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"Pops, we've got trouble! The Publick Pirates, one of our allied crews stationed on Gall Island, was suddenly attacked by the Night Organization."
They're likely in danger now," Marco reported urgently to Whitebeard after receiving a distress call from Publick.
This matter involved the Night Organization, the so-called Fifth Emperor of the Seas, so it demanded serious attention.
Whitebeard slammed his massive hand on the armrest of his chair, his face dark with fury.
"We've never dealt with the Night Organization, yet they dare to mess with us? Marco, take some men and investigate this immediately."
"If you encounter anyone from the Night Organization, capture them and bring them to me. I want to see how bold they are to challenge the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Whitebeard struggled to recall the last time anyone dared to cause trouble on his territory.
It seemed time to remind the world of the Whitebeard Pirates' strength so that no random upstart would think they could step on them.
"Right now, Ace and Thatch are the closest to Gall Island. I've already informed them about the situation and asked them to check it out on their way back after retrieving the Devil Fruit,"
Marco explained, having already made detailed arrangements.
With Ace and Thatch on the case, as long as the Night Organization's leader, Night, wasn't directly involved, there wouldn't be any issues.
Whitebeard nodded in satisfaction, trusting Marco completely. Marco had always been the most reliable and capable among his many sons.
However, a sense of unease lingered in Marco's mind. The sudden and unprovoked attack from the Night Organization felt completely out of the blue, with no warning or apparent motive.
Whitebeard's expression turned stern. "This time, I must personally step in against the Night Organization. The world must know that as long as I'm here, no one can touch the Whitebeard Pirates."
Marco agreed without hesitation. "I'll inform the division commanders immediately and prepare everyone for battle."
This time, Marco saw no reason to object to Whitebeard taking action. The situation was far more serious than the personal grudge between Byakuya and Ace.
A weak response would only invite further trouble since the Night Organization had struck first and slaughtered one of their allied crews.
If the Whitebeard Pirates didn't deliver a decisive counterattack, other factions might start questioning Whitebeard's strength, suspecting that age and illness had diminished him.
Such doubts would only embolden their enemies to test them further, creating an even greater mess.
It was better to act swiftly and decisively, crushing the Night Organization with overwhelming force to make it clear to everyone that the Whitebeard Pirates were still the strongest of the Four Emperors and that Whitebeard remained the world's strongest man.
Meanwhile, Ace and Thatch had just secured the Devil Fruit and wasted no time setting sail for Gall Island upon receiving Marco's message.
Later, during a feast aboard their ship, a large, dark-skinned man swayed over to Ace and Thatch, a bottle of booze in hand.
With a casual glance at the bag tied to Thatch's waist, he asked in a slightly drunken tone, "Captain, what's the rush to Gall Island all about?"
Ace, not one to hide things from his crew, explained the situation fully. Upon hearing about the attack, the man angrily threw his bottle against the deck, shattering it.
"That damn Night Organization dares to pick a fight with the Whitebeard Pirates? They're asking to die!"
Thatch nodded in agreement. "Exactly! Anyone bold enough to challenge us must pay the price in blood!"
The three discussed the matter further, but the dark-skinned man eventually steered the conversation toward the Devil Fruit they had retrieved.
"Uh… Captain Thatch, do you mind if I look at the Devil Fruit you got today?"
Ace gave the man, Teach, a puzzled look. "Teach, you've always refused to eat any Devil Fruits we've found. Why the sudden interest now?"
Having anticipated this question, Teach rubbed the back of his head and feigned curiosity.
"Well, I heard this is a Logia, like yours, Ace. Logia Devil Fruits are rare, and I've never seen one before. I was curious to see how it compares to other Devil Fruits."
Thatch burst out laughing. "You're right about one thing—unlike anything I've seen before. It's so pitch black and ugly, it looks like a rotten fruit!"
When Teach heard Thatch's description of the Devil Fruit, his expression remained unchanged, but an uncontrollable storm of emotions surged within him.
