"Such a headache."
Marco rubbed his temples as he looked at Teach lying unconscious on the ground.
Any ambitious young man who ate a Devil Fruit only to gain the ability to turn into a fly would likely be disappointed.
But Teach had always been such a mild-mannered, unambitious fellow—his extreme reaction was truly puzzling.
Perhaps it was just the alcohol...
Marco glanced at Teach's flushed cheeks.
That must be it.
In any case, it would be best to take him back soon and let the Old Man and the others help talk him through it.
"My deepest apologies, King Neptune."
Marco looked up apologetically at Neptune.
Teach's reckless rampage had caused considerable damage—the great hall would require extensive repairs.
"Compared to the kindness you've shown us, such trivial matters mean nothing."
Neptune waved it off dismissively.
"I should apologize too."
Xiano crouched down and patted Teach's arm with a sigh. "After all, this Devil Fruit came from me. I never imagined it would distress Teach so much."
"How could this possibly be your fault, Xiano!"
Marco quickly waved his hands. "Teach was the one who took a liking to this Devil Fruit initially, and I was the one who asked you for it later. This has nothing to do with you—please don't blame yourself!"
"Exactly! Teach was just spouting nonsense earlier—don't take it to heart, Lord Xiano!"
Namur chimed in, "At the end of the day, this idiot was just too impatient. Big Brother Marco clearly told him to consult the Old Man before eating it!"
The banquet was already winding down.
With Princess Shirahoshi's situation resolved and this commotion having occurred, Marco and the others saw no reason to linger. They prepared to take their leave, hoisting Blackbeard onto their shoulders.
"Well, it's getting late. We should take our leave now. Thank you for your hospitality, King Neptune."
"This should have been a joyous feast for both hosts and guests, yet due to my daughter's circumstances, we've troubled you all. My apologies for the inadequate reception."
Neptune nodded slightly. "You're welcome to visit Ryugu Castle again whenever the opportunity arises."
"Certainly."
Marco smiled in agreement before turning to Xiano. "Young man, my earlier promise about owing you a favor still stands. Also, once you officially enter the New World, feel free to visit our ship whenever you have time! We'll throw a grand banquet to celebrate—the sooner the better! The Old Man has been wanting to meet you in person for ages!"
"Certainly."
Xiano nodded with a smile. He and Marco had already exchanged contact numbers during the banquet, so they could reach out anytime.
His response wasn't mere politeness either.
Whitebeard—a legendary figure standing at the world's pinnacle—was truly worth meeting.
Though...
He wondered why the old man was so eager to see him.
If it was to test the younger generation's strength through a friendly spar, that would be excellent.
Xiano was also curious to know just how much of a gap still existed between himself and those truly standing at the world's peak.
But if he took a fancy to me and wanted to adopt me as his son to fill Oden's vacant position...
Then forget it.
...
Xiano and Neptune escorted the Whitebeard Pirates to the entrance of Ryugu Castle, where they bid each other farewell with waves.
Watching the figures gradually fade into the distance, Xiano's gaze flickered slightly, lingering on Marco's shoulder.
Teach remained unconscious.
Who knew whether this guy had completely abandoned his ambitions of domination or was still biding his time, waiting for the real Dark-Dark Fruit to appear...
Logically speaking, once someone eats one Devil Fruit, they can't consume another.
But whether due to the unique nature of the Dark-Dark Fruit or his own extraordinary constitution, Teach could possess multiple Devil Fruit abilities simultaneously.
Thus, there was still a possibility he might wait for the Dark-Dark Fruit and expel the Fly Fruit from his body.
But it didn't matter.
Xiano withdrew his gaze and sneered.
Earlier, he had clearly sensed Teach's resentment and murderous intent. Eliminating threats at their roots was a principle he had upheld for years.
Teach wouldn't be the exception.
Since Marco had extended an invitation to him, their next meeting would likely be on Whitebeard's ship.
Then.
Under Whitebeard's witness, perhaps he could use that item he bought months ago to completely cut off Teach's path to survival.
Also...
Xiano glanced at his system panel again.
A flood of information refreshed:
[You sacrificed Marco's glasses, obtained 2700 Points]
[You sacrificed Namur's dagger, obtained 1200 Points]
[You sacrificed Teach's claw weapon, obtained 5800 Points]
Marco was a decent and righteous guy.
Taking his stuff like this did feel a bit unethical.
Tsk, consider it an advance payment for helping to deal with Teach.
But why was this claw weapon so valuable? It was almost on par with Rayleigh's severed arm.
