hotmtlnovel Chapter 265: The Dark-Dark Fruit Surfaces—Teach’s Ambition!
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.
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..."