16 Anne (1)

New World, Sess Island.

Sess Island was a large, commercially prosperous island. Thanks to its uniquely warm and pleasant climate year-round, it was a genuine Island of Spring and a famous vacation destination in the New World.

Teach wandered aimlessly down the street, bored. Fifteen days had passed since he left White Sand Island. Along the way, he had visited four islands: Gem Island, Gran Island, Kuku Island, and Yellow Rock Island. Gem Island produced all kinds of precious stones and generated enormous profits, so power on the island was tangled and complex. There were countless pirate and underworld factions, and the place was extremely chaotic, with no fixed ruler. Every night, they fought over their shares of the profits. Even the taverns shut their doors to customers late at night.

Nothing much had happened. Teach rested on the island for a while, then left. Still, he hadn't come away empty-handed. Take the strand of emeralds around his right wrist: the stones were a deep, profound green, not especially bright. They looked ordinary during the day, but gave off a faint glow at night. Teach liked them a lot. Each emerald had been carefully carved into a skull, drilled through the side, and strung together with a tough, elastic cord.

A black obsidian pendant hung from Teach's neck on a fine silver chain. The little sword, crafted entirely from obsidian, had cost him five hundred thousand berries at a small shop.

Gran Island was a plant island, home to all kinds of vegetation—and extremely dangerous. Some of its plants ate people. Plants ruled the island, with venomous insects and snakes living among them. Other than those, all the large and small beasts that once roamed the island had gone extinct. Its unique, primitive ecosystem nurtured many rare and precious medicinal herbs, and every year, no one knew how many people disappeared there.

Kuku Island was a volcanic island, with a massive volcano that seemed ready to erupt at any moment. From above, one could see red-gold lava flowing from the crater. The island's ground was deep red and nearly as hot as fire, reaching three hundred degrees. There was almost no plant life, but its unique environment had given rise to creatures adapted to the heat, such as fire scorpions, fire lizards, and fire snakes.

Islands like this were unsuitable for human habitation, but thanks to its unique location, Kuku Island served as a central link connecting five islands. Over the years, a town of several thousand people had sprung up along its outskirts. The ground beneath their feet had been covered with wood, ore, plastic, and other insulating, heat-resistant materials at enormous expense. The covering stood a full three meters above the ground.

No one had claimed the island. If anyone attacked or occupied Kuku Island, they would incur the wrath of the other islands' factions, who would join forces to wipe out the intruders.

Yellow Rock Island was rich in ore. Unlike Gem Island, it was occupied by a Great Pirate with a bounty of seven hundred million berries, who exported ore and made a fortune.

"Hey, handsome! Would you like to try some freshly baked desserts?" A sweets shop stood up ahead, and a stylish young woman was greeting customers at the entrance. When she spotted Teach, her eyes lit up. With a warm smile, she waved to him.

"Zehahaha! I'm not really interested in sweets, but if you've got cherry pie, I won't begrudge the berries." Teach laughed heartily. "We do!" the girl replied. "I can make cherry pie. Come on in. Would you like sweet or savory?" She ushered him inside, her big eyes fixed on him. Teach looked like a rich customer, and she didn't want to miss out on such a big sale.

"I'll have two of each to start. Let's see how your cherry pies taste." Teach chose a seat by the window and sat down. He pulled out a napkin and tucked it into his shirt, like a gourmet ready to enjoy a feast. He took his favorite cherry pie very seriously. On a previous island, a shopkeeper had relied on the powerful people backing him to advertise his food as delicious and attract customers. In reality, he cut corners, hired mediocre staff, charged exorbitant prices, and forced people to buy his food. Anyone who had bought from him could only swallow their anger.

When it was Teach's turn, he flew into a rage. He crushed everyone's heads in the shop, and the whole place was reduced to rubble. The next day, the faction backing the owner was wiped out. Their bodies lay in pools of blood, faces twisted with terror.

"Certainly, sir. Here are your cherry pies." The girl was quick. Teach didn't have to wait long before she brought over four steaming pies and set them in front of him.

"Give them a try. How do they taste?" The girl sat down across from Teach, resting her chin in her hands as she watched him curiously. For some reason, she felt there was something special about him. Though they'd only just met, she liked him a lot. He had a way of making people feel at ease.

She had long brown hair, a blue headscarf wrapped around her head, and a delicate little face. She radiated youthful sunshine.

Teach had already been drawn in by the delicious aroma. He pulled on a transparent glove, grabbed a cherry pie from the table, and took a bite. "Mmm, this is amazing! This cherry pie—zehahaha—makes me so happy!" He devoured it in huge bites, and before long, the pie had vanished into his stomach.

Seeing how happy Teach looked made the girl very pleased. It was clear he appreciated her cooking. Her big eyes curved into crescents.

"Savory crust with sour cherry filling. It'd be even better with some black tea." Teach liked drinking, but tea was a habit of his, especially when he was enjoying cherry pie.

"Here, have some!" At once, the girl poured him a large bowl of black tea.

"Anne, stop chatting and go help the customers! We're about to get overwhelmed." A mature, beautiful woman in a floral dress came out of the kitchen. She was dressed simply and carried a tray piled with desserts for the customers. When she saw the girl, she called out to Anne.

"Coming, Mom!" Anne stood up and answered. "Sorry, we're still really busy right now. I'll be back as soon as I finish helping out. Things should quiet down this afternoon." With that, the girl named Anne left to help her mother.

Smiling, Teach picked up another cherry pie and savored it slowly.

Soon, he had finished all the pies on the table. "Anne, bring me thirty more cherry pies. Same as before—fifteen sweet and fifteen savory." Teach smiled and called to Anne as she passed nearby.

