A "knock-knock-knock" sounded at the door. Teach, holding the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia in his hand, stood outside Thatch's room, waiting for the person inside to open it.
After waiting for a while, there was no movement.
"Could he be passed out cold?" Teach muttered, smacking his lips. Should he just force the door open?
Just as Teach was pondering these questions, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned to see Thatch staggering towards him.
What's going on? Didn't you just go back inside?
Seeing him, Teach asked, "I've been knocking for ages, where were you?"
"Hahaha, sorry about that. I drank too much and couldn't hold it, so I went to the head," Thatch replied with an apologetic laugh.
Teach also smiled, waving his hand. "It's fine. Come on, let's go see what ability it is. To be honest, I'm itching with curiosity. I won't be able to sleep until I figure it out..."
"Aren't you the guy who never sleeps?" Thatch grumbled good-naturedly as he opened the cabin door.
Teach didn't hesitate, naturally following him in.
"Want some water? I always feel thirsty after drinking," Thatch said, his back to Teach, as he switched on the cabin light.
The moment the light came on, Teach's gaze landed on a small box on the nearby table. In a single glance, Teach understood: the Dark-Dark Fruit was right there. After all, Thatch wouldn't have a decorative piece like that in his room, would he?
With his mind made up, a vicious glint filled Teach's eyes, and a cruel, evil smile twisted his lips. He followed up with, "Is that so? Then don't drink anymore..."
"How can I not drink? I'd die without it, hahaha," Thatch thought Teach was joking and picked up the teapot on the table, preparing to pour him some water.
"Then go ahead and die?" Teach suddenly said.
"Hey, that's not funny..." Thatch, having just finished pouring the water, turned around, his tone slightly displeased.
The moment he turned, he saw Teach standing right behind him, a wicked smile on his face and something that looked like a dagger clutched in his hand.
"What are you doi—" Thatch started in surprise.
But in that instant, he was utterly defenseless. Teach was a friend he had known for over a decade, and he had always seemed like a good-natured fellow. Thatch didn't register the danger of this sudden change in behavior.
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw a flash of cold steel from Teach's hand, followed by a sharp pain in his abdomen.
Before he could retaliate, Teach clapped a hand over his mouth, using the dagger to stab and pull out several times with extreme speed.
Thatch's own strength was already inferior to Teach's, as Teach had simply been hiding his true power, and now, combined with the weapon and the element of surprise, Thatch had no time to react. He was quickly stabbed repeatedly by the dagger while Teach covered his mouth.
His entire abdomen was mangled. Blood, along with pieces of internal organs and intestines, spilled out of Thatch's stomach. The light in his eyes grew dim, and his body gradually went limp.
Only then did Teach release the hand covering his mouth. His expression was momentarily stiff and complicated.
Thatch, his voice incredibly weak, looked at Teach with disbelief. He fumbled weakly to cover his stomach, and with what seemed like his last breath, he demanded, "...Why... Why, Teach...?"
"Blame it on you getting in my way. Blame it on your luck for finding the Dark-Dark Fruit..." Teach said, his eyes troubled.
"The Dark-Dark... Fruit...?" Thatch's final words in this world were laced with incomprehension and confusion.
Without receiving any further explanation from Teach, he drew his last breath, filled with resentment, unwillingness, and endless pain. The light in his eyes quickly faded.
The Whitebeard Pirates' Fourth Division Commander, Thatch the Gourmet, a great pirate with a bounty of 570 million Beri, died in the New World in the year 1515 of the Sea Calendar, murdered by the family and friend he trusted—Marshall D. Teach, aka Blackbeard.
Watching Thatch take his last breath and die completely, Teach threw the dagger onto the floor and looked at the bloodstains on his hand.
"Is this what it feels like to kill a friend?" Teach murmured softly.
There was guilt, reluctance, regret, and sorrow. But ultimately, there was the exhilarating satisfaction of severing the past and seizing the future.
There was the ambitious sense of accomplishment from breaking free of the constraints of the 'Whitebeard Pirates,' starting a new life, and being on the verge of truly changing this era!
"This era never belonged to Roger, and it won't belong to Golden Lion or Pops either. Diarmuid might have half a claim, but ultimately, this era will be named 'Blackbeard'! Zehahahahaha... Thatch, be proud! You are the key I personally used to unlock the door to this new era!!!" Teach suddenly burst into a slightly manic laugh.
Then, he grabbed the water Thatch had just poured for him on the table, drank it in one gulp, and turned to grab the small box containing the Dark-Dark Fruit with his blood-soaked hand.
But the moment he picked up the box, Teach's expression changed.
It was too light. The box didn't feel like it contained anything.
He quickly opened the box. Sure enough, it didn't contain the Dark-Dark Fruit he had imagined, only a letter.
Teach didn't have time to read the letter. He frantically searched the room. He turned over the bookshelf, the nightstand, the desk drawers, and even under the covers, pillows, and bed.
"It's not here? How can it not be here?" Teach muttered to himself, utterly distraught.
"Where is my Dark-Dark Fruit? I killed a man for it, and it's gone? Are you kidding me?" Teach said, dumbfounded.
