The merchant ship was ready to leave. One by one, its crew returned with their belongings. They were veteran sailors who had spent more than a decade navigating the seas, and they had quickly sensed someone watching them in town. It seemed they'd already attracted unwanted attention.
So they had to leave early, before the people watching them had time to react.
The merchant ship quickly left the harbor and headed for the next island. A few minutes after it departed, a pirate ship quietly set sail and followed in its wake.
Out at sea, the merchant ship was moving at full speed, hoping to shake off the pirates on its tail. But for some reason, the old captain couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong.
"Captain, we've got a pirate ship following us!" The merchant ship's lookout had been keeping a constant watch. After learning that pirates had their eye on them, he'd been particularly vigilant, focusing on the waters behind the ship. At last, he spotted a pirate ship rapidly closing in.
In a panic, he hurried to pass the news to the old captain, who was waiting nearby.
The old captain remained composed. He wasn't worried; he'd already prepared for a situation like this. Besides, he knew that the more dire things became, the more important it was to stay calm. As captain, he had to set a good example.
"Don't panic. Take another look. What kind of ship is it? Which pirate crew?" the old captain asked calmly.
"Understood. I'll take another look." Perhaps the old captain's calm demeanor had rubbed off on him. The lookout quickly regained his composure, raised his spyglass, and peered toward the pirate ship again.
This time, he looked closely. "Captain, it's a Three-Ghost Ship! And the flag shows a wolf skull wreathed in flames!" the lookout shouted.
The old captain's expression turned grim. A Three-Ghost Ship. "Looks like we'll have to prepare for battle." Three-Ghost Ships were among the fastest vessels at sea, especially when sailing with the wind, which made them much faster.
At the speed of a Three-Ghost Ship, it wouldn't take long to catch up with the merchant ship.
"Find out which pirate crew it is." Two sailors beside him had a thick stack of wanted posters spread out in front of them. They'd prepared in advance.
"Yes, Captain," they replied in unison. Then they hurriedly began flipping through the posters and information on the pirate crews.
The stack included wanted posters and information on most of the pirate crews in the New World. Almost every merchant ship at sea carried something like it.
"Then spread the word. Have everyone prepare for battle," the old captain said gravely.
"Captain Teach, shouldn't we go out and take a look?" Mobius asked. There was quite a commotion outside. He could hear people moving around and talking even from inside the room, and he already knew pirates had their eye on the merchant ship.
"Just worry about yourself, Mobius. With your current strength, you can only handle small-time pirates." Teach grinned and continued his training. Mobius nodded and resumed his whipping drills, repeatedly lashing the steel bars in front of him with his arms. His strikes were unpredictable and freeform, each landing on a different part of his arm to exercise every muscle.
"Captain, I found them! It's the Fire Wolf Pirates. Their captain, Hog, has a bounty of 110 million!" At last, one of the sailors found the right poster. It showed the crew's flag alongside it, exactly as the lookout had described.
Elsewhere, at the bow of the Fire Wolf Pirates' ship, Hog stood grinning with excitement. "Once I get my hands on that thing, I'll become a Great Pirate in no time and leave this backwater behind. As for you lot, you can make yourselves useful one last time."
As Fire Wolf Hog spoke, a cruel smile spread across his face. Fortunately, no other pirates were nearby. They couldn't imagine that their captain had already decided to sacrifice them.
Ever since hearing about that thing, he'd brought his crew to this island and waited for the merchant ship. It hadn't arrived at the appointed time, and he'd nearly given up. Then, a day later, the merchant ship finally showed up. Even the heavens were helping him.
He hadn't told a soul about it—not even his own crew. And there was no way he'd tell another pirate crew.
He was the only pirate captain who'd come this time. The merchant ship had enough strength to make his crew suffer heavy losses, but he was prepared for that. Once he got his hands on the thing, he'd grow stronger and become a Great Pirate. Then he could recruit as many crewmates as he wanted, and they'd be far better than these useless fools.
If he'd teamed up with other pirate crews, their overwhelming strength would have kept their losses much lower. But he was afraid they'd try to take the thing for themselves. They didn't know what it was, but he wasn't taking any chances. So he'd come alone.
Behind him, the pirates laughed and chatted, some already imagining how they'd divide the spoils. They had no idea their captain had long since abandoned them.
"Zeha ha ha! I had no idea this ship was carrying something so valuable." Teach was delighted as he trained. He was also a little puzzled as to why this pirate crew had targeted the merchant ship. Before they left, he'd sensed several prying gazes all fixed on it. He'd assumed a number of pirate crews had joined forces to target the ship, but it turned out there was only one.
That crew wasn't much stronger than the merchant ship. Even if they won, they'd surely suffer heavy losses. What they stood to gain wouldn't come close to making up for what they'd lose.
So what important thing was on the merchant ship that made the Fire Wolf Pirates willing to pay such a steep price to get it? Earlier, his Observation Haki had only given him a rough impression. Now, he had a theory.
Teach began searching with his senses. At last, he found it: the room belonging to the man in charge of the cargo, where he'd secretly secured the item. It was hidden in the man's suitcase, a large one packed with clothes and trousers. A Devil Fruit was tucked away in a very well-concealed false bottom, its surface uneven and covered in strange patterns. Since he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Teach couldn't identify which Devil Fruit it was.
"I'll leave it there for now." In Teach's mind, the Devil Fruit already belonged to him. He hadn't expected to get so lucky: just ten-odd days after leaving the Whitebeard Pirates, he'd come across a Devil Fruit—and one he could easily get his hands on, at that.
"Damn it. How could there be a pirate crew with a bounty over a hundred million in a backwater like this? And they've set their sights on the merchant ship, too," the man in charge of the cargo muttered through gritted teeth in his room.
