After some time, Teach slowly regained consciousness from his dazed state.
His vision cleared, revealing him lying sprawled on the ground.
"Our Captain... you're finally awake."
Lafitte had somehow appeared beside Van Augur and Doc Q, his voice carrying its characteristic theatrical tone.
Seeing Teach's confused expression, Van Augur added matter-of-factly, "He's gone."
With this reminder, Teach seemed to finally gather his wits.
Then he realized the fundamental 'change' within himself, his eyes fixating on his outstretched hands. "Zehahahaha... I did it! I did it... I've gained that legendary divine power! It's real... It's incredible!"
"Huh? Strange?"
"Why hasn't my body transformed?"
After his initial burst of laughter, Teach examined his still-human frame with bewilderment.
You see, all members of the Hell Pirates possessed distinctly inhuman appearances, they were the newborn demons of this era.
A completely new bloodline, separate from the demons of the New World.
Understanding the Hell Pirates was crucial for his ambitions and schemes, so Teach had been meticulous in his research. His knowledge of the Hell Pirates and the God Slayer, while not as comprehensive as that of high-ranking World Government officials or Marine command, was still among the most extensive available to the general public.
"Oh... by the way, I should mention that the three of us have also received his blessing."
Lafitte didn't answer his captain's question directly, instead bringing up something else entirely.
After all, why they hadn't become demons was probably only known to the Hell Pirates themselves, not to outsiders.
"You got it too?"
Blackbeard grinned widely, his gap-toothed smile stretching across his face.
"Yeah."
Lafitte nodded with his characteristic elegance.
"It's a peculiar sensation... It's as if I experienced countless battles while in that trance, facing numerous enemies with vastly different abilities... including combat in various unique environments. This has given me a much sharper grasp and analysis of battlefield situations, providing me with unusually rich experience in dealing with opponents... and I've also gained a special ability," Van Augur continued, adjusting his rifle thoughtfully.
"Same here."
Doc Q, slumped weakly against Stronger's flank, raised his arm with considerable effort and agreed.
"It's identical for all of us."
Blackbeard muttered, gazing down at his palm once more.
He could sense a new wellspring of power surging through his body.
It was unfortunate he hadn't become a newborn demon... He understood that such a transformation would result in a dramatic enhancement of physical capabilities. And in these seas, physical strength formed the foundation of everything... Haki, Devil Fruit abilities, and so forth all demanded immense physical exertion. Furthermore, confronting his father's monsters would require close-quarters combat.
"Zehahahaha..."
Even so, Teach remained quite satisfied with the outcome.
He stood up, still feeling lingering unease. "So terrifying... those monsters."
He recalled Oboro's words just before he lost consciousness... The Seven Warlords of the Sea!
This indicated that the God Slayer seemed to understand his plans... and knew him well.
However, Teach didn't believe he could naturally attract the God Slayer's attention. Although he was a "traitor" to the Whitebeard Pirates, and this controversy had drawn some notice across the seas, it couldn't compare to the current infamy of the Hell Pirates.
Why would the God Slayer care about him specifically?
Furthermore, Teach had already deduced why Oboro hadn't transformed them into "Demons."
Becoming a Demon meant establishing a clear connection to the Hell Pirates, a rather obvious association. He was destined to become a Shichibukai, in other words, to be of strategic use and value to the God Slayer. If his demonic bloodline prevented him from achieving Shichibukai status or made the World Government fear him excessively, that wouldn't benefit the Hell Pirates' interests.
However, Teach had already devised how to negotiate with the World Government even after becoming a Demon... and the solution was simple: betray the God Slayer.
But now, all his carefully laid plans lay in ruins.
"Zehahahaha... I've also discovered a shocking secret," Teach's eyes gleamed with cold calculation.
"What's that?"
Lafitte inquired with genuine curiosity.
"He's not a Devil Fruit user... At least, the power he possesses doesn't originate from a Devil Fruit. My ability had no effect on him whatsoever," Teach declared. "Although Haki partially influenced the interaction... I still detected it clearly."
"That's... the only logical explanation!"
"..."
Not a Devil Fruit user?
Van Augur and the other two were genuinely shocked.
This... seemed almost impossible to believe.
A moment of contemplative silence fell over the group.
The rather tactless Doc Q spoke first, "Burgess is dead... He eliminated him in a single strike. Captain... That's not what you told us beforehand." He was alluding to Blackbeard's miscalculations and overconfidence. It wasn't truly arrogance, just perhaps excessive confidence before the confrontation.
In fact, it wasn't only Teach; the others had also believed in their captain's abilities. They simply hadn't anticipated being defeated so decisively.
They were fortunate to have survived at all.
They had genuinely believed their journey had reached its end.
"Zehahahaha... what do you understand? That man... possesses incredible power. I thought he managed to defeat Golden Lion through luck or some underhanded tactics. But now it's clear he truly defeated Shiki through pure strength alone."
Teach recalled the previous battle, his tone unusually serious for once. "His Haki... while not as overwhelming as Whitebeard's, was still formidable... That punch he delivered was genuinely lethal. At that moment, he showed no mercy whatsoever, his eyes were completely serious."
"Fortunately, it was me facing him. If it had been anyone else, they'd be a corpse by now... If I hadn't absorbed that punch, it wouldn't have been just Burgess who died."
"But... are we really going to serve as his attack dogs? You didn't even consult our opinions before making that promise to him."
Doc Q said with his characteristically blunt manner.
That was simply how the Blackbeard Pirates operated... Even though they had complete faith in Teach's capabilities, even though he was their captain, sometimes they would speak with biting sarcasm.
"So what if we're dogs? He's using us, and we're borrowing his 'power'... You were chosen as companions by me, Marshall D. Teach! Compared to the magnificent achievements we'll accomplish in the future, what happened today is nothing... One day, we'll encounter him again."
"When that time comes, the victor won't be him anymore."
"He knows this as well... Zehahahaha... I've grown quite accustomed to this feeling of being 'underestimated.'"
"A dog that truly bites never barks. As long as we survive... give us sufficient time to grow and develop. When we truly bare our fangs... everyone will tremble."
"Zehahahaha!"
"Zehahahaha!"
Watching Teach erupt into his signature laughter, Lafitte and the other two all displayed satisfied expressions.
This... was precisely why they followed Teach.
It was also their captain's unique 'personal magnetism.'
Indeed, truly ambitious individuals capable of achieving greatness... should possess this mindset.
People like Teach... were quite rare among pirates.
They never minded temporary setbacks or defeats.
All encounters and changes were merely components of implementing their grand design and could never truly stop them.
But Teach's ultimate plan and ambition... resonated deeply with everyone around him.
The prerequisite... was that they were all cut from the same cloth.