Whole Cake Island,
"Really... I see."
After hanging up the snail phone, Teach stroked his proud black beard—now carefully braided into four small braids, it was his current personal trademark.
"What is the Straw Hat Crew really thinking?"
Relying on their sturdy ships and powerful cannons, and even firing at their own island first to seize the initiative...
Lafitte adjusted his top hat thoughtfully. Although the opponent's actions fit the behavior of 'ordinary' pirates, as the newly risen Four Emperors who had defeated countless powerful enemies, how could the Blackbeard Pirates treat them like ordinary pirates?
The Straw Hat Crew must be planning some kind of conspiracy!
"Who cares about that, let's just go and wipe them out! Let's sink their ship first and see what else they can pull off! Meow~~"
The only person who could mix a fierce roar with a cute meow was the 'Corrupt King' Avalo Pizarro. Even though his hand had been broken in the battle against Charlotte Katakuri, his standing in the Blackbeard Pirates had only grown. After all, compared to those who simply slacked off and didn't even dare to fight Katakuri, Pizarro's performance was much more impressive! After their victory, Teach had given him more island jurisdiction than the others, which was the best proof of his worth.
Sometimes, a little bit of 'recklessness' was also a sign of wisdom.
"Ahem... No, destiny has reached its most crucial point. If we can break through the obstacles, we will be free; if we fall here, we will be doomed forever..."
Doc Q, looking like he was about to collapse at any moment, made a dramatic speech, causing Catarina Devon, the 'Crescent Moon Hunter,' to roll her eyes.
"Ridiculous, if we lose, we'll definitely be doomed. But even if we win, it won't be easy... Don't forget, the Celestial Dragons' 'god' has been undefeated for 800 years. That title isn't just for show."
As prisoners of the sixth level of Impel Down, each of them was a ruthless, powerful pirate with connections and ruthless tactics. During their downtime, they had already gathered plenty of information about the 'god' behind the Celestial Dragons. Otherwise, mere Admirals wouldn't intimidate these strong individuals.
"Ha ha ha~~ Don't worry!"
Sitting at the main seat, Teach raised his hand, and black smoke swirled around his palm, as if it could swallow everything! The other officers sitting on either side immediately lowered their heads in a humble posture. After all, the Blackbeard Pirates were now all Devil Fruit users! While this greatly increased their combat power, anyone who dared to act arrogantly in front of Blackbeard with his 'Dark-Dark Fruit' was not just confident, but out of their mind.
Especially now that Blackbeard had obtained the 'Soul-Soul Fruit'...
It made even the proudest officers admit:
Their captain was the strongest man in the world!
Of course, this was also why they were willing to follow Teach and 'fight to the end.' Otherwise, they weren't fools—they wouldn't follow Blackbeard to their deaths without any certainty.
"What do you think, Annie?"
None of the officers present were named 'Annie,' so Teach was asking:
---
"If possible, I would prefer to solve the problem through negotiation."
Behind Teach, a black-haired girl stepped forward.
She was wearing a simple, elegant dress, with long black hair flowing behind her. She looked gentle and fragile, completely different from the large, muscular pirates in the hall. It was like a little rabbit entering the den of beasts. But, "If it's negotiation, I must say, Miss Annie," Lafitte replied seriously, "the chances are too low."
"The crossroads of destiny are right before us, and the conflict is unavoidable~~"
This was another person who constantly talked about destiny, Van Augur. After realizing that long-range sniping wouldn't work on the Straw Hat Pirates, he immediately rushed back to the headquarters on Whole Cake Island. Because of this, he wasn't caught in the blast from the Sunny's cannon.
"Even if our Admiral doesn't care about the so-called great treasure of Raftel, there's no way the title of Pirate King will just be handed over!"
Shiryuu, smoking a cigar, blew out a puff of smoke. As the second-in-command of the Blackbeard Pirates, he wasn't afraid of this girl named 'Annie', even if she was—
Teach's sister! Marshall D. Annie, the name of this petite, gentle girl with long black straight hair.
"Why can't everyone just sit down and talk things over?"
The girl sighed. Although she said this, she wasn't some naïve village girl or a carefree princess. On the contrary, her 'experience' was on par with the world's top elite few.
"Heh, if negotiations actually worked in this world, why would we need swords and knives? Annie, go rest. We'll soon face a great battle!"
"...Okay,"
The girl nodded, took a step back towards Blackbeard, and then:
With a ripple, the girl seemingly 'merged' into Blackbeard's massive body, as if Teach had eaten the "Castle-Castle Fruit."
"Straw Hat kid, come at us! No matter the opponent, 'we' are the strongest!"
"This world will eventually welcome true freedom, ha ha ha ha~~~"
————
Meanwhile, in an empty corridor of the Cake Tower:
"Be careful, we've entered the Blackbeard Pirates' headquarters..."
The air seemed to 'push open' like a door. Before Roman could finish his warning, a figure leapt out from the air gate.
"Hee hee hee~~ I'm so bored!"
...If it weren't for Luffy being the captain, I wouldn't have brought him on this infiltration mission!
Roman sighed and stepped out from the air, followed by Sanji, Pudding, Robin, Chopper, Brook, and Jinbe. That's right, aside from Nami and Zoro, the rest of the crew aboard the Sunny were all decoys created by Roman to confuse the enemy.
Franky, Usopp: "No rights for the shipwrights??" "Anyway, our top priority is rescuing people. Luffy, don't cause any trouble..."
