The Targeted Devil Fruit

The merchant ship was preparing to leave. Everyone on board rushed back with their belongings. After all, they were elite sailors who had sailed the seas for over a decade. They had keenly sensed someone observing them in the small town, realizing they had already attracted attention.

Therefore, they decided to leave early, not giving those who were watching them time to react.

The merchant ship quickly departed from the port, heading towards the next island. A few minutes after they left, a pirate ship quietly set sail and followed in their direction.

At sea, the merchant ship was moving at full speed, hoping to shake off the pirates who were targeting them. However, for some reason, the old captain had a nagging premonition.

"It's not good, Captain! A pirate ship is following us!" The lookout on the merchant ship had been constantly observing. Ever since he knew they were being targeted by pirates, he had been diligently watching, primarily the area behind the ship. Finally, he spotted it: a pirate ship was rapidly approaching.

He was very anxious and relayed the news to the old captain, who was waiting.

The old captain remained composed, not rushing. He had already prepared for such a situation and knew that in times like these, it was crucial to stay calm and lead by example as the captain.

"No need to rush. Let's get a closer look. What kind of ship is it? Which pirate crew?" the old captain calmly asked.

"Yes, sir. I'll go take a look." Perhaps influenced by the captain's demeanor, the lookout quickly calmed down. He grabbed his telescope and continued to observe the pirate ship.

This time, he looked very closely. "Captain, it's a Three-Ghost Ship, and the pirate flag has a skull with a wolf on fire!" the lookout shouted.

Upon hearing this, the old captain's expression grew serious. A Three-Ghost Ship... "It seems we need to prepare for battle." Three-Ghost Ships were the fastest type of ship at sea, especially with a favorable wind, their speed would greatly increase.

At the speed of a Three-Ghost Ship, it wouldn't take long to catch up to the merchant ship.

"Check and see which pirate crew this is." Beside him, two sailors had stacks of wanted posters laid out before them, ready for this.

"Yes, Captain," they replied in unison. They immediately began sorting through the wanted posters, which also contained information about various pirate crews.

These posters included bounties and related information for most of the pirate crews in the New World. Most merchant ships carried such documents at sea.

"Then, spread the word and have everyone prepare for battle," the old captain said gravely.

"Boss Teach, aren't we going to go out and take a look?" Mobius asked. The commotion outside was significant; they could hear people moving and talking even from inside the room. He already knew that pirates were targeting the merchant ship.

"Mind your own business, Mobius. Your current strength can only handle minor pirates," Teach said with a smile, continuing his training. Hearing Teach's words, Mobius nodded and resumed his striking practice, his arms repeatedly hitting steel bars in front of him. These strikes were irregular and fluid, hitting different parts of his arms each time to train all areas.

"Captain, we found it! It's the Fire Wolf Pirates, and their captain, Hog, has a bounty of 110 million!" Finally, one of the sailors found it, pulling out a wanted poster. Beside it was a depiction of their pirate flag, exactly as the lookout had described.

Meanwhile, at the bow of the Fire Wolf Pirates' ship, Hog stood with a smile, excitement on his face. "Once I get that thing, I'll quickly become a Great Pirate and leave this small place. As for you all, you'll serve my final purpose."

Hog spoke with a cruel smile. Fortunately, none of his pirates were nearby to imagine that their captain had already prepared to sacrifice them.

Ever since he heard the news about that thing, he had brought his pirate crew to this small island to wait for the merchant ship. He hadn't expected the merchant ship to arrive within the planned timeframe and had almost given up. But a day later, the merchant ship actually appeared. It was as if heaven itself was helping him.

No one else knew about this thing except himself, not even his own crew. As for other pirate crews, it was even less likely.

This time, only his pirate crew had come. With the merchant ship's strength, his pirate crew would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses. However, he was prepared for this. As long as he obtained that thing, he would become stronger and a Great Pirate. Then, he could have as many crew members as he wanted, and they would be far better than these useless fools.

If he had joined forces with other pirate crews, the losses would have been much smaller under their combined might. But he was afraid other pirate crews would try to steal the item from him. Although they didn't know about it, he decided to act alone to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

The pirates behind him, laughing and chatting, some fantasizing about the spoils they would share, were unaware that their own captain had already abandoned them.

"Heh heh heh! I didn't expect there to be such a good thing on this ship," Teach thought happily while training. He was also somewhat puzzled. Why would this pirate crew target this merchant ship? Before leaving, he had sensed many covetous gazes directed at the merchant ship. Several pirate crews had apparently joined forces to target this ship, but he hadn't expected only one crew to show up.

His strength was not much greater than the merchant ship's. Even if they succeeded, they would ultimately suffer heavy losses. The gains would not be proportional to the losses.

So, what important item was on the merchant ship that the Fire Wolf Pirates were so determined to obtain, even at such a great cost? He had briefly sensed it with his Observation Haki before, and now he had an idea.

Teach began his observation and finally found it. It was in the room of the person in charge of the cargo. He was secretly protected, and the item was hidden in his luggage. His suitcase was large, filled with clothes, and had a very discreet second layer. A Devil Fruit was hidden within. With its uneven surface and strange patterns, Teach couldn't identify it without seeing it firsthand.

"I'll store it there for now." In Teach's mind, this Devil Fruit was already his. He hadn't expected his luck to be so good. Just over ten days after leaving the Whitebeard Pirates, he encountered a Devil Fruit, and one that he could easily obtain.

"Damn it, how can there be a pirate crew with a bounty over 100 million in this small place, and they're targeting the merchant ship," the cargo manager in his room muttered through gritted teeth.

The suitcase containing the Devil Fruit was placed by the window, looking perfectly normal, with no obvious signs of concealment. Hiding it too well might arouse suspicion.

