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Chapter 274: Hard to Hide the Edge! Teach Pushed to the Forefront
Following the direction of Shanks' finger, the eyes of everyone in the audience turned in unison.
Even the fat man currently burying his face in a cherry pie had to stiffly lift his head. He blinked his eyes in confusion, a ring of red cherry jam still hanging around his mouth, making him look rather comical.
Marshall D. Teach.
Known to the future world as "Blackbeard"!
But at this moment, he was just an unknown veteran crew member of the Whitebeard Pirates. A fat man who looked honest and simple, with no redeeming qualities other than his ability to eat.
"Zehahahaha..."
Teach let out a signature laugh. He wiped the jam from the corner of his mouth haphazardly with the back of his hand and pointed at his own nose with a look of innocence.
"Me?"
"Red Hair, did you drink too much and point at the wrong person?"
"I'm just an ordinary old crewmate."
"How could a small fry like me have a turn in a big scene of fighting and killing like this?"
Although he was smiling on the surface, thousands of alpacas were stampeding wildly in Teach's heart!
Fuck!
Red Hair, you old schemer!
Did I dig up your ancestral grave? Or did I steal your wife? I've been hiding so well, wishing I could shrink into a crack in the ground! Why the hell do you insist on drawing the fire to me?!
Teach's fist, hidden inside his sleeve, clenched tightly. His fingernails dug into his flesh!
His greatest dream in this life was to lie low! To lie low until the day he obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit! Before that, he had to act like a grandson, act like a piece of trash, act harmless to humans and animals!
Even in the face of the temptation of this bullshit "Otherworld Dungeon," he forced himself not to show too much greed.
Because he knew. That old monster Whitebeard wasn't dead yet! And this shrewd ghost Red Hair was staring at him too! If he revealed even a shred of ambition or strength, his years of endurance would all be in vain!
But now!
This bastard Red Hair actually put him on the roasting rack in front of so many people!
"Ordinary old crewmate?"
A teasing smile played on the corner of Shanks' mouth. He shook the bottle in his hand, but his eyes revealed a sharpness that saw through everything.
"Teach."
"Being overly humble is just being hypocritical."
"If we don't count you in..."
"This sea would be missing a lot of fun."
Shanks turned his head to look at a suspicious Gion. His tone became slightly more serious.
"Beautiful Vice Admiral."
"Don't look at this guy just because he looks like a ball of meat."
"If he really starts fighting..."
"Let me think..."
Shanks touched the three scars at the corner of his eye, which, though healed, still looked ferocious.
Although he didn't say it explicitly, this single action spoke louder than a thousand words!
Gion's pupils contracted violently! As a high-ranking officer of the Marine Headquarters, she naturally knew the origin of the scars on Red Hair's eye! Those were marks left by some kind of sharp weapon!
And, it was said that they were left before Red Hair became one of the Four Emperors!
The person who could injure Red-Haired Shanks... was actually this fat man who looked as stupid as a pig?!
"I don't believe it."
Gion spat out three cold words. She looked Teach up and down. Loose belly, missing teeth, sloppy attire. And that nauseatingly sweet smell of cherry pie.
No matter how she looked at it, this didn't look like a powerhouse who could injure an Emperor! Let alone some master hiding his light under a bushel!
"Red Hair."
"Are you trying to humiliate me?"
Gion slightly adjusted the direction of Konpira in her hand. Although she didn't point it directly at Teach, the chilling sword intent had already faintly locked onto him.
"Finding some random small fry to fool me."
"Is this your pirate 'recommendation'?"
Hearing the words "small fry," Teach's heart didn't feel angry; instead, it blossomed with joy!
Yes! That's right! I'm a small fry! I'm trash! Beauty, you have great eyes! Please, just treat me like a fart and let me go!
Teach was just about to go along with Gion's words and roast himself a bit more to muddle through this.
However, before he could open his mouth, his "good brothers" beside him quit first!
"Hey, hey, hey! Beautiful Vice Admiral!"
4th Division Commander Thatch—the unlucky guy who would later be killed by Teach—stepped forward with a look of dissatisfaction. He wrapped an arm around Teach's fleshy shoulder, shouting protectively like a mother hen.
"Watch your mouth!"
"What do you mean 'small fry'?"
"Teach is one of the most senior veterans of our Whitebeard Pirates!"
"He's been on the Moby Dick longer than I have!"
"Although this guy is usually a bit lazy, a bit gluttonous, and a bit ugly..."
Teach: "..."
Thatch, can you shut the fuck up? Are you praising me or roasting me?
"But!"
Thatch changed the subject, a smile of trust appearing on his face.
"Just as Red Hair said."
"Teach's strength is actually quite reliable!"
"Since an Emperor has called you out by name..."
"Teach!"
Thatch slapped Teach's back hard, making his fat tremble.
"Be a man and don't chicken out!"
"Go!"
"Show this haughty Marine beauty a thing or two!"
"Let her know that in our Whitebeard Pirates, even an 'ordinary crewmate' isn't someone to be trifled with!"
With Thatch instigating, the other Whitebeard Pirates around them also started clamoring.
"That's right, Teach! Go get 'em!"
"Don't embarrass Pops!"
"Ohhhhh!!!!"
"Teach! Teach! Teach!"
"Go! Let the Marines see the backbone of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Show that beautiful Vice Admiral some color!"
The cheering erupted like a tsunami!
In this moment, Marshall D. Teach, who was originally just invisible, instantly became the focus of everyone's attention! Even those who were originally watching the battle between Doberman and Yasopp couldn't help but cast their gazes over.
There was no helping it; the commotion here was simply too loud!
Led by 4th Division Commander Thatch, hundreds of pirates were screaming support for Teach as if they were on stimulants.
The posture suggested Teach wasn't going out to get beaten up, but going out to compete for the title of Pirate King!
However, Teach, standing in the eye of the storm, was mentally collapsing.
He greeted eighteen generations of Thatch's ancestors in his heart!
Damn you, Thatch! Is your brain filled with breadcrumbs?! What grudge do I have with you? Why are you screwing me like this?!
And that Red Hair!
Teach stole a glance at Shanks not far away. He saw the one-armed bastard holding a bottle, smiling brilliantly. That single eye was full of mockery and the look of someone watching a good show.
He even raised the bottle at Teach.
As if saying:
"Please, begin your performance."
═════ To Be Continued ═════
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