A Person's Dream Will Never End
New World, Unnamed Deserted Island
Night fell, and the sea breeze carried a chill.
The campfire crackled and popped, its light illuminating five somber faces.
Lafitte's cane tapped the ground unconsciously, making a hollow "tap-tap" sound.
Van Oka stared at the flames through the cold light of his sniper scope, his eyes unfathomable.
The apple in Doc Q's arms was slowly rotting, emitting a pungent, sour smell.
Jesus Burgess clenched his fists, his muscles trembling as if Tekkai.
They stared at each other in silence, until finally Jesus Burgess broke the silence, his voice hoarse. "Captain..."
"Are we... still going out to sea?"
Teach remained motionless amidst the flickering firelight.
A crimson glint flashed deep in his pupils, and his lips twitched, but he couldn't even manage his usual "Zehahaha."
"Pirates? Ha..."
He chuckled softly, grabbed the bottle, tilted his head back, and gulped down a large mouthful.
Wine dripped down his beard, mixing with saliva and dripping onto his feet.
"The seas of today... can no longer hold Pirates!!"
With a loud "boom," he suddenly stood up, his enormous shadow looming over the four of them like a ferocious beast.
"But--!"
He opened his arms as if to embrace the entire night, his voice deep yet deeply moving.
"My dream has never been something as childish as 'Pirate King'!!"
A manic light ignited in his eyes, and his voice boomed like thunder:
"What I want to become is— the King of the World!!"
"Thief—hahaha!!"
Laughter echoed across the Deserted Island, as if tearing apart the silent night sky.
Lafitte, Van Augur, Doc Q, Jesus Burgess all looked up in shock, staring at the towering figure of the crazed captain, their minds reeling.
However, at this very moment--
"Sand--"
The flames were suddenly lengthened.
Suddenly, a figure appeared behind Teach, as if it had silently arrived from the void.
"Oh?"
His deep voice seemed to descend from the heavens, carrying an undeniable authority.
"You said... what kind of king do you want to be?"
"Whoosh--!"
Lafitte's wings exploded with a "bang," instantly forming a defensive barrier.
Van Oka spun the Sniper Rifle around, its cold muzzle pointing directly at the shadows.
The scythe slipped from Doc Q's hand and crashed heavily to the ground.
Jesus Burgess suddenly stood up, arching his body like a frightened beast.
Teach's breath hitched, and he slowly turned around, the firelight reflected in his pupils, which had suddenly shrunk to pinpoints.
The figure approached slowly, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
"Marshall D. Teach... or rather— Davy D. Teach?"
"Your ambition... is more interesting than I imagined..."
The campfire on the Deserted Island flickered wildly in the wind, and the moonlight shone coldly through the thin clouds.
The moment Teach saw the person's face clearly, cold sweat poured down his back, his heart felt like it was being squeezed by iron clamps, and he roared in horror:
"Stop!! Put down your weapons!! Don't you recognize him?!"
Lafitte's wings snapped shut, Van Augur's eyes widened, and the gun slammed to the ground.
Jesus Burgess's knees buckled, and he almost collapsed to the ground. The poisoned apple in Doc Q's arms rolled into the campfire, sizzling and emitting smoke.
The four of them trembled as if they had been thrown into an ice cave, their voices trembling. "Roy... Roy?!"
The firelight flickered, Teach finally managed to regain a sliver of reason from the suffocating fear.
But that word "Davy" struck his heart like a hammer blow, causing his expression to change drastically. He forcibly suppressed the panicked, trembling voice:
"Roy... you... how did you know?!"
Roy's gaze swept over Teach —the man he and Vegapunk had tormented for years yet who still managed to stand firm—and a thought flickered in his mind, "This is much better than that pink-haired guy who's terrified of me..."
He raised his hand and waved it, and Dark-Dark Barrier rose up with a roar, completely Cut through the firelight like a black sky.
"Buzz--!"
The four were instantly cut off from Teach, their minds in turmoil: escape? Or fight to the death???
Just as they were on edge, a ray of firelight slowly illuminated their backs.
Ace's figure emerged from the firelight, golden-white flames burning in his palms, his voice deep yet undeniable:
"Roy wants to talk to him, you'd better stay quiet..."
He coldly fixed his gaze on Van Augur, his pupils burning like volcanoes, radiating murderous intent.
"Just now... was it you who pointed a gun at Roy?!"
"Boom--!"
Intense flames erupted instantly, tearing through the air beyond the darkness, and heart-wrenching screams echoed through the Deserted Island's night sky.
Inside the barrier--
Teach trembled violently, his pupils dilated suddenly, and as he stared at the overwhelming darkness, his face filled with utter despair:
"This... this is... the Dark-Dark Fruit?!"
He abruptly looked up, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Roy, his voice filled with disbelief. "Your ability isn't Teleportation?!"
"Why... why do you have the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit?!"
In that instant, he seemed to see the future he had been so devoted to all his life being ruthlessly extinguished.
--With the Dark-Dark Fruit in Roy's hands, all his ambitions will turn into nothing but a pipe dream!
Roy chuckled softly, "Don't be too surprised... Can't you swallow multiple fruits yourself?"
"But that's our race—"
As soon as Teach uttered the words, he was struck dumb, realizing his slip of the tongue. His face changed drastically, and he hurriedly covered his mouth, cold sweat pouring down his face.
Seeing this, Roy clicked his tongue slightly. "Tsk... you're quite clever, you Black Fatty."
His steps were slow but heavy, each one seeming to strike Teach's heart. "Decades of forbearance, ultimately choosing to struggle... roar... betrayal... plunder..."
"Do you think you can steal the future with these despicable means?"
"With that kind of ability, you think you can become king?!"
Roy raised his eyebrows slightly, and his Conqueror's Haki's Haki was released like a tsunami, instantly transforming the entire barrier into a world of raging waves!
The heavens and earth roared, darkness and Haki intertwined and twisted, pressing down on Teach so hard that his knees buckled and he almost knelt on the ground.
But under this suffocating pressure, his father's back suddenly appeared in his eyes, along with the shouts of his clansmen, and the obsession buried deep in his bloodline suddenly erupted!
"Ughhh--!"
He actually gritted his teeth and forced himself to sit up, trembling as he slowly straightened his spine under the suppression of one-fifth of Roy's Conqueror's Haki!
The voice was first hoarse, then gradually grew louder, and finally transformed into a maniacal laugh that shook the night sky.
"Hehehe... hehehe--!"
"You're right!! I'm a thief! I stole Thatch's light! I stole Whitebeard's destruction!"
"I will steal everything I can steal!! Power! Fame! Territory! -- Even history itself!!"
He spread his arms wide, exuding an aura of madness and stubbornness, as if he were not welcoming death, but rather the fate that belonged to the abyss!
"On this vast ocean, you either laugh heartily or cry bitterly! What's wrong with me choosing to laugh out loud?!"
"I'm just Nezumi that crawled out of a gutter! But even Nezumi has the right to look up at the stars!!"
"What I want to do... is become the King of the World who controls everything!!"
His eyes were bloodshot as he roared with heart-wrenching fury, "I will take this sky, this earth, this sea... and you!"
And those self-proclaimed gods above... completely devour them!!
"Not even a glimmer of light remains!!"
The heavens and earth seemed to tremble with his laughter, and darkness churned within the barrier, as if responding to his madness.
Teach stretched out his arm and grabbed sharply, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, yet burning with a fanatical conviction. With his last ounce of will, he shouted out his own eternal creed—
"Because--!"
"Human dreams..."
"It will never end!!"
"Thief—hahaha!!"
Human dreams never end!