Tich's Scheme

Tiger King Hall.

"What's going on? Is this true?" Sabre frowned deeply as he looked at the report in his hands. When the enormous tremor occurred, he had immediately sent someone to investigate what had happened.

But the report he received shocked him. There were corpses everywhere. All the Second Prince's guards were dead, and even the assassins he had sent had been killed. He knew very well how powerful the Assassin Corps was. According to the report, there had only been one enemy, but judging from the assassins' bodies, this was an opponent they couldn't hope to match. They had been slaughtered with ease, without the slightest chance to fight back.

His subordinates had also taken several photographs. More than the corpses, the enormous crater where his men had died was what shocked him. It looked as if a meteorite had fallen. Just how powerful did someone have to be to leave damage like that?

Things seemed to be slipping beyond his control. They had no way of dealing with someone this powerful. They would have to rely on his father, King Brady.

Just then, a guard walked in from outside without announcing himself. But when Sabre saw what he was wearing, he didn't dare say a word. The guard was muscular, clad in black armor, and radiated a savage, killing aura like a ferocious beast. He was incredibly powerful, and an invisible murderous pressure weighed on them. Sabre didn't dare speak either. If anyone else had been this rude, he would have taught them a lesson.

"Your Highness, His Majesty the King requests your presence," the black-armored guard said coldly.

"Understood. I'll be there shortly." The First Prince nodded. Then the black-armored guard left.

"Your Highness, who was that?" asked one of the First Prince's trusted aides, puzzled. He couldn't understand why the prince had tolerated such rudeness without getting angry. He hadn't dared to speak before, but once the black-armored guard was gone, he couldn't help asking.

"That's one of the king's personal guards. He answers directly to the king and is part of the kingdom's hidden forces." Someone standing nearby explained.

"What? Those are the Black Armored Troops from the rumors, the kingdom's strongest corps?" he exclaimed. "I had no idea they really existed."

"No. The strongest corps in the kingdom is the Beast Corps under Father's command, but..." First Prince Sabre spoke up. As a prince, he knew far more secrets than most people. "These men were handpicked by Father from the elite who survived Beast Island. If you don't count the Beast Corps under Father's command, then they are the kingdom's strongest corps."

"Let's go. Don't keep Father waiting. To be honest, I haven't seen him in years." As the First Prince spoke, he headed toward the tallest palace at the very center. The royal family held all the power in the Kate Kingdom and wielded absolute authority. The king of the Kate Kingdom was powerful, but to train his children, he had delegated most of his authority to them.

It wasn't just the First Prince. Black-armored guards had also appeared in Snake King Hall and Dragon King Hall, summoning the Second and Third Princes as well.

"Understood. I'll be there shortly." King of Snakes Belinda composed herself and calmed down. She hadn't expected her father to summon them, but it probably had something to do with what had just happened.

When Teach unleashed that powerful slash, the enormous commotion had alerted King Brady, deep within the palace. He learned that such a powerful figure had appeared in the royal city and caused such a massive disturbance.

So he had summoned his three sons to question them. After all, he had already delegated his authority to them. If something happened, who else was he supposed to ask?

The vast palace was twice the size of the three princes' residences. King Brady sat high on his throne, looking down at the three princes below. His imposing presence radiated power. He was far stronger than the three princes—not only because of his lofty position, but more importantly because his great strength gave him confidence. His aura was as fierce as a wild beast, and the three princes couldn't help lowering their heads.

They had met along the way and entered the palace together.

The three princes didn't say a word. Even the overbearing Laimer didn't dare speak under King Brady's pressure. They waited for Brady to question them.

"Tell me. What happened? Who is this powerful figure? Where did he come from? Why did he cause such a commotion?" Brady asked. Each question put them under immense pressure.

Third Prince Laimer turned to glance at the two men beside him, silently indicating that he had nothing to do with this.

Second Prince Belinda looked at the First Prince. They exchanged glances, and he shook his head, indicating that he didn't know who the powerful figure was.

The First Prince had the reports gathered by his subordinates. So the matter fell to him.

First Prince Sabre felt a little helpless. He stepped forward. "Father, I'm very sorry, but we don't know who that person is or what he looks like. We don't even have a photograph. However, these are the reports I gathered about the battlefield. Please take a look," Sabre said.

Brady glanced at him, somewhat pleased and somewhat dissatisfied. He was pleased with the First Prince's attitude, but not with his answer.

A shadow darted through the palace. It was an eagle, though no one knew where it had flown in from. It landed right in front of them, seized the report from the First Prince's hands with its sharp talons, and flew toward Brady on the throne.

This was Brady's ability: he could control all animals. It was an incredibly overpowered ability, powerful enough to control all the ferocious beasts on land and in the sky. But it had no effect on sea creatures, since contact with seawater would make his power disappear.

The Beast Corps was the most powerful force at his disposal. Using his ability, he had also taken control of an entire Beast Island and tamed the Beast King there. The powerful beasts were nearly limitless. The island was also used to train the Black Armored Guards. Because of its geography, there was a Beast Island just north of Pet Island, and it was very close by.

Brady studied the information Sabre had gathered, especially the photographs. He examined them again and again, growing more focused as he analyzed the wounds on the bodies.

After a long while, he put the reports down. "This is someone skilled in hand-to-hand combat. There may have been another person as well—a powerful Swordmaster," King Brady said. He was also a master of hand-to-hand combat, and he had spent many years sailing the seas, so he could naturally tell. But he was wrong: there had only been one person, Teach.

"Then what should we do next, Father?" the First Prince asked.

