He... shared the liquor Father gave him with me?
Teach glanced down at the flask in his hand, slightly taken aback.
Hmph, at least this brat knows his manners—offering an apology.
This twenty-year-aged liquor was Father's highest-grade reserve, reserved only for the most distinguished guests. It was rare for even them to get a taste.
But expecting forgiveness this easily? Not a chance.
"Zehahaha! Never thought you'd remember a nobody like me. But the Devil Fruit business has nothing to do with you—I was just too hot-headed back then. If anything, I've only got myself to blame."
Teach scratched his head sheepishly.
"Anyway, what's done is done. I've long since moved on. But this liquor? No way I'm giving it back. I've been dying to try it. Zehahaha... Uh, Father, can I drink it?"
"Don't talk nonsense, Teach!"
Whitebeard boomed with laughter. "You're a grown man! If you want a drink, then drink like one! Why act like some timid brat?"
"As your son, I should always ask before drinking your liquor."
Teach grinned foolishly, raising the flask and gulping it down in huge, unrestrained swigs.
In no time, the flask was empty. Rubbing his belly in satisfaction, he sighed.
"Damn fine liquor, Father!"
Xiano remained silent, quietly observing the scene.
Only after confirming Teach had drained every last drop did the corner of his lips curl slightly. He caught another flask tossed by Whitebeard and took a deep swig himself.
Truth Serum.
A little something he'd picked up shortly after leaving Water 7.
In simple terms, once ingested, the drinker would be overwhelmed by an uncontrollable urge to speak the truth—for an entire day.
And now, it was taking effect. Time to test it out.
"They say liquor loosens the tongue."
Xiano set down the flask, speaking leisurely. "Brother, though you claim the past is behind you, there's one thing I still can't wrap my head around."
"That day, when I took out that fruit—why did you react so violently? Even Marco couldn't hold you back."
Huh?
Teach's brow twitched imperceptibly.
This guy had just acted like he didn't care—why the sudden interrogation?
The truth? Like hell he'd tell him!
A cold sneer formed in his mind as he scrambled for an excuse.
But his mouth moved faster than his thoughts, snarling uncontrollably:
"You DARE ask?! YOU DARE ASK?!"
"You little brat! That fruit you pulled out looked exactly like the one I'd been waiting twenty damn years for! You tricked even ME!"
Silence.
For a heartbeat, the entire deck froze.
Marco, Jozu, and the other division commanders all turned in shock.
Teach...
What was wrong with him?
Why was he suddenly so furious?
And since when did he have the guts to speak like that to a Sea Emperor?
"?"
Whitebeard, too, looked down at Teach in confusion.
Teach himself stood frozen, panic-stricken, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
What...
What just happened?!
How did I end up saying what was in my heart?
I was supposed to make up some excuse and brush it off!
"Oh?"
Xiano leaned forward with interest, a devilish smile spreading across his face:
"Go on, don't stop. What kind of Devil Fruit is so special that it made you wait twenty years for it?"
"You ignorant brat! Of course, it's the Dark-Dark—"
Teach instinctively blurted out before his expression twisted in horror.
He desperately tried to clamp his mouth shut, but his tongue seemed to have a will of its own, forcing the words out regardless:
"Of course, it's the Dark-Dark Fruit! The embodiment of darkness, the strongest Logia! Only this fruit is worthy of my ambition—to replace Whitebeard and become the strongest man in the world... NO!!!"
Teach's eyes bulged with terror as he let out a beast-like roar, his hands clawing at his own throat, veins popping on his forehead as he fought with all his might to stop himself.
But the Truth Serum's effect was absolute, operating on a level akin to natural law.
It rewrote the will, making the subject increasingly obedient to their true desires, unaware they were even revealing the truth.
Once activated, there was no stopping it.
The thoughts buried for too long, the ambitions no longer able to be concealed...