Xiano couldn't help but check the details again—
[Teach's Razor Claw]
[Quality: Epic]
[Value: 5800 Points]
[Appraisal: The weapon used for years by the future Sea Emperor Marshall D. Teach before becoming a Devil Fruit Ability User. It accompanied him from a greenhorn rookie to a notorious Pirate. With this claw, he left an indelible, permanent scar on the face of another Sea Emperor, Red Hair.]
Xiano suddenly understood.
So it was a Red Hair-specific weapon!
...
A short while later.
After returning to the interior of Ryugu Castle and conversing with Neptune, Xiano followed him to the Hard Shell Tower.
The steel-cast door on the front of the tower was embedded with countless weapons, prompting a heavy sigh from Neptune.
"F-Father... is this Lord Xiano?"
Shirahoshi timidly peeked out from behind her bedroom door, her pink hair cascading like a waterfall. Her azure eyes held both fear and curiosity.
"Yes, Shirahoshi."
Neptune nodded. "Don't be afraid. Lord Xiano is a guest I specially invited to help resolve the Van der Decken situation."
She's huge!
Xiano had to crane his neck to see the giant Merfolk girl clearly—already over ten meters tall despite not yet being an adult.
Although it's not uncommon for descendants of Fish-men to exhibit ancestral traits, resulting in various types of Fish-men, Shirahoshi's size is truly extraordinary, isn't it?
One wonders how the petite Queen Otohime managed to give birth to her…
Xiano chuckled and waved at Shirahoshi, but the timid girl still didn't dare to step out, merely gripping the edge of the door and biting her lip as she nodded in response.
"Lord Xiano."
Neptune turned to him solemnly.
"Since you've proposed a solution to help, I certainly won't let you suffer any losses. As for that Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit, please name your price. Even if it costs five hundred million or a billion Berry, I—"
"I don't lack money, so let's forget about it."
Xiano shook his head with a smile and took out the Sand-Sand Fruit.
His willingness to help stemmed from two reasons. First, Shirahoshi was just a child who had suffered under the harassment of that perverted old man for years—it was hard not to feel sympathy for her.
The second reason was Shirahoshi's status as the current "Sea King." Building goodwill with her was a worthwhile investment. If she could remember his kindness, a single Logia-type fruit was nothing in comparison.
Natural abilities were hardly scarce on his ship anyway.
Hmm, come to think of it, Shirahoshi was the Sea King, and he was the ( ) King—when put together, it actually sounded quite fitting.
He raised his hand, about to toss the Sand-Sand Fruit to Neptune—
But just then, a "Blue Blue" sound suddenly rang out from Xiano's pocket.
"My apologies, just a moment—I need to take this call."
Xiano answered the Den Den Mushi, casually tossing the fruit in his hand while Neptune, not wanting to interrupt, found his gaze following the fruit—up, then down…
A moment later, Xiano hung up and looked back at Neptune.
"That was one of my subordinates."
His expression turned slightly odd. "Seems like Shirahoshi won't need to eat the fruit after all."
...
A little earlier—
Fish-Man District.
Jack, coated in a swimming coating, followed the two whispering Fish-men into the depths of the district.
A large open space stretched before them, crowded with Fish-man Pirates—some drinking heavily, others gambling, and a few gathered in corners, whispering with sinister glints in their eyes.
"Hey, where's Boss Hody?" The messenger Fish-man grabbed a passing comrade.
"Inside, meeting with the officers."
The man, eager to return to his gambling, impatiently pointed toward a dilapidated warehouse at the end of the street. "But you'd better not disturb him now. The boss seems to be in a bad mood today."
"Don't worry."
The Fish-man grinned. "Once he hears what I have to report, Boss Hody's mood will improve!"
Guards stood at the warehouse entrance, but after a brief exchange, the two Fish-men were allowed inside.
Jack had initially planned to march straight in—knocking out the guards if they barred his way—but after recalling the Captain's earnest teachings, he decided it was wiser not to alert the enemy prematurely.
So, he slipped into a blind spot, quietly circling to the back of the warehouse and peering through a gap in the window—
...
The interior of the warehouse was vast but dimly lit, illuminated only by faint glows from peculiar stones embedded in the walls.
In the center stood a rough wooden table, scattered with nautical charts and documents, surrounded by several imposing Fish-man officers.
On the main sofa, a tall, pale-skinned shark Fish-man sat with his legs crossed, coldly eyeing the messenger Fish-man.
"Speak. What's the matter?"
"Boss Hody!"
