"So he's heading straight for Rainbase? Could it be that Teach is coming for me? And he's not the only stranger approaching..." Daniel Davis hung up the Den Den Mushi and began to ponder.
With Teach's distinctive features and the fact that he was heading toward Daniel's stronghold, it was obvious something was up. If Daniel couldn't figure that out, he wouldn't be worthy of his title as the Seven Warlords of Alabasta.
Baroque Works had always been a covert intelligence organization under Crocodile, but after Daniel took over, its intelligence network had been significantly expanded, resembling something akin to the infamous "Web."
He hadn't given up his search for Pure Gold, even though he had already obtained Nitolomi, because Pure Gold remained an extremely valuable and coveted item.
"The Demon Sheriff, Lafitte. Champion, Jesus Burgess. Death God, Doc Q. Supersonic, Van Augur. The core members of Blackbeard's crew have gathered." Looking at the photos printed from the fax machine, Daniel instantly recognized each one.
"I still need a top-tier sniper." Although Baroque Works had snipers, Daniel lacked someone at the level of someone like Van Augur.
"Should I bring over Mine? Hmm, maybe not. She seems to have left her assassin days behind." Thinking of a sniper, Daniel immediately thought of Mine, but he quickly dismissed the idea. She was currently living a peaceful life with Sheele, and there was no need to drag her back into this world.
"We've got enemies coming. You all should come back now." After considering the situation, Daniel used a Gate of Secrets to teleport Esdeath, Akame, and Kurome back from the Baroque Works office in the port city of Erumalu, where they had been selecting ships.
"Enemies?" Esdeath's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Yes, some tough ones. Be careful when you fight them," Daniel replied, giving a brief rundown of the Blackbeard Pirates' abilities and powers.
He decided to call them back after some thought. The current Blackbeard Pirates, aside from Teach himself, weren't exceptionally strong.
Jesus Burgess's bounty was only 20 million, Lafitte's was around 40 million, and both Van Augur and Doc Q had bounties of about 50 million. They were perfect opponents for Esdeath and the others at this stage.
The members of Luffy's Straw Hat crew were constantly growing stronger, and the same applied to other pirates. For example, one of Luffy's peers from the Supernova generation went on to defeat one of the Sweet Commanders, turning the "Four Commanders" into "Three Commanders" after two years.
Two years may not seem like much time, but for some people, it was enough. For Esdeath and Akame, with Daniel's support, reaching Admiral-level strength within two years was not out of the question.
After all, in the world of Akame ga Kill, Esdeath and Akame had already reached the pinnacle of power. In fact, if Yoriichi Tsugikuni were to enter the world of One Piece, he might challenge Mihawk within a year.
"Aside from Van Augur, you three can divide the others among yourselves," Daniel said.
"No need. I'll take care of him too," Esdeath interrupted. This was going to be her first real battle in the world of One Piece, and she was eager to prove herself.
Esdeath had been frustrated ever since her previous defeats at the hands of both Daniel and Mihawk. In her world, she had been at the top, and the sensation of weakness reminded her of her childhood struggles. She needed to release this pent-up frustration.
Back in the port city, she had already killed several troublesome pirates to vent some of her irritation.
"Alright," Daniel agreed, seeing no reason to refuse her request.
"I'll take the sniper and Lafitte," Esdeath quickly claimed her opponents. There were four Blackbeard Pirates, but with three of them on Daniel's side, one had to take on two foes.
Chelsea didn't like fighting, and Daniel wouldn't force her to.
"I'll take him," Akame said, pointing to the photo of Doc Q. That left the fighter, Jesus Burgess, for Kurome.
Kurome appeared weaker than Esdeath and Akame in terms of pure physical strength, but that was only true for personal combat. When accounting for her Imperial Arms, March of the Dead: Yatsufusa, she was far from weak. Her sword currently contained several powerful beasts, all hunted by Daniel from the Calm Belt islands.
