Thatch emerged, holding an empty box.
"It's gone."
"Then it's settled. He stole the fruit and tried to kill Thatch to cover his tracks," Roy said.
"All of you stand down. Roy, stay."
Whitebeard gave the order. Roy remained at the rear of the ship while the rest of the crew wore grim expressions. What happened today was no small matter.
Attacking a crewmate.
In most pirate crews, such treachery might be commonplace. But in the Whitebeard Pirates? Unforgivable.
The Whitebeard Pirates had an ironclad rule: No harming your comrades.
If you wanted a Devil Fruit, you could ask a fellow member. But it was clear that Teach had planned to steal it and escape from the crew.
That meant he already knew what the fruit was and had long been plotting his departure from the Whitebeard Pirates.
As for attacking a comrade, maybe he didn't plan on that at first. But when Thatch discovered him, he decided to strike from behind and kill him.
This matter could not be brushed aside.
Especially because Ace, Tech's captain, had already been part of the crew for over two years and was the 2nd Division Commander.
He absolutely could not tolerate someone under his command betraying the crew, let alone attacking a family member.
"Unforgivable!!!" Ace clenched his fists.
"Ace…" The other commanders looked at him with concern.
They wouldn't be able to accept it either. Not when it came to family.
Whitebeard stood before Roy, his expression unreadable.
"You warned me once before. Now, I want an answer from you. If you don't intervene, what will happen?" Whitebeard asked calmly.
"You'll die."
Roy looked up at him.
Their eyes locked.
Whitebeard's laughter rumbled deep in his chest. "Gurararara… So it's that serious. In that case, what should we do?
"That's up to you. Do we act, or pretend it never happened?"
"What would you do?" Whitebeard countered.
"I'd pretend he doesn't exist. Thatch is still alive, so let's just act like Teach was never one of us. If we run into him again, we'll take him out then,"
Roy had intended to execute Teach outright, but for Whitebeard's sake, he'd tried to capture him. However, it turned out that Teach had already pre-planned his escape.
The moment he succeeded, he fled without hesitation.
Even the sea itself seemed to aid him, diverting Roy's final strike.
"Hm. Then that's how we'll handle it. But I've got a bad feeling about this," Whitebeard muttered.
"Pops! Big Bro! Trouble!"
Fossa came sprinting toward them, panic in his voice.
"What is it?" Whitebeard turned to him and asked.
"Ace just slipped away. He went after Teach,"
"WHAT?!"
"Marco! Namur! Search the skies and the seas, bring him back!" Roy shouted as he dashed off.
Without hesitation, Marco's wings burst into blue flames as he shot into the air. Namur dove into the ocean, cutting through the water like a torpedo.
The situation had spiraled out of control, far beyond Roy's expectations.
"Damn it, that idiot!" Roy seethed.
"Big Bro…?"
Seeing Roy's furious expression, the others exchanged confused looks. They had no idea what had just happened.
"Prepare a ship. I'm heading for Paradise."
"Roy, you—" Whitebeard looked at him.
"Teach will flee to the West Blue or North Blue. Ace is likely on his tail. The two of them will eventually end up on the Grand Line. I'll go to the first half and find them. Once I find Ace, I'll bring him back," Roy said.
"Is it really necessary to bring him back?" Whitebeard asked.
"Do you think Ace can beat Teach?" Roy shot back.
"Of course! Ace is strong!" Jozu insisted.
The other commanders all nodded. They had faith in Ace. He earned the position of 2nd Division Commander because of his strength. In terms of raw power, even Marco wasn't necessarily his match.
Ace had spent three years fighting in the New World. Underestimating him was a mistake.
As for Teach, Ace believed he was strong enough to be a division commander even without a Devil Fruit. His combat strength was already formidable.
Both the anime and manga portrayed Teach as a coward who feared death.
But could an ordinary man endure the double pain of the Dark-Dark Fruit?
"Have you all considered what kind of fruit would make Teach betray his crew? Even kill for it?" Roy took a deep breath.
"Big Bro, are you saying… Ace isn't a match for Teach?" Rakuyo asked in disbelief.
"I'm just worried he'll be careless. I'm bringing him back. You all stay put until then." Roy said.
"How will you go? Let me come with you," Whitey Bay said.
"No need. I'll move faster on my own. I'll bring him back as soon as I find him. No one knows my identity, and no one will suspect I'm from the Whitebeard Pirates. It's best I go," Roy said.
"It's too dangerous by yourself!"
"Trust me. I've survived this world for over thirty years." Roy smiled faintly.
"Roy, I'm counting on you." Whitebeard's voice was firm. "Bring Ace back home."
"Mm." Roy nodded.
"Blamenco, this is a shell from Sky Island. Install it on my ship."
Roy pulled out a Jet Dial he had extorted from Enel and gave it to Blamenco for modifications.
While rare in Paradise and the Blues, Sky Island Dials weren't unheard of in the New World's black markets.
They were just scarce in quantity, only obtainable from Sky Island. And the one Roy handed over was a near-extinct variety.
Blamenco took the shell and modified a ship.
If Mihawk could sail the world in a coffin boat, Roy could manage just fine, too.
But at dawn, when Roy saw the "modified" vessel, he was speechless.
"I told you to keep it simple. What is this?" Roy had expected a ship like the mini-Merry, but instead, Blamenco built a mini luxury cruiser.
"I wanted you to be comfortable," Blamenco scratched his head, embarrassed.
"…Thanks. I'll bring the brat back." Roy sighed. "Honestly, these kids are exhausting."
"Be careful," Whitebeard said.
"Don't worry. I'm not that easy to take down. Just wait for my news," Roy replied.
As Roy boarded the ship, the twin Jet Dials roared to life, propelling quickly him away from the Moby Dick.
"Alright, we're off. You can come out now."
Creak.
The cabin door slowly opened.
A figure stepped out.
...
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