"Alright, let me summarize everything again."
In a private VIP meeting room, the Straw Hat Crew sat across from two Marine admiral candidates, along with Coby and Helmeppo.
"Hehehe, this is actually pretty nice~~"
Even though Coby had only recently been promoted to Rear Admiral and Helmeppo was still just a Captain,
the two of them were already skilled in the Six Powers and proficient in both types of Haki. Even some veteran Vice Admirals would find it hard to compete with them. As direct disciples of Garp, the only thing holding them back from further promotion was their lack of seniority.
So, this time:
"The Straw Hat Crew and the Marines will work together to take down the Blackbeard Pirates. The credit for the victory goes to the Marines, while the profits go to the Straw Hat Crew. Any objections?"
"Luffy, let me play with it for a bit. Please~~"
······ Do pirates not have normal people?
Seeing the weird looks from the Marines, Roman sighed. These were just two groups of troublemakers—neither had the right to judge the other.
"We're in the middle of a meeting! Be serious!!"
He rubbed his temples and knocked on the table. As the "moderator," Roman glanced at Luffy and Chopper fighting over a local golden toy, Usopp trying to act calm but constantly glancing toward the door, and Zoro, who was sitting with his sword in hand, pretending to meditate but actually dozing off.
Forget it. He wasn't expecting much from them anyway.
"In short, our top priority is to rescue the captured members of the Charlotte family."
Although Whole Cake Island had been taken over, and the returning Big Mom Pirates were ambushed—resulting in Big Mom herself dying on the battlefield—most of the Charlotte family officers hadn't been killed but were instead taken captive.
According to Marine intelligence, the Blackbeard Pirates, despite their growing strength over the past two years, still lacked the solid foundation that the old Four Emperors had. Their crew was filled with ambitious individuals who could betray Blackbeard at any moment.
So, it wasn't surprising that the Marines had secretly planted many members of SWORD within Blackbeard's ranks. And it seemed like Blackbeard wasn't even trying to clean up potential traitors—after all, he had no problem welcoming former Marine Admiral Aokiji into his crew.
"Most of the Charlotte family's younger, non-combatant members managed to escape through Brûlée's Mirror-Mirror Fruit ability. But the majority of their adult fighters either died holding the line or were captured by the Blackbeard Pirates..."
Pirates are still human, and the Charlotte family was no exception. Many of the adult children had already built their own families, with spouses, children, and elderly parents. If they hadn't stayed behind to buy time for their defenseless relatives to escape, Whole Cake Island would have completely collapsed the moment Big Mom fell.
Of course, Charlotte Katakuri played a crucial role by holding off multiple high-ranking Blackbeard officers at a critical moment.
As for the Big Mom Pirates' officers who returned to help, they had no choice but to stay and fight while Big Mom was still alive. The Blackbeard Pirates took advantage of their superior numbers and an ambush strategy to systematically take them down before finally swarming and killing Big Mom. In the end, not a single one of them escaped.
After taking control of Whole Cake Island, the Blackbeard Pirates quickly moved their forces there. After all, a land filled with endless food was incredibly appealing—not just to regular people, but to pirates as well.
"This operation will be split into two parts:"
"The Straw Hat Crew will infiltrate and rescue the captives. Once they're safe, the Marines will launch an attack from the outside, coordinating to wipe out the Blackbeard Pirates in one decisive strike—"
In this world, the power difference between individuals was so massive that complex plans often fell apart due to unexpected factors. That's why most strategies here tended to be simple and direct.
If this were the previous world, a mission to infiltrate an enemy stronghold like this would be nothing short of a suicide mission. But with the full strength of the Straw Hat Crew:
They might not be able to completely wipe out the Blackbeard Pirates, but holding out for an hour or two in a fight was definitely doable.
And that amount of time would be more than enough for the Marines to surround and trap them.
As for the matter of trust:
"Luffy, fighting alongside you has always been my dream!"
Coby was visibly excited, looking at Luffy the way a fan would stare at their idol. To him, Luffy wasn't just a friend—he was the person who changed his life. Luffy was someone Coby had always looked up to!
"Don't worry. If Roman gets trapped in the Blackbeard Pirates' base, Garp and Fleet Admiral Akainu will definitely beat us half to death when we get back."
Tea Pig, one of the Marine officers, laughed. As Garp's student and Akainu's chosen successor, as well as a favorite among Marine higher-ups, he would stake his life to ensure Roman's safety.
After all:
There weren't many strong people in this world who truly cared about ordinary people. And Roman wasn't just strong—he was someone who could actually bring happiness to countless people. That made him far more valuable than any battle-hardened Marine.
"Alright then, let's set off—"
The moment he heard "set off," Luffy instantly perked up, jumped to his feet, and pointed to the sky with a grin.