"Don't worry, I'll just ask someone for directions~~"
"You?!"
Before Roman could stop him, Luffy dashed off, successfully filling Roman's anger bar halfway before the battle even started! This was Blackbeard Teach's lair! Who knows how many 'Homies' Teach made after getting the Soul-Soul Fruit? The whole Cake Tower could be full of his spies. We might have already been exposed—
"Ah—"
A short scream was cut off, then:
"I found the guide, hee hee hee~~"
Luffy was already running back, dragging a tearful girl by the neck, looking a bit like a pirate kidnapping someone. But—
"Are you sure you've got a normal person, or did you bring back Catarina Devon, that big... big woman?"
Roman grumbled as his gaze landed on the girl Luffy was holding by the neck, curled up like a little kitten: she wore a simple dress, had short black curly hair, and was trembling in a way that made her look pitiful. She tightly held onto a mop, not sure if it was meant to be a weapon or if she was just showing good servant manners.
Not a strong person, just an ordinary one.
Roman's Observation Haki had a piercing ability, and after a quick scan, he could clearly see the girl's muscles and bones—nothing hidden. This girl might be able to knock around a few thugs in the East Blue, but on the Grand Line, she was just a standard 'fragile girl.'
At that moment:
Before the girl, still in shock and with tears in her eyes, could react, Roman reached out toward Jinbe, who, understanding, pulled something out of his wide sleeves:
---
*Click.*
—
Roman locked the sea stone handcuffs around the girl's wrist. For a regular criminal, the handcuffs were large enough to be used as arm rings on the girl's delicate arms, almost like just putting on an accessory. But:
Wasn't she a Devil Fruit user? Roman furrowed his brows again as he noticed the girl's confused expression, yet she showed no signs of exhaustion.
This shouldn't be the case. With Luffy's 'luck,' he should've at least caught an ordinary person by now. She should be an important 'NPC' at the very least, someone capable of driving events forward...
"Roman, what's going on here?"
Facing Luffy, who clearly wasn't happy, Roman calmly tossed the sea stone handcuffs to Jinbe beside him. Roman's cautious nature meant he would have certainly prepared some of these 'tools' in Wano Country, as they were the quickest way to identify Devil Fruit users.
If it weren't for the fact that most of the Straw Hat crew disliked them, Roman would have even gone as far as to equip everyone who wasn't a Devil Fruit user with sea stone bullets!
"Roman, while being cautious is important, isn't this a bit too much for a little girl?" Robin spoke up with a hint of displeasure. The girl in front of them looked like she was about to faint from fear. After all, the Straw Hat crew was fully armed: the tall shark-man Jinbe, the similarly large reindeer Chopper in his human form, Sanji in his all-black, masked combat suit looking like a villain, and...
"Pudding-sama?!"
The black-haired girl's gaze landed on Pudding, and her fear quickly turned into surprise.
"Eh? You know me?"
Although Pudding was a "Memory Fruit" user, it was clear she hadn't reached the point where she could remember everyone's face. She obviously couldn't recall who this excited maid was.
"I'm Lia, I live on 'Candy Street 64.' My father works as a secretary under Lord Nozet. I've seen you several times!"
The girl desperately tried to convince Pudding by mentioning their past encounters. But those 'encounters' were just her and a group of people admiring Pudding and other Charlotte family members as they flaunted their status in the streets. Pudding couldn't have noticed a normal girl standing among the crowd...
"It's simple, just use your Memory Fruit ability to check this girl's—"
"Roman, enough!!"
Facing a genuinely angry Luffy, Roman's tone shifted.
"Alright, let's just ask Miss Lia what she knows..."
...
"Luffy, Roman's caution is for everyone's benefit."
While Roman started interrogating—cough, I mean, asking the girl for information—Robin turned to comfort the fuming Luffy.
"After all, this is the enemy's stronghold."
"Hmph, I just wanted to help, and Roman looks down on me!"
Luffy pouted like a child, turning his head away in frustration.
"He not only looks down on my judgment, but also on my strength. Even if something unexpected happens, do you think I wouldn't be able to react?"
This was actually true. After all, Luffy was already quite skilled at 'predicting the future.' Even if that girl suddenly ripped her clothes to reveal a bomb, it wouldn't hurt the Straw Hat crew with Luffy around.
"Being cautious is still—"
"See? This time, I've done well!" Luffy said with a grin as he turned to look at Roman walking over, making Roman roll his eyes.
"Please don't use 'future sight' in situations like this. It'll make others think we're playing some sort of riddle game."
"Anyway, this Miss Lia knows quite a bit about where the Charlotte family members are being kept."
As expected of Luffy, the lucky one. He casually grabbed a maid who turned out to be a key 'NPC'! From this maid, Roman learned about a corridor that frequently had 'bloodstains' and strong smells of food. No doubt, it was a major lead!
Roman's Observation Haki could certainly 'see through' everything, but as always, this was Blackbeard Teach's stronghold. There were plenty of experts with dual-color Haki, and one wrong move could reveal the crew's intentions. If that happened, it would turn into a 'no-match infiltration.'
And Roman, knowing that Blackbeard Teach was Luffy's 'rival,' believed the current Straw Hat crew wasn't strong enough to take him down. Therefore, the plan still had to go forward—rescue the Charlotte family members to gain their support, then join forces with the Marines...
So, while Roman was lost in thought, he didn't notice the subtle smile curling up at the corner of Lia's mouth as she led them forward.
(End of chapter)
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