Just as Jozu and his brothers began preparations, and Blackbeard nodded in acknowledgment, preparing to leave to join his brothers in arranging the banquet...
Gawain waved his hand gently.
"Teach."
He said.
"Let everyone else go ahead and get busy. You can sit with me for a bit."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain looked at Teach, who was momentarily stunned, and smiled slightly.
Teach was confused for a moment; he really couldn't guess why Gawain had kept him around.
Regardless, he quickly turned around and waited for Gawain's instructions.
Looking at Teach, who was waiting silently, Gawain turned around, smiled at his men, and gave them instructions.
"Old Mr. Rayleigh, lead everyone to help Newgate's sons with some chores."
The crew at Newgate are pretty good; I think you'll find some suitable friends.
As for me, let Teach and I sit alone for a while.
There are some things I want to talk to him about.
"Chatting with Blackbeard on Whitebeard's ship, I understand, Captain."
After hearing Gawain's words, Rayleigh for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
Then, with a wave of his hand, everyone, including Hancock, instantly became part of Whitebeard's crew.
Only about sixty or seventy people boarded the Moby Dick from the Dark Bird Ship, making it very easy for Jozu to arrange.
Soon, only Gawain and Blackbeard remained near the damaged parts of the bow.
Gawain waved to Blackbeard.
"Teach, don't be shy, this is your boat, just grab a chair and sit next to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain gently beckoned with his outstretched right hand, and a pirate crew member carrying a metal chair in the distance immediately froze.
The chair in his hands broke free and rushed towards Gawain.
Because there are so many races in the Pirate World, many of them are quite large and have a terrifying weight.
Therefore, there are many metal chairs that can support a large weight.
After controlling the chair to land, Gawain pressed a button in the air with his right hand.
"Come, sit down."
At this point, Gawain smiled and looked up at the Blackbeard with a furrowed brow.
Hearing Gawain's greeting, Blackbeard felt something was off, but no matter what, he couldn't afford to embarrass his Pops on the Moby Dick.
He then laughed loudly, patted the Fire Pistol on his belt, and laughed.
"Hehehe, Gawain, you really think highly of me, actually giving me the opportunity to sit next to you!"
However, hehehe, this is the Whitebeard Pirates. Even if the other party is you, you are just a guest here.
"I am the owner here, so let me chat with you for a while!"
After saying that, Blackbeard grinned, revealing his four missing teeth.
Immediately afterwards, he sat down in the metal chair with an air of nonchalance and looked at Gawain to his left.
At that very moment, Blackbeard suddenly realized something.
Rayleigh just said something similar to what he said to Blackbeard on Whitebeard's ship...
Could it be... that Gawain sees himself as the Pops to Whitebeard because of his title?
So, was he planning to have a talk with his so-called Whitebeard successor?
Thinking of this, Blackbeard's expression tightened.
There's been a misunderstanding, Celestial Dragon!
My older brothers have laughed at me a lot for using this nickname!
As for Pops, Pops being tormented by your team of doctors, doesn't he still have at least another ten years to live?
Even if that's what you think, isn't it a bit too early to be trying to chat with me now?
Have you been calculating and strategizing in your chess moves for at least ten years now?
In an instant, Blackbeard's expression, which had just become a little more natural, turned even more strange.
Seeing Blackbeard's sudden change in expression, Gawain was slightly taken aback, then shook his head understandingly.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but don't overthink it, Teach."
"I wasn't thinking anything!"
Teach quickly denied it, shaking his head repeatedly as he did so.
If you really don't know what I'm thinking, then don't say that!
You saying that makes me really think you can read my mind!!!
Beside him, seeing Teach's increasingly strange expression, Gawain clapped his hands with amusement.
"You have such a huge body, but all you have is a heart full of fat."
Stop overthinking, come on, have a drink with me.
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain reached out, took off one of his gourds, and tossed it into Teach's hand.
Looking at the small black gourd in my hand, I felt the thick patina on its surface.
Blackbeard paused slightly, then frowned.
"Wait, this gourd... seems somewhat familiar!"
"Indeed, this is Shanks' gourd; I swapped mine for his."
He seems to have made a huge profit, after all, my wine jug is made of silver and inlaid with many diamonds and agates.
However, as you can see, his gourd has a thick patina, so black it's shiny, clearly indicating that he's been handling it for quite some time.
