After Ashveil left, the discussions around him continued to ripple through the ship.
"This is great! With Zero Division Captain Ashveil, our Whitebeard Pirates will be even more unstoppable!" Diamond Jozu said, fists clenched tightly, his excitement clear.
"Haha! Now that Ashveil is with us, if anyone dares to cause trouble again—like that reckless Kaido—we'll crush them without hesitation!" Marco added, grinning confidently.
Vista, the Flower Sword, looked more solemn. "It's hard to imagine what would've happened if Pops hadn't discovered him first. If this guy had joined an enemy crew… it would have been disastrous."
Whitebeard leaned back on his massive chair, his face calm but his eyes filled with quiet relief. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"I hope Ashveil becomes my lucky star," he rumbled, his deep voice carrying over the deck, "and helps me win the great war against the Marines."
The captains exchanged confused glances.
"War with the Marines…?" someone muttered.
Whitebeard's expression hardened as he slowly continued. "My sons… Sengoku, that sly old fox, will definitely make Ace's execution public. Just like they did with Roger."
The deck fell silent. The captains stared at him with wide eyes.
"The day of Ace's execution," Whitebeard declared, "will be the day we clash with the Marines to the bitter end!"
Only then did they finally understand Pops' true intentions.
Hunting down Blackbeard during this critical time could've been disastrous. If they were captured or weakened again, it would only bring more losses to the crew. The war with the Marines was the real reason Pops had chosen to bring forth a Zero Division Captain now.
"So, my sons," Whitebeard said firmly, his voice carrying the weight of command, "don't act alone. Don't leave for reckless battles. The Marines will announce Ace's execution soon, and when they do… that will be our moment."
The captains nodded solemnly. The storm was coming.
Meanwhile, Ashveil's small boat drifted steadily across the waves. Sitting at the stern, he opened his system panel. The battles aboard Whitebeard's ship had rewarded him handsomely—an additional 400 Conqueror's Haki attribute points.
His current total: 5050 Conqueror's Haki points.
His lips curved slightly. He had broken through the 5000 threshold. Another level unlocked.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Attribute points have exceeded 5000. Reward: Devil Fruit Ten-Draw.]
"This reward… a Devil Fruit?" Ashveil murmured, eyes narrowing.
Unlike his previous skill-based rewards, this was the first time he had been offered Devil Fruits.
[Ding! Host, do you wish to activate the Devil Fruit Ten-Draw?]
"Activate," Ashveil ordered.
At once, a massive roulette wheel materialized within the system's interface, covered in names of countless Devil Fruits—Zoan, Paramecia, Logia, and many unique to the system itself. Unlike the real world, this roulette ignored limitations of rarity or duplication.
The wheel spun rapidly. One by one, the prizes appeared.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Zoan-type: Tanuki Fruit.]
[Ding! Unfortunately, an empty prize.]
[Ding! Unfortunately, an empty prize.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Paramecia-type: Search Fruit.]
…
[Ding!!! Congratulations, Host, you have obtained the Paramecia-type: Tremor-Tremor Fruit!!]
Ashveil's eyes gleamed.
Empty prizes aside, the final reward alone was worth everything—the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, hailed as the strongest Paramecia. The same fruit wielded by Whitebeard himself.
He scanned the system's description. This version even ignored the curse of the sea. A true masterpiece of power. Ashveil's grin widened.
Not only that, but the Search Fruit caught his attention. Though not as overwhelming as the Tremor-Tremor, it allowed him to sense the approximate location of anyone, just by thinking of their name. Perfect for tracking. Perfect for hunting.
Blackbeard's name immediately came to mind. Yes. This fruit had arrived at the perfect time.
"Just wait, Blackbeard," Ashveil muttered, his voice calm but edged with steel. "You'll be the first target I erase in this Pirate World."
His disdain for the scheming, cowardly Teach burned deep. He had watched enough to know—Blackbeard was a serpent hiding behind false laughter.
As for the other fruits—the Tanuki, the Hyena—he dismissed them outright.
"Seriously? A Hyena Fruit?" He shook his head, lips curling in disgust. "What am I supposed to do, turn into some twisted animal and bite people? Not happening."
He contacted the system again. "System, I don't want these useless Zoan fruits. Can I trade them for money instead?"
[Ding! No returns. However, Host may convert them into real-world Devil Fruits. Note: Once converted, they regain their natural curse of fearing the sea.]
Ashveil nodded. That was fine. He had no intention of eating them himself. Converted, they'd fetch a fortune on the black market. In this world, people killed over Devil Fruits. Even the weaker Zoans could sell for over a hundred million Berries each.
It was easy profit.
Far away, on Robinna Island, nestled between Dressrosa and the deep sea, Blackbeard lounged inside a plundered villa.
Local women, trembling with fear, carried trays of food and wine. None dared look up. The strongest village guards had already been slaughtered like sheep.
"Zehahahahaha! A new era is dawning!" Blackbeard roared, his gapped teeth gleaming with grease as he tore into a slab of pork. "This world will belong to me!"
Adorned with gaudy rings on nearly every finger, a pistol at his waist and a bottle of wine in hand, Marshall D. Teach looked every bit the arrogant predator.
At his side, a hulking man with a broad chest slammed his cup down, laughing just as loudly.
"Weehahahaha! Even Fire Fist Ace couldn't stand against us, Boss! The world's strongest pirate crew, and their Second Division Commander fell at our feet!"
This was Burgess, Champion of the Blackbeard Pirates, his brute strength matched only by his blind loyalty.
Another figure, pale and sharp-eyed, tapped his cane lightly on the floor. His black top hat tilted slightly as he spoke.
"Blackbeard," Laffitte murmured smoothly, "we only just handed Ace over to the Marines. Won't Whitebeard seek revenge?"
For a moment, Blackbeard's smile faded. He paused, eyes dark, before his grin returned with even more menace.
"Zehahahaha! Let him try! Aside from Whitebeard himself, no one can stop me now. Even if Marco comes, he'll fall the same as Ace did. Zehahaha!"
His fist tightened, shadows swirling with the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit. It was a Devil Fruit made for him, and he had mastered it quickly. His strength had grown exponentially since acquiring it.
The frightened waitress nearly dropped her tray, sweat dripping down her back as his cruel laughter filled the villa.
And then—
The villa doors creaked open. A sliver of light pierced the gloom.
A figure stepped inside.