Xiouyapufu

After asking a few questions, Teach learned that the man named Xiouyapufu was a famous actor and dancer from the West Blue, from a prominent family, but he was obsessed with acting and dancing and loved bright lights.

At only eighteen years old, he was hailed as the most beautiful man in the Boka Boka Kingdom, though Teach was somewhat speechless at the title—shouldn't he be the most handsome?

However, he was also curious that Xiouyapufu was now performing at the Vitas Opera House.

Vitas Opera House is the largest and only opera house in the Boka Boka Kingdom. Every performance attracts countless people to watch, and this time, the performance by Xiouyapufu has made Vitas Opera House even more packed.

Upon entering the Vitas Opera House, Teach was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the crowd. Besides the seats that had been prepared in advance, the corridors were packed with people. It was clear that this Xiouyapufu was incredibly popular; many people were there just to catch a glimpse of him.

You should know that opera house tickets cost 30,000 Beli and are generally reserved for nobles and wealthy people. Those who can come here are all relatively rich.

At first glance, the huge venue had three floors, with more than two thousand people on each floor. It seems that just one performance like this could earn a full two hundred million Beli.

Teach arrived at just the right time; the performance hadn't even started yet. Instinctively, he unleashed his Observation Haki, instantly covering the entire arena.

In just a moment, it seemed as if something had been triggered? Teach withdrew his Observation Haki.

"I've been discovered!" A hint of surprise flashed in Teach's eyes. He had only released Teach Observation Haki, not even fully amplified it, and it had already been detected.

Recalling everything that had just happened, his microscopic Observation Haki had detected countless silver powders invisible to the naked eye floating in the air throughout the venue. This was the medium used by the person who had detected his Observation Haki.

This is not ordinary powder; it's more like... flakes.

Teach guessed that this person must be a Devil Fruit user, given their genius idea to be able to spread their Observation Haki using such silver powder.

Backstage at the opera house, amidst a dazzling array of stars, a man paused, frowned, and turned his gaze towards the audience. He searched carefully but found nothing.

But he trusted his intuition; that feeling of being watched that had just appeared was real. Although it was fleeting, it was something he had never experienced before, so it was very clear.

Who could it be? The man couldn't help but wonder.

Just then, he caught a glimpse of his face in the mirror. "Quick, fix my hair, it's a bit messy. Don't ruin my perfect image," he chuckled softly to the makeup artist beside him. "But don't touch my hair."

"Ah! So handsome! As expected of Xiouyapufu, he's still perfect even with messy hair!" The girl standing to the side exclaimed, covering her face with her hands, her eyes full of hearts.

This caused Xiouyapufu some trouble. He turned his face away, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes, but none of them could see it. Even with a look of disdain, these girls would find it incredibly cool and then fill in the blanks in their minds.

However, it was difficult for Xiouyapufu to drive them away. These were all noble girls who had used their status and power to get in through connections. They were always clinging to him, and their families were also connected, having met since childhood.

Behind the scenes, they also created a fan club dedicated to Xiouyapufu.

"The performance will begin soon, and we are ready. Xiouyapufu, are you?"

"What do you think? I'm so perfect, always ready. Leave this performance to me." Hearing this question, Xiouyapufu confidently raised his head, holding a small mirror in his hand, reflecting his near-perfect face.

"That's amazing! So cool, Xiouyapufu!"

"I can't take it anymore, I'm going to faint. Xiouyapufu has stolen my heart."

People all around kept shouting, looking at this man's face as if they were enveloped in happiness. He was irresistible to both men and women; even men would succumb to his unique charm.

At the venue, Teach suddenly spotted a familiar figure – Baccarat. She was there too! Teach walked towards her, and as if sensing something, Baccarat turned around and saw Teach walking towards her.

Baccarat had a seat, and the seats next to her were all occupied. At that moment, a sly smile appeared on Baccarat's face, and she leaned her body to the side, without touching the man next to her, but merely getting closer.

The man next to him couldn't help but notice, and an excited and lewd smile appeared on his face. Seeing this beautiful girl, could it be that she had taken a liking to him? Did she want a beautiful encounter with him? He sat up straight, leaning slightly towards the girl on his left, wanting to get closer to her.

Undoubtedly, what happened next disappointed him. His eyes kept glancing at the girl beside him, and contrary to his expectations, he immediately sat back down.

This puzzled him. Suddenly, he frowned. "What's wrong? My stomach hurts so much." His expression changed immediately. He tried to suppress the pain, but he couldn't help it and clutched his stomach.

His stomach growled loudly, drawing the attention of the surrounding audience. It wasn't the sound of hunger, but rather the churning of his stomach. They could guess what was about to happen, but the thought of it was disgusting.

It was unexpected that this would happen on such an important occasion, in such a solemn setting as an opera house.

Under the gaze of many, the man's face flushed red. He was too ashamed to stay there any longer, and since he had something to take care of, he stood up abruptly and ran away quickly.

This freed up a seat, and before they could even react, a figure had already sat down next to Baccarat —it was Teach.

Seeing this, the others could only blame themselves for being too slow to react.

The reason that man acted that way was naturally due to Baccarat's ability. Now her ability has been further developed, and she can absorb other people's luck without touching them. However, this distance is very short, less than the length of a palm, but it is already a breakthrough. To expand this range, she still needs further development and training.

That man is bound to get into trouble. According to Baccarat's plan, something unexpected will happen, and he'll have to leave his position. But what exactly will happen? She can't fully control it. The more outrageous the outcome, the more it will drain her resources.

"How did you end up here?" Before Teach could speak, Baccarat asked curiously, thinking that Teach shouldn't be interested in opera.