The Fish-man hurried forward, bowing respectfully. "We've received word that that guy—no, I mean the one called the World's Greatest Swordsman, Xiano—has already entered Fish-Man Island with his crew!"
"Oh?"
Hody Jones showed keen interest, slowly straightening up from the sofa. "You mean that Xiano who defeated Boss Arlong and the others in the East Blue years ago?"
"That's him!"
The messenger Fish-man fawned. "The very same Xiano you've been thinking about all these years—no mistake about it!"
"Some of our men saw their ship on the shore. Everything matches," another Fish-man quickly added.
"Is that so? Hahaha, then you two have really done a great service!"
Hody burst into wild laughter, licking his sharp teeth as a hint of madness flashed in his eyes. "Finally... finally, he's here! Xiano, I've been waiting for this day all these years!!!"
The surrounding officers exchanged glances, their faces twisting into savage, excited grins.
"Boss Hody, what should we do?"
The giant Fish-man Ikaros Muchi eagerly asked, "Muhihihi! We can't let the grudge against Senior Arlong go unavenged! Should we gather all our brothers now and surround them?"
Hody didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned back to the sofa, picked up an ES Drug from the table, and toyed with it between his fingers.
"No rush."
He smirked coldly. "For safety's sake, let's wait until they leave Fish-Man Island and enter the deep sea. Don't underestimate that guy—his new title sounds pretty intimidating, doesn't it? 'World's Greatest Swordsman' or whatever... Hmph, ridiculous. A mere human dares to carry such a name."
"Keke! Exactly, exactly!"
The cigar-chomping Daruma, a horned shark Fish-man officer squatting on the table, chimed in. "Inferior races love to boast. He's not even worth comparing to Boss Hody, let alone our Fish-man race's top Swordsman, Hyozo!"
"I'm just here for the money, brats," Hyozo hiccuped drunkenly. "Don't go treating me like one of your underlings. I've got no interest in fighting for some title."
"Suit yourself."
Hody sneered. "In any case, Xiano is mine. I'll personally cut off his head—no one else gets to interfere. But he does have that famous female Swordsman under him, right? She's yours, Hyozo."
"Fine, as long as the pay's good."
Hyozo took another swig of liquor, muttering, "Though bullying humans is one thing, but a woman? Sounds boring..."
"But it'll make you famous, won't it?"
A low voice spoke up. On the previously empty sofa, a striped whiskered shark Fish-man suddenly materialized, speaking leisurely:
"Kill that Xiano, then take care of all his subordinates. Keep those willing to surrender as cannon fodder, and send the unwilling ones to accompany their Captain. This way, we can expand our forces again, and at the same time, make the New Fish-Man Pirates famous across the world."
"Exactly, Zeo!"
Hody grinned widely. "With this, our plans might even be accelerated. We won't need to cooperate with that ghost from the deep sea anymore. Just our own reputation will be enough to recruit a large number of subordinates. Then we'll overthrow Neptune's army, set sail, and trample all the lowly humans beneath our feet!"
Boom!
At that moment, a deafening explosion!
The entire wall was shattered by an immense force. Amid the rising dust, a towering, iron-like figure slowly stepped in.
"Is this the Fish-Man District?"
The newcomer sighed. "Such a complicated place. It could produce renowned heroes like Fisher Tiger and Knight of the Sea Jinbe, yet also spawn clowns like you—hiding in the gutters, having seen nothing of the world, yet still dreaming absurd fantasies."
"Who's there?!"
"Identify yourself!"
The assembled officers turned pale, drawing their weapons and aiming at the collapsed wall.
Hody also raised an eyebrow, slowly turning to look.
As the dust settled, everyone had expected a human, but to their surprise, standing before them was another Fish-man.
"Hey, what's going on... A fellow Fish-man, yet serving human Pirates?" Hody's gaze turned icy.
"Still spouting nonsense, huh? I wondered what kind of people were scheming against Boss Xiano, but it turns out to be a bunch of rotten fish like you."
Jack couldn't be bothered with them, his expression blank as he curled a finger at the Fish-men. "This is such a trivial matter—no need to trouble the boss. He definitely wouldn't waste time playing house with the likes of you. Hurry up, all of you, come at me together."
"Arrogant bastard, you're asking for death!"
Ikaros Muchi roared from the side, charging forward first, his dozen tentacle-like arms swinging blades.
"Scram."
Jack didn't even glance at him, casually backhanding him away.
Thud—!
Ikaros Muchi's body was sent flying, smashing into the wall with a splatter of blood. Without even a chance to scream, he was reduced to a pulpy mess.
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