"Stay alert and avoid provoking them if possible. If you discover where they are and confirm that they're hostile, notify me. I'll deal with them myself," Brady said. His formidable presence was on full display, and he was utterly confident. He was at the peak of his strength, one of the most powerful men on the seas, and he also had mighty giant beasts backing him up.

Security in the royal city tightened at once. Guards took to the streets and began patrolling. A heavy atmosphere seemed to settle over the city, and everyone felt it.

Teach noticed it too. As he walked down the street, Pito hid inside his coat. He had wanted to leave her at the inn, but she refused and insisted on staying by his side. He was also worried she might be discovered at the inn, so hiding on him seemed safer.

There was only one condition: she couldn't come out. Pito was very obedient, and since she had already eaten a Devil Fruit, that wasn't difficult for her.

Teach wanted to destroy this country—or rather, its royal family and corrupt nobles. Destroying the nobles would be easy, but bringing down the royal family would be difficult. Besides, Teach didn't want to do it himself. That might expose him, which was the last thing he wanted.

An idea was quietly taking shape in his mind. He would orchestrate a war between this country and the Beasts Pirates.

Kaido had already taken notice of this country, though he wasn't especially interested—just a little curious. He liked ferocious beasts, and his goal was to build an entire army made up of Zoan Devil Fruit users, but he had yet to succeed. It was no secret that the king of the Kate Kingdom had an ability like that, so Kaido's curiosity was only natural. That was why he had sent a small group to observe the kingdom.

But Kaido, who loved war, was essentially a troublemaker. All he needed was a reason to start a war. Teach would give him one, sparking a conflict between Kaido and the Kate Kingdom.

There were dozens of Beasts Pirates members in the country, and most of them gathered at a tavern in the western part of the royal city to drink.

"Boss, two bottles of rum." Teach smiled at the bartender. He glanced around from the corner of his eye and saw that, just as he had expected, members of the Beasts Pirates were drinking in the tavern, seated in a corner on the right.

The Beasts Pirates were easy to recognize. They were rough-looking, like savages, and some who idolized Kaido even wore horned helmets.

"Here's your rum." The bartender handed over two bottles. Teach took them and slowly made his way to a seat near the Beasts Pirates, at the table next to theirs. He sat down less than a meter from one of the pirates, who had his back to him.

Teach ordered a few small dishes and quietly drank and ate while listening to them talk about affairs on the seas. They mentioned Kaido now and then. Unlike Charlotte Linlin, who already had a major stronghold in the form of Whole Cake Island, Kaido was still wandering from place to place, having occupied only a few islands.

He was already very powerful, but his crew as a whole was too weak to compare with the other top pirate crews. They didn't yet have the Three Calamities, the Flying Six, or the many other powerful fighters they would have in the future.

Before long, Teach was thoroughly drunk. He kept drinking, fetching two more bottles whenever he finished, then going back for more. There were already nineteen empty rum bottles on the small table. His astonishing capacity for alcohol drew frequent glances from the other customers, their eyes full of surprise and envy. After all, being able to hold your liquor was a mark of a real man.

Teach's face was flushed, and his eyes were unfocused. He stood up with a bottle in his hand, staggering and swaying from side to side. Suddenly, he lost his balance and toppled backward. He managed to turn and catch himself on his chair with one hand, but the bottle slipped from his other hand and flew straight at the Beasts Pirates member sitting behind him.

"Thump!" The bottle hit the pirate but didn't break. The cap had already been removed, though, and the liquor kept pouring from the mouth of the bottle, soaking the pirate's crotch.

The air froze. He stared blankly, unable to react to the sudden incident. Before his eyes, the liquor soaked through the front of his pants, darkening the fabric. He could feel the cold, sticky wetness.

After a brief pause, the other Beasts Pirates burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Jerry, you wet yourself!"

"Mm! I think I smell a strong aroma of liquor." The pirate beside him leaned toward his crotch and sniffed lightly. Then he pulled back and covered his nose. "And a faint whiff of piss."

That made the pirates around them laugh even louder. Teach hadn't expected the Beasts Pirates to have such a weirdo among them.

The pirate named Jerry clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his face turning bright red. It was hard to tell whether he was embarrassed or furious.

He sprang to his feet and strode over to Teach, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him up. He roared at Teach, "Hey, drunk! Are you trying to get yourself killed? What the hell were you doing? If you're drunk, don't go stumbling around outside!"

"Who's drunk?" Teach slurred, shaking his head in protest. "Do I look drunk to you?"

The pirates all gave him the same look, their expressions saying, What do you think?

"Hey, Jerry, let him go. Why bother picking a fight with a drunk?" one of the pirates beside them tried to reason with him.

"What? I won't be satisfied until I beat him up." Jerry wasn't willing to let it go. He wanted to give the drunk in front of him a good beating.

"What are you talking about? I'm perfectly sober," Teach slurred. He stared at Jerry and shook his head, as if trying to clear it so he could see more clearly.

"You're with the Beasts Pirates, right? I'm sorry I got you wet. To make it up to you, I'll tell you something that concerns your crew." Teach kept a pleasant tone as he grabbed Jerry's hand and led him to the corner beside the wall behind their table.

Jerry didn't resist. He was a little curious himself. What could this man know about the Beasts Pirates?

"I heard this from my uncle's nephew's older sister's cousin's younger brother. He's one of the king's personal guards. Don't tell anyone, or you'll be executed." Teach put on a serious expression, then glanced at the other pirates to signal that they shouldn't listen in.

Then he whispered to Jerry, "Your Beasts Pirates are finished." Jerry shuddered. The pirates seated nearby had heard him too. Although Teach had spoken quietly, they were strong and their hearing was keen. Curious, they had all been secretly listening—and they hadn't expected to hear such explosive news.