"Marshall D. Teach..."
Whitebeard's eyes narrowed.
Teach had been with the Whitebeard Pirates since he was young, back when Shanks was still an apprentice aboard Roger's ship. Among Whitebeard's crew, Teach was always an unremarkable figure, often found sitting alone, eating his favorite sakura peach pie. The only unusual trait was his apparent ability to go without sleep.
Still, Whitebeard considered all his crewmates as his sons, and he had always been tolerant of them, even if they kept secrets from him. He didn't pry. A son hiding something from his father wasn't out of the ordinary.
However, before Roger died, during one of their last drinking sessions together, Roger had shared with Whitebeard the significance of the letter "D." Since then, Whitebeard's gaze had occasionally shifted toward Teach, that once-inconspicuous son of his.
Yet, many years passed after Roger's death, and Teach still seemed the same: carefree and easygoing. Despite being the longest-serving member of the crew, he showed no desire to rise through the ranks or claim the position of captain.
But whether he was ordinary or exceptional, ambitious or carefree, Teach was still one of Whitebeard's sons—Edward Newgate's sons. However, hearing Teach's name now, coming from Ace's mouth, stirred something in Whitebeard, bringing back memories of his conversation with Roger.
Ace's name also carried the "D." And now, this man, Ace, stood at the pinnacle of the sea. As proud as Whitebeard was, he had to admit that the title of "World's Strongest Man" likely now belonged to Ace.
While Ace's Entei Pirates didn't have the sheer numbers of the Whitebeard Pirates, their top-tier combat strength was unmatched. Ace had gathered formidable allies: Nami, a warrior capable of standing toe-to-toe with the Admirals; the mysterious "Lone Ranger," who had held his own against the Navy's top three Admirals; and even Rayleigh had joined their ranks. Then there was the "Desert Princess" Vivi and "RedBird" Raki, adding further to the crew's strength.
Among them, however, Whitebeard had the highest hopes for the "Fallen Doctor" Kaya. Although her Devil Fruit ability wasn't as impressive as the others, her Haki and physical strength made her the strongest in the Entei Pirates.
Additionally, Ace had gained the loyalty of the Elbaf giants, known as the fiercest warriors in the world. All these factors made Ace's Entei Pirates the most powerful crew of this era.
This was clear from the recent public execution, where Ace's fleet had directly confronted the Navy Headquarters and emerged victorious before the Red Hair Pirates or the Five Elders even arrived.
Ace had surpassed even Sengoku in both strength and strategy, defeating the Navy, one of the three great forces that ruled the seas. No single crew, including the Whitebeard Pirates, could have done the same. What's more terrifying was that Ace was still growing in strength. No one could predict how powerful he might become in the future, but Whitebeard was certain that Ace would surpass both him and Roger at their peaks. Ace was destined to become the strongest man the seas had ever known.
And from the events surrounding this public execution, it was clear that Ace, like Shanks, knew secrets about the world that few others were privy to.
So when Ace suddenly mentioned Teach's name, even Whitebeard, as sharp as he was, couldn't help but overthink it.
"Yes, Teach... he is my son," Whitebeard finally nodded after a moment of thought. He didn't know what Ace wanted from Teach, but his stance was clear: all members of the Whitebeard Pirates were his sons, and the greatest treasure he had ever acquired from his years sailing the seas was his family.
But Whitebeard was curious about what Ace wanted with Teach. After all, Ace was the mastermind behind the Flame Emperor incident that had shocked the world. His intelligence had outmaneuvered even Sengoku, defeating the Navy and the World Government with sheer cunning and strength.
A man with such wisdom wouldn't bring up Teach's name without reason.
Yet, no matter what Ace had in mind, Whitebeard would always stand by his son. Whether it was because Ace carried Roger's blood or because he had grown into the most powerful force in this era, Whitebeard had come here to support Ace. He would stand by him no matter what.
"Don't worry, I'm just... curious about him," Ace said with a smile, noticing Whitebeard's wary expression.
Ace had no intention of warning Whitebeard about the man Teach would become—Blackbeard, the man who would steal the Dark-Dark Fruit, kill Whitebeard, and seize his Gura Gura no Mi powers to become the first person to wield two Devil Fruits.
Ace knew that Blackbeard would eventually defeat the Whitebeard Pirates, led by Marco, and claim Whitebeard's territories, rising to the rank of one of the Four Emperors.
Ace understood Whitebeard too well. Even if Teach murdered Thatch to steal the Dark-Dark Fruit, or betrayed Ace to the Navy in exchange for a position as a Warlord, Whitebeard's love for his sons was unshakable. Whitebeard would still show mercy, just as he had done in the original timeline when Blackbeard called him "Father" after all his treachery.
