(Opening an alt was just a minor interlude; it wouldn't last more than twenty chapters.)
"Oh!! Was there another reason?"
Lafitte narrowed his eyes, studying Teach's rugged yet composed face with curiosity.
What could make a man with ambitions reaching the heavens so wary?!!!
"If it were just Pops, there'd be no need to be this careful. The key is..."
Halfway through his sentence, beads of cold sweat appeared on Teach's vicious face, though his tone remained firm.
"This Dark-Dark Fruit of mine, said to be the most vicious fruit and capable of countering all Devil Fruits, was something I took from that man without permission."
"That man???"
Lafitte's expression turned serious as he asked.
"The former Black Emperor, the master of the Shichibukai, the king who suppressed an era—"
As each title was spoken, Lafitte's previously calm face instantly changed, and uncontrollable shock filled his eyes.
On the other side, Van Augur's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at Teach's face.
"Black Spear Dotol Austin!!!"
The moment he truly spoke that name, Lafitte could no longer sit still and nearly turned around to leave.
What kind of joke was this?!!!
Offending Whitebeard would have been one thing. After all, he was a remnant of the Old Era; that old man's time had already passed.
But they had offended Black Spear???
Even though Lafitte had originally lived in the West Blue, he understood exactly what that name represented!!!
Van Augur, on the other hand, was filled with excitement.
The feeling was no less intense than Zoro's excitement upon seeing Mihawk. After all, that was the pinnacle of all snipers in the world!!!
"But there's no need to worry..."
Seeing Lafitte's shaken expression, Blackbeard quickly explained.
"He was supposed to give it to me anyway. I just took it a little