He'd left the suitcase containing the Devil Fruit by the window, where it looked perfectly ordinary. Hiding it too well might only make people suspicious.
He was beside himself with worry. "No. This Devil Fruit absolutely cannot fall into their hands, even if it costs the whole ship." A vicious glint flashed in his eyes.
The Devil Fruit was extremely valuable. The company had bought it at an auction elsewhere, and to keep a Great Pirate from targeting them and stealing it, they had secretly entrusted it to him to deliver back.
That was why he'd chosen this remote route, where pirates were generally weaker. He'd also hired an old captain who'd sailed these waters for decades and had an excellent reputation to escort the cargo. But even so, things had gone wrong.
This Devil Fruit represented his life and his future. The company's full name was the Kate Trading Company, and it was obvious that an entire country stood behind it—the kingdom's nobles, and more importantly, its royal family.
The Kate Trading Company had a whole country backing it and was immensely powerful. He, on the other hand, was only a minor manager in the company, a completely insignificant figure. As the man transporting the Devil Fruit, he knew some of the inside details: a member of the Kate Kingdom's royal family had personally requested this particular fruit. It was extremely important.
If he successfully delivered the Devil Fruit to the Kate Kingdom, his future would be set. He'd climb the ranks in no time and might even become a regional manager. A position among the company's leadership wasn't out of the question, and if he was lucky, he might even become that royal's confidant. It was his chance to change his fate.
So he couldn't afford to fail. It was all or nothing. If the Devil Fruit was stolen, he'd surely be killed. Even if he somehow survived, death awaited him when he returned to the Kate Kingdom. He had no choice. He'd put the suitcase by the window so that, if all else failed, he could eat the Devil Fruit and jump into the sea, burying himself and his new power beneath the waves.
He'd never even considered eating the Devil Fruit and escaping. For one thing, he didn't know if he had the aptitude. Eating a Devil Fruit didn't automatically make someone powerful; the ability still had to be developed, and he had no experience at all. He knew his own limitations. Besides, he couldn't begin to imagine how terrifying the power of a great nation could be.
"Zeha ha ha! How interesting!" The manager in the room had no idea that someone was investigating everything about him.
That someone was Teach. His Observation Haki had been developed to a very fine degree, but it had never given him any special abilities. Teach couldn't think of any, either. It had proven useful in many other ways, though: reading someone's thoughts in conjunction with microexpressions, analyzing things to the extreme, sensing an opponent's movements in battle with far greater precision than ordinary Observation Haki, and improving his control over his own body.
These were things Teach had accomplished by combining Observation Haki with his own abilities, or things he'd developed himself through Observation Haki. But his Haki had no special power in and of itself—not like the infectious quality of those born with Observation Haki, or the ability to read minds.
Ever since his encounter with the Ant King, talking with him had seemed to open a new door for Teach. He'd begun to sense thoughts and emotions through Observation Haki. The Ant King had also been communicating directly with him, but Teach felt he could do it on his own. By sensing shifts in someone's emotions and combining that with their microexpressions, he could almost read their mind—though not perfectly.
But it was nothing compared to The Crimson Earl's mind-reading ability. That power was a cheat; he could even steal memories. In Teach's eyes, it was the most terrifying ability of all.
Teach found it fascinating. Two people on opposite sides—the Fire Wolf Pirates' captain, Hog, and the man in charge of the merchant ship's cargo—shared the same mindset. They were both willing to sacrifice everything, even everyone aboard their ships.
All for this Devil Fruit.
"Ivan! Ivan!" The old captain's voice came from outside. Ivan, the man in charge of the merchant ship's cargo, heard him and snapped back to attention. He composed himself and put on a worried expression.
"Old Captain, is there no way to avoid these pirates?" Ivan asked anxiously.
"No. The pirate ship is getting closer," the old captain sighed.
"It looks like a fight is unavoidable." Ivan sighed and looked at the old captain. "Then, to protect the cargo and ensure victory, bring out the three cannons in the hold. There's ammunition and firearms, too. They should help increase the ship's firepower."
The old captain hadn't expected Ivan to let them use the weapons. He was deeply moved. "Ivan, thank you." He left as soon as he'd spoken. Battle was about to begin, and he'd only come to notify Ivan. He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.
In truth, the weapons had been loaded onto the ship for just this kind of situation. Otherwise, they never would've put precious weapons on a tiny merchant vessel like this. Weapons weren't transported one item at a time, after all, but in large shipments. Each ship transporting a shipment was guarded by numerous elite soldiers and powerful fighters. Ordinary pirates wouldn't stand a chance against them and would be wiped out.
"Men, prepare to board the enemy ship!" Hog shouted.
"Captain, shouldn't we bombard the merchant ship first?" one of the pirates beside him asked. The answer was a slap across the face. The force sent the man flying more than ten meters. He spun several times in midair before plunging into the sea.
"What if we sink the merchant ship? What happens to our cargo then?" Hog roared. What he really meant was, What if we sink the merchant ship? What happens to my Devil Fruit? If it sank to the bottom of the sea, they might never find it, and all his plans would be for nothing.
The pirates around him shuddered. "Our captain really thinks of everything," they said, one after another, sucking up to Fire Wolf Hog.
Soon, the two ships drew within fifty meters of each other. For some reason, the Fire Wolf Pirates didn't open fire. "Since they haven't fired, they're probably afraid of sinking our merchant ship. That works out perfectly for us." The old captain quickly guessed Hog's reasoning and felt relieved. This ship had been with him for well over a decade. It was old enough to retire, but after all those years, he'd grown attached to it. He didn't want it to be destroyed by cannon fire and sent to the bottom of the sea.
"Everyone, get ready! Take aim! Light the fuses! Fire!" The old captain shouted the orders in one breath.
Before you continue