The Situation Doesn't Seem So Bad?

Bane did not know if this was truly a World-Crossing Gate, as he had never witnessed one with his own eyes.

For now, let's just call it a World-Crossing Gate.

As this gate opened, it felt as if the surrounding time and space were slowly freezing, right up until the gate fully took shape.

At this moment, Bane could feel that his stamina could not sustain this gate for long, and he instinctively sensed that he could close it at any time!

This was not like the World-Crossing Gates described in the newspapers. Over the past two weeks, Bane had inquired about quite a bit of information regarding them. As far as he knew, these gates varied in size; some large ones would tower into the clouds upon appearing, visible from over a hundred miles away.

There were also gates the size of a normal door, which were rather inconspicuous.

However, without exception, these gates were uncontrollable when they first appeared and could not be closed at will; nor had he ever heard of a gate draining someone's stamina to remain open.

Could it be that my crossing situation has changed? Is the legendary "newbie bonus" finally arriving!? Bane thought, feeling somewhat excited.

Meanwhile, the multicolored halo began to dissipate, and Bane could gradually see the situation on the other side of the door.

The time and space over there did not seem to have fully stabilized yet, as if they were still in a state of suspension.

Taking advantage of this head start, Bane poked his head through the door to take a look. Hey, you wouldn't believe it, but there was an unexpected harvest!

The scene on the other side appeared to be a crime scene. A man dressed like a cook lay on the wooden floor of a dim room, his back stained with blood as if he had been stabbed through the heart. The killer had not yet retreated, and from Bane's current angle, the killer was standing with his back to him.

Judging by his build, the killer was stout and wore a black bandana on his head. A mess of long, wavy hair spilled out from under the bandana onto his shoulders, with many ends tangled, suggesting a rather dissolute and unkempt lifestyle.

The killer seemed to have just succeeded and was in high spirits. In one hand, he held a blood-stained dagger—presumably the murder weapon—and in the other, he held high a strangely shaped fruit. This was likely the target of his crime.

The moment Bane saw this scene, he felt a strong sense of familiarity, a feeling of déjà vu as if he had seen it somewhere before.

It wasn't until he clearly saw the strange fruit, which the killer was holding almost against his own face, that he suddenly realized what was happening.

"Isn't this a Devil Fruit?" Bane exclaimed.

There was no helping it; the appearance of a Devil Fruit was far too iconic. Bane was a guy who used to love watching these kinds of manga and anime.

He had already felt the scene was familiar, and now, looking at that Devil Fruit, he immediately grasped the situation.

The World-Crossing Gate had opened to the world of One Piece, and this very moment had to be the final night that Teach was working for the Whitebeard Pirates!

It was the night he murdered Thatch, the Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, to seize the legendary, most evil Devil Fruit in history: the Dark-Dark Fruit!

Just as Bane realized what was happening, the time and space on the other side seemed to return to normal in an instant.

"Ze-ha-ha-ha-ha! Thatch, if you want to blame someone, blame your own fate. This Dark-Dark Fruit is absolutely mine..." Teach, holding the Dark-Dark Fruit, laughed wildly.

He seemed to be venting all the ambition and desire he had hidden for years, showing off his achievement to a corpse.

However, before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly sensed something wrong, as if someone behind him was watching him!?

Bane, being a decisive person, didn't wait for Teach to finish speaking either. He reached out and snatched the Dark-Dark Fruit that was being held right in front of his face!

Not daring to waste a single word, the moment Bane grabbed the fruit, he mentally commanded the door to close. Bane knew very well that although Teach only started acting arrogant after obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, his strength was actually formidable even without it.

After all, this was the man who had managed to leave an indelible scar on the face of Shanks, even when Shanks was going all out.

The reason he kept a low profile in the Whitebeard Pirates was because he was intentionally hiding his strength, not because he was weak!

His current action was equivalent to defecating on Teach's head. Given how much Teach valued the Dark-Dark Fruit, this theft made them mortal enemies. With his own strength—which could get him killed in a simple street brawl—he wouldn't last a single blow from Teach. Running away was the top priority.

Because of this, the moment Teach turned his head, he saw Bane closing a door that had appeared out of nowhere!

"You bastard! Give me the Dark-Dark Fruit!" Teach roared in a fury, a powerful aura erupting from his body.

He reached out to grab the bastard who had appeared from inside the door, but in the next instant, the door vanished, taking his Dark-Dark Fruit with it!

In that moment, Teach's face turned green!

He had waited in the Whitebeard Pirates for so many years just for the chance to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, all to prove himself. He had killed Thatch and finally held the fruit in his hands, only to have it snatched away at the last second by some bastard who appeared out of thin air. One could only imagine how frustrated he felt!

Without a second thought, Teach released his powerful Haki, enveloping the entire ship and the surrounding sea.

At the same time, his roar and the eruption of his aura during his emotional breakdown alerted everyone else on the ship to the anomaly.

"Teach!?" A handsome young man quickly pushed open the cabin door and rushed in with concern. "What happened!?"

If Bane were still there, he would have recognized this handsome young man instantly: the catalyst for the Summit War, the biological son of Roger, the beloved son of the world's strongest man, and the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates: Portgas D. Ace!

Ace rushed in and asked, but before Teach could reply, he saw Thatch lying in a pool of blood.

"Thatch!?" Ace cried out in shock and anger, kneeling beside Thatch to check his condition.

Meanwhile, Teach quickly regained his composure. His Haki hadn't been able to track down the bastard who had stolen his prize, and the current situation needed to be handled!

"I just finished drinking with Thatch, and he was walking me to the door when suddenly someone opened a strange gate in this cabin. They must be some kind of ability user. That guy snatched the dagger from my waist, stabbed Thatch in the back, and stole his Devil Fruit!" Teach gritted his teeth, recounting the situation with a look of fury.

After confirming multiple times that Thatch was no longer breathing, Ace's expression was filled with rage. His eyes held pain, but he did not suspect Teach.

After all, he held deep trust in his comrades in the Whitebeard Pirates, and Teach's furious expression just now clearly didn't look like an act. Furthermore, in his view, Teach had absolutely no reason to kill Thatch!?

Combined with the fact that Ace was not a particularly meticulous person, he believed Teach the moment he spoke!

"Did you see what the person looked like? Anyone who dares to touch a member of our Whitebeard Pirates, even if he flees to the ends of the earth, I will find him and kill him to avenge Thatch!" Ace asked, his expression filled with grief and rage.

Teach nodded, also suppressing his anger as he said, "I saw him clearly. I'll have an artist draw his portrait later. I will definitely find this bastard and tear him to pieces!!!"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the World-Crossing Gate, Bane stood in a dim hallway, looking at the Dark-Dark Fruit he had snatched from Teach. He rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, "After leaving that world, does this Devil Fruit still retain its original power?"

But considering that many strange powers not belonging to this world had already shone brightly here after passing through the World-Crossing Gate, then... this Dark-Dark Fruit should still be effective, right?

Regardless, Bane felt the World-Crossing Gate within him, which seemed capable of being opened again as long as he had enough stamina. A smile appeared on his face as he thought to himself, "The situation doesn't seem so bad after all, does it?"