He was very anxious now. "No, this Devil Fruit must not be lost, even if the entire ship is sacrificed." A sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

This Devil Fruit was extremely valuable, having been auctioned by the merchant guild elsewhere. To prevent powerful pirates from stealing it, the guild had secretly sent it to him to be transported back.

Therefore, he had specifically chosen this remote route with weaker pirates and a highly reputable old captain who had sailed these waters for decades to escort the cargo. But he hadn't expected problems to arise.

This Devil Fruit represented his life and future. The full name of the merchant guild was "Kate Trading Company," and it was clear that behind the Kate Trading Company stood an entire nation, primarily its nobles, but more importantly, its royal family.

With a nation as its backing, the Kate Trading Company was powerful, while he was just a minor manager within the guild, an insignificant figure. As the person transporting the Devil Fruit, he knew some inside information: this Devil Fruit had been personally requested by a member of the Kate Kingdom's royal family and was extremely important.

If he successfully delivered this Devil Fruit back to the Kate Kingdom, his future would skyrocket. His position would undoubtedly rise rapidly, and becoming a chief supervisor managing a region would be a dream. He might even reach the upper echelons of the guild, and with good luck, he could even become a confidant of that royal family member. This was his chance to change his destiny.

Therefore, he could not tolerate any failure. It was all or nothing. If the Devil Fruit were stolen, death would await him. Even if he miraculously survived, death would await him upon returning to the Kate Kingdom. He had no choice. He placed the suitcase by the window so that if he failed, he could eat the Devil Fruit and jump into the sea, taking himself and the power with him to the depths.

He had never considered escaping after eating the Devil Fruit. Firstly, he didn't know if he had the aptitude for it. It wasn't as if eating a Devil Fruit instantly made one stronger; it still required development, and he had no foundation in that regard. He was self-aware. Moreover, he couldn't imagine the terrifying power a great nation could wield.

"Heh heh heh! How interesting!" The supervisor in the room had no idea that everything he was doing was being investigated by someone.

That's right, it was Teach. His Observation Haki, developed to a minute level, didn't have any special abilities, but Teach couldn't think of any specific ones. Instead, it had many auxiliary uses, such as analyzing thoughts by observing micro-expressions, extreme analytical power, and perceiving the opponent's movements during combat, making it more sensitive than ordinary Observation Haki. It also enhanced Teach's control over his body.

These were all achieved by Teach combining his Observation Haki with himself, or developed by Teach himself. However, Observation Haki itself did not possess special abilities, unlike innate Observation Haki with its contagious nature or mind-reading.

Ever since his encounter with the Ant King and their conversation, it was as if Teach had opened a new door. Through Observation Haki, he could perceive thoughts and emotions. Although the Ant King's own communication played a role, Teach felt he could achieve it. By sensing emotional fluctuations, he could perceive thoughts, and combined with Teach's micro-expressions, it was somewhat like mind-reading, though still lacking.

However, it was nowhere near comparable to Red Earl's mind-reading, a bug-level ability that could even steal memories. In Teach's eyes, it was the most terrifying ability.

Teach found it very interesting. These two individuals, on opposing sides – Hog, the captain of the Fire Wolf Pirates, and the cargo manager on the merchant ship – shared the same thought: they were willing to go to any lengths, even sacrificing the entire ship.

All for this Devil Fruit.

"Ivan! Ivan!" The old captain's voice called from outside. Ivan, the cargo manager on the merchant ship, heard him and snapped back to reality, controlling his expression to look worried.

"Old Captain, can we no longer avoid these pirates?" Ivan asked with concern. "That's right, the pirate ship is getting closer," the old captain sighed.

"It seems this battle is unavoidable," Ivan sighed, looking at the Old Captain. "Then, to protect this ship's cargo and for victory in battle, let's bring out the three cannons from the warehouse. We also have some cannonballs and guns; they should enhance our fighting strength."

The Old Captain was deeply moved that Ivan would bring out weapons for them. "Ivan, thank you." With that, he left. The battle was about to begin, and he had only come to inform Ivan, not expecting such a surprise.

In reality, these munitions were sent onto the ship precisely for situations like this. Otherwise, why would valuable munitions be placed on such a small merchant ship? It's important to note that transporting munitions isn't done piece by piece, but in batches. Each ship transporting munitions is guarded by a large number of elite soldiers and protected by powerful escorts. Ordinary pirates would be annihilated without any chance to resist if they encountered such a convoy.

"Lads, prepare for boarding!" Hog shouted.

"Captain, aren't we going to bombard that merchant ship first?" one pirate asked. However, what awaited him was a flying slap. The powerful force struck his face fiercely, sending his entire body flying more than ten meters. He spun several times in mid-air before falling into the sea.

"What if we sink the merchant ship? What happens to our cargo?" Hog roared. In truth, what he was thinking was, What if I sink the merchant ship? What happens to my Devil Fruit? It might be lost forever if it sinks into the sea, and then all my efforts would be in vain.

The pirates around them couldn't help but shiver. "As expected of our boss, always thinking things through." They flattered Fire Wolf Hog one after another.

Soon, the two ships met, less than fifty meters apart. For some reason, the Fire Wolf Pirates didn't fire their cannons. "Since they aren't firing, they're probably afraid of destroying our merchant ship. That's perfect." Seeing that the Fire Wolf Pirates hadn't fired, the Old Captain quickly guessed Hog's thoughts and was very happy. This ship had accompanied him for over ten years and was nearing retirement, but he had grown attached to it over the years and didn't want it to be destroyed and sunk by cannon fire.

"Everyone, prepare, aim, light the fuses, fire!" The Old Captain shouted in one smooth motion.