Teach studied the man before him, eyes sharp as a hawk's. Under that gaze, the merchant began to sweat, forcing a strained smile.
He hadn't expected word to spread so fast. Some of his partner organizations couldn't even reach this region within three days, but thanks to their connections and middlemen, they'd managed to act through nearby allies. That was how he'd been able to reserve seven warships so quickly.
It seemed the rate of purchase would be even faster than Teach had predicted.
"Alright," Teach said at last, grinning. "I'll take the deal."
Two hundred million Berries per Devil Fruit sounded steep for now, but the value of Devil Fruits would only rise as the Great Pirate Era began. In time, even a common one could fetch three or four hundred million at auction. In the long run, this was a bargain. And who knew, among these fruits, there might be something truly special. Even the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia was incomplete; countless unique abilities existed in the world.
The merchant exhaled, visibly relieved. He'd feared Teach would refuse. With a nod, he gestured behind him, and two men in black suits stepped forward, each carrying a box. They opened them before Teach.
"This is four hundred million Berries and one Devil Fruit, as a deposit," the man said. The amount itself was proof of the powerful group backing him.
Teach chuckled. "No need for deposits. Let's trade directly. You can take two ships now. I'll hold the remaining five for three days. If you can't bring the rest of the one-point-five billion in time, Devil Fruits will do as substitutes. If one's worth more, we'll negotiate the difference."
The man's eyes lit up. "Really? Thank you, Captain Teach!"
He'd learned something valuable: a single Devil Fruit could offset two hundred million Berries.
Many didn't realize how valuable they were. To some, Devil Fruits were less desirable than raw cash, except for the powerful ones, of course.
Teach glanced into the box and recognized the fruit immediately: the Gecko-Gecko Fruit, a Zoan type. Not a powerhouse ability, but it granted remarkable regenerative strength.
The men left with their two ships without interference from the Nightfall Pirates. Dozens of onlookers witnessed the exchange, and word spread fast, Teach was accepting Devil Fruits as payment.
Soon, other factions followed suit. Some of them had Devil Fruits in abundance, often reserved for training subordinates. For these groups, trading a few away to buy warships was a fair exchange.
Even the Celestial Dragons were infamous for wasting Devil Fruits, feeding them to slaves for amusement. Government officials eager to please them often offered Devil Fruits as tribute, seeking influence in return. Berries meant little to the Celestial Dragons, but Devil Fruits strange and entertaining always caught their attention.
To Teach, however, Devil Fruits were invaluable. In the right hands, even the weakest could be devastating. He already envisioned an institution dedicated to studying their development, a think tank of imaginative scholars pushing the limits of their powers.
That was how he would grow stronger. Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, came to mind, the man with the world's strongest Paramecia, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
But it wasn't the fruit that made Whitebeard the world's strongest. It was the man himself who made the fruit legendary. His monstrous physique, unmatched Haki, and indomitable willpower had forged that title. Even without his Devil Fruit, Whitebeard would still have been Emperor-class, the strongest in the world.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit merely reflected that greatness. A weaker man would have died under its side effects. Only Whitebeard's monstrous endurance, bolstered by a hint of giant's blood, could fully unleash its power.
Teach smiled faintly. He still had a long way to go.
Before the day was over, more buyers arrived, ambassadors of multiple factions, all eager to trade.
Six more warships changed hands. Two were taken immediately, and the buyers offered two more Devil Fruits; the Rope-Rope Fruit, a Paramecia type, and the Grass-Snake Fruit, a Zoan type.
By sundown, fourteen warships had been reserved and five had already sailed away.
The final one went to a pirate crew, who paid three hundred million on the spot. They cheered as they boarded their new vessel, roaring out of the harbor to test their might or perhaps to settle old grudges.
None were foolish enough to challenge Teach's crew. The Nightfall Pirates' strength was undeniable. Their victories, broadcast across the seas, had already cemented their supremacy over the East Blue.
But Teach had no plans to linger here. Not with Garp around. The East Blue's peace was built on the Marine Hero's watchful eye, and Teach knew better than to provoke him in his own backyard.
Three days later, under cover of night, the Nightfall Pirates slipped out to sea. Darkness cloaked their departure, leaving no trail for the Navy to follow.
In those days, the crew had expanded to over six hundred members. Many were still untrained recruits, nearly three hundred were apprentices, but the potential was there.