"Hmm, I'm somewhat interested in that Xiouyapufu. I feel like we came to this island specifically for him," Teach said, stating his conjecture. "And just now, my Observation Haki was detected, which must have been Xiouyapufu."

"Huh? Really? Are you sure? Xiouyapufu really want to join us?" Baccarat couldn't believe it. "He's a nobleman, the most handsome man in the country, famous not only in the four seas but also on the Grand Line, with a huge following. How could he become a pirate with us?"

"Why not? Everyone has ambition. If he's truly meant to be with us, he'll definitely come to our ship," Teach couldn't help but laugh.

Baccarat didn't believe Teach's words at all; his eyes seemed to say, "Where does your confidence come from?" Baccarat simply couldn't believe it. The difference in their levels was too great. Unless she forced him with her strength, she knew that Teach, with his personality, wouldn't do such a thing.

"Let's stop talking now, the performance is about to start." Suddenly, the music started, and Baccarat said, looking expectantly at the stage in the center, which was covered by a large curtain.

Teach nodded and looked at the stage. He wanted to see if his guess was correct, and whether this Xiouyapufu was the one who discovered his Observation Haki spying.

Since he set sail, he has not found any companions with such great potential as Nelson and his crew. Although a few people on the ship are quite strong, surpassing the other crew members, they are still somewhat inferior to these officers. However, after eating Devil Fruit, they should be able to improve and be promoted to officers. But in that case, officers will be divided into two levels: ordinary officers and core officers.

If there were a ranking, the core cadres would definitely be ranked higher, while the ordinary cadres would be ranked lower.

Anyway, it's up to them to choose. He keeps all these Devil Fruits in his Curry. If anyone wants them, they can exchange them for Beli or merits.

Keeping these Devil Fruits in the Curry serves as an incentive for the crew members who crave power.

He wouldn't waste the few powerful Devil Fruit he still possessed on ordinary members.

Paramecia Bounce Fruit, Ancient Species Night Blood Bat, Ancient Species Zoan Emperor Crocodile —these powerful abilities can only be obtained by those whose potential he has recognized.

"Clang... dong... woo..." The music started, and because this was an opera house, it used singing, dancing, music and performance, which really tested people's skills.

Baccarat watched very attentively. She also has a background in performance, but her dream is to become a singing star. She is also good at dancing, but she is not quite up to par in opera. She still has a lot to learn.

The curtain rises, the performance officially begins. First, there is a magnificent symphony, as if telling the story of a cruel war, slaughter, and bloodshed, as well as a fierce power struggle in the palace.

Such stories are still very popular in this world. At this moment, the actors have come out. One of them is a woman dressed in gorgeous clothes, holding the hand of a little boy and running quickly, as if there are pursuers chasing them.

Immediately afterwards, the woman hid the child in a wooden barrel, lured the pursuers elsewhere, and then, in the girl's eyes, was stabbed to death, sacrificing herself heroically.

This is only the first act, but Teach has already pretty much guessed the plot of the story; it should be similar to The Prince's Revenge.

Around them, some sentimental women couldn't help but shed tears, Baccarat, standing nearby, also took out a handkerchief from somewhere and began wiping away her tears.

"Is it really necessary?" Teach was somewhat speechless. In this world, every few years a country is destroyed and every few years a new country is established. Internal power struggles within kingdoms are practically a thing of the past. Isn't this common? Why such a big reaction?

"How could it not be, Captain? You're too cruel," Baccarat retorted, wiping away her tears as she turned back to continue watching the opera.

Teach's lips twitched. "And you say that about me? Aren't you a ruthless killer yourself?"

Oh well, women are just a hassle.

Teach also watched the opera. Soon, the prince grew up, sought revenge, and trained hard. He could see the boy constantly wielding a longsword, which surprised Teach. The boy's basic swordsmanship was quite good. He had practiced seriously for the performance, or rather, they had found a boy who had practiced swordsmanship to perform.

Even Teach could see the professionalism of this opera. Although Teach hadn't seen much opera in his past life or in his previous life, it didn't affect his appreciation ability.

The preceding parts only recount the course of events; what everyone is truly looking forward to is the appearance of the main character.

Finally, the first act ended, and the prince had grown up. The handsome and dashing adult prince, played by Xiouyapufu, appeared on stage. Upon seeing him, Teach's eyes lit up, and he was completely certain that it was him.

The moment he appeared, he exuded an invisible charm, a terrifying quality. Coupled with his appearance, he captivated both men and women, drawing all eyes to him with respect and affection.

This ability, combined with his inherent, intangible charm and aristocratic air, along with the scales in the air, reminded Teach of a creature, though he wasn't sure yet.

Teach knew that this charm was Xiouyapufu possessed innately, or rather, something that came with him from the moment he acquired that ability, without him consciously using it. This made Teach smile as he thought of the future Love-Love Devil Fruit User, Boa Hancock, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the world.

Both of them possess similar abilities, a natural charm that comes with consuming Devil Fruit.

However, one is Paramecia and the other is Zoan. The scales in the air, like the powder on butterfly wings, are currently unknown in terms of their function. Besides expanding the range of Observation Haki, they must have other effects as well.

This kind of charm is subtle and gradual, without any malice, so it goes unnoticed. Even Teach was somewhat influenced and developed a liking for Xiouyapufu, finding him very handsome, but it had no effect. His thoughts remained unchanged, and he could not be controlled.

But such charm, combined with such a handsome appearance, undoubtedly produces an effect beyond imagination.

Even Baccarat was somewhat captivated by Xiouyapufu's handsome appearance, but her eyes remained clear and she didn't have any particular thoughts.