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On a Remote, Uninhabited Island
Tremors rippled through the ground intermittently, a result of Blackbeard's furious rampage. His unbalanced emotions had pushed him into a near-maniacal state.
In his current form—a massive, savage wild boar—Teach looked unsettlingly harmonious with his already bloated body and brutish features.
BOOM!
A thunderous crash echoed across the island as Teach's Haki-empowered horn struck a rock formation dozens of meters thick, shattering it completely.
Say what you will, but the physical enhancements of a Zoan-type Devil Fruit were undeniably substantial.
Teach huffed, surveying his handiwork. His new form offered increased strength, durability, and raw power—traits that might have been wasted on Whitebeard, who rarely showcased his true physical potential due to his feigned laziness.
However, for Teach, it was impossible to ignore the bitter truth: compared to the unimaginable abilities of the Dark-Dark Fruit, the enhancements of this ordinary Zoan were painfully underwhelming.
After obliterating nearly every sizable boulder on the island, Teach collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. His animal transformation faded, leaving him in his human form.
Even with all his venting, the cruel reality of his situation hadn't changed.
For thirty long years, he had schemed and waited, clinging to his dream. And in the end? All he'd gained was a Zoan fruit—one granting the strength of an ordinary wild boar. Not even an ancient species.
Worse still, the cost of this fruit had been monumental.
He had killed Thatch, one of his own crewmates, violating the most sacred rule of the Whitebeard Pirates. Now he had not only angered Whitebeard himself but earned the wrath of the entire crew, who would stop at nothing to hunt him down.
"For this... for this fruit?" Teach murmured bitterly, staring blankly at the sky. "Is this how it all ends for me?"
His despair was palpable, but then his expression hardened. His teeth clenched, and his body tensed as he let out a roar that echoed across the sea:
"HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS! I am Teach! A descendant of the D Clan! A man destined to claim the ultimate treasure!"
The outburst wasn't just a venting of frustration—it was a rallying cry, a way to rekindle his defiance against fate.
Dreams Will Never Die
This was a belief Teach had always held close to his heart.
Sure, he had lost the Dark-Dark Fruit, the key to his grand ambitions. But that didn't mean his journey was over. His unique physical structure—a secret few knew—offered him another chance.
Most people were aware of the peculiar rumor: Teach had an unusual body, one that made him incapable of sleep. But the truth went far beyond that.
Teach wasn't just one person. His body housed three souls—his own, and those of his two sisters.
This wasn't merely a strange quirk of his physiology; it was his greatest advantage. It meant he had the potential to wield multiple Devil Fruits. Even now, with the right planning, he could acquire another ability to make himself unstoppable.
But the loss of the Dark-Dark Fruit wasn't without consequences. Without its power, his plan to wrest the Quake-Quake Fruit from Whitebeard with absolute certainty was no longer feasible.
"This complicates things," Teach muttered, his tone grim.
Still, his immediate concern wasn't the lost opportunity—it was survival. As long as the Whitebeard Pirates were after him, he wouldn't have the freedom to pursue his ambitions.
"I can't spend the rest of my life being hunted by that monster and his crew," he said, his eyes narrowing.
He rose to his feet, his mind racing. His dreams were far from over, but it was clear he needed to adapt.
"If that's how it is... I'll just have to change the plan."
Teach's original plan had been straightforward: capture pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million berries, hand them over to the World Government, and exchange their heads for fame and the title of Shichibukai.
Becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea would grant him protection under the World Government and give him the breathing room needed to strengthen himself. It was a simple, effective strategy.
But now, things had changed.
Becoming a Shichibukai was no longer just a stepping stone—it was a means to a far greater end.
Teach now sought to ignite a real war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the World Government. Such a conflict would free him from the pressure of being hunted, and in the chaos, he could orchestrate events to weaken Whitebeard himself. Even if Teach couldn't secure the Quake-Quake Fruit immediately, such a scenario would leave him with future opportunities.
This idea took root as he considered his options. And Ace, who was now chasing him, presented the perfect candidate to set this plan into motion.
Teach acknowledged Ace's high potential. In just two years with the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace had risen to the rank of division commander—an impressive feat.
But Ace had weaknesses.
First, his reckless nature made him prone to acting without thinking. Second, he was overly reliant on his Logia powers. While formidable, Ace had yet to fully master Haki, leaving gaps in his defenses.
Teach, on the other hand, held a different kind of confidence. Though his Haki wasn't exceptional, he believed it was sufficient to counter Ace.
With his decision made, Teach shook off his earlier despair and began preparing for the first phase of his new plan: gathering forces.
Teach's mind lingered on the strange anomaly of the so-called "Dark-Dark Fruit."
He refused to believe he had made a mistake. The shape of the fruit had been etched into his memory for decades. There couldn't be two fruits with the exact same appearance in the world. This led him to a troubling conclusion: someone had deliberately engineered this situation.
The source of the fruit pointed him toward a single suspect—the Sky Kingdom.
Teach doubted any shadowy organization would dare to antagonize a pirate crew as powerful as Whitebeard's. Only the advanced technology of the Sky Kingdom could create a Zoan-type Devil Fruit disguised as the Dark-Dark Fruit. It was likely they had planted the fake fruit to frame the Whitebeard Pirates, and he had unwittingly fallen into their trap.
But if they had created a counterfeit Dark-Dark Fruit, that meant the real one was likely still in the Sky Kingdom's possession.
Teach clenched his teeth at the realization. He was furious at being used, but he knew he wasn't yet strong enough to challenge a power as vast as the Sky Kingdom.
For now, he would swallow his pride and focus on dealing with the Whitebeard Pirates.
Still, Teach's life wasn't bound by the present. The future stretched out long before him, and his time would come. One day, he vowed, he would drag the Sky Kingdom's lofty rulers into the sea and exact vengeance a hundredfold.
His thoughts churned with dark determination as he made his way to the stolen boat waiting on the shore. He pushed it into the water, setting sail once again.
To ensure his escape from Ace—and to pull his pursuer into regions far from Whitebeard's reach—Teach charted a course back to the first half of the Grand Line. He intentionally revealed his whereabouts at intervals, leaving breadcrumbs for Ace to follow.
This deadly game of cat and mouse stretched on for half a year.
The calendar shifted to Sea Circle Year 1522.