Sabaody Archipelago

In a certain sea area of the New World, lightning flashed and thunder roared. The Moby Dick appeared exceptionally lonely amidst the storm, as if foreshadowing that something grave was about to happen.

"Old Man! Teach stole Thatch's Dark-Dark Fruit and defected!" Marco, soaked to the bone, burst into Whitebeard's bedroom in a panic and shouted.

"And what about Thatch?"

Hearing this, Whitebeard sat up from his bed, his hand already instinctively reaching for his Murakumogiri. Ever since Cifer had left, he had instructed Marco to keep an eye out for the Dark-Dark Fruit, but he hadn't expected that something would truly go wrong.

"That guy Teach was going to kill Thatch. Thankfully, because you warned us, Old Man, I was able to save him in time," Marco said, his face pale with lingering fear. "That guy Teach seemed to have prepared to be a traitor for a long time. His ability is very strange, and his strength is completely different from how he usually acts on the ship!"

"When I fought him, there was a moment where he grabbed me, and I was actually unable to activate my Devil Fruit ability! He took advantage of my shock, threw me into the sea, and then escaped on a small boat!"

Marco still felt a lingering chill at the memory of losing his powers. As the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, he naturally didn't rely solely on his Devil Fruit, but to suddenly lose the power he had grown accustomed to in the middle of a fight was simply unbelievable.

"Teach, is it?" Whitebeard couldn't help but frown. He remembered the child who had knelt on the ground years ago, begging to be taken in. Today, that same person had actually turned against his family for the sake of a fruit!

"As long as you are all safe, that is what matters. As for Teach, I will personally purge him the next time I see him."

Just as Whitebeard finished speaking, Ace, who had just learned of the incident from Thatch, suddenly pushed the door open and rushed in.

"Old Man! I'm going to find Teach! That guy was a member of the Second Division; this is my responsibility!"

Whitebeard looked at the furious Ace. As the captain, Ace's request was reasonable, yet for some reason, he had a bad premonition.

"Let it be this time, Ace. We don't know where that guy has run off to, and with that kind of bizarre ability, even Marco suffered a loss at his hands. Wait until we run into him next time, and I will handle it!"

"No! If it weren't for Marco, Thatch might have already been killed. This is a disgrace to our Second Division! It is a disgrace to the Whitebeard Pirates!"

Looking at Ace's determined eyes, Whitebeard knew that even if he stopped him, Ace would just sneak out to sea anyway. It was better to just let him go! He was his son, after all! Even a young bird has to fly into the sky one day!

"Then I leave it to you, Ace!" Whitebeard released his grip on the Murakumogiri. "Wait until the weather clears up before you leave!"

"Understood!"

Ace turned and stormed out, ready to grab his gear and set off.

And, be careful.

Whitebeard didn't say it out loud; farewells between men didn't require such words. He also trusted that Ace would protect himself.

"Marco, Jinbe is with the brat Cifer, right? Get in touch with them."

"Yes!"

Elsewhere.

Grand Line, Sabaody Archipelago.

"It's good that Thatch is fine. I will keep an eye out for news regarding Teach and Ace from this side." Cifer handed the Den Den Mushi back to Jinbe.

Blackbeard had still managed to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, and Ace had set sail to hunt him down just as in the original plot. However, Thatch was not dead. It seemed that changing the established course of events was not as difficult as imagined.

Blackbeard had only just set sail, and it was estimated that there were still a few months left before the plot officially began. Cifer didn't remember which countries Blackbeard had visited, only that he had ultimately defeated Ace on an island called Banaro Island.

I might as well head over there when the time comes. Besides, I have Ace's Vivre Card in my possession, so I can check on his status at any time.

"I'm going to take a stroll on the Sabaody Archipelago. Are you coming, Jinbe?" Cifer stood at the bow of the ship and looked back at Jinbe.

"I'll pass. Someone needs to stay behind to watch the ship; this place is quite chaotic."

The Sabaody Archipelago consisted of 79 trees (all numbered), with towns and facilities located on each one.

