"Oh!! Could there be another reason?"
Lafitte narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Teach's rough but composed face, unable to suppress the curiosity rising in his heart.
What kind of reason could make this man—whose ambition towers above the sky—show such caution?!!!
"If it were just about Pops, then I wouldn't need to be so careful. The key is…"
Halfway through speaking, a few drops of cold sweat slid down Teach's fierce face, though his tone remained forceful.
"My fruit—the one that can restrain all Devil Fruits, the one hailed as the most horrific among them, the Dark-Dark Fruit—I actually took it from that man without his permission."
"That man???"
Lafitte's expression grew serious as he couldn't help but ask.
"The former Black Emperor, the master of the Shichibukai, the king who ruled over an entire era—"
As Teach listed out each title, Lafitte's originally calm face changed dramatically, unable to hide the shock in his eyes.
On the other side, Van Augur's eyes also snapped wide open as he stared fixedly at Teach's face.
"The Black Gun—Orin!!!"
The moment he said the name, Lafitte could no longer remain seated—he nearly spun around to leave on the spot.
What kind of joke was this?!!!
Offending Whitebeard was one thing—after all, the old relic was from a bygone era, and his time had passed.
But offending that Black Gun???
Even though he came from the West Blue, he understood very well what that name represented!!!
Van Augur, however, was more filled with excitement.
That feeling was no weaker than when Zoro first saw Mihawk. After all, Orin was the pinnacle of every sniper in the world!!!
"But don't worry…"
Seeing Lafitte waver, Blackbeard quickly explained.
"Originally, he promised to give it to me. I just… took it a little earlier than planned!"
"…As long as we don't directly make an enemy of that monster, it's fine."
Lafitte took a sip of coffee. Hearing the explanation finally steadied his heart—barely. Then he let out an evil smile.
"But… if your plan succeeds, Captain, then our Blackbeard Pirates rising to that man's level one day isn't impossible~"
"Zehahahaha!!! Of course!!!"
They stopped discussing that topic and shifted their attention to another matter.
"Captain, are we really inviting that guy?"
Van Augur subtly glanced at the man outside the window—the one with twin axes at his waist—his eyes filled with the sharp focus unique to snipers.
"That's right… that guy really does look like a certain strong person I once met!!!"
Blackbeard grinned with ambition tugging at the corner of his lips.
He wasn't the type to admire just anyone—only those who matched his ambition.
And this man who resembled the right-hand man of the Pirate King Roger, Gaban, at first glance—this was someone who captured Teach's eye instantly.
Strong men resembled one another.
Ace, Shanks, Tesoro—when they were young, they all looked quite similar.
But that aura unique to true powerhouses? That was something ordinary men could never imitate.
This person was born to be his right-hand man!!!
"But… that guy escaped from Admiral Kizaru's hands. Captain, how do you have the confidence to recruit him?"
He admitted Teach was strong, but the info on Hades was equally impressive.
Recruiting him wouldn't be easy.
"Zehahahaha… Since I'm this confident, of course I have a reason he can't refuse. Just wait and see!!!"
Without further explanation, Teach quickly walked forward.
With Observation Haki maxed out, Hades (Orin) naturally sensed him immediately.
I haven't even gone looking for you, and you come running to me?
Interesting…
He'd originally planned to use his alt account to beat Teach up a little—after all, the guy went back on their deal and stole the item early.
Besides, he was bored. Might as well use the alt account to farm some reputation.
But Teach arriving with such obvious preparation made Orin hesitate.
Could it be…
"Zehahahahaha…"
"Hades, I've heard your name. A man who possesses Conqueror's Haki… I am Teach. Join my crew, and I promise to make you the Deputy Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates!!!"
"???"
Orin was genuinely stunned.
He was just bored, using his alt account to wander around and mess with people. His main body would save his big entrance for major events. And now he was getting recruited?
But knowing Orin's personality—playful, dramatic—it fit perfectly.
"Teach? Never heard of you~"
"The only man worthy of my assistance is someone who can become the King of the World!!!"
Hades fully displayed the attitude of a perfect newcomer—or a perfectly arrogant future right-hand man. He acted as though he had no idea who Teach was, his tone utterly untamed.
"Zehahaha… No problem. You'll hear of me eventually. But before rejecting me, hear my conditions. Then decide!!"
Seeing Hades' aura and appearance—paired with that subtle yet chilling Conqueror's Haki—Teach admired him greatly.
This was exactly the kind of aura a true right-hand man should have.
Especially that line—"the future World King's right-hand man"—it pierced straight into Teach's heart. It reminded him of his father…
And many people he'd known—
Like Gaban, like Beckman…
Teach, who aimed to stand beside or even surpass Roger and Shanks, needed a right-hand man like this.
"Your conditions?"
Hades' eyes flickered. He already guessed, but still asked along.
"Captain, this guy hasn't agreed yet. Is it really okay to tell him?"
Lafitte was unsure. Van Augur also frowned.
But Orin's charisma—whether as himself or in disguise—was simply one of the strongest presences on the sea. He was the kind of "charm demon" only top-tier monsters recognized.
He was the man who could join Roger's crew with a few sentences.
Almost every powerhouse on the sea, young or old, acknowledged Orin.
"It's fine…"
Teach was confident that even if Hades learned the secret, it wouldn't affect his grand plan. There were simply too many powerful Devil Fruits in the world.
Teach stepped closer to Hades, grinning widely.
"Do you know why Lafitte and Van Augur joined me, even though I was an unknown nobody?"
"Zehahahaha… It's because I am the only man in the world who has mastered perfect Devil Fruit ability transplantation!!!"
"The only one?"
"That's right!!!"
Teach's face radiated pride.
"Even Vegapunk—the greatest scientist—and even the one who ruled an era, the Black Gun… What they know is only the inferior, watered-down version of the Devil Fruit secrets I intentionally leaked to them!!!"
"???"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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