Like a flood bursting through a dam, they surged uncontrollably from Teach's mouth in furious roars:
"Twenty years!"
"For the sake of this fruit's intel, I hid on Whitebeard's ship, waiting patiently for over two decades!"
"Satch, Blamenco, Namur—what a bunch of second-rate trash, all of them becoming famous commanders while I remained a nameless nobody!"
"Why?! Just so I could use the Whitebeard Pirates' intelligence network to find the Dark-Dark Fruit sooner!"
"With the Dark-Dark Fruit and my unique constitution, I can steal any other powerful ability in this world!"
"And my first target is you, old man! I've been craving your Tremor-Tremor Fruit for ages!"
Teach sneered, pointing at Whitebeard, his greed laid bare:
"You're old now, no longer the world's strongest man who could rival Roger! That Tremor-Tremor Fruit is wasted in your hands—it should be mine!"
"What the hell are you saying, Teach?!"
Diamond Jozu's face darkened as he roared, "You've had too much to drink! Apologize to Pops right now!"
"Drunk? I'm not drunk!"
Teach glared back viciously. "Shut your mouth, Jozu! If I remember right, you joined around the same time as me! Who the hell are you to order me around?!"
"You're definitely wasted..."
Jozu's expression turned grim as his right arm instantly transformed into diamond, smashing toward Teach!
"Enough! Stop spouting nonsense! In front of our guests and Pops, snap out of it, Teach!"
"Zehahaha... You wanna fight? With just that?"
Teach grinned savagely, his right fist clenching as pitch-black Armament Haki surged over it, meeting Jozu's strike head-on!
BOOM!!!
Their fists collided, a terrifying shockwave tearing across the deck. Dust and splinters filled the air as the surrounding pirates staggered back from the impact.
After what felt like an eternity, the dust finally settled, revealing a sight that left everyone stunned...
It was Jozu who had been sent flying.
His right arm, which had already been diamond-hardened, was now covered in fine cracks. Caught off guard, Jozu staggered backward over a dozen steps, nearly collapsing to the ground.
As for Teach...
He remained standing in place, merely swaying slightly before taking two steps back to steady himself effortlessly.
"Zehahaha!"
Teach shook his wrist and laughed maniacally, "See that, you fools?! This is my true strength! All these years, I've been hiding it to avoid drawing attention. Did I really have to show it for you to believe me...?"
"TEACH!!!"
A thunderous roar erupted as Whitebeard finally rose to his feet. With his furious shout, the terrifying pressure of Conqueror's Haki once again swept across the deck!
Boom!
This time, everyone could feel the sheer rage infused within that Haki.
Teach shuddered instinctively, swallowing hard as he looked up at Whitebeard.
"Oyaji..."
Marco stepped forward, his face pale, wanting to urge Whitebeard to calm down but at a loss for words.
What was unfolding before him had completely surpassed his understanding.
Teach... What had happened to Teach?
Could it truly be as he claimed—that his previous humble, unassuming demeanor had all been an act?
The evidence seemed irrefutable. It had to be true.
Otherwise, even if his earlier words were drunken ramblings, how else could one explain this terrifying strength capable of defeating even Jozu?
"Brat Xiano."
Whitebeard, having subdued Teach with his presence, turned his gaze toward Xiano, narrowing his eyes. "You tampered with the wine, didn't you?"
"In a way, yes. In a way, no."
Xiano took a casual sip of his drink. "As the world's strongest Master Swordsman, my instincts are sharp. From the moment I boarded, I sensed an intense, murderous malice radiating from this guy."
"We've only met once. Why would he hate me to this extent? I was puzzled. Curious."
He swirled the flask in his hand and chuckled lightly. "So, I simply added a little something to the wine—something that makes people speak their true thoughts."
"I got the answer I wanted, but uncovering so many explosive revelations was far beyond my expectations."
His eyes flicked toward Whitebeard. "You should be thanking me, Whitebeard. You've been harboring a venomous snake on your ship—one that wants to kill you and devour even your corpse."
