So Hard to Kill

If he captured this pirate worth 300 million and handed him over to the Marines, could he get a position in the Navy? If his little brother were captured and about to be executed, would Ace go save him?

If Ace went, then Pops would definitely go too, right?

If the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines went to war, then...

Teach felt his thoughts growing clearer and clearer. As long as he could make the Whitebeard Pirates collapse, no one would protect Rune anymore! Then, after joining the Navy, Teach could use the Marines' power to capture Rune!

The Dark-Dark Fruit seemed to be beckoning to him!

With that in mind, Teach decided to plan things carefully. If this succeeded, not only would he obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, he might even take over the Whitebeard Pirates' former territories!

As for the Marines?

They were merely Teach's stepping stone!

The Celestial Dragons' lapdogs had no future!

"What? You're actually the son of Dragon, the world's most dangerous criminal?"

From afar came Rune's astonished voice. Teach froze, then was overjoyed.

If there was another connection like this, then his position as one of the Seven Warlords was secure!

Night fell.

Rune used the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit to absorb all his presence, turning into a mass of darkness clinging to the wall of the Moby Dick's cabin. His eyes stared quietly at the room where Luffy was staying.

Earlier that day, Rune had deliberately announced Luffy's identity in a loud voice.

He had even acted extremely shocked.

The purpose was to fish.

He spent every day with the division commanders, leaving Teach with few chances to act. So would Teach think of creating an opportunity to kill him by directly bringing down the Whitebeard Pirates?

Ace's identity had not yet been exposed, and Teach could not beat Ace right now. But with Luffy here, wouldn't he want to use Luffy's identity to accomplish all that?

Rune hid in the darkness. In the night, the Dark-Dark Fruit made it even easier to conceal his body and presence. As long as Teach made a move, this hidden nail could be pulled out once and for all!

Late into the night, Rune was beginning to feel drowsy when that sneaky figure finally appeared.

Teach looked around outside Luffy's room, seemingly on guard against something. However, the Dark-Dark Fruit had allowed Rune to blend completely into the night. Unless Teach already knew Rune was lying in wait here, there was no way he could discover him.

And now, Teach was about to make his move.

Teach slipped into Luffy's room, unable to suppress his nervousness. He had finally waited for the fruit he wanted, and he did not want to give up simply because someone else might eat it!

Even if it meant utterly destroying the Whitebeard Pirates, he would obtain that fruit!

Silently approaching Luffy's bed, Teach extended his hand, Haki coating his palm.

As long as he captured the Revolutionary Army leader's son and handed him over to the Marines, he could obtain a seat among the Seven Warlords!

Once he had his own pirate crew, if the Whitebeard Pirates truly went to war with the Marines for Luffy's sake, the Whitebeard Pirates would most likely fall apart!

Because Whitebeard was no longer the legendary powerhouse he had once been!

Powerhouses from the old era like them should have stepped aside long ago!

Thinking this, Teach slapped down at Luffy's head. This strike would not kill him, but it would temporarily rob Luffy of the ability to resist. Once Teach dragged him into the sea, Luffy, as a Devil Fruit user, would completely lose his ability to fight back!

But at the instant Teach struck, a black shadow appeared beside Luffy.

Endless darkness swallowed Luffy whole, causing Teach's attack to land directly on the bedframe and smash the bed to pieces.

The next moment, an enraged roar rang across the entire Moby Dick.

"Teach! Why did you attack a companion?"

Rune's voice rang out. The next moment, Marco, Vista, Jozu, Ace, and the other strong fighters aboard all reacted. Four presences closed in from four directions, instantly covering Teach's forehead in cold sweat.

"You bastard..."

Teach glanced at Rune. At this point, how could he not understand that Rune had set him up? But what did it matter if he had been set up? The evidence of his attack was right here, and the Whitebeard Pirates had only one rule.

No harming companions!

If he waited for Marco and the others to arrive, Teach would have no chance whatsoever of turning things around. Unless Teach revealed his identity.

However...

Would Whitebeard still acknowledge his old captain now?

Teach did not believe Whitebeard was such a loyal man. He only believed in himself!

In an instant, Teach made his decision.

He threw a punch at Rune, but Rune had no intention of fighting him at all. Rune only needed to stall until Marco and the others arrived.

However.

Teach's attack had merely been a feint. Seeing Rune retreat, he jumped straight out the window and plunged headfirst into the sea.

Falling into the sea might not mean survival, but it was still better than being captured and executed.

Teach's decisiveness even caught Rune off guard.

He released the just-awakened Luffy and frowned as he looked in the direction Teach had fled.

This guy was really hard to kill!

"Rune, what happened?"

Marco arrived at the scene and saw only the shattered bedframe and the window letting in the wind. Rune helplessly pointed at the sea, then at Luffy.

"I saw Teach sneaking around, so I wanted to see what he was planning. I didn't expect him to attack Ace's little brother. After I caught him, he jumped out the window and escaped."

The scene was a mess, but all of them were experts with a certain level of Observation Haki. They quickly reconstructed what had happened.

"That guy... how could he attack a companion?"

Marco could not understand it. Teach usually acted like a good old man. Yet now, he had attacked Luffy and fled.

He had not even left behind an explanation. Clearly, Teach himself understood that the mistake he had committed was something the Whitebeard Pirates could not tolerate.

"Why would he do this? What benefit was there for him?"

Vista was confused. He knew Teach; the man was one of the crew's veterans. Usually, he neither fought nor competed, presenting himself entirely as a good old man.

But now...

Why would he do such a thing?

"Maybe... what he wanted could only be obtained by destroying us."

After saying this, Rune looked at Marco, then at Ace.

"Luffy is Ace's little brother. If Luffy were captured, Ace would never stand by and do nothing.

"If Ace were in danger, then we have Pops. He would definitely go rescue him."

Rune's expression darkened. "And if Teach planned to hand Luffy over to the Marines, then what awaits us will be a decisive battle with Marine Headquarters...

"Other than Teach wanting to destroy us, I can't think of any other reason he would do this."