From what her mother had said earlier, Teach already knew her name. When she heard him call her by it, Anne froze for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Thirty? All right, right away!" she replied with a smile. Her smile was infectious and warm. She hurried to the back. There were plenty of regular customers in the shop. It wasn't just the delicious desserts—the way she warmly greeted familiar faces also helped make the place so popular.

"Haha, thirty is too many to make all at once, so I made ten first. Go ahead and eat these. I've already asked Mom to help me make the rest, and they'll be here soon." Anne smiled as she carried a tall stack of cherry pies over and set them on the table in front of Teach. "I won't keep you waiting long!"

"Haha, it's fine. Go take the other customers their desserts. I'm in no rush. Cherry pies this delicious deserve to be savored." Teach waved her off with a smile.

"All right, thank you." Anne looked a little surprised, but she was glad he understood.

Teach ate his cherry pies slowly. After a long while, Anne returned carrying an even taller stack than before. "These are your pies." She sat down across from Teach and stretched, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a napkin. "Ah, I'm finally done. It should be a little easier from here."

Anne looked at Teach as if she wanted to say something, but she couldn't quite bring herself to ask. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth. "Oh, sorry! I still don't know your name." Only then did she realize that she didn't know the name of the man sitting in front of her. Her little face reddened, and she felt embarrassed.

"Zehahaha, Anne, aren't you a little too trusting? You're so quick to spend time with a stranger like me. How do you know I'm not a bad guy?" Seeing her like that, Teach burst out laughing and took a bite of cherry pie.

"For example, I could be a human trafficker who specializes in kidnapping cute girls like you." Teach suddenly put on an evil, frightening expression. Anne shrank her neck in alarm.

"Hmph! You can't scare me!" Once she'd recovered, she saw the smile on Teach's face and realized he'd only been teasing her.

"I can tell you're a good—" Anne stopped herself, realizing there was something wrong with what she was about to say. She'd meant to call him a good person, but how could she know that? And with Teach wearing a pirate's coat, she didn't know what to say.

She thought about it, then blushed slightly. "Anyway, you won't hurt me." Anne looked so cute that Teach couldn't help smiling. The towering stack of pies blocked her face, so she had to sit to the side and lean around it to speak with him. Teach found it amusing.

To make it easier for her to talk to him, he pushed the plate of cherry pies aside so she could sit directly across from him.

"All right, what's your name?" Anne asked curiously.

"Marshall D. Teach. It might be the name of a nobody for now, but one day it'll be famous across the seas." Teach smiled, his eyes brimming with confidence. No—his whole being radiated confidence. He looked imposing.

"Okay, Teach. I'll call you Teach, then. I believe you." Anne nodded, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Teach, you're a pirate, right?"

"Yeah, that's right." Teach took a bite of cherry pie and nodded.

"Then have you formed a pirate crew? Do you have a pirate ship?" Anne asked.

"Neither. Why, are you disappointed?" Teach smiled.

Anne was a little disappointed, but she quickly recovered. "Not that disappointed. I've never seen it myself, but I've heard that forming a pirate crew isn't easy. You need to find reliable crewmates, and build a ship that can sail the seas."

"Haha, you know quite a bit!" Teach smiled and picked up a piece of cherry pie.

"Then you're definitely going to set sail, right, Teach?" Anne seemed to have thought of something, and grew excited. "You can decide on your crew's name now, and the ship's name, too."

Anne grinned excitedly, her big eyes fixed on Teach. Her stare made the back of his head tingle. "Want me to come up with some names? I'm really good at naming things."

"How about Satan, the demon from hell? The Satan Pirates!" "And, Teach, what are you good at?" Anne asked, speaking with great seriousness, like a military adviser.

"What? What am I good at? Swordsmanship and claw techniques." Teach sounded puzzled.

"Then what about the Demon Sword Pirates? Or the Blood Claw Pirates? The Demon Claw Pirates?" Anne grew more and more excited as she spoke.

Teach frowned. "Listen!" He raised a hand to interrupt the girl's fantasies.

"What is it?" Anne asked, puzzled.

"Do I look like that kind of evil person? Why are all your suggestions about demons and blood? Can't you come up with something more ordinary?" Teach said, at a loss.

"Haha! Don't you think those names sound cool? Pirates are supposed to scare people, aren't they? They should make people tremble as soon as they hear the name!" Anne said with a laugh.

"Those pirate crew names you came up with do sound cool, but choosing a crew's name is a very serious matter. I decided on mine a long time ago." Teach cut her off, his voice low. "Besides, a fearsome name isn't what makes people afraid. It's power—achievements earned with every punch and kick, or merciless slaughter."

Anne paused. She was still a young girl, but she was very sensible. As soon as she heard Teach's words, she understood. The more she thought about it, the more sense they made.

"Then what's your pirate crew's name?" Anne asked curiously, now that she knew Teach had already chosen one.

"The Night Pirates." Teach smiled, his mind drifting back to eight years ago, when he had become someone entirely new. He had trained hard to become stronger, starting from nothing. How many nights had he silently wept alone in the dark? Who could understand what that felt like?

Who could understand the pain of being unable to sleep like an ordinary person? He had been alone, accompanied by solitude and befriending the darkness. Those had been painful days. A tender, golden-haired figure rose in his mind. Monica was special to him. When he had been at his lowest, she had shown him kindness and helped him step out of the shadows and set his sights on becoming strong.

By now, he was used to solitude. He was used to the darkness. He was the darkness.

He was already a new Teach. Naturally, he wouldn't follow his old path, and he no longer planned to spend more than twenty years aboard Whitebeard's ship for the sake of that Devil Fruit.

It was the power best suited to him, he believed. One day, it would come to him. And when that day came—the darkness would devour everything.