Van Augur was still rubbing the empty eye socket beneath his bandages—
it was still faintly aching.
Lost in thought, he didn't hear Blackbeard Teach's question the first time.
"…What?" Van Augur lifted his head blankly.
This guy was just like Diamante—scared out of his wits.
No one expected that the two who had been shouting the loudest before would be the first to fall silent now.
Teach pressed his lips together in annoyance, but forced himself to repeat the question patiently.
"Van Augur, you were the first to come into contact with Davy Jones. Did anything unusual happen back then?"
"I've already told you all exactly what happened—several times."
Van Augur sat in his chair and placed his long sniper rifle onto the table.
"I was discovered. A flock of crows attacked me. Then one of them pecked out my left eye…"
Tap, tap, tap—
Lafitte gently tapped the table with his cane, interrupting him.
"It seems the problem lies with that eyeball you lost."
Van Augur frowned. "Lafitte… what are you implying?"
Vasco, who still hadn't forgotten to drink even in a moment like this, burst into loud laughter.
"You still don't get it? That eyeball you lost—Davy Jones must have tampered with it."
A chill crept up Van Augur's spine. Ignoring Vasco ridicule for once, he instinctively brought a hand to his bandages.
"That must be it," Teach muttered, rubbing the small gold ring looped into his beard. "But the issue is—how do we stop Davy Jones from continuing to track Van Augur through that eyeball?"
Vasco plunked a small gourd of alcohol onto the table.
"Isn't it obvious? Let Van Augur leave. The farther the better. Then we'll be safe."
"You—!" Van Augur finally couldn't hold back. He shot to his feet, slammed both hands on the table, and leaned forward like a snarling wolf. "You're that scared of dying?"
"You can't really call it being scared of dying," Vasco said, shaking the gourd and listening to the sloshing inside. He stuck out his tongue to lick his lips. "But as long as you're here, our position is compromised. How are we supposed to fight like that?"
Van Augur knew the logic was sound, but he still barked stubbornly,
"Even so, you can't expect me to act alone. You want me to face Davy Jones by myself?"
This time, Shiryu sided with Vasco. A cigar clamped in his mouth, he exhaled coldly:
"You just need to keep teleporting. Keep changing your position—exactly what we've been doing the past two days. If you do that, Davy Jones won't be able to catch you."
Van Augur's eyes widened. He finally understood—
These two bastards wanted to abandon him!
"Van Augur can't keep teleporting forever," Lafitte said calmly, extinguishing the rising tension.
"Either we find a way to sever Davy Jones' tracking… or we wait until he loses interest and gives up on the chase."
Vasco nodded eagerly:
"Exactly. Shiryu's thinking clearly for once. Our real enemies here are the remnants of Whitebeard. Davy Jones can't handle us anytime soon. Besides retreating, what else could he do?"
"But this plan means Van Augur will have to wander alone for months…"
Even as Lafitte said this, there was hesitation in his voice—he, too, was wavering.
Van Augur burned with anger. He raised his head and pinned his final hopes on Teach.
But Teach's eyes were already full of resolve.
"According to tradition—we vote." Teach scratched his beard. "Those in favor of having Van Augur temporarily leave, raise your hands."
Before he even finished speaking, Vasco eagerly raised his hand and stared at Van Augur as if watching a comedy.
Shiryu lifted his hand slowly afterward.
Lafitte wavered, unsure.
Van Augur refused to wait for Teach to announce the result. He turned and stormed out of the hall, almost bumping into the returning Diamante.
He spat on the floor, glared at Diamante, and walked away briskly.
"What's with him?" Diamante asked as he entered Bloodlust Island's hall, pointing toward Van Augur's retreating figure. "Where's he going? Why so angry?"
"He's going to carry out a mission only he can accomplish." Vasco answered with a mocking grin.
Diamante was about to ask more, but Teach interrupted:
"Well? What did the 'Joker' say?"
"Doffy wants to speak to you directly." Diamante handed him the still-connected Den Den Mushi.
Teach knew this was the last ally he could still hope to secure. He straightened up, taking it seriously.
"Blackbeard, this is Joker."
Doflamingo's deep voice came through the snail.
"It's me. Blackbeard speaking."
Though the entire underground world now knew the Joker's true identity, most people still used the codename.
Teach was no exception.
"I'll be blunt," Doflamingo said, but suddenly changed tone.
"I can't send reinforcements to you."
"Why?" Teach frowned.
Someone as shrewd as Doflamingo wasn't even trying to negotiate terms—he was refusing outright. Something was wrong.
"Before you even began fighting, Davy Jones already predicted your next move."
Doflamingo's voice was icy:
"He sent 'Crocodile' Crocodile with the main fleet to aim their cannons right at my front door—waiting to annihilate any fleet I send to reinforce you."
Teach tightened his grip on the Den Den Mushi.
"I can't send my men to die," Doflamingo continued.
"If you want my advice, you'd better take a long detour into my territory and regroup with me. With Diamante there, you'll move freely."
Teach now understood the true danger he was in. But he still refused:
"That's impossible. I can't abandon my territory and resources just to flee to you. I won't become your subordinate."
"Not a subordinate—an ally. Have you forgotten, Teach?"
Doflamingo stressed his words.
"Can't you see the situation clearly? Neither of us alone can handle Davy Jones' assault."
Teach sensed the deeper meaning. "You're saying…"
"We need to ally with a force capable of matching Davy Jones."
Doflamingo laid bare his plan.
"Only an Emperor of the Sea can defeat another Emperor of the Sea. If we ally with 'Beast' Kaido, our combined strength will far exceed Davy Jones'."
Red-Haired Shanks had already been excluded from consideration.
Doflamingo knew certain secrets. He vaguely understood that Shanks, like him, carried the blood of the Celestial Dragons.
Meaning they should have been close—
But in reality, they were anything but.
Shanks was aloof and proud, refusing to have anything to do with Doflamingo or the underground world.
"Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin was already dead.
And lately, Davy Jones had been constantly extending his influence, encroaching on Doflamingo's interests and creating conflict.
He was a Warlord of the Sea in name, but if anything truly happened to him, the World Government and Marines would not protect his crew.
No—they would at least save Doflamingo's life, since he was once a Celestial Dragon.
But for the Donquixote Family?
They wouldn't be so lucky.
Thus, the only remaining choice was Kaido.
"Blackbeard, I'm not telling you to bow to Kaido. I want you to endure."
Doflamingo said.
"You endured over twenty years on Whitebeard's ship, didn't you? Endure a bit longer. Opportunity always comes."
No need to say more—
This alliance would undeniably be one full of hidden schemes and mutual distrust.
Teach fell silent. Forming a triple alliance with Kaido and Doflamingo was indeed the optimal strategy.
But Kaido's influence was like Teach's own Dark-Dark Fruit—
absorbing everything around it, including other pirate crews.
After the alliance… would Shiryu, Lafitte, Van Augur, and Vasco still follow him?
Or would becoming Kaido's Shinuchi…
or even one of his All-Stars…
better serve their ambitions?
PS: Access the complete/finished chapters/series at Patreon: NanamiTL
Please drop some power stones support me at my Patreon