To warn Whitebeard about Teach now would only drive a wedge between them. Who would be foolish enough to do that? It would immediately turn Whitebeard against him.
There's a saying: "You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped." The greatest treasure Whitebeard had ever acquired from his life on the seas was his sons. But that treasure was also his greatest weakness.
Even without Blackbeard, even if Ace hadn't been there, Whitebeard's eventual downfall would still come because of his sons.
In a world where kings stood atop the seas, Whitebeard was a king with a weakness known to all. And, now growing older and weaker, Whitebeard's fate was already sealed.
"Teach, come here."
Whitebeard called out loudly to Teach, who stood some distance away. He didn't say much, but his voice carried authority. After all, since Ace harbored no ill intentions, Whitebeard had no reason to decline his request.
"Dad, Captain Marco!"
Teach responded to the call without any visible hesitation. His gap-toothed grin beamed as he greeted Whitebeard and Marco, his demeanor upbeat and carefree.
"Hey, Teach," Marco began with a laugh, having recovered with his father's comfort. "Ace brought up your name—seems he's really interested in you. You must be something special to catch his attention."
Marco's tone was light-hearted, even though beneath the surface, there was still a lingering unease. But he couldn't let it show. He forced himself to appear more cheerful and engaged than usual, determined not to add to Whitebeard's worries with his own concerns.
"Mr. Ace is interested in me? I'm honored!" Teach replied, his face lighting up with excitement. He turned to look at Ace, his enthusiasm seemingly genuine.
"Marshall D. Teach."
Ace's gaze settled on him—the man who would one day rise to the top of the seas and become one of the new Four Emperors. A subtle smile tugged at the corners of Ace's mouth.
If Ace didn't already know the future, he might have struggled to understand this man standing before him. Teach, with his unremarkable clothes and plain, somewhat ugly appearance, looked like a man without ambition or desire. Yet deep within him lay an insidious and overwhelming ambition.
Ace's mastery of Observation Haki, refined to such a degree that he could glimpse brief flashes of the future, revealed no trace of deceit in Teach's emotions. Teach appeared to be an unassuming optimist, free of desires or grand plans.
There was no mistake—Ace's Haki didn't lie. If it couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary, then there had to be another explanation.
The answer could only be this: another consciousness, entirely separate from the one Teach projected to the world, lurked inside him. This could explain why Teach, later, would go on to steal two Devil Fruit abilities and still pursue a third, possibly even more. It was likely that Teach was a freak—someone with multiple personalities or thoughts within him.
"Teach, it's been a while."
Shanks spoke up, his eyes fixed on Teach. There was something off in his tone, an edge that hadn't been there before.
"Shanks! Long time no see," Teach replied with a wide, seemingly harmless grin. "We clashed back when we were just apprentices, didn't we? Now look at you—you've become one of the Four Emperors, one of the top names in this sea. And me? I'm still just a regular crew member."
Shanks' expression darkened slightly as he looked at Teach, his mind drifting to the three scars across his face—scars that had been inflicted by Teach during their fight years ago. The intensity and brutality Teach had shown then were nothing like the carefree, optimistic front he was putting on now. It was as though Teach had become a completely different person since that encounter.
The scars were so significant to Shanks that he even incorporated them into his pirate flag, more prominent than his trademark red hair. They were a reminder of the danger Teach posed.
To Shanks, the real threat on Whitebeard's ship wasn't Whitebeard himself, the man known as the strongest in the world. It was this seemingly simple, optimistic man with a disarming smile—Teach.
But Shanks knew better than to say anything. He understood Whitebeard too well. No matter what warnings he might give, Whitebeard wouldn't believe them—not until Teach's true nature was fully exposed. And pushing the issue would only cause a rift between him and Whitebeard.
Marco glanced over at Teach with a smile. "You know, Teach, if you wanted, you could easily become the captain of the second division."
Teach let out a hearty laugh, rubbing the back of his head. "Nah, I'm not interested in that kind of thing. No ambition here, hahaha."
Shanks stared at Teach, studying him closely. The contrast between the Teach of the past and the Teach standing before him now was almost too much to process. The man who had left those scars on his face had fought with ruthless strength and precision, nothing like the carefree, optimistic façade Teach wore now.
Still, Shanks kept his thoughts to himself. He wouldn't press the matter—not yet.
But what Ace said next wiped the smile off Teach's face, his carefree demeanor starting to crack as a strange unease took hold...