The zoning of the Sabaody Archipelago was very clear, based on the numbers on the trees:

1 to 29: Lawless zones, including human trafficking sites;

30 to 39: Amusement parks;

40 to 49: Tourist areas, featuring local specialties;

50 to 59: Shipyards, where coating artisans were located;

60 to 69: Entry and exit points for the Navy and the government;

70 to 79: Hotel districts and the like.

The purpose of Cifer's trip was to visit Shakky's Rip-off Bar and meet the legendary Silvers Rayleigh, a figure every transmigrator was bound to see.

"Young man, why are you still standing there? Hurry up and kneel down like the rest of us!"

Just as Cifer was preparing to ask for directions, a commotion suddenly broke out. People along the street scrambled to both sides and knelt down, clearing a path. An old man next to Cifer saw that he wasn't moving and hurriedly tried to pull at him.

Within his line of sight, a man as fat as a pig, with snot constantly hanging from his nose and wearing an outfit resembling a space suit complete with an oxygen mask, was riding on the back of another burly man who was crawling on the ground. He moved slowly through the crowd as the burly man crawled forward.

That was a World Noble, one of the so-called descendants of the Creators—a Celestial Dragon.

"You, go and snatch that woman for me! I've taken a liking to her!"

The Celestial Dragon hadn't noticed Cifer, who stood out from the crowd, because he had already set his sights on a woman kneeling on the ground and was ordering his armored guards.

"No! Please, my Lord Celestial Dragon, spare my wife!"

A young man stood up, shielding the woman firmly behind him. Even though his legs were trembling, he didn't budge an inch.

"Foolish commoner, how dare you resist a great Celestial Dragon! And how dare you stand up in front of me, Saint Charlos!" Saint Charlos sniffed hard, drawing his snot back up, and pulled out a golden pistol. "Die!"

Most of the people kneeling on the ground closed their eyes, unable to bear watching the cruel scene.

The gunshot did not ring out as expected. Instead, it felt as if a gale had swept through, followed by a cry of pain from the Celestial Dragon.

"My hand!"

Everyone opened their eyes. To their disbelief, the Celestial Dragon was already rolling on the ground in agony, his right hand—the one that had been holding the gun—now lying silently on the floor.

Cifer stood at the front of the road, holding a long sword he had casually snatched from a nearby pirate. The scorching sword mark on the ground told the story of what had just transpired.

"Protect Saint Charlos!"

The armored guards swarmed forward, half of them surrounding the Celestial Dragon, the other half surrounding Cifer.

"This sword is actually quite useful, though it's a pity it isn't a very good one."

If only my Zanpakuto were here! It would at least be at the level of a Supreme Grade Sword.

Cifer walked forward slowly. Amidst the flash of blades and shadows, all that remained were the Celestial Dragon sitting on the ground clutching his wound, and a slave whose eyes suddenly filled with light.

As for the passersby who had originally been kneeling on both sides, they had fled the moment Cifer severed the right hand of Saint Charlos. After all, having witnessed such a scene, staying behind would likely mean certain death.

"Damn commoner! I am a great Celestial Dragon! The World Government will not let you get away with this!"

Saint Charlos, completely unaware that he was staring death in the face, continued to shriek. The pain from his severed hand caused tears and snot to smear all over his oxygen mask, a sight that made Cifer feel a wave of nausea.

"Too noisy!"

A flash of sword light swept past. The Celestial Dragon's head, still encased in its oxygen mask, tumbled to the ground. Even in that final moment, his face still bore an expression of malice, though it was now tinged with a hint of confusion.

"That man actually killed a Celestial Dragon!" Some of the pirates and passersby hiding nearby to watch the scene were so terrified they didn't even dare to breathe.

The high and mighty nobles of the world could actually die miserably on the street!

"Boss! Big news!"

Somewhere in the New World, Morgans, who had been sipping hot tea, held a Den Den Mushi that was chattering incessantly about the events unfolding on the Sabaody Archipelago.

Marineford, Fleet Admiral's office.

"What?! A Celestial Dragon has actually..."

Sengoku's eyes were filled with disbelief, while Garp, who was eating a senbei nearby, couldn't help but burst into laughter.