The One Piece world was filled with terrifying creatures, not just Sea Kings. Some islands were home to incredibly strong animals, like the monstrous plants on Boing Archipelago, disguised as edible plants, or the Human Imitators on Mihawk's island, capable of mimicking swordsmanship.
The island where Luffy trained for two years, Rusukaina, was filled with formidable creatures, some so strong that even Luffy struggled against them in his Fourth Gear form.
Kurome's desire for a space-related Devil Fruit was meant to complement her Yatsufusa sword. The combination of both powers would be a perfect synergy.
After reconciling with her sister, Akame, Kurome had given up using human puppets and now only relied on the beasts Daniel had helped her capture. With these powerful creatures, Kurome could easily fight beyond her usual limits. She might struggle against the top-tier pirates, but Blackbeard's current crew was no match for her.
"Hunting the Human Imitators on Mihawk's island is too risky, but we could take a trip to Rusukaina for some stronger beasts," Daniel thought, planning to help Kurome further strengthen her abilities.
"Blackbeard's body will come in handy as well. Although turning him into a puppet will weaken his power, it will still be useful."
"Blackbeard, Shiryu of the Rain, and that so-called Whitebeard Jr., Edward Weevil." Edward Weevil, though a fool, was a natural-born powerhouse similar to Big Mom. He had incredible strength and had even severed Zephyr's arm in battle, showing he was at least Admiral-level.
"Blackbeard Teach, what brings a traitor like you to my territory?" Daniel asked calmly as he lounged under an umbrella in the desert, about ten kilometers from Rainbase. He spotted Blackbeard approaching.
Blackbeard was undeniably powerful. If he unleashed the full power of his Dark-Dark Fruit, the entire city of Rainbase could be destroyed. Daniel wasn't about to let his base be ruined in their fight.
"You sure do live in luxury," Daniel muttered to himself as he noticed Blackbeard's excessive jewelry. Teach wore two gemstone necklaces, each finger adorned with a different colored ring, and his wrists decorated with extravagant bracelets.
In comparison, Daniel's appearance was much more modest. He only wore two rings, two bracelets, and a single necklace. However, Daniel's accessories were far more valuable since they were all magical artifacts, especially the necklace, which was none other than the Eye of Agamotto.
"And what's with pirates and their obsession with carrying guns at their waists?" In addition to his flashy jewels, Teach had three flintlock pistols strapped to his left side and a flask hanging on his right. His entire look perfectly captured the essence of a pirate.
Though guns were rarely effective in top-level battles, many pirates still carried them. Even the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, had kept a gun on him.
"Hahahaha! Were you waiting for me?" Teach laughed, taking a swig from the flask at his side.
"That's right. I don't want you and Fire Fist Ace tearing through my city and destroying everything I've built." Teach and Ace had been clashing several times on their journey here, leaving destruction in their wake.
Both the Flame-Flame Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit were notorious for their destructive capabilities.
"Hahaha! How about you join my crew?" Teach offered, after finishing his drink.
"Join your crew? So, I'm your target this time?" Daniel asked, already piecing together the truth.
"Not you, specifically. I just want your seat as a Warlord," Teach replied bluntly, not bothering to hide his intentions.
"Ah, so that's it," Daniel muttered. Teach's ambitions were finally clear to him.
Teach wanted to use his Warlord status and the capture of Ace to trigger the Paramount War, ultimately claiming the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and recruiting powerful prisoners from Impel Down. His plan was to replace Whitebeard and ascend to the rank of Emperor of the Sea. It was a plan Teach had long been meticulously executing.
Compared to other pirates, Teach embodied the true essence of piracy: pursuing his goals at any cost, even wagering his life for the Dark-Dark Fruit.
To become a Warlord, Teach had to eliminate one of the current Seven Warlords. Daniel, who had replaced Crocodile, was clearly the most convenient target.
"If Luffy hadn't defeated Crocodile in the original timeline, Teach probably would've gone after him," Daniel speculated.
"But it seems Teach doesn't know about my battle with Hawkeye. If he did, he wouldn't have dared to come here."
