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Without a doubt, Blackbeard Teach, the future New Yonko, is an extraordinarily shrewd individual.
He had lurked within the Whitebeard Pirates for decades, completely concealing his ambition from everyone. Such a remarkably patient and naturally charismatic tyrant could maintain a perfectly normal, seamless expression, even with his heart churning like a tempest.
His composure carried a hint of surprise, his surprise a hint of anticipation, and his anticipation a trace of respect for "Pops"...
Just like the reactions of his fellow crewmates when they had successively tried the Tremor-Tremor Fruit earlier.
"Zehahaha..." Teach chuckled, acting as if nothing were amiss, though his eyes constantly flickered toward Giorno, who was steadily advancing. "I never thought I'd get to experience Pops' Earthquake Power! This is amazing!"
His comrades watched him with knowing smiles, while Giorno pressed his right hand, holding the faintly glowing triangular chip, against Teach's chest.
Just as he had done to Marco, Jozu, and the others before.
"Thief! Hahaha... huh?"
Teach's laughter abruptly ceased as he felt his right hand, which had been pressing against his chest, suddenly recoil.
Beside Robin, B.I.B. watched its main body approach Blackbeard, silently counting: One, two, three... Stop! Sure enough, at the exact moment the main body inserted the Tremor-Tremor Fruit chip into Blackbeard's body, it yanked its hand back.
'Eeeh, didn't give it to him~'
If B.I.B. had human features, it would have been laughing hysterically right now.
'How deliciously mischievous!' B.I.B. savored the moment, relishing this private joke shared only with its main body.
'Seems like a misunderstanding.' Liam noticed countless blood vessels flash in Blackbeard's usually composed eyes for a fleeting moment.
Teach blinked, maintaining his composure, and asked with feigned innocence, "What's wrong? Do you need to use the restroom?"
"Shh..." Liam raised a finger, his face utterly serious.
Jozu, Thatch, Vista, Izo... everyone tensed up, unnerved by his earnest demeanor.
'As expected, casually wielding the special abilities of Devil Fruits must have some drawbacks. We need to be extremely cautious…'
Even Whitebeard, who had been chuckling heartily as his adorable sons entertained him, paused his drinking and turned to look.
Only Marco, remembering what had happened earlier, couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.
'Is this guy serious? Again? In front of everyone? Does he even know what tension is?!'
"Listen… what's that sound?"
Liam, his expression grave, scrutinized Blackbeard's eyes, his rather unattractive face, his mouthful of rotten teeth, and his hairy chest reeking of body odor.
"Sound?" The others, serious but puzzled, focused their attention. Marco, doubting his initial interpretation of Liam, strained his ears.
"Thump-thump, thump-thump," Liam said. "Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump... What a violently loud heartbeat! Can't you all hear it?"
Hmm? Robin thought she heard a faint 'pū chī' behind her.
She turned to see only B.I.B. there. Was it laughing? It was impossible to tell through its faceplate...
"Phew… I thought something had happened!"
The Whitebeard Pirates let out a collective sigh of relief, then erupted in laughter. "Teach, you idiot! You weren't nervous, were you? Hā hā hā hā..."
"It's nothing! I might have overreacted a bit just now..."
"A bit? You were howling like a banshee from the recoil!"
"I was just worried Teach might be nervous!"
Someone else chimed in mockingly, "Teach, it's okay! Even if you can't successfully use the Earthquake Power, we won't laugh… hā hā hā hā! Seriously, don't be nervous, hā hā hā hā!!"
Seizing the opportunity, Teach lashed out at the jeering crowd in embarrassment and fury, "Stop talking like you're so high and mighty, you bunch of bastards!"
"Hahaha!" The crowd erupted in laughter, even the commanders like Marco, Jozu, and Izo couldn't help but chuckle. From the back, Whitebeard's booming "Gura gura gura!" echoed through the air.
Liam, clutching the Tremor-Tremor Fruit chip, smirked. "So sensitive, Mr. Mustache."
"Oh? Is my mustache really that long?" Teach asked, stroking his bristly stubble.
Though his eyes remained fixed on Giorno's, his peripheral vision tracked Giorno's right hand as it pressed back toward his chest...
Just as the Tremor-Tremor Fruit chip on Giorno's right hand was about to touch Blackbeard's hairy chest, Liam froze his hand mid-air.
Pfft!
Teach nearly coughed up blood. If not for the crowd's attention, his true nature would have erupted, and he would have clawed Liam to shreds long ago!
Just like he had done to that red-haired bastard before...
