Teach knew he had been discovered long before Redyat spoke. The man's Observation Haki ran far deeper than anything his officers had encountered, and Teach had no intention of interrupting the fight. He simply watched from the tree line, arms folded, studying every exchange.
The moment Redyat called out, Teach stepped down from the branch and landed lightly on the forest floor. He approached in an unhurried stride, his eyes fixed on the mysterious warrior.
"It's Captain Teach! Captain's here!"
The sight of him pulled the Nightfall Pirates from their slump. Their officers had been overwhelmed one after another, something they had never experienced since the crew formed. They had faced Marines, pirate crews, and bounty hunters alike, winning almost every engagement. Watching Wallace, Pito, Laffitte, Nelson and the others get shoved around like rookies had shaken even the most confident members.
Teach's arrival restored their morale like a torch in darkness.
"You waited all this time. Didn't you worry I'd kill them?" Redyat asked with a grin, tilting his head in amusement as Teach approached.
"Heh heh. You didn't show any killing intent," Teach replied with an easy smile.
"Though I admit, fighting you was too much for them. You controlled everything from start to finish."
His officers stiffened as the words sank in. So it wasn't just overwhelming speed and power. Redyat had seen them completely, as though they were fighting with their cards face up.
"Your Observation Haki has that effect. If this is something you were born with, then you're only the second person I've met who possessed it."
Redyat's pupils widened. His breathing hitched for the first time in the entire battle. Teach had spoken the keyword he never revealed to strangers.
Innate.
And more importantly…
"The second? Who is the first?" Redyat stepped forward, unable to hide his agitation. He had long suspected that the one he sought was still alive somewhere, but never had he felt so close to confirmation.
Teach simply smiled and shook his head.
"The world is vast. I should have expected someone like you to appear, yet somehow, I'm still surprised."
Redyat took a long breath, steadying himself. "I've wanted to meet you for a long time too."
"Then tell me," Teach said with a grin, spreading his arms slightly. "How does it feel to get even a glimpse of me?"
Redyat's expression tightened. "You're the first person whose mind I can't see through."
He sheathed his sword, although his glowing purple eyes continued trying to pierce through the fog-like haze surrounding Teach.
"Haha! That's wonderful news." Teach thumped his chest lightly, relieved.
The crew exchanged confused glances. The tension they expected didn't come at all. Instead, the two powerhouses spoke like old comrades who had simply been waiting to meet.
"You already know who I am, but it's only polite to introduce myself. Marshall D. Teach, captain of the Nightfall Pirates."
"Kateroj von Redyat," the man responded with a smile.
Teach extended his hand.
"Redyat, join the Nightfall Pirates. Stand not beneath me, but beside me."
Even his officers froze. Teach had never extended such an invitation to anyone.
Redyat chuckled, though it carried a note of regret. "I didn't expect you to value me so much. But our goals differ. I intend to leave my homeland, yet I still have business to resolve."
"What business?"
"I'm searching for a man. There are answers only he can give me."
Teach raised a brow. "Then I know exactly where he is."
Redyat's breath halted.
"He's in Impel Down. Deepest level."
The surrounding officers gasped. Even hearing the name of the place made their skin crawl.
"Impel Down," Redyat repeated slowly. "He's really there?"
Teach nodded. "If you want him out, we have the guts and the strength to do it."
Redyat remained quiet for several seconds. The idea of breaking into the world's greatest prison had always seemed suicidal… but looking at Teach's confidence, and recalling the strength he had witnessed during this short encounter, the thought no longer sounded impossible.
However, Teach continued before Redyat could respond.
"You're from the Kingdom of Tirisfal, aren't you? Your family should have known his location."
"They didn't tell me. And I would never use my ability on my own family." Redyat's voice grew firm.
Teach laughed. "I like people with principles. A pirate with no bottom line is just a butcher."
He extended his hand again.
"So, how about it?"
Redyat looked away, his expression clouded. "Not yet. I have a situation I must resolve. If I joined you now, it wouldn't be for a long time. My kingdom takes priority."
Teach smiled. He had already been expecting that answer. "Is it the war between Tirisfal and the Kraken Kingdom?"
Redyat's eyes sharpened. "How do you know about that?"
"Because our next destination is the Kraken Kingdom," Teach said calmly. "There's something I need from them."
Redyat met his gaze, and the truth surfaced in his mind instantly.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit. It's in the Kraken Kingdom's treasury."
Teach didn't deny it.
Redyat shook his head. "You don't understand the danger. The Kraken Kingdom is a major power. Their hidden forces are terrifying. Destroying them isn't something a single pirate crew can accomplish."
Teach grinned, not offended in the slightest.
"I won't die before reaching the New World. And I'm not planning for our crew to destroy the entire country. I'll handle the capital. Tirisfal can take the rest."
Redyat exhaled softly and nodded. The reasoning was simple, almost absurdly so, yet it matched the man standing before him. Teach wasn't reckless. He never gambled unless the odds favored him.
"Very well," Redyat said. "But first…"
A pulse of fighting spirit surged from his body, rattling leaves and kicking dust into the air.
"…let me see your strength. If you cannot surpass me, I won't join you. Without power, everything you said is just a dream."
A dark purple slit pupil formed in his left eye, and faint scales rose beneath his skin before vanishing again. A primal, suffocating aura flooded the clearing.
Teach cracked his knuckles, excitement burning in his eyes.
"Of course."
He looked back at his crew.
"All of you, move back. Far back. If you get caught in the crossfire, don't blame me."
Within seconds, the entire center of the island cleared as officers and crew members scrambled away. Even the recently unconscious Gal regained consciousness and joined the others on higher ground.
"Boss Teach is finally going all out!" Wallace said, nearly trembling with excitement.
Pouf blinked. "Has he ever gone all out before?"
"The last time," Wallace answered quietly, "was against Douglas Bullet."
Everyone froze.
Even speaking the name made their blood run cold.
"That fight lasted two days and two nights," Van Augur added softly.
"We lost," Wallace admitted, though he held no shame. "But Captain said Bullet at that time was already standing at the peak of the world."
One by one, they recalled their captain's unfathomable ambition.
Now he faced a man whose strength their luck-reader Baccarat judged as equal to his.
A monster meeting a monster.
Pouf nudged Pito. "What do you think?"
Pito shook her head. "Captain will win."
Laffitte grinned, licking a line of blood from his lip. "Two monsters on one ship. How delightful."
"No," Pito said softly. "Three. There is another one in the New World. Someone not weaker than Captain. I don't know how strong he has become."
Everyone stared at him.
Gall nodded. "Captain told me the same. I only know his name. Mostima."
Pouf nearly choked. "Wisdom Angel Mostima? The one with a five hundred eighty-four million bounty?"
Before anyone could process the implications, the entire battlefield fell silent.
Teach and Redyat faced each other at the center of the clearing.
The real fight was about to begin.