Maybe I've made a huge profit.
At this point, Gawain up another wine flask and took a small sip.
Seeing this, Blackbeard picked up the small wine jug and carefully poured a drop into his mouth.
Blackbeard remained silent as he savored the taste of the wine with his tongue.
Shanks, of course he remembered that guy, and that guy was a big problem!
Because in the thirty-odd years before he ate the Yami Yami no Mi, the only battle in which he revealed his strength but failed to kill his opponent was against Red-Haired Shanks!
Although I left him with a permanent scar, not killing him is not killing him. That guy has seen the real... or rather, the former... ambitious me!
So, the reason Gawain wanted to chat with him was because Shanks had told him something?
Thinking of this, Blackbeard's expression suddenly tightened.
At the same time, Gawain put down the wine pot and smiled slightly.
"Shanks a pretty interesting guy, or rather, nowadays, I find everyone I look at quite interesting."
Last year in Golden Town, oh, that's what you used to call Mock Town.
After bumping into him there, the two of us, just like you and me now, talked for a long time.
Regardless of what we talked about, at that time, I was as weak as a young animal.
Faced with his attacks, I could only rely on the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to constantly dodge. That feeling of helplessness was truly incomparable to that claw you almost stabbed into my shoulder back then."
"Wait, Gawain, back then..."
"Don't speak, listen to me first, Teach."
Remember, I'm not blaming you. In exchange, quiet down and listen carefully to what I'm saying!
Teach was clearly startled by the mention of Gawain from back then, so Gawain waved him to be quiet.
After Teach humbly lowered his head and remained silent, Gawain paused for a moment before continuing.
"In short, when I stood opposite Whitebeard and you back then, apart from my Conqueror's Haki, I had nothing else to offer."
Facing you who completely resisted my Conqueror's Haki, facing that claw that almost pierced my shoulder.
At that moment, I seemed to understand Shanks' assessment of you.
Admittedly, I met you first, and then I met Shanks.
But when Shanks specifically told me to be careful of Teach from the Whitebeard Pirates...
I was immediately reminded of the sense of crisis you once instilled in me!
"I..."
On the right, Blackbeard trembled. Gawain's repeated emphasis on the sense of crisis he brought had completely thrown him into a panic.
Right now, Whitebeard is being treated. His Observation Haki Pops him that he has been drugged by a large group of doctors and is being treated as they please.
If Gawain were to lead his crew in a purge against his pirate crew at this time, Blackbeard knew that without his Pops, he and his brothers would be unable to mount an effective defense.
Without Whitebeard, that super-powerful monster, even if I unleashed my hidden strength and led my brothers in a desperate battle, we still couldn't withstand the Dark Bird Ship, which had more than four monsters in its ranks!
Therefore, when there is absolutely no way to resist, what I should do is... shamelessly kneel down and beg Saint Gawain for forgiveness!
But somehow, Blackbeard, who could have easily knelt down to do this before, was now gripping the armrests of the chair tightly, his knees as hard as iron!
The image of angels and devils kept echoing in his mind. The devil advised him to put aside his so-called dignity and face, and quickly kneel down to appease Gawain, who was bringing up the old issues again, so as not to make him harden his heart and carry out a great purge.
And the angel in his heart.
The angel, while being beaten by the demon, tried to smile and spoke to him.
Marshall D. Teach, you are no longer the guy the devil was talking about.
The Yami Yami no Mi you craved has already been delivered to you by your father.
You've become the adopted Pops has high hopes for, and Marco, who dotes on his younger brother, sees you as a more suitable successor than him!
Your ideals, your dignity, they have come into your hands, in a way that doesn't require you to be hated and cursed by more people!
The Whitebeard Pirates have not disappointed you in any way. Apart from their unwillingness to participate in your looting and pillaging, they have given you everything you could possibly want!
You are the dark heir who terrifies all pirates!
You are the Whitebeard spokesperson who makes everyone in Mary Geoise nervous!
You lost your dignity, but you regained it!
And now, if you lose them again...
Even if you stand on the highest wave of the ocean.
Even if the enemies you bury show you fear, their hearts will forever be filled with contempt!
You want to win.
But you don't want the world's curses and contempt.
You don't want to be looked down upon, Marshall D. Teach!!!
Suddenly, Teach let out a long sigh.