Despite his seething inner fury at this slacker, Teach maintained an innocent, curious expression. He watched as Giorno reached for his waist, grabbing the weapon hanging there: the Clutch glove with its three razor-sharp blades.
"Ho, what a sharp weapon," Liam murmured, his fingers gliding along the Clutch's blades.
"You like it?" Teach grinned widely, baring his teeth. "I'll give it to you then! After all, you've done the old man such a big favor, you thief! Hā hā hā..."
"Waaah! Teach, you bastard..."
"Isn't that the weapon you've been using for ages, you asshole?!"
The surrounding Whitebeard Pirates members were deeply moved by Teach's words, bursting into crashing sobs on the spot.
Marco and the other commanders smiled, their eyes slightly reddened. Whitebeard chuckled heartily and took another hearty swig of his sake.
Liam, holding Clutch, scanned the room. "How touching!" he remarked casually before setting it down.
"I'll just..." Teach began, reaching for the Clutch at his waist, when Liam suddenly thrust his entire right arm, including the Tremor-Tremor Fruit chip embedded in his palm, into Blackbeard's chest!
Teach froze, his eyes widening to the point of nearly bulging out of their sockets.
Thump-thump!
His heart trembled. He could feel it… the foreign power surging into his body.
It felt as if a single punch could tear the sky, overturn the earth, and capsize the ocean... This was the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
This was the Earthquake Power capable of Destroying the World!
Teach clenched his fist, a radiant aura erupting around it as he unleashed the peerless Earthquake Power in a devastating strike forward.
Whoosh! The earthquake-infused fist halted mere inches from Giorno's face.
Liam tilted his head, puzzled. "What are you doing?"
Marco, Jozu, Thatch, Vista, Izo... all the Whitebeard Pirates crew members nearby, Giorno's female Captain Jolyne Cujoh, and that mysterious black figure, countless eyes were fixed on them.
Whitebeard took a swig of sake. "Clumsy son, you're throwing your punches in the wrong direction, aren't you?"
Under the scrutiny of his father and the others, Teach withdrew his fist and burst into loud laughter. "Zehahahahaha! This power is just too overwhelming! I got carried away for a moment there. Sorry, Father!"
Soon, Teach was unleashing a barrage of earthquake-enhanced punches toward the sea.
Boom! Rumble! Boom! Rumble! Boom! Rumble!...
What incredible power from the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Such overwhelming Earthquake Power!
This is the ultimate strength I've craved, second only to the Dark-Dark Fruit!
Teach roared inwardly, venting his fury as he glared at Giorno's detestable left hand slowly reaching for his chest...
Or is this just my imagination? Giorno's arm seemed to move impossibly slowly as he pressed it into Teach's body to extract the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
The left arm, patterned with swirling blue flames, slowly... slowly... slowly... slowly drew the Tremor-Tremor Fruit's chip from Blackbeard's body, as the Yonko's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets—or so Liam interpreted.
Clap!
Blackbeard's massive hand clamped down on Liam's left wrist.
'Damn, my hand moved on its own…' By the time Teach realized what he'd done, he was already gripping Giorno's left wrist, and he could feel all eyes in the room converging on him once again.
For someone who just wanted to be invisible on this ship, being the center of attention was utterly loathsome!
However, Teach's mental fortitude was unparalleled. Almost as soon as he gripped Giorno's wrist, he flashed a dazzlingly idiotic (toothy) grin and asked curiously, "How exactly did you do that?"
"Isn't it strange? Don't you all find it intriguing?" Teach released his grip, spread his arms wide, and scanned the crowd. Pointing at Liam, he continued, "His arm can reach inside our bodies without us feeling a thing! Just like that, he can steal someone's Devil Fruit ability, completely silently, without any harm to himself or the target! It's nothing short of a miracle!"
"Well... you've got a point there."
"It's truly miraculous, bordering on the unbelievable..."
"I've never heard of anything like this before. What about you guys?"
"To be honest, until today, I didn't believe his feats were real..."
The pirates on deck erupted into a flurry of discussion. They had all been naturally curious about Giorno's miraculous abilities, but Teach was the first to voice the question aloud.
Teach turned to Giorno with a grin. "Giorno, is this some kind of rare Devil Fruit power? On this Sea, only Devil Fruits can achieve such unbelievable feats, right?"
All eyes turned to Giorno.
Liam hefted the Tremor-Tremor Fruit chip he'd extracted from Blackbeard, scanning the crowd around him…
(End Of This Chapter)