"Borororo! We feel the same, child. Who would've thought the infamous Marshall D. Teach would be our own Barbarossa Teach? Sigh, your mother had it a bit better—she managed to escape in the chaos back then. But me? A mishap left me asleep for thirty whole years. I only just woke up recently."
Caesar's face was full of fatherly kindness as he rubbed Teach's head and sighed.
"Son, you've suffered all these years. Look how thin you've gotten—not even a full set of teeth left! Tell me, did those Navy scums knock them out? You were such a handsome boy when you were little, and now you've turned into... this..."
Teach's touched expression instantly collapsed into a bitter smile.
"Dad, you're still as blunt as ever... cough..."
Linlin shot Caesar a subtle glare, silently urging him to stop hamming it up.
Caesar glanced at Teach's injuries, his heart aching.
"Look at how hurt you are. If your mother and I hadn't coincidentally found you fallen nearby, and if she weren't a Soul-Soul Fruit user who sensed Jorna and Bella in your mind, we'd never have recognized you. Hold on, son—your father will heal you right up!"
Teach was stunned.
"Dad... You can heal?"
Caesar chuckled and extended his right hand.
The thick veins on his arm split open, and a torrent of Lifeforce poured out.
Under Teach's bewildered gaze, it cascaded onto his body.
"This is...?"
"My son Teach! Bathe in your father's blood and awaken—ah, wait, you didn't inherit my bloodline, did you? Cough Never mind, let's just heal your wounds!"
Then, to Teach's utter disbelief, the blood that had drenched him seemed to come alive, rapidly seeping into his body.
An overwhelming surge of energy erupted from his limbs, spreading to every corner of his being.
"Ghhh—!" Teach's body arched as he let out a groan, feeling as if ants were crawling all over him.
Countless flesh buds sprouted from his wounds, rapidly connecting the torn flesh.
Caesar reached for Teach's twisted hands while comforting him, "My son, endure it. This will hurt a little."
Touched, Teach nodded vigorously, his voice hoarse, "It's okay, Dad. I can... Aaahhh...!"
Crack. Crack.
Caesar straightened Teach's wrists, allowing the Lifeblood that had seeped into his body to take effect quickly, beginning to heal Teach's hands.
After a while, Teach felt refreshed, as if filled with energy, even healthier and stronger than before his injuries.
He got up from the ground, scratching his head, and realized how incredibly tall his parents were.
At sea, Teach wasn't considered short, but standing before Caesar and Linlin, he still seemed like a child.
Nowadays, Teach—whether due to his dual Devil Fruit abilities or other reasons—had grown to 4.4 meters tall two years after the Summit War, nearly two meters taller than before.
Yet even at this height, he only reached Caesar's waist.
"Dad, what ability is this? Did you eat some kind of healing Devil Fruit? The effect is so fast—it's amazing. I feel better than ever."
Teach chuckled.
Caesar threw his head back with an earth-shaking laugh that made Teach feel the ground tremble beneath his feet, causing his lips to twitch.
This was just ridiculous.
'My monstrous dad isn't even human.'
"Borororo! You could say it's my ability, my son. Today, I'm overjoyed—our reunion as father and son is a happy occasion. Hmm, we should hold a feast to celebrate. But it's too late now, and... I hope we keep this matter quiet for the time being."
With a thud, Caesar sat down.
He was too tall, and talking to Teach like this was exhausting.
Linlin sat beside him, her face frozen in a stiff smile.
There was no need to spread the news.
"In the current New World, no one would know about our relationship."
"We can use this gap to strengthen our cooperation at sea and seize more territory in the New World! That Red Hair—I'd love to see the look on his face when he learns the truth! Zehahaha!"
Caesar raised an eyebrow, noticing that the missing teeth in Teach's mouth had regrown—apparently thanks to his Lifeblood.
"Bororo! Exactly, my boy. On the surface, we can clash, showcasing the discord among the Four Emperors to the World Government, making them lower their guard against pirates. Behind the scenes, we'll share resources and accelerate our expansion, turning the New World entirely into our domain!"
Teach's eyes gleamed, his breathing quickening as if he could see a bright future.
"Dad! That's a brilliant plan! Once our strength reaches a certain level, we can merge and shock the entire world! Zehahaha! Then, let those fools in the World Government gape in disbelief!"
Caesar nodded approvingly.
"By the way, son, tomorrow we'll be holding a pirate alliance meeting here. I need you to do this and that, maneuver things a certain way," Caesar said with a grin to Teach.
Teach's eyes lit up, and he smirked. "Zehahaha, no problem, Dad. I'll make sure to put on a good show and not let Shanks suspect anything. Speaking of which, Dad, this pirate alliance meeting—are you trying to unite all the pirates' strength? If that's the case, why not just absorb them outright? With our current power, sweeping through the New World wouldn't be difficult."
"Ah, my son, you need to think bigger. You might not realize just how powerful the World Government's hidden forces are. Let me put it this way—aside from the Ancient Weapon Uranus, those CP agents has many former great pirates who've been recruited into it. Hmph! I suspect Golden Axe and Silver Axe, those two old bastards, surrendered to the Celestial Dragons after being captured and thrown into Impel Down. They probably donned masks and joined the CP-agency. And there are plenty of other old-timers who've vanished without a trace. Not to mention Vegapunk—that scientist's power is nothing to scoff at either."
Caesar patted Teach's head and spoke earnestly.
"So, we need to make a big, loud show of this pirate alliance meeting—make them wary."
"At the same time, we'll quietly expand our influence. Ideally, we'll let Red Hair take the spotlight and have the Marines focus on him. It's perfect—Buggy's whole crew has joined them, and now with the old-timers from Roger's crew, they'll definitely side with him. Heh, tomorrow, let's make sure Red Hair ends up as the pirate alliance chairman. Let him take all the spotlight."
"Zehahaha! That's brilliant, Dad!"
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