By the second day, every warship had been sold. The total profit reached 4.3 billion Berries, including seven Devil Fruits. One alone was valued at five hundred million.
The lineup was impressive: Gecko-Gecko Fruit, Rope-Rope Fruit, Grass-Snake Fruit, Bottle-Bottle Fruit, Button-Button Fruit, Itch-Itch Fruit, and the Bird-Bird Fruit, Crow Model.
Some seemed useless at first glance, but Teach saw potential in each. The Bottle-Bottle Fruit, a space-type ability, could store anything. The Button-Button Fruit could create buttons, odd, but versatile. Even the Itch-Itch Fruit, capable of releasing a pink itching powder, could be turned into a nightmare weapon if mastered.
Its only flaw was that the user occasionally itched uncontrollably themselves.
And then there was the Crow Fruit, a rare flying Zoan. Even if not powerful in combat, mobility alone made it priceless. No wonder it had been worth five hundred million.
The Nightfall Pirates now commanded three ships. One, the Ironclad, was purchased for a hundred million Berries and captained by Wallace. The other had come freely, a pirate with a fifteen-million bounty had joined Teach, bringing his ship with him.
Their next destination was the famed Bocaboca Kingdom, a storybook paradise known across the East Blue for its whimsical beauty. Each year, tourists flooded the island for its fairytale landscapes and cheerful streets.
The Nightfall Pirates had marked it on their charts long ago. After months at sea, they finally arrived.
To avoid attention, their three ships docked at a secluded bay on the island's eastern coast. The area was quiet, far from the kingdom's lively western capital. There, they lowered their flags and disguised themselves, tattoos covered, uniforms changed, faces masked.
"Alright, have some fun," Teach said with a grin. "But no trouble. Gar, you're on watch."
"Got it," the white lion Mink replied. His appearance was far too distinctive; everyone in the East Blue knew the Nightfall Pirates had a lion-like Mink in their ranks. If he stepped ashore, their presence would be discovered instantly.
Meanwhile, the Navy was already closing in. Under orders from Marine Headquarters, Vice Admiral Brom's fleet was scouring nearby seas for any trace of them.
Teach disguised himself using Life Return, subtly altering his features, and wandered the kingdom alone. Even on the outskirts, the scenery was stunning, like stepping into a painting.
The island had two parts, the royal city to the west and a ring of quiet countryside around it. The city, connected to the main port, was where most of the traffic and trade occurred.
Teach entered the royal city, passing through fairytale streets lined with carriages and costumed performers. Children laughed, tourists took photos, and characters in vibrant outfits danced through the crowd.
But Teach's mind was elsewhere. He wasn't here for sightseeing.
He was thinking about Baccarat and the coin she had tossed that led him here. There was no such thing as pure coincidence when it came to her ability. Luck was guided by intention.
If the coin had brought him to Bocaboca Kingdom, it meant someone here was fated to join the Nightfall Pirates.
He thought back to what he'd said before, what roles their crew still lacked. Could this be Baccarat's way of filling that gap?
A dancer? A musician? A navigator?
He shrugged off the thought. Fate had its own rhythm. If they were meant to meet, they would.
The royal city was bursting with life, food stalls, amusement parks, and bright attractions everywhere. Teach strolled through, quietly listening to conversations around him, sifting for information.
Before long, he noticed a trend. Crowds were heading westward, all murmuring about someone named "Pouf" and the "Vitas Opera House."
Teach followed the flow of people, his curiosity piqued.
The deeper he went, the more astonished he became. The city's streets were plastered with posters, something rarely seen in this pristine, fairytale kingdom.
And every one of them showed the same man.
Platinum-blonde hair flowed to his shoulders, framing sharp, elegant features and crimson eyes that seemed to glow. The man's name: Pouf.
He was, without a doubt, breathtakingly handsome.
Before now, the most striking man Teach had met was Clarence of the Kate Kingdom, now regent of the Barbarossa Kingdom, working with Kaido's Beast Pirates to breed and tame powerful creatures. Teach had been impressed when he first heard the news.
But this Pouf… he had an almost unreal beauty. Women on the street screamed at his image, some even fainting with excitement.
Teach raised a brow, amused. "Well now," he muttered. "Looks like this kingdom's got its own kind of madness."