After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Doflamingo turned to Monet and asked: "Tell me the details. Where is the Dark-Dark Fruit?"
Three or two years had passed since Diarmuid specifically requested the Dark-Dark Fruit. Doflamingo had privately investigated what the Dark-Dark Fruit was and what its abilities and effects were. He discovered that the Dark-Dark Fruit was a Logia-type Devil Fruit, but according to the data, this Logia-type Devil Fruit could not achieve element transformation, which was somewhat absurd. He didn't know why it was classified as a Logia; in Doflamingo's view, it was more like a Paramecia-type ability.
However, the effect of the Dark-Dark Fruit's ability was similar to that of a Logia, capable of releasing large amounts of darkness, and this dark element could even nullify the abilities of other Devil Fruit users.
Simply put, if a powerful Devil Fruit user was seized by the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit, their ability would instantly become useless. There didn't seem to be anything else particularly special about it, but there was a strange detail: the Dark-Dark Fruit was called 'The Most Evil Devil Fruit.'
Yet, Doflamingo couldn't find out why it was considered evil... Perhaps Diarmuid knew this secret, which was why he specifically requested the Dark-Dark Fruit. However, Doflamingo had no intention of asking Diarmuid about these secrets, as that would be quite tactless.
"Franxx's Island, one of the black markets in the New World. A merchant convoy accepted our bounty, saying they found the Dark-Dark Fruit and are transporting it to Franxx's. Diamante is already waiting there. He asked me to come and deliver this good news to you, Young Master," Monet replied with a smile.
"Franxx's?" Doflamingo murmured, then nodded: "Very good. I need to get the Dark-Dark Fruit as quickly as possible..." However, he stopped halfway through his sentence, feeling uneasy, and added: "Prepare the ship. We're going to Franxx's as well, to avoid any complications due to delay!"
"Understood, Young Master," Monet replied with a smile, turning to leave and prepare the ship.
Doflamingo ultimately did not rush to relay the news to Diarmuid. He planned to notify Diarmuid only after he had personally secured the Dark-Dark Fruit, which would show more sincerity and greater capability on his part.
"A promise from the 'Strongest Marine Admiral in History'? Truly something to look forward to," Doflamingo chuckled wickedly.
For Doflamingo, while he knew the Dark-Dark Fruit likely held some incredible secret, he was already a Devil Fruit user, so he didn't harbor much desire for it. In his opinion, whatever secrets the Dark-Dark Fruit might possess, its value to him was far less than the promise of Diarmuid, the 'Strongest Marine Admiral in History.' Therefore, he had no intention of keeping it for himself.
Meanwhile, in the New World, in the Roland Sea, aboard the Whitebeard Pirates' flagship, the Moby Dick.
Newgate's injuries had healed, but everyone in the Whitebeard Pirates knew that their Pops' physical condition was not what it used to be. His strength had declined somewhat. While he was still among the top tier, he no longer possessed the dominant, overwhelming power he once held. Furthermore, Pops had previously lost to that damned Marine Admiral. Perhaps it wasn't a fair fight, but a loss was a loss.
Without his former overwhelming power, the Whitebeard Pirates could no longer completely suppress the other great pirate crews in the New World, leading to the formation of the so-called Yonko structure. The territory currently carved out by the Whitebeard Pirates was still the largest among all the Yonko, and the Roland Sea was their primary base of operations.
Teach, a veteran member of the 2nd Division, was currently busy on the deck of the Moby Dick. He had a table set up in front of him, and he was holding a cleaver, gutting a sea fish and removing the entrails. Not far away, other crew members were busy with their own tasks, seemingly preparing for some kind of feast.
Just as Teach finished cleaning the fish and was about to slice it into sashimi to show off his knife skills, the figure who represented the Whitebeard Pirates' 'good looks' walked up behind him—Rob Lucci.
"Teach, there's a situation," Lucci said, looking at Teach's back.
Teach didn't immediately grasp what Lucci was referring to. While slicing the fish, he said: "What's wrong? Did we run out of wasabi? Or something else?"
"I'm talking about the Devil Fruit you've been looking for..." Lucci replied calmly.
The moment he spoke, Teach's knife suddenly drove hard, cutting a groove into the cutting board. It was clear the man was excited. If one could see Teach's face from the front at that moment, they would realize his expression was completely different from the good-natured look he usually wore on the ship. His eyes flashed with a vicious light, and the smile on his lips was utterly evil. If this posture represented anything, it was, without a doubt... sheer ambition!
Putting down the work in his hands, Teach turned to Lucci and asked: "What's the situation? Where is the Dark-Dark Fruit?"
"It's expected to appear on Franxx's Island. I've been keeping an eye on the bounty for the Dark-Dark Fruit in the Underworld. Someone accepted it, and I followed the clue. Honestly, it wasn't a difficult thing to track. Perhaps to those people, it's just a very ordinary Devil Fruit transaction?" Lucci smiled.
In fact, if it weren't for an ambitious person like Teach, this would be a very ordinary Devil Fruit transaction. Similar bounties and trades happened countless times every year in the Devil Fruit black market; the only difference this time was the slightly higher price. The Donquixote Family had raised the bounty for the Dark-Dark Fruit to seven billion Berries.
