Nelson the Thief

Teach and his group were lucky; these were the days for handing over the Heavenly Gold, and the Kingdom had already prepared the Heavenly Gold to be handed over, just waiting for the navy to come and escort them.

Within the entire Grape Kingdom, there exists a heavily guarded forbidden area: the Royal Winery, the world's premier winery. It houses numerous secret winemaking techniques and is the foundation of the kingdom. If these secrets were leaked, even if other powers lack an island like Grape Island, they could acquire more islands and, with time, produce delicious wines.

Although the lack of professional equipment and winemakers from the Grape Kingdom might mean a slight difference in taste, it would still be a huge blow to the Grape Kingdom.

Countless people have died in the streets after coveting the winemaking techniques of the Grape Kingdom. The Grape Kingdom's military strength is weak, but it spares no effort in cultivating top-tier powerhouses. These top-tier powerhouses are the top powerhouses in the first half of the Grand Line.

The wine produced by the Grape Kingdom, a fine wine offered to the Celestial Dragons, has an annual production of less than three hundred bottles. Of these, two hundred bottles must be handed over as Heavenly Gold, and the rest are kept for their own consumption or allowed to flow into the sea.

This rare and exquisite wine fetches a price of five million Beli per bottle on the black market.

It has a very beautiful name, "Aphrodite's Kiss," and it is said that drinking it will make people happy. Whitebeard once obtained such a fine wine, but he was reluctant to share it with the other members of the ship and secretly drank it all by himself.

Now that I have the opportunity to come here, and the new tribute wine has already been brewed, how could I not get a few bottles?

Teach had long yearned to own a world-renowned, exquisite wine.

With his Observation Haki covering the entire island, Teach had everything under control. Teach knew very well the heavily guarded areas throughout the Grape Kingdom. In the center of the royal palace and the Royal Winery, which were actually adjacent to each other, was located at the very heart of the Grape Kingdom.

In its center, two Vice Admiral generals guarded the area, along with some other powerful forces.

However, at sea, that's not enough. Some powerful nations possess formidable strength, some even guarded by Admiral- level monsters. Even the World Government dares not provoke them too much or interfere in their internal affairs.

Just as the World Government has the CP intelligence agency, other powerful nations naturally also have similar organizations operating in the shadows, though few people know about them.

On the western shore of the Grape Kingdom, a river connecting to the sea meanders all the way to the royal city.

Boats were moored along the riverbank, guarded by the kingdom's guards who patrolled constantly, ensuring that not even a Nezumi could get past.

By using his Observation Haki to filter out the countless mixed sounds in his mind, Teach finally extracted useful information: news about the tribute wine.

The tribute wine had already been loaded onto the ship transporting the Heavenly Gold a month ago. News of the ship transporting the Heavenly Gold was also kept secret and was very difficult to obtain. Only a handful of high-ranking officials knew about the ship transporting the Heavenly Gold, and this has always been the case.

Teach couldn't glean any specific information from it, but by utilizing his Observation Haki, Teach had located a place that was very likely where the Heavenly Gold was stored.

This is Heavenly Gold, containing not only tribute wine but also many precious treasures. One can never be too careful with something like this. If something goes wrong with the Heavenly Gold, and there's no one to take the blame, the World Government will pin the blame on the Grape Kingdom. Faced with the World Government's terrifying power, the Grape Kingdom is utterly powerless to resist and will be easily destroyed.

Many nations have been destroyed or abandoned because they couldn't afford to pay for the Heavenly Gold. Although things rarely go wrong with the Heavenly Gold, its secrecy has always been a constant.

After all, there are many who want to steal the Heavenly Gold, and the countless treasures within will always attract some greedy villains.

There are many places in the Grape Kingdom where the Heavenly Gold might be stored, both openly and secretly.

The place Teach found was in a huge cave near the coast. Its unique location made it very hidden, and few people could find it. Although it was not as heavily guarded as other places, there was a powerful figure protecting it.

The Grape Kingdom was considered a small country by Teach, but he was surprised to find that it harbored three Vice Admiral. Although these three were only of average strength Vice Admiral, they were still a formidable force.

It was this powerful figure who led Teach to believe that the Heavenly Gold was hidden there.

Night fell quickly. Pito back to the hotel; they would stay on the island for the night. Teach, on the other hand, headed towards the place he sensed.

This great river flows through half an island and connects to the sea. Two-thirds of the way across the river, close to the sea, lies a secret forest on both sides, inhabited by many wild beasts.

There are also some uninhabited areas on the island, and this forest is one of them. Compared to the Heavenly Gold, it is a natural barrier, and very few pirates or other people come into this jungle.

It's a perfect place to hide the Heavenly Gold. It's a steep cliff over twenty meters high, right on both sides of the river. Guards, Teach stood on a tree, looking at the guards on the ship that transported the Heavenly Gold from afar.

Compared to other places, the number of guards here is somewhat smaller, but their strength is greater; they are the elite among them.

Through his Observation Haki, he had confirmed that the real Heavenly Gold was here, containing many gold and silver treasures, as well as bottles of tribute wine decorated with exquisite bottles.

In a shadowy spot where the Heavenly Gold vault was stored, the powerful figure was hiding, having already mastered Observation Haki, and was constantly probing Observation Haki surroundings using it.

He didn't detect Teach at all, not only because Teach had concealed his presence as if he didn't exist, but also because his Observation Haki n't strong, only covering a range of about fifty meters.

Such a defensive force was incredibly easy for Teach to handle; he could take them down effortlessly without being detected.

