"So you are... Blackbeard?"
"Are you asking rhetorically? Though this is our first formal face-to-face meeting, we've been collaborating for years now... Without my interference, your World Government would likely be in complete disarray by now."
"Enough, Blackbeard. We've been more than tolerant with you... Don't push your luck," Saturn frowned, his eyes filled with boundless disdain and arrogance.
"Tsk, how do you manage to remain so high and mighty even in such dire times?" Blackbeard's smile suddenly turned dangerous.
"Don't think... I won't lose my temper."
"Man of peculiar constitution... There's no need to test our stance further," Nusjuro crossed his legs, hands resting on his knees.
"The World Government... now requires your loyalty."
"My loyalty? Zehahahaha! I don't mind handing that over... but would you truly accept it?"
"Bring Nefertari D. Vivi of Alabasta to the Holy Land, and we shall grant you whatever you desire."
"Zehahahaha! Rather than your empty promises, I prefer something more tangible as collateral..." A sharp glint flashed in Blackbeard's eyes.
"I hear the Celestial Dragons' combat prowess has skyrocketed recently. Even those who used to get winded from walking can now rival elite vice admirals... So naturally, the God's Knights, being the elite among elites, must have grown even stronger?"
"What... are you implying?"
"Grant me... absolute command over the God's Knights."
"Impossible!" the Five Elders exclaimed in unison. "Though most God's Knights members are Celestial Dragons not from the Twenty—no, Nineteen Royal Families, their leader must be from the Nineteen Royal Families!"
"Isn't the solution simple then? Just induct me and make me a Celestial Dragon of the Nineteen Royal Families! Zehahahaha!"
Blackbeard erupted in triumphant laughter, though his eyes remained cold and calculating.
He knew this was the perfect moment to make outrageous demands—they had no choice but to agree.
Yet he remained wary of desperate measures they might take.
As Nusjuro opened his mouth to speak, he suddenly froze.
His expression shifted several times before finally settling on an odd gaze directed at Blackbeard.
"So that's it... You're actually so closely connected to us?"
"Zehahahaha! Nusjuro Saint, are you senile? What nonsense are you muttering? My patience wears thin—if you won't agree to these terms, I'll take my leave..."
"No, we accept your terms," Nusjuro said, his eyes now appraising. "But we'll only grant you combat command of the God's Knights... Beyond battle, they'll answer to no one. And you must guarantee their safety.""Still haggling at the last moment... but I'm a broad-minded man!"
Blackbeard laughed and patted his chest.
"Go wait on your ship... soon, the God's Knights will report to you."
With his objective achieved, Blackbeard naturally had no reason to stay.
After all, standing alongside five Emperor-level opponents was no small pressure!
Van Augur placed his hand on Blackbeard's shoulder, and in an instant, they teleported away.
"Nusjuro! Why agree to his terms?" Warcury whispered urgently.
"Silence! This is Imu-sama's decision! Imu-sama... time is running short. We must retrieve that Nefertari girl named Vivi!" Nusjuro shook his head.
"As for Blackbeard... do you recall the Lunar Technology that Imu-sama and our ancestors once discovered?"
"You mean... the Lunar Technology that created Joy Boy?"
"According to Imu-sama's account, Joy Boy was the perfect existence combining the bloodlines of all races in the world... but there was also a failed product, or rather... a malformed being. He was sealed within Lunar Technology, left in eternal slumber... and the machine that contained him was recently found."
"Records indicate... this slumber was broken forty years ago."
"In the following years, in the Shadow Harbor of the Grand Line, an old woman who originally had only two daughters suddenly bore a son—tall, with an extraordinary physique that didn't even require sleep..."
"Named Marshall D. Teach."
As Nusjuro finished relaying Imu-sama's account...
The Five Elders fell into deep contemplation.
Finally, the most composed among them, Saint Ethanbaron, spoke first.
"So, in a sense, Blackbeard is a degraded version of Joy Boy?"
"No. 'Failure' refers only to his malformation... not his power or potential."
...
One week later, Sabaody Archipelago.
"Ahh, it's been quite a while since we've been back," Jack said, finally standing on solid ground again.
"Yamato, let's stay here a bit longer... As long as we don't cause trouble or harass civilians, Robin allows pirates to move freely on the island."
"...Fine." Yamato glanced at the crew, especially the visibly exhausted Bonney, and nodded.
"But before we rest... let's gather intel first, as usual."
Following Yamato's suggestion, the group headed straight for the nearest news coater.
Inside, all the world's current bounties were kept.
After disguising themselves, they entered.
At the center of the coater, several bounty posters were prominently displayed on the wooden bulletin board.
Clearly, these were the current hot topics.
Though Yamato's bounty had reached 3 billion, firmly placing her at "Emperor" level...
After her bounty rose, she had largely disappeared from the scene.
Thus, she was temporarily removed from the spotlight.
In her place was the "Old Geezers Pirates."
"Aside from the highest bounty in this pirate crew whose face is unclear, the other high bounties all seem to be grandpa-aged at first glance!" Brook thoughtfully stroked his jawbone.
"And this last one, called Ice Maker? Why does he look even more worn out than these old geezers?" Chopper smacked his lips a few times.
"Ah... this vibe somehow reminds me of Teacher Aokiji... Could they be long-lost brothers?"
Meanwhile, Yamato crossed her arms, her frown deepening.
These old men...
Why do they all look so familiar?
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