However, even this enormous bounty wasn't a number that would make the powerful merchants in the Underworld desperate. They often handled transactions ten times larger than this, so the idea of a 'black-on-black' takeover out of sheer greed was unlikely, especially since many people knew that the bounty for the Dark-Dark Fruit was issued by the Donquixote Family.
Stealing the Dark-Dark Fruit would be tantamount to offending the Donquixote Family, who had very good relationships with the Pleasure District forces, the Amway Group, and Yonko Smoker. In other words, without sufficient strength, if you offended Doflamingo, he could essentially make it impossible for you to survive in the New World.
"Franxx's Island?" Teach paused, then said: "Isn't that more than a month's journey from here?"
"If we rush day and night, we might get there in half a month. However, the Donquixote Family has influence there, and the bounty was originally put out by them. If we can't make it in time, it will be very troublesome. Who knows what Doflamingo wants the Dark-Dark Fruit for? What if someone among his subordinates plans to eat it?" Lucci analyzed.
Teach nodded, saying seriously: "That's true. Speaking of which, do we have any of our people near Franxx's Island?"
Lucci was clearly prepared and quickly said: "Yes, the 4th Division is right there."
"Then what are we waiting for? We'll leave immediately. Then, contact Thatch and have him help us steal that merchant convoy. We absolutely cannot let this thing fall into Doflamingo's hands!" Teach said quickly.
After speaking, Teach dropped the knife, tore off the apron stained with fish blood, and threw it onto the table. He shouted to Whitebeard in the distance: "Pops! You guys eat up! Lucci and I have to go out for a while!"
Newgate turned his head when he heard this, then said: "Hmm, be careful on the way."
Since the war at Jam Island, the relationship between Newgate and Teach had grown closer. In Newgate's eyes, Teach's performance at that time was that of a truly excellent son. During this period, Newgate had even brought up the idea of Teach becoming the commander of the 2nd Division again.
However, Teach still refused. Newgate didn't understand his mindset or thoughts, but since he refused, Newgate didn't force the matter. At this moment, Newgate didn't ask what Teach was going to do. He just gave the instruction to 'be careful on the way' and that was it. It showed that Newgate now completely trusted Teach.
"Don't worry, Pops!" Teach chuckled with a 'simple-minded' smile.
Soon, after getting ready, Teach boarded the small boat Lucci had prepared and departed from the Moby Dick.
Meanwhile, while Teach was packing, Lucci had already contacted the 4th Division, asking them to help rob a merchant convoy. Such an act was quite common in the eyes of pirates. Lucci simply said that intelligence indicated the convoy was carrying a large amount of gold, and the 4th Division agreed without hesitation. After all, the Whitebeard Pirates were quite poor...
Inside the cabin, Lucci suddenly said: "I heard that Thatch also wants to become a Devil Fruit user. What if he steals the Dark-Dark Fruit and eats it himself? After all, according to the rules on this ship, whoever gets it keeps it. He would be completely justified in doing so."
Teach's face twitched slightly, and he replied: "Well, he should at least figure out what kind of Devil Fruit it is. He wouldn't just eat it without knowing, would he? And the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia on our ship has always been in my keeping, so it's impossible for him to eat it before seeing me..."
"That Dark-Dark Fruit is under a bounty. You don't need to check the Encyclopedia to know its ability," Lucci interrupted directly.
Teach glared at Lucci viciously: "Can't you say something pleasant to me? Do you have to keep annoying me?"
"I just hope you're not deceiving yourself. Why don't you talk to Thatch? Tell him how much you want that Devil Fruit. Given your relationship with Thatch, there's no reason for him to cut you out," Lucci added.
However, the moment Lucci finished speaking, Teach suddenly said, losing his composure: "I once spoke carelessly while drunk, so Thatch knows that the reason I haven't become a Devil Fruit user all these years is because I've been looking for a formidable one. If I tell him, he will immediately realize that the Dark-Dark Fruit is an extremely powerful ability. Everyone is selfish. If he knows about this, he might indeed eat it first. Afterward, he could come up with any excuse to deceive me. I absolutely cannot tell him..."
Lucci looked at Teach with surprise. What kind of nonsense is this guy talking? Is he out of his mind? It makes no logical sense!
Yet, surprisingly, Teach's intellect was usually sharp, except when it came to the Dark-Dark Fruit—in that matter, he became extremely aggressive and fanatical.
In the original story, he actually didn't need to kill Thatch to take the Dark-Dark Fruit. If he had just asked, the matter was certainly negotiable; Thatch might have given him the Dark-Dark Fruit directly.
Even if he chose not to ask, Teach could have secretly stolen the Dark-Dark Fruit or, during the ambush, not gone to such extremes—just knocking Thatch unconscious would have been enough. There was no need to stab Thatch to death...
Although Lucci was surprised by Teach's sudden and drastic shift in thinking, upon reflection, he considered it somewhat normal. After all, Teach had been staking out the Dark-Dark Fruit for half his life. In this situation, becoming somewhat obsessive was normal. If he's like this, can you really not allow him to be a little crazy? So, Lucci didn't bother offering any further advice...
On the other side, Teach seemed to be lost in his aspirations for the future, fantasizing about obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, then finding a way to defeat Diarmuid and take his gravity ability, and finally dominating the entire world...
"Is it finally my era? Zehahahahahahaha..." Teach suddenly burst into laughter.
This made Lucci's eyes on the side grow even stranger. Is this guy crazy, seriously?
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