Shanks stood silently to the side, growing increasingly suspicious in his heart.
"That guy Teach definitely has some ulterior motive. Out of so many people, why did he come straight to Reid, and even talk about becoming sworn brothers when they just met?"
Shanks stared at Teach's beaming smile, feeling more and more uneasy. A few years ago, after their pirate crews clashed, Teach had never shown this level of friendliness.
"Could it be because of Reid's bounty poster and the content in the newspapers? He must be trying to uncover some secret about Reid!"
Thinking that, Shanks became just as wary as Buggy. He was starting to believe what Buggy had said earlier—there was definitely something off about Teach.
"Zehahaha, Brother Reid, I'm off to toast with a few others. Let's chat again another day."
Teach grinned as he stood up and said his goodbye.
"Oh, sure."
After Teach left, Shanks and Buggy leaned in.
"Reid, do you believe a word that guy Teach just said?" Shanks asked, watching Teach's back.
"Hell no! Of course not! Why'd he come straight to Reid of all people? Idiot!" Buggy blurted out, unable to hold back any longer.
"Buggy, I was asking Reid, not you."
"Obviously, I don't believe a single word—not even a punctuation mark."
There was no way Reid would trust Teach. In fact, he was already thinking about how to take him out at the right time.
"Yeah, something's definitely off with that guy. I can't explain it exactly, but I just get this feeling he's not someone we can trust."
"Exactly, Shanks. I don't trust him either."
Buggy sipped from his mug and glared after Teach with hostility.
"Forget about him. Let's drink and enjoy ourselves. As long as we don't believe anything he says and stay alert, we won't get screwed over."
"Right. Reid's right. Whatever he's up to, let's just ignore him."
Shanks nodded.
"Reid, come on, let's go find Rayleigh and the others."
"Nah, you two go ahead. I'll stay here alone for a bit and come later."
"Alright, don't take too long. Let's go, Shanks."
"Got it, you guys go ahead."
Once they left, Reid opened his God-tier System.
"Since there's nothing going on right now, I'll take a look at the other members of the Whitebeard Pirates. System, open up."
Looking at the cards in his God-tier System, Reid felt a small sense of achievement.
"When I was a kid, I used to collect trading cards. Never thought I'd actually enter the pirate world and collect real ones. Alright, enough nostalgia—let's look at the info."
As he browsed through the cards, he noticed something interesting: the system had categorized the cards by pirate crew. He quickly located the Whitebeard Pirates section.
"Too bad I can't read the text on the cards. Guess I'll let the system explain."
Reid selected a card that hadn't been introduced yet, and the system's voice echoed in his mind:
[Blamenco]: Whitebeard Pirates 6th Division Commander. Pocket-Pocket Fruit user. Hides his thoughts and ambitions well, fights using enormous weapons pulled from his neck pocket.
[Rakuyo]: 7th Division Commander. Weapon: Mace with a human face.
[Namur]: 8th Division Commander. Fishman. Teeth are extremely strong and sharp, able to bite through steel. In water, his power increases severalfold.
[Blenheim]: 9th Division Commander. Weapon: Long sword.
[Curiel]: 10th Division Commander. Weapons: Cannons and pistols.
[Kingdew]: 11th Division Commander. Strong in hand-to-hand combat, very reactive. Weapon: Iron wristbands.
[Haruta]: 12th Division Commander. Weapon: Rapier.
[Atmos]: 13th Division Commander. Very large build. Weapons: Dual swords.
[Speed Jiru]: 14th Division Commander. Extremely fast, can dodge even light-speed attacks.
[Izo]: 16th Division Commander. Retainer of Wano's daimyo Kozuki Oden. Weapon: Flintlock pistol.
After reading, Reid was moved.
"Whitebeard's lineup really is strong. Though the system's descriptions are pretty brief... Wait, there's no 2nd Division Commander?"
He carefully checked again and couldn't find the card.
"Oh right... it used to be Kozuki Oden, and later it was Ace. But Ace hasn't even been born yet, so the position is still vacant."
Reid chuckled and shook his head, feeling a bit dumb for forgetting something so obvious.
Just as he was about to exit the system, he caught a glimpse of a dimly glowing red card in a corner of the interface.
"Huh? What's that?"
He shifted his focus toward it.
"Weird… there's no image on the card. System, identify."
[Baloric Redfield]: Nickname: Red Count. Future user of the Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Vampire form. Skilled in physical combat and swordsmanship. Possesses exceptional Observation Haki far beyond normal users. A top-level emperor-class combatant who can even trade blows with king-level fighters like Gol D. Roger and Edward Newgate.
"So it's him! I saw this guy back in Loguetown—wait, no! I don't even know if I actually saw him, but the system was introducing him then… Hold on, I remember now—he was a character from one of the games! So he's real in the One Piece world?!"
Reid was stunned. He recalled that Redfield (Red Count) was an original character created by Oda for a game. He didn't expect to see him appear in the canon world.
"Still, why is the card so blurry? I can't even see what he looks like."
"Hey, Reid! Come over and drink!"
"Oh, coming, Rayleigh. Alright, I'll leave this for later."
Reid headed over to join Rayleigh. Since the system had added the card, it meant the person really existed.
"Zehahaha… Reid, I will dig out your secrets."
Teach stared at Reid from afar, eyes sly and full of scheming intent, a wicked grin creeping across his face.
———
At this moment, peace had gradually returned to the island. The people, once gripped by panic, were now starting to calm down.
"It's finally over. I hope something like that never happens again… scared me half to death."
"It's okay now, we're safe. That must've just been an earthquake—nothing serious."
"The sky outside changed color just now… that was terrifying..."
Even the six CP intelligence agents had regained their composure, though the fear still lingered in their hearts—it was their first time experiencing something like this.
"A powerful figure must've arrived. We need to be extra cautious. Just gather intel and get out of here quickly, or we'll risk our lives."
Foz For sat quietly in a bar, sipping his drink while others around him gossiped.
"Did you hear? The Whitebeard Pirates showed up on Baterilla Island today!"
"What? Are you serious?!"
"Of course I'm serious! You think that huge disturbance earlier was just nothing? The captains of the Whitebeard and Roger Pirates clashed!"
"How do you know? Were you there or something?"
"I heard it from some people who just got back, they saw it with their own eyes."
"Ah… that explains it. I was scared out of my mind..."
Foz For's heart grew heavy after hearing that.
"So Whitebeard really is here. I need to warn those five rookies, don't panic and blow your cover."
With that, he got up and walked out of the bar.
.....
Meanwhile, on an unknown island…
The current Commander-in-Chief of the World Government Kong, was facing off with a mysterious figure.
"You've finally shown yourself, Red. Last time you got away, but this time won't be so easy."
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