A Devil Fruit with a black exterior couldn't be that fruit, the Yami Yami no Mi, could it? Ace, too, froze for a moment, seemingly recalling something.
Back on Fish-Man Island, when Byakuya released him and Marco, Byakuya mentioned that Teach was his equal strength and was close to finding the Yami Yami no Mi.
He even told Teach to stop wasting his time hiding within the Whitebeard Pirates.
At the time, Marco and Ace were sceptical of Byakuya's words. After returning, they secretly investigated Teach but found nothing unusual.
Concluding that Byakuya was merely trying to sow discord, they had dismissed the matter entirely.
Now, however, watching Teach's unusual interest in this particular Devil Fruit and its entirely black appearance and Byakuya's earlier claim, Ace began to suspect that this fruit might indeed be the Yami Yami no Mi.
After all, when Ace had first acquired the Mera Mera no Mi, its fiery red exterior had reflected its powers.
If Byakuya's words were true, it would mean that this seemingly honest and loyal crewmate had been deceiving them all along.
Still, without concrete evidence, Ace couldn't voice his suspicions outright. For now, he decided to quietly observe Teach's actions.
Little did Teach know that Byakuya, whom he had never met, had inadvertently planted doubt in Ace's mind, setting this chain of suspicion into motion.
The possibility that his years-long goal was now within his grasp made Teach almost unable to contain himself.
"Captain Thatch, could you take it out and let me look closer? I want to see what makes this Devil Fruit so unique."
"Sure, no problem!" Thatch, unsuspecting of anything, casually retrieved a box containing the Devil Fruit from the bag at his waist.
As he opened it, Teach's eyes momentarily gleamed with a sharp, unmistakable light.
One glance was all it took for him to confirm that this was indeed the Yami Yami no Mi—the fruit he had dreamed of for twenty-six years.
It took every ounce of self-control Teach possessed to suppress the overwhelming urge to attack Thatch and seize the fruit right then and there.
However, he knew the timing wasn't right.
Even though he was confident that his strength surpassed Thatch and Ace combined, acting now would break one of the Whitebeard Pirates' most sacred rules: attacking a crewmate and stealing their spoils. Such crimes would incur the harshest punishment from Whitebeard himself.
Teach knew that even after obtaining the Yami Yami no Mi, he wouldn't have the power to contend with the entire Whitebeard Pirates.
He needed a flawless plan to secure the fruit while allowing him to escape Whitebeard's wrath.
"Wow, this fruit is pitch black!" Teach exclaimed, feigning casual interest.
He refrained from touching the fruit and left the room after making some light conversation. Yet, his cautious behaviour only deepened Ace's suspicion.
Ace, after some deliberation, turned to Thatch with a serious expression. "Thatch, you must be careful around Teach in the coming days. I'm worried he might make a move against you."
Thatch, now half-sober after hearing Ace's words, asked, "Why do you think that?"
Ace, wanting Thatch to understand the gravity of the situation, explained everything Byakuya had said, along with his deductions.
"Night told you all this?" Thatch asked skeptically.
Ace nodded gravely. "I don't think he would've said those things without a reason."
"Alright, I get it. I'll keep an eye on Teach," Thatch assured him.
However, despite his words, Thatch didn't take Ace's warning to heart.
To him, Teach had been with the Whitebeard Pirates long before Thatch himself joined, calling Whitebeard "Pops" for twenty-six years.
Thatch believed he knew Teach well enough to dismiss any doubts. Teach's strength had never seemed out of the ordinary, nor did he appear to be the type to harbour deep schemes.
In Thatch's mind, Ace was simply overthinking things due to his obsession with defeating Byakuya.
He suspected Ace had been overly influenced by Byakuya's words, leading to unnecessary paranoia about Teach.
Thatch silently resolved to have a talk with Marco about Ace.
It seemed Marco had been right—Byakuya's influence on Ace was far too significant. Perhaps it was time to help Ace sort out his thoughts.
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