"Hehehe~~ Next stop, Whole Cake Island!!"
The Marines and pirates were working together. Their opponent was a man filled with ambition, the wielder of the Dark-Dark Fruit...
Just like in God Valley all those years ago.
————
Whole Cake Island, Cake Island.
It had now become the main base of the Blackbeard Pirates.
The underground prison that once held rare and exotic creatures was now filled with members of the Charlotte family.
And in the deepest part of the prison...
"Zehahaha, I'm starting to like you more and more—"
The towering Blackbeard sat cross-legged. Even in a seated position, his massive frame was as tall as the man hanging before him, whose arms were bound by Seastone chains.
"The scar you left me with that blade…"
As he spoke, Blackbeard, Teach, pulled aside his black captain's coat, revealing a deep scar on his chest.
"Have you stepped into that realm as well?"
The power to coat attacks with Conqueror's Haki—proof of a true warrior.
Not every strong fighter could wield Conqueror's Haki in this way, like the veteran three Admirals with their Logia powers. But those who could use it were undeniably among the strongest on the seas.
"So… join my crew, Katakuri!"
Before Blackbeard hung none other than Charlotte Katakuri, his arms shackled by chains.
Despite wounding Blackbeard in battle, Katakuri hadn't been killed. Instead, Teach had even given him basic treatment for his wounds.
"I'm going to create a world of freedom! A world where everyone can chase their dreams! I will change these rotten, lifeless seas!!"
Teach took a long swig of rum, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve, grinning wide to reveal his jagged teeth.
"I will destroy the chains the Celestial Dragons have placed on the people! I will drag *that guy* down from his pedestal!"
In that moment, Blackbeard's ambition was laid bare.
"This will be the greatest war the world has ever seen. What do you say, Katakuri? Want to be part of it?"
"In my crew, no one will laugh at your teeth! You can eat whatever you want, sleep however you like. Everything is *free*~~ Zehahaha~~"
"When it's all over, I can return Whole Cake Island to you. In fact, if you say the word, I'll release all of the Charlotte Family commanders *right now*—because I trust a man like you to keep his word."
Blackbeard had made his offer. Now, it was up to Katakuri.
"Teach, your ambition is incredible, and your will is unshakable."
Katakuri lifted his head and stared deeply at the man before him.
For a moment, the image of a certain straw hat-wearing figure overlapped with Teach.
"I've only ever seen that same light in *one other person*… But you… your light is pitch black, a celebration of evil's recklessness. And *he*… his light is bright, the hope that brings laughter to all. I believe he will become the Pirate King, not you."
"Tch. Monkey D. Luffy, huh?"
Blackbeard scoffed. From the very first moment he laid eyes on that kid in Jaya, he had taken an inexplicable dislike to him.
But the man in the suit beside Luffy… now *he* was someone Teach could appreciate.
Too bad…
"Zehahaha! If it weren't for that guy by his side giving him advice, that naive Straw Hat brat would've been dead long ago! But oh well—"
Blackbeard got to his feet, giving up on trying to recruit Katakuri.
"I hear your Observation Haki lets you see into the future. So tell me… have you seen something bad waiting for me? Zehahaha~~"
"Who knows?"
Katakuri closed his eyes.
In every 'future' he saw, Blackbeard Teach was nothing but a mass of darkness.
It was as if time itself was swallowed by the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
A monster among monsters.
"Zehahaha, guess we'll just have to wait and see!"
"…Admiral, did it fail again?"
At the entrance of the dungeon, the 'Ghost Sheriff' Lafitte leaned casually against the wall.
Teach simply laughed, unfazed.
"Rejected again, huh? Well—"
"Looks like Katakuri really saw a bad 'future' for us. He's convinced that Straw Hat will come to take us down!"
"What makes you say that?"
Hearing Lafitte's question, Teach squinted. His rough and foolish appearance couldn't hide the sharp, cunning glint in his eyes.
"Don't forget, Straw Hat Crew's cook, Vinsmoke Sanji, is married to Charlotte Pudding. People think the Straw Hat Crew is ruthless and scheming, but we know the real mastermind behind everything is their strategist—that 'White Knight' kid. As for the others…"
They're loyal, naïve, and reckless. No way they'd just ignore a comrade's family!
"Lafitte, gather the officers. The Straw Hat Crew is already on their way. Let's prepare a big surprise for them! I have a feeling that in my life, that Straw Hat kid is more dangerous than the gods of the Celestial Dragons!"
Just watch, Whitebeard Pops.
Joy Boy? Some 800-year-old prophecy?
I, Marshall D. Teach, will shatter it all with absolute power!
Teach reached out toward the sky, his palm covering the blazing sun. A dark glow rose around him as he clenched his fingers into a fist.
Fate must be in my hands—
(End of Chapter)
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