Blackbeard

"Zehahaha..."

Just then, a highly distinctive voice rang out from a corner of the tavern.

"Damn..."

The moment that laughter sounded, Moke's expression did not change, but his heart leaped into his throat.

Because in One Piece, many characters had incredibly distinctive laughs. Sometimes, one could identify them just by hearing their laughter.

Like this laugh right now.

It definitely belonged to Blackbeard, one of the future Four Emperors.

Moke's pupils suddenly contracted. He had never expected to encounter such a major boss the moment he entered the Grand Line. With his current strength, he was no match for him.

"Whew..."

Moke slowly let out a breath, calming himself down. Then he turned toward the corner where the laughter had come from.

Sure enough, the burly man who had been facing away from him had now turned around to look at him.

There was a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

Beside him sat someone who looked gravely ill and on the verge of death.

Poison Q!

Moke recognized him at once.

Blackbeard's original four commanders were Lafitte, Jesus Burgess, Van Augur, and Poison Q.

But why had Blackbeard come to the entrance of the Grand Line now?

No, putting it another way...

This was the entrance to the Four Seas.

If Moke remembered correctly, Lafitte, one of Blackbeard's four commanders, had been born in the West Blue. He had once been a West Blue police officer, nicknamed the "Demon Sheriff" and the "Demon Police Officer."

He was also the navigator of the Blackbeard Pirates and would later become captain of the Blackbeard Pirates' fifth ship.

And with only Poison Q beside Blackbeard, did that mean this was when Blackbeard had gone to the West Blue and successfully recruited Lafitte?

But what exactly had he gone to the West Blue for?

Could it be that he had made the trip specifically to recruit Lafitte?

Was Lafitte really worth Blackbeard making a special trip for?

By now, nearly everyone in the tavern had fled. Blackbeard rose from his seat and walked toward Moke, scrutinizing him carefully as he did. "You were absolutely right. How could those people who would even abandon their dreams have the right to insult someone who still has dreams?"

Moke merely frowned.

"Zehahaha..."

Seeing that Moke did not answer right away, Blackbeard immediately added, "How about joining my Pirate Crew?"

Blackbeard had seen all of Moke's performance just now. Not only was his presence intimidating enough to cow others with a single glance, but he also possessed a powerful Devil Fruit ability.

Then his gaze fell on the Sandai Kitetsu in Moke's hand.

He presumably had decent swordsmanship as well. Someone like that was worth recruiting.

Moke fell silent for a moment, then laughed. With a somewhat chuunibyou air, he said, "That won't do... My dream is to become the man who becomes the Pirate King!"

"Zehahaha..."

Blackbeard was initially stunned, then burst into loud laughter. The way he looked at Moke changed, carrying a hint of appraisal...

At last, he said meaningfully, "I look forward to our next meeting."

With that, he walked out of the tavern, for he understood that the boy before him was not someone who would submit to another.

Poison Q followed close behind.

After leaving the tavern, Poison Q glanced back, then said to Blackbeard, "That kid is still green now, but sooner or later he'll become an opponent. Why not..."

Before he could finish, Blackbeard interrupted him.

"There are as many people like that on the sea as hairs on an ox. Should I kill every one I see? Could I even kill them all?"

At that, he looked back as well and said domineeringly, "Besides, if one day he truly stands against me, I'll personally take his head... Zehahaha..."

In Blackbeard's eyes, the current Moke did not even qualify as an opponent. Or rather, whether Moke could one day reach the level where he could stand against him was still an unknown.

"Whew..."

After Blackbeard left, Moke could not help taking a deep breath. Honestly, he had not wanted to clash head-on with Blackbeard at this point.

Because he did not stand the slightest chance of winning.

But he had already prepared himself to fight just now. Yet...

Tsk, tsk!

Moke's hand, already resting on the hilt of the Sandai Kitetsu, tightened involuntarily. His desire to grow stronger had never been so intense.

Without enough strength, one did not even qualify to be someone else's opponent.

Or rather, the other person would not even be interested in fighting you.

Not long after Blackbeard left, the waiter from before approached him. "This is an Eternal Pose for Chef Island. Three hundred thousand Beli."

Moke's face twitched. It was not that he lacked three hundred thousand Beli; he was simply lamenting how truly black-hearted this black market was. Zoro had bought two swords in Loguetown for only one hundred thousand Beli combined.

Still, he paid readily, because that little money meant nothing to him.

Then he added, "Do you sell intelligence here?"

The waiter nodded. "Of course... But are you looking for someone, or are you trying to learn about something?"

Moke said, "Ata, a cook born in Loguetown in the East Blue. She once appeared on Chef Island... I need all the information you have on her current situation."

"Please wait a moment."

With that, the waiter turned and left.

Moke's brows furrowed slightly, because he could sense that this waiter was somewhat different from before. He no longer wore that slightly humble smile.

Instead, he carried a faintly arrogant attitude.

Moke could not quite understand what had caused this change. He had just displayed his strength, so logically, the man should have become even more respectful of him.

"Interesting..."

Moke watched the waiter's retreating figure, a meaningful expression appearing on his face.

Soon, the waiter returned with a sheet of paper in hand and offered a polite smile. "This cook Ata you're looking for is someone noteworthy. So the price is a little high..."

In the Underworld, the price of information about a person was often determined by that person's strength and status.

"Oh?"

A hint of surprise appeared on Moke's face. After all, he had only agreed to look for her because he had received two Meito from the weapons dealer. He had not expected such an unexpected gain.

"As long as the information is accurate, price is not an issue."

The waiter held up one finger. "One million Beli."

After saying that, he even pulled out a Den Den Mushi. "It's expensive, but there's a reason for the price. Once we take your one million, our people will keep an eye on her. The moment her location changes, we'll notify you immediately, until you find her..."

Moke was momentarily stunned. This service... was worth the price.

So he nodded and took a sapphire from his pocket.

After taking it, the waiter examined it carefully and came to a conclusion. "It's somewhat ordinary, but it's still worth one million."

Then he handed the paper to Moke.

Ata, thirty years old...