible."
"Ah? Do... do I?"
Blackbeard snapped back to reality. He hurriedly squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying and scratched his messy hair with his rough, large hand.
"Zehahaha... It's nothing, nothing!"
"I was just scared by Lord Red Hair's aura! As expected of an Emperor who rules the New World!"
Thatch noticed Teach's stiff body and the cold sweat seeping from his forehead. He followed Teach's terrified gaze, and his brows knitted tightly together.
Red-Haired Shanks!
That man was staring dead at Teach with an unprecedentedly cold and sharp look. It was filled with undisguised disgust and killing intent!
Thatch's anger flared up instantly!
Teach was his friend, and more importantly, a family member of the Whitebeard Pirates!
Who do you think you are, Red Hair? What gives you the right to look at my brother like that?
"Hey!"
Thatch suddenly stepped forward, completely shielding the trembling Teach behind him. His face, usually wearing a bright and hearty smile, was now covered in frost.
He stared straight at Shanks in the distance. His voice wasn't loud, but like a thunderclap, it detonated in the solidified air!
"Red-Haired brat!"
"Why the hell are you staring at my crewmate like that? You looking for a fight?!"
Boom!
One sentence stirred the winds and clouds!
The atmosphere in the entire plaza instantly plunged from a freezing point into the abyss! Everyone's eyes focused on Thatch and Shanks.
A Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates had publicly questioned the "Red Hair" Emperor!
What audacity! What... madness!
Marco and Jozu's expressions changed instantly, but they didn't stop him. Because what Thatch said was exactly what they wanted to say!
Family was the untouchable reverse scale of the Whitebeard Pirates!
Shanks' gaze finally moved slowly away from Blackbeard and landed on Thatch's face. His eyes remained calm, but beneath that calmness surged a heart-palpitating undercurrent.
After Thatch's roar, the air seemed to be sucked dry.
Dead silence!
You could hear a pin drop in the plaza. Everyone's breathing stagnated. This was no longer just a matter of courage; Thatch was using his life to defend the dignity of his family!
"Thatch!"
Marco's face turned grave. He subconsciously took a step forward, the blue flames of the Phoenix flickering on his arms.
Diamond Jozu transformed his arms into brilliant diamond. His massive body, like a mountain, blocked the path in front of Thatch and Teach.
The Whitebeard Pirates stood united! An insult to one was an enemy to all!
On the other side, the Red Hair Pirates were not to be trifled with either.
"Oi, oi, are you kidding me?"
Yasopp whistled, his hand already resting on the pistol at his waist. "Haven't seen anyone dare to talk to our Captain like that in a long time."
Lucky Roux stopped gnawing on his chicken leg, dangerous light flickering in his small eyes.
Swords drawn, bows bent!
A clash of Emperors, enough to overturn the structure of the New World, seemed ready to detonate in this small Foosha Village plaza at any second!
However, as the center of the storm, Red-Haired Shanks showed no change in expression. His gaze didn't even stay on the angry Thatch for more than a second.
Instead, it bypassed him, locking once again onto the black, fat man who was stiff all over and sweating profusely.
Marshall D. Teach!
Shanks' eyes became colder, sharper! That undisguised killing intent almost materialized, distorting the surrounding air!
"Captain."
Just then, a hand holding a cigar pressed lightly on Shanks' shoulder.
Benn Beckman. The Vice-Captain of the Red Hair Pirates, the "brain" of the crew, walked slowly to Shanks' side. His eyes were calm as water as he glanced lightly at the formidable Whitebeard Pirates opposite them, then turned his gaze to the unassuming tavern in the center of the plaza.
"This is that gentleman's territory."
Beckman's voice was soft, yet it carried an unquestionable coolness.
"Don't forget the rules."
Two simple sentences, like a bucket of cold water, instantly doused the powder keg that was about to explode.
Rules!
The rules of Foosha Village!
No fighting allowed!
The killing intent in Shanks' eyes receded like the tide. He fell silent for a moment. Then, that serious face melted like thawing ice, instantly blooming into an incredibly bright and refreshing smile.
"Hahahaha!"
"Sorry, sorry!"
Shanks scratched his signature red hair and waved his hand at the guarded Whitebeard Pirates, a hint of apology on his face.
"I was rude."
"I just saw an 'old friend' and got a little emotional for a moment. No ill will intended."
He laughed so freely, so heroically. It was as if the killing intent that nearly froze everyone's souls just a moment ago was merely an illusion.
This sudden shift left everyone stunned. Even Thatch didn't know how to respond for a moment.
You call that 'emotional'? That look clearly said you wanted to skin our Teach alive!
Blackbeard's heart was still drumming wildly. He stiffly twitched the corners of his mouth, squeezing out a smile.
"Zehahaha... That's right, that's right..."
"Lord Red Hair must be joking. How could a small character like me be an old friend of yours..."
He tried desperately to appear harmless and simple, but his trembling body and unstoppable cold sweat completely betrayed his inner terror.
"Gurararara..."
At that moment, Whitebeard's signature laugh echoed through the plaza. His mountain-like body moved forward slowly, and his invisible Haki instantly smoothed out the tension in the air.
"Red-Haired brat, that killing intent of yours didn't look like meeting an old friend."
Whitebeard's gaze swept back and forth between Shanks and Teach, his eyes deep, as if he had seen through everything.
"The family on my ship isn't for you to scare."
"If my foolish son has offended you in any way, you can say it directly."
"I, Newgate, will take it on!"
As his voice fell, an aura of supreme ruler descended with a boom!
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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