Chapter – Heading for the Hive
— Boooom! —"Spare us… we're just passing through… Please, don't kill me…" gasped a kneeling pirate, his eyes pleading.
The Augur stepped forward, cold and impassive:"It is your destiny that brought you across our path… and ours to help you meet your death."
Without hesitation, he fired. The bullet pierced the poor man's head. He collapsed heavily, joining the bodies already strewn across the deck.
At the center of the ship, Guldo the Terrible was still fighting Valdass. His crew was already annihilated, but he couldn't give up.
Teach had promised:"If you win, you take your opponent's place in my crew."
That promise rekindled a flame in Guldo's heart. He knew his chances were slim—Valdass clearly outmatched him. But hope, however faint, drove him on.
Each blow was reinforced with his Armament Haki. His sole objective: survive.
Laffitte watched, cane in hand, eyes fixed on the fight:"You're cruel, captain… you know they're not on the same level."
Teach burst out laughing:"Cruel? If he wins, he becomes part of my crew. If he loses, he dies with his men. Either way, he entertains us. Zehahaha!"
"There are only twelve hours left before we reach the Hive, and you still haven't given a clear plan," Laffitte remarked.
"Looks like it's over," the Augur replied.
Valdass drove his dagger into Guldo's skull. Teach sighed:"Already? Barely ten minutes…"
"Too predictable. I was getting bored," Valdass replied.
Haris cut in:"You should've let me have him…"
"No surprise—you like to play with your enemies. But if you pull that at the Hive, your head will end up on a spike," Valdass retorted.
The cleaners threw the body overboard.
Teach unfolded a large map, covered with bounty posters of Ochoku's pirates:
"We'll split into 5 groups:
Group 1: Burgess, Doc Q, Hanawa, Roxan — protection. Burgess, you step in only if there's a serious threat.Group 2: Sanjuan Wolf, Bili Wood, Vasco Shot — breakthrough for Group 4.Group 3: Augur, Dedanos, Laffitte, Haris — free chaos.Group 4: Shiliew, Devon, Pizarro, Valdass — main attack force.Group 5: Token, Alan the One-Eyed, Kamatelo — port, eliminate those who try to flee.
No survivors. I'll decide the end of the war myself."
Shiliew raised an eyebrow:"No infiltration strategy?"
"Zehahaha."
"No need, really… unless Burgess or Shiliew, you run into one of those. I don't see why you'd bother helping. But you never know…" Teach stroked his beard, a predatory smile on his face. "I'd thought about letting you spread out, but there's a risk you might end up right in the middle of one of my attacks."
Pizarro chuckled:"What do you mean by that? I took your hits pretty well."
Teach let out a short, sharp laugh:"You could barely stand… if I'd been serious, you'd probably be dead. Besides watching out for the enemy, you'd better watch out for me. Double trouble. Zehahaha!"
He added, with a dismissive wave of his hand:"I've no desire to kill you myself… that'd be a huge waste of time. Of course, the plan is optional—if you find an opponent worth the trouble, nothing's stopping you from fighting them."
Laffitte peered toward the island:"We can already see the Hive… looks like it's celebrating, as usual."
Teach grinned:"Have fun… but don't drag it out too long. The sooner he's dead, the better. Zehahaha!"
They docked at Rocky Port.Security was nonexistent.At the sight of a Marine ship with black sails, the few passersby froze.Those who recognized the silhouettes on board turned pale.The rumor spread like wildfire:
— Blackbeard is here.