Just as he was about to make a move, he suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked into the distance. There, he saw another person, acting furtively, seemingly having the same idea as him.

With that in mind, Teach decided to stop and observe the situation. Through his Observation Haki, he could sense that the person who shared the same idea was somewhat young, but already an adult, with a baby face.

Nelson was somewhat excited, his eyes fixed on the distant lights. Through some means, he had finally found the hiding place of the Heavenly Gold.

The thought of receiving the Heavenly Gold, even if it was only a portion, filled him with immense excitement.

His face was covered with a black cloth to prevent others from seeing his face, and his head was also wrapped in a turban. He was very cautious and did not want to live a life on the run.

He also believed in his abilities. Years of being a thief had given him great patience, as well as courage and decisiveness when stealing.

Quietly and slowly, they approached the direction of the lights, with Teach following behind.

They quietly approached the cliff face and looked down. There were nearly a hundred guards below, though not many. On the opposite bank, below the cliff, there was a small dock with several boats moored on it.

But Nelson's target wasn't them; it was behind the dock, where a huge cave was hidden. If he hadn't received intelligence, he would never have imagined that the ship carrying the Heavenly Gold was hidden behind this dock.

On the surface, it's not visible; the construction of the dock completely conceals the cave behind it. Only when a fixed mechanism is activated will a passage be revealed for ships to exit.

The guards were eating from a communal pot, torches were burning, but their weapons were laid out nearby, ready to be picked up and fight should anything happen.

Nelson had no doubt that he was a thief, an orphan who grew up alone, becoming a petty thief.

From childhood to adulthood, he survived by stealing, which honed his excellent eyesight and judgment. He could analyze who could be stolen from and who couldn't.

These guards exuded a heavy aura, a chilling presence. Although the Grape Kingdom's military strength was relatively weak due to its smaller numbers, the kingdom still had so many pirates causing trouble every day, and the kingdom's army would intervene at any time. After all, how could they trust or rely on bounty hunters?

This also trained a group of elite soldiers, and the guards here are just like that.

Teach looked at this person with some surprise. Nelson instinctively concealed his aura. It wasn't perfect, but he managed to hide most of it. This was an experience, unlike Gari was so perfect. Gari had specialized training, his own talent, and constant hunting experience.

Nelson watched the guards lying there quietly. Besides the guards eating, there were other guards patrolling, holding flashlights and constantly scanning in the darkness, especially in key places and places where they could easily hide, even though the Heavenly Gold hadn't been stolen for a long time.

They remained cautious, as beams of light, shooting straight into the sky, repeatedly swept past Nelson's head.

Nelson was extremely nervous. Hidden in the darkness, he watched the patrol routes of the guards, waiting quietly. Then, seizing the opportunity, he jumped off the cliff. With his nimble body, he used the momentum to step on the protruding rocks and quickly descended into the water.

As he descended the cliff, the guards noticed the commotion. "Who is it!" The guards stared at the direction Nelson had fallen into the water, and pointed their flashlights at the river, illuminating the darkness.

The guards who were still eating almost simultaneously put down their bowls, chopsticks, and spoons, and picked up their weapons.

In the darkness and silence, even the faintest sound is amplified countless times, becoming exceptionally clear. Nelson was far too careless.

Ripples spread across the river's surface, making it immediately clear that something had fallen into the water, most likely a person.

"Go and check, surround both sides of the river," the leading captain commanded.

After searching the river for a while, they said, "Don't worry, it's just a cat." Soon enough, they found a cat in the river. A guard returned carrying the cat, soaking wet, having just come from the river.

"The cat probably fell into the water," one of the guards said with a sigh of relief.

"It's so strange that a cat would fall into the water." Another guard couldn't help but scratch his head.

"Everyone be careful and pay attention to your surroundings," the captain said finally, dismissing the group of people who had gathered together.

He frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into his heart. How could a cat fall into the water? He couldn't believe it; he'd never heard of such a thing before.

The time to transport the Heavenly Gold was just a few days away, a crucial period. He knew the importance of the Heavenly Gold, so it was utterly inexplicable that such a strange thing would happen at this time.

However, they found no trace of anyone else in the river, so they had to keep the matter to themselves. After that little incident, the guards quickly finished their food and began their patrol.

The security here is much tighter, and the guards are much more vigilant, something that has never happened before.

The operation had barely begun when Nelson had already alerted the enemy.

No one knew that Nelson was hiding in Curry inside the shipyard. He patted his chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and said with some relief, "That was close, that was close."

Meanwhile, Teach, standing outside, couldn't help but widen his eyes. "A spatial ability," he murmured to himself.

What did he see? The instant Nelson fell into the water, his body vanished from the spot where he had been standing, and a cat appeared where he had been.

Even Teach couldn't sense Nelson's presence; it was as if Nelson had vanished from the world. This was the first time he Awakening this since awakening his Observation Haki.

However, the next moment, Nelson reappeared in the shadowy corner on the right side of the dock. At the same time, a stone in that spot vanished, disappearing without a trace.

After two more spatial shifts, Nelson appeared in the shipyard's granary.

Teach immediately deduced that Nelson was a Devil Fruit User, specifically someone who used spatial abilities, somewhat similar to displacement, where he could move his position by swapping with other objects.

At the same time, Nelson also has another space, because the cat originally did not exist, but should exist in Nelson's space. He entered the space by exchanging with the cat in the space, which is why Teach's Observation Haki could not sense his presence.