At this moment, the corpse of Thatch lying on the ground, his eyes wide open in death, looked incredibly ironic and mocking. The dead man's gaze sent a chill down Teach's spine, as if Thatch were staring right at him.
The shock made Teach realize something. He reached for the letter he had taken out of the box.
There was no signature. Teach tore it open, and his face instantly became furious and exceptionally grim.
Teach-senpai, by the time you read this letter, you have likely murdered Commander Thatch, haven't you? How does it feel to kill your own friend and family? I imagine it's unpleasant, especially now that you've discovered the Dark-Dark Fruit is not in this box...
As you suspect, I took it ahead of you. If you must know why, perhaps it's just like you: I've been waiting for this moment ever since I joined the Whitebeard Pirates. In your words, I am 'seizing the Dark-Dark Fruit.'
That's right, from the beginning, I shared the same goal as you. In reality, I am not a pirate. You might find it hard to believe, but I apologize, Teach-senpai. Your dream of becoming a captain, your dream of becoming an Admiral, and your ambition to turn the entire world upside down… I have personally crushed them.
Now, allow me to reintroduce myself.
Rob Lucci, a Major in Marine Headquarters, reporting directly to the 'Nonexistent Agency' under the Intelligence Division.
Thank you so much for looking after me all these years. But I'm sorry, Teach-senpai, I am a Marine.
The enraged Teach immediately tore the letter to shreds.
Sorry, I am a Marine? What the hell is that supposed to mean?
Teach felt this was utterly ridiculous. How could this be possible? When he first met Lucci, the guy was clearly just a kid, around ten years old. And he's a Marine Major?
Are the Marines' standards that low now? Do you have no shame? Sending a child to be a pirate spy, and keeping it up for over a decade?! Are you insane?
The feeling of being 'betrayed,' mocked, ridiculed, and utterly fooled sent Teach's rage soaring. He couldn't help but let out a furious roar.
"AAAAHHHHHH!!!" Teach bellowed.
His roar woke up many pirates on Thatch's ship, who quickly rushed to the cabin.
They then saw Teach, covered in blood, clutching Thatch's corpse, his expression extraordinarily furious and even chilling as he glared at them.
"Teach-nii?! Thatch-san, what... what happened?" one of Thatch's close subordinates asked in a panic. They were just drinking and having a banquet a moment ago! How could their captain be dead in the blink of an eye?
Teach shouted with a look of agony, "It's Lucci! That bastard, Rob Lucci!!! He murdered Thatch!!! Damn him, he stole Thatch's Devil Fruit!!!"
As an ambitious schemer, Teach's intelligence was sharp. As long as the Dark-Dark Fruit wasn't involved, he was a remarkably cunning individual.
From reading the letter to his internal explosion of rage, only three or four minutes had passed. He had already figured out his response.
First, since the Dark-Dark Fruit had been stolen by that damned Rob Lucci, he couldn't just haphazardly betray the Whitebeard Pirates anymore. Therefore, he had to pin Thatch's death on someone else. Otherwise, he'd get no benefit and only trouble—a total loss.
Fortunately, no one saw him kill Thatch, and since Lucci had self-destructed his cover, he made a perfect scapegoat.
Thus, Teach immediately threw the blame squarely onto Lucci!
Before the pirate subordinates could react, Teach roared furiously, "Turn on all the searchlights! Light up the surrounding sea! Find that bastard Rob Lucci! He can't have gone far! The ship, my ship! Go see if he stole my ship! I will kill that bastard with my own hands to avenge Thatch!!!"
The members of the Fourth Division, who were initially confused and leaderless, instinctively submitted to Teach's volatile rage and quickly carried out his orders.
Once they came to their senses, they became even more agitated.
Damn it! Someone murdered Commander Thatch right under their noses! This was an insult to the Fourth Division! They must find that bastard Rob Lucci and kill him to avenge their Captain!!!
However, it was clear that Lucci had already put some distance between them. By the time the searchlights illuminated him, he had already nearly reached the horizon.
And the process of raising the anchor and unfurling the massive sails of the Delicious Chef was slow, especially in the dark of night.
Moreover, the Delicious Chef was a large sailing ship. While it might be powerful in battle, its speed would undoubtedly be much slower compared to the assault ship Teach and Lucci had used for quick travel!
Teach stood at the edge of the deck, covered in gore. While urging the Fourth Division members to hurry up and prepare for the chase, he glared venomously at Lucci, who was rapidly disappearing over the night horizon. He could even vaguely make out Lucci elegantly waving at him, like a friend bidding farewell.
"Don't let me catch you, Lucci!!! I will personally crush every bone in your body and make you experience a fate worse than death!!! You bastard!!! Just you wait! I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth and kill you!!!" Teach yelled at Lucci from the deck.
The Fourth Division members on the ship watched this scene, deeply moved.
Look how deep the bond is between Teach-nii and Captain Thatch... He's going to hunt Lucci to the ends of the earth to avenge their Captain!
How could a treacherous scumbag like Lucci have been among them?
Damn him!