Chapter 281: Blackbeard – Is Knocking Also Addictive?

The Holy Land, Mariejois.

The sun shone brightly over the pristine city, casting its golden glow upon the sacred grounds. Everything seemed as tranquil and routine as ever.

However, deep within one of the grand palaces, the figure of Marshall D. Teach stood outside a lavish courtyard. He appeared somewhat anxious, shifting uneasily as if nervous but anyone who truly knew him would recognize that this was all an act. Unfortunately, no one here could see through his performance.

Back when he was aboard the Prometheus, Teach had thought he had witnessed true luxury. But stepping into Claudius' palace made him realize he had been a frog at the bottom of a well, this was opulence beyond his wildest imagination.

On the way here, he had seen enough to understand the sheer magnitude of Claudius' power, and what shocked him even more was the manner of his escort. The one sent to pick him up at the port wasn't a knight or a noble retainer just a maid. But this maid walked through Mariejois as if she owned the place.

They had encountered two different groups of Celestial Dragons on the way. Teach had seen them from afar and, out of instinct, had already prepared to abandon his dignity and grovel before them.

Yet, much to his surprise, the maid leading him didn't even slow down.

The scene that unfolded was completely beyond Teach's expectations. He had assumed that even as a servant of Claudius, the maid would still show deference to the Celestial Dragons. But no—the woman, named Nia, walked forward arrogantly, not even bothering to acknowledge their presence.

Teach had braced himself for a confrontation. After all, a mere maid ignoring the Celestial Dragons? That was a death sentence.

And yet, to his utter shock, the two Celestial Dragons reacted as if they had just seen a ghost. Instead of expressing outrage, they stepped aside, avoiding her gaze entirely, as if she were the true aristocrat and they were the untouchables.

At that moment, Teach became even more convinced, he had truly latched onto an untouchable golden thigh. One thicker than he could have ever dreamed of.

A vague memory from years ago surfaced in his mind…

"Wait a minute… Mariejois' Demon King…"

Teach's eyes gleamed as he finally pieced it together.

"So, His Highness Claudius is really a force to be reckoned with in Mariejois." He muttered under his breath.

And it was true.

As Claudius' influence grew, even the Five Elders had begun to rely on him more and more. His power had reached such heights that most of the Celestial Dragons no longer dared to provoke him many even carried a deep-seated fear of him.

There had been those who tried, of course. Some Celestial Dragons thought that while they couldn't touch Claudius directly, they could at least bully his subordinates.

One particular fool had tested this theory when Claudius was away from Mariejois. The target? None other than his head maid, Nia.

The result? Nia suffered some humiliation, taking a few slaps to the face.

But when Claudius returned and heard about it…

He stormed into that Celestial Dragon's estate and, without hesitation, beat the entire family men, women, children, elderly, into hospital beds for over four months.

The Five Elders? They merely fined him a few hundred million Berries and called it a day.

From that moment on, no one in Mariejois dared to challenge Claudius again. Even his servants, including Nia, were now untouchable.

Of course, to the outside world, these incidents were hushed up, considered "internal scandals" among the Celestial Dragons. Teach had no way of knowing the full story.

All he could tell was that Claudius stood in an entirely different league from the rest of the Celestial Dragons. Those so-called "gods" seemed to treat him as something far more terrifying almost as if they had encountered a demon.

Just as Teach was processing all of this, a small maid approached him. Her posture was haughty, her tone indifferent.

"Teach, right? His Highness Claudius has summoned you. You may enter."

Despite her arrogance, Teach didn't take offense. Instead, he smiled, bowing slightly as he spoke in a flattering tone, "Thank you, my beautiful lady. Would you kindly lead the way?"

The maid seemed pleased with his attitude. Her air of superiority softened slightly as she nodded with a small smile. "You're quite polite. Follow me."

Teach followed her into the courtyard, where he spotted Claudius in the distance. The man was sitting leisurely by the edge of a pristine pool, a fishing rod in hand, seemingly lost in the simple pleasure of fishing.

But Teach's attention wasn't on Claudius, it was on Nia. More specifically, on the small box she held in her hands.

His breath hitched slightly.

"That box… It has to be the reward for my mission, right?"

Teach had done what Claudius asked. He had taken care of the problem. Now, was this the moment? Was his prize inside that box?

His heart pounded.

"The Dark-Dark Fruit…"

Suppressing his excitement, he swallowed hard, forcing himself to remain calm and composed.

The maid led Teach to Claudius and spoke softly, "Your Highness, Teach has arrived."

Claudius didn't even glance back. He simply nodded absently, his focus still on his fishing rod.

"Mm."

The maid, sensing she was no longer needed, bowed and quickly retreated.

Teach took a deep breath before stepping forward. Then, without hesitation, he dropped to his knees and bowed deeply, pressing his forehead to the ground.

The sound of his forehead knocking against the floor echoed through the courtyard.

Though Claudius still didn't turn around, he heard the knock and smirked inwardly.

"This guy really knows how to play the game."

"Rise." Claudius said casually.

Teach obeyed, but as he got up, he couldn't help but notice something different this time.

The last time he had prostrated himself before Claudius, the man had barely acknowledged his existence, too absorbed in his book to even glance at him.

This time, though Claudius was fishing, he at least responded.

"Does this mean he's starting to value me more?"

Teach felt a strange sense of excitement at the thought.

Then he froze.

"Wait… Am I… getting addicted to knocking my head on the ground? What the hell is wrong with me?"

Claudius, of course, had no idea what was running through Teach's mind. Nor did he know that Teach had nearly died at the hands of Moria during his mission.

"Your Highness," Teach said, keeping his voice steady, "thank you for your generosity."

Claudius still didn't reply. He simply reeled in his fishing rod, pulling a flailing fish out of the water.

Teach's eyes gleamed.

"Your Highness, impressive technique!" he praised shamelessly.

Feeling that wasn't enough, he quickly stepped forward, plucked the fish off the hook, and held it up respectfully as if presenting some rare treasure.

Claudius chuckled. "You're quite something, Teach. Here, the fish is yours."

Teach acted as if he had just received the greatest gift in the world. "Thank you, Your Highness! I swear, I'll savor every bite, without leaving a single bone behind!"

Claudius laughed, shaking his head.

Setting his fishing rod aside, he took a sip of tea before finally speaking.

"You did well this time," he said. "Moria has been locked away in Impel Down. No one will hear from him again. From now on, he'll simply be considered another casualty of the Devil's Triangle."

Teach bowed his head. "Yes, Your Highness. I will follow your will."

"You've proven your worth." Claudius smiled faintly. "And I appreciate valuable people."

At his signal, Nia stepped forward and opened the small box.

Teach's eyes burned with greed.

Inside, the Dark-Dark Fruit gleamed.

***

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