The battle between Thatch and the Decalvan Brothers raged for three days.
At last, after an intense fight, Thatch emerged victorious. The Decalvan Brothers, impressed by his strength and conviction, yielded and swore allegiance. With Thatch's warm invitation, the Twin Stars Pirates officially joined the Whitebeard Pirates, becoming one of the allied crews under Whitebeard's banner.
---
"Hahaha! Thief-hahaha! That was incredible, Captain Thatch!" laughed Marshall D. Teach, swaggering over with his usual grin. "You actually recruited the entire Twin Stars crew! Pops will be proud!"
Thatch chuckled, brushing off the praise. "Merit or no merit, you know how it is. We don't fuss over credit on this ship."
Then his gaze turned slightly serious. "By the way, Teach... I didn't see you during the whole battle. Where'd you disappear to?"
Teach casually gestured behind him. "I was dealing with that guy." He pointed at a cloaked, sickly man—Doc Q, who stood beside his barely breathing horse.
"That freak? Who's he?" Thatch asked, turning to the Decalvan Brothers.
After a brief pause, the brothers exchanged looks and reluctantly answered, "Yeah… he's with us."
Before Thatch could ask further, Teach suddenly stepped forward, slinging an arm around one of the brothers and laughed heartily. "Now that you've joined the Whitebeard Pirates, we're all family! And since we've welcomed some new crewmates, it's time for a party, Captain Thatch!"
"Yeah! Party! Party!" the crew roared in approval.
Just like that, under the guise of celebration, Teach quietly buried Doc Q's identity and presence within the crew.
---
The banquet was lively. Roasted meat and flowing sake kept the mood wild. Amid the revelry, Decalvan Dee suddenly leapt onto a table, holding up a familiar, spiral-marked Devil Fruit.
"Everyone! Quiet for a moment!" he shouted, silencing the crowd. "This is the Devil Fruit I found on Dark Island! It looks like a Logia-type—rare and powerful!"
"I was gonna wait to identify it with a Devil Fruit encyclopedia," he grinned, "but I can't hold back anymore! You all ready? I'm gonna eat this thing right now!"
"DO IT!"
"Bet it tastes like garbage!"
"You're gonna puke!"
Laughter erupted as the crowd urged him on. But amidst the excitement, Teach's face froze—his eyes locked on the fruit.
Then… they widened.
That fruit—its shape, its color, its texture.
It was the Yami Yami no Mi. The Dark-Dark Fruit. A Logia-type Devil Fruit said to possess the most sinister power in existence.
The very fruit he had waited decades to find.
Just as Dee raised the fruit to his mouth—
Whoosh!
A black blur shot forward.
In a flash, Teach appeared before Dee, slicing through his arm with brutal precision and snatching the fruit from his hands.
"AAAHHHHH!!"
Dee collapsed, screaming in agony, blood spurting from his severed arm.
The entire crowd froze.
"BROTHER!" the other Decalvan shouted, rushing to his aid.
"Teach!" Thatch's expression twisted in disbelief. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Teach turned slowly, cradling the Dark-Dark Fruit in one hand, his eyes gleaming with madness.
"Thatch… do you know how long I've waited for this moment?" Teach said, voice trembling with anticipation. "I spent over a decade under Whitebeard's flag, hiding in the shadows... waiting. Waiting for this fruit to appear."
"I told myself… if someone else found it first, I'd bury my dreams and serve under Pops forever. But today—" He held up the fruit like a sacred relic. "—fate delivered it to me."
"No more hiding. No more waiting." A crazed smile split his face. "From this moment, I will surpass Whitebeard! Surpass the world! I'll become the strongest! Thief-hahaha!!"
"You bastard!" Thatch growled. "Attacking your own crewmate? That's betrayal! I'll personally bring you back to Pops for judgment!"
Teach didn't flinch. He merely scoffed, not bothering to eat the fruit yet. "You? You're welcome to try, Captain Thatch."
Thatch turned to the others. "Stay back! He's one of ours… or he was. I'll deal with him myself!"
Whoosh!
Thatch lunged.
But the Teach he now faced was not the one who had hidden in shadows for years.
Even without a Devil Fruit, Teach was formidable. His true strength, hidden beneath years of quiet servitude, exploded to the surface.
With ruthless precision, Teach overpowered Thatch, dodging his blows and finally sinking a claw-like weapon straight into his chest.
"AGH!!"
Thatch gasped, blood spilling from his mouth.
The others stared in horror.
"Pitiful," Teach sneered, standing over his fallen captain. "You weren't even worthy of being my stepping stone."
Raising the Dark-Dark Fruit, he laughed.
"And now, watch as I take the power that will reshape the world! Thief-hahahaha—"
BANG!
A musket shot rang out.
BOOM!
Fire erupted. A bullet of flame tore through the air and pierced Teach's right hand, sending the Devil Fruit flying from his grasp.
"AAARRRGH!!"
Teach howled in pain, dropping to a knee.
The blazing figure who landed before the stunned pirates was unmistakable:
Portgas D. Ace.
"You're too late…" Ace muttered under his breath, eyes flickering to Thatch's bleeding form.
But his gaze quickly settled on the still-untouched Dark-Dark Fruit, now lying in the dust.
A breath of relief escaped him.
He made it.
The fruit hadn't been eaten.
Not yet.
---