Whitebeard's expression darkened like storm clouds.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a long moment before slowly reopening them.
Then, he turned back, gripping his massive blade tightly before lowering his head impassively.
"Teach."
Whitebeard's voice was eerily calm. "I'll ask you one last time. Were those words just drunken nonsense... or your true feelings?"
"At this point, is there even a need to ask?"
Teach instinctively retreated a step or two, though he forced a sneer onto his face. "But Oyaji, what's this about? I just vented a little, and now you're ready to purge me? Is this the so-called 'world's strongest man's' magnanimity?!"
"You're mistaken, Teach."
Whitebeard looked at him with disappointment, "Do you even realize it, Teach... Do you even realize it at all?!"
"The son of Rocks—that very Rocks who once made the World Government tremble in fear—how could he ever be an ordinary man content with mediocrity?!"
"I knew it from the day you begged me to let you join this ship! Your ambition, your dreams, your strength and Haki—never! Never did you need to hide them, Teach!"
Whitebeard's eyes widened, his voice suddenly rising to a roar!
"You want to replace me, you want to become a Sea Emperor, you want the Dark-Dark Fruit, you want the Tremor-Tremor Fruit... Fine! None of that matters!"
"This ship, the Moby Dick, that has sailed with me from the old era—its deck is vast enough! Could it not carry even this insignificant ambition of yours?!!"
BOOM!
The words struck like thunder, reverberating in the minds of everyone present.
Except for Xiano, who merely narrowed his eyes as if he had expected this, the others stared at Teach in disbelief.
What did Pops just say?
Rocks?!
Teach... was actually the son of that man who once claimed to be the King of the World—Rocks?!
Marco and Vista exchanged stunned glances. The revelation was too shocking—even they were momentarily dazed by the impact.
"So you knew about my origins all along, Pops..."
Blackbeard narrowed his eyes, scanning the crowd before speaking with a hollow smile:
"Then what's the point of saying all this? What, do you think I can just stay on this ship like before, playing the role of your obedient son?"
"If that were all, then of course you could!"
A flicker of anguish passed through Whitebeard's eyes as his voice grew low and heavy:
"But... you don't deserve it!"
Gripping his naginata, he took a step forward, pressing the question:
"Tell me, Teach—do you remember the battle on Coron Island five years ago?"
Coron Island?
Blackbeard froze for a moment before recalling, his expression shifting slightly as realization dawned.
"Judging by your face, you remember now."
Whitebeard's voice turned colder:
"Coron Island—near the entrance to the New World, now renamed by the Marines as G-14—was once territory flying the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"You and Giman, along with three others, were ambushed by a Marine fleet while gathering supplies. Under the assault of three Vice Admirals, Giman and the others died on the spot."
"Only you jumped into the sea and escaped."
"You wept bitterly on the ship, saying you failed Giman and the others. We even comforted you back then."
Marco, now understanding, spoke up with a grim expression, "But now, seeing the terrifying power you've shown..."
"They didn't have to die, did they?!"
Whitebeard roared, no longer able to restrain himself. His massive hand shot out, seizing Blackbeard's head and slamming his face into the deck!
"To hide your strength, you watched your comrades die! For your ambition, you abandoned the family you lived with day and night!"
"A man like you—a Teach like this—doesn't deserve to be my son!!!"
CRACK!!!
A terrifying shockwave erupted violently, instantly slamming Blackbeard deep into the deck. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as crimson gushed from all seven orifices of his face.
"Zehahaha..."
Yet even in this state, Blackbeard continued to laugh maniacally. Struggling to lift his head, he roared through a mouthful of blood:
"What's that got to do with me, old man?! In the end, all I did was stand by and watch! By your rules, murdering comrades is punishable by death—but I didn't take their lives! How can you pin all this on me? If anything, you should be settling scores with the Marines!"
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