After exhaling, Teach raised his head again, a dangerous smile instantly appearing on his face.
With a dangerous, wicked grin, Teach raised both hands, his left hand gently caressing the emerald on his right middle finger.
Feeling the temperature of the gemstone, Teach spoke coldly to Gawain.
"Saint Gawain, even though you keep emphasizing that you don't blame me for what happened back then, the way you keep bringing up the past is really making me uneasy!"
So, you're still not satisfied with me from back then, are you?
If that's the case, then why bother pretending to invite me for a drink, especially with Shanks... which is less than a fly's size to me!!!
You keep repeating, "Did you want to destroy me back then, or did you want to humiliate the person who once humiliated you?"
Gawain!!!"
At this point, Blackbeard suddenly opened his mouth wide and burst into maniacal laughter.
His laughter immediately attracted the attention of the crowd in the distance, and more than one pair of eyes turned towards them nervously.
Facing the worried looks of his brothers, Blackbeard took a long breath, gripped the armrest of his chair, and continued speaking fiercely to Gawain.
"Whether it's out of hatred or with the intention of humiliation, you won't get your way easily, Gawain!"
This is not me being arrogant, nor is it me being conceited!
No one can humiliate anyone in the Whitebeard Pirates without paying a price, whether it's me or my brothers!
Because this is the Whitebeard Pirates!!!
"Ha ha ha ha!!!"
Just as Blackbeard was steeling himself to say this, Gawain suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter!
His loud laughter stunned Blackbeard, Gawain Blackbeard thinking.
Looking at Blackbeard, whose face was full of confusion and bewilderment, yet also carried a hint of pride and a touch of ruthlessness.
Gawain took a hearty sip of his drink, and then he laughed more and more heartily!
More than a year after arriving in this world, Gawain pulled out a very large cake.
Using this cake, he attracted countless people to gather around him.
However, the path to unification is destined to be slow, especially given his relatively noble status, making it even less likely that he would raise the banner of rebellion or start a war too early.
Dig deep tunnels and store plenty of grain; even a rebellion within a unified empire often requires decades of effort.
The Pirate World is similar in structure to the eight hundred feudal states of the Spring and Autumn Period!
How many years did it take Qin to unify China?
Building upon the accumulated achievements of seven generations, does this refer to the period of seven Qin kings?
No, it is the result of hundreds of years of combined efforts from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Sengoku!
Over the past year, even though Gawain has done a lot, in the eyes of many people, he has simply been repeating the process of winning over one powerful person after another.
This continuous and cyclical process was making even his crew members a little anxious.
Of course, older generations like Rayleigh weren't in a hurry; they knew that the sparks that had been ignited would eventually become a raging fire.
But the younger generation, especially the core members of the original CP and young people like Ace who joined the ship early and knew Gawain's ideals.
Behind their backs, they couldn't help but feel that Gawain was all talk and no action, constantly making empty promises.
Gawain wasn't idle enough to eavesdrop on everyone's every move on the ship, but he didn't need to listen to guess what they were thinking.
Therefore, Gawain couldn't help but ask himself this question.
Did I really do nothing all year but make empty promises?
This thought faded slightly after reuniting with Blackbeard.
Compared to the original Pirate World, my actions over the past year have actually subtly altered many aspects of the future under the prevailing circumstances!
Isn't Blackbeard a classic example?
The culprit who assassinated his brother Thatch, captured Ace, and almost single-handedly instigated the Marineford War, leading to the near annihilation of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Now, this guy is even starting to talk tough to himself from the perspective of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Isn't this the change I brought about myself?
And isn't this one of the greatest comforts and proofs of my hard work all this time?
Thinking this, Gawain gently waved his hand.
"Haha, Teach, why do you suddenly look so fierce?"
But this is good, haha, you look much better like this than before!
The reason I wanted to speak with you privately is simply because I wanted to re-evaluate you. After all, you're someone that both Shanks and I have taken notice of.
I have no intention of hurting you, unless I really need you to do something for me.
So, Teach...
Suddenly, Gawain smiled and patted Teach's arm.
"Give it your all tonight, in your battle with Ace."
I want to see the real you before that Shanks does.
Beat Ace and show him what the world is all about, you hear me, buddy?
After all, you are Blackbeard on Whitebeard's ship.
Don't embarrass Whitebeard!