It was simply bad luck for Teach. If he had still been part of the Whitebeard Pirates, he would have known about Daniel's fight with Mihawk. But since he had betrayed the crew and hadn't yet built his own intelligence network, he remained in the dark about such critical events.
Clap, clap, clap.
"Impressive, Teach." Daniel stood up from his chair, clapping his hands with a smirk.
To be honest, Daniel
had a certain respect for Blackbeard. Few people had the courage to gamble their entire lives on a single Devil Fruit. Teach's determination was something most people couldn't match.
He was also one of the few pirates whose dreams resonated with Luffy's. Teach had once said, "A man's dreams never die," and he meant it. He was willing to sacrifice everything for his dream.
"Seize the Warlord title, capture Ace—the last living bloodline of the Pirate King—and hand him over to the Navy for public execution. This will spark a full-scale war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy. Use the chaos to break into Impel Down and recruit powerful prisoners, and then claim the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's power. It's a brilliant plan, but unfortunately, you shouldn't have come to me."
"Who are you?" Teach asked, bewildered. His meticulous plan had been laid bare before him, something he never thought possible. But now, he couldn't deny that his deepest secrets had been exposed.
Within seconds, Teach's shock turned into composure, and he quickly turned to flee.
"Quick reflexes, I'll give you that," Daniel said, slightly surprised by Teach's sudden retreat. But in the next moment, he pursued him.
"For such a bulky guy, he moves fast. No wonder he managed to scar Shanks." Teach's physical prowess wasn't weak, but Daniel's was stronger.
Teach had spent years hiding his strength within the Whitebeard Pirates, which undoubtedly hindered his physical training. While his raw power was formidable, his technique was lacking. Against someone like Ace, who relied heavily on Devil Fruit abilities, this didn't matter. But against a skilled fighter, it was a different story.
Though Teach had managed to scar Shanks, he had suffered worse injuries himself, including losing most of his teeth to Shanks.
In the world of One Piece, where drinking milk could regrow lost teeth, the fact that Teach hadn't replaced his missing teeth after so many years showed how badly Shanks had beaten him.
Of course, it could also be that Teach had been drinking fake milk.
"Dark Vortex!" Seeing Daniel rapidly closing in, Teach stopped abruptly and reached out with his right hand, which turned pitch black. A powerful gravitational pull emanated from his hand, drawing Daniel toward him.
"Just what I wanted," Daniel thought, not resisting the pull as he allowed himself to be drawn toward Teach. As soon as Daniel was within range, Teach's left hand, also coated in Armament Haki, swung toward his head.
Boom!
Daniel's right fist, also coated in Armament Haki, met Teach's punch head-on. The collision caused a massive shockwave, sending sand and debris flying in every direction.
"Damn, this guy's strong," Daniel thought as both he and Teach were knocked back several steps. Each of their footsteps left deep imprints in the desert sand, but Teach had been forced back further.
"This ends now," Daniel declared as he quickly performed a series of hand signs. The air around them shattered like glass as the Mirror Dimension opened, pulling Teach inside.
From the start, Daniel had no intention of fighting Teach head-on. This wasn't like his battle with Mihawk, which had been a test of his strength. Against Teach, the only goal was victory.
To achieve victory, Daniel was willing to use any method available to him. He wasn't like Luffy or Zoro, who insisted on defeating their opponents through sheer force alone.
"What kind of Devil Fruit is this?" Teach's expression changed as the world around him abruptly shifted. He had seen the Devil Fruit encyclopedia before, but this was something completely unfamiliar.
"Why fight to the death when I have the Gate of Secrets?" Daniel floated above, his cloak billowing as he watched Teach from above. With a flick of his wrist, Daniel opened a portal to the sea, and a torrent of seawater began flooding into the Mirror Dimension.
When dealing with Devil Fruit users, seawater was always an effective strategy. Although seawater couldn't be easily utilized in most battles, in the Mirror Dimension, the rules were different.
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]