Chapter 265: The Dark-Dark Fruit Surfaces—Teach's Ambition!
By 1517 of the Sea Circle Calendar, the balance of power in the New World had begun to stabilize.
With its ever-growing strength, the Marines had tightened their grip on the entry points to the New World, restricting the movement and influence of pirates.
Meanwhile, Kaido had officially cemented himself as the second Emperor of the Sea, following Whitebeard.
Last year, Shanks had clashed with Kaido in battle. Though no definitive victor emerged, the sheer scale of their fight had propelled Shanks into the ranks of the Emperors, securing his position as the third great power of the New World.
Thus, the "Three Emperors" were established, each commanding a massive territory and consolidating power over what remained of the pirate factions in the region.
As a result, the once-chaotic New World began to settle into a more structured and predictable era.
With the Three Emperors, the Marines, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a delicate triangular balance had emerged, leaving the rest of the pirate world relegated to second-rate players.
However, not everyone was pleased with this newfound stability.
Claudius, for one, was unimpressed.
A chaotic world was far more useful to him—after all, disorder created opportunity.
But at present, no ideal chance had presented itself to disrupt the balance, so he continued to watch and wait from the shadows.
---
Meanwhile, in the New World, aboard Enel's airborne ship, the self-proclaimed Thunder God listened to a report from one of his subordinates.
"Lord Enel, the intel is solid! This information is confirmed!" the pirate reported excitedly.
Enel stroked his chin, scanning the document in his hands before a wicked grin spread across his face.
"A Logia-type Devil Fruit?" he mused, the corners of his lips curling upward. "Good. You've done well. Go claim your reward."
Despite being a Warlord of the Sea, Enel remained dissatisfied with his current status. His own Thunder-Thunder Fruit had granted him immense strength, but he had made little effort to develop an actual pirate fleet or organization.
Ever since the Gold Gold Fruit mishap from a few years ago, Enel had developed a particular interest in rare Devil Fruits.
Not for himself, he had no intention of eating another fruit but rather, as offerings to Claudius.
Enel admired and respected Claudius deeply, even to the point of idolization.
Having noticed that Claudius enjoyed collecting unusual and powerful things, Enel had taken it upon himself to seek out rare Devil Fruits and gift them to his superior.
As a result, his crew had expanded their intelligence network, gathering all sorts of information on Devil Fruit sightings.
Over the past few years, Enel had personally gifted Claudius several interesting fruits, all of which had ultimately been handed over to CP-X, serving as rewards for elite agents.
Now, another opportunity had arisen—the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Flipping through the information in his hands, Enel studied the details of this new Devil Fruit.
Its description was intriguing.
While it was classified as a Logia, its ability set differed significantly from typical elemental fruits. The most notable claim was that it could "nullify" other Devil Fruit abilities.
Of course, Enel himself wielded one of the most powerful Logia abilities in existence, his Thunder-Thunder Fruit was often referred to as "invincible."
So while the Dark-Dark Fruit seemed powerful, Enel wasn't particularly impressed.
"A decent find, at least," he muttered. "Might as well grab it for Claudius."
He glanced down at the next section of the report.
Apparently, the Dark-Dark Fruit had fallen into the hands of a relatively unknown pirate, someone too weak to appreciate its true value.
Rather than consuming it, this pirate had decided to sell it off, hoping to make a fortune and retire from piracy altogether.
To that end, he had listed the fruit for sale in the underworld, though not through Doflamingo's network.
Doflamingo's Devil Fruit business had taken a hit ever since the Mignon Island incident, where a 5-billion-beri deal had collapsed spectacularly.
Though Doflamingo himself didn't care, the incident had slightly tarnished his reputation as the go-to middleman for Devil Fruits.
As a result, other brokers in the underworld had stepped in to fill the gap.
The seller had priced the Dark-Dark Fruit at 1.2 billion berry, believing it to be just another high-value commodity.
However, he had made a grave mistake.
He had underestimated the significance of what he possessed and, more importantly, who might be after it.
---
Elsewhere in the New World, aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' second division ship, a certain Marshall D. Teach sat with the exact same report in his hands.
His eyes gleamed with anticipation, and a sinister grin spread across his face.
"Zehahahahaha…" Teach laughed under his breath, gripping the paper tightly.
The Whitebeard Pirates' second division was a unique one—it had no designated commander, with figures like Marco and Joz stepping in as needed.
Teach himself was one of the longest-serving members of the crew.
He had been aboard Whitebeard's ship for nearly two decades, even before Gol D. Roger's death.
And in all that time, he had never once betrayed his crewmates.
He was deeply trusted by Whitebeard's "sons."
Figures like Marco and Joz didn't see him as just another crew member by all logic, Teach had the qualifications and experience to become the captain of the second division.
Yet, he had always refused the position.
Because everything he did was a gamble.
---
Ever since childhood, Teach had been obsessed with one thing, the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Having studied the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia at a young age, he had discovered its description and become utterly fixated on it.
Because Teach had a secret.
His body was… different.
Though he had never tested it, he believed there was a possibility that he could wield two Devil Fruit abilities at once.
Of course, this was a gamble with his life.
But Teach didn't care, because he had already bet everything on obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit.
That was the only reason he had joined Whitebeard's crew in the first place.
If the world's strongest man couldn't obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, then who could?
Yet, for decades, there had been no trace of it.
He had almost given up, resigning himself to his comfortable life aboard Whitebeard's ship.
He had even considered finally accepting the position of division commander.
But then—fate had answered his call.
The Dark-Dark Fruit had surfaced.
And it had fallen into the hands of an absolute fool.
Teach grinned.
With the power of the Whitebeard Pirates behind him, securing the fruit would be child's play.
And once he had it…
His true ambitions would finally begin.
---
Not far away, Marco noticed Teach's unusual excitement.
"Teach, what's so funny?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow.
They were in the middle of a banquet, surrounded by crewmates.
Teach quickly masked his expression, flashing a wide, innocent smile.
"Marco, I think I just found my treasure!" he declared.
Marco laughed. "Oh yeah? What is it?"
Teach's grin widened.
***
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He had no doubt, the crew would help him get the fruit.
And once he had it…
Marshall D. Teach would cease to exist.
In his place, "Blackbeard" would rise.
"Zehahahahaha…"