In the inn's first-floor hall, Teach was drinking and eating with a group of Whitebeard Pirates members. After fighting for more than half the day, everyone had expended a great deal of energy, so they were wolfing down food without any concern for appearances.
Bang!
The doors were violently thrown open, and Whitebeard, Marco, and Ryan walked in.
"Pops! You...?"
"You haven't eaten, right? Come on, eat! Brother Ryan, thank you for helping out today!" The moment Teach saw Ryan, he hurriedly rose from his stool and came before him, pulling him into a seat without another word.
Teach had seen Ryan's strength today. If he could find that fruit and carry out his plan, Ryan would definitely become a valuable helper.
Seeing this, Whitebeard secretly praised Teach in his heart. Teach really was just as Ryan had said—silently protecting the Whitebeard Pirates from the shadows!
None of the others had any sense, but Teach did. He knew to win over a great helper like Ryan.
After pulling Ryan into a seat, Teach turned around and met Whitebeard's gratified gaze. For some reason, Teach's heart skipped a beat, and he felt that something was terribly wrong.
"Teach, Ryan said you've been hiding your strength all this time!"
In those few short seconds, Teach's expression changed unpredictably as thunder exploded in his mind.
I've been exposed???
Especially when Whitebeard said he had been hiding his strength, Teach had nearly wanted to run. But seeing the two men standing at the entrance, he forcibly kept his legs from moving. He couldn't get away, and Ryan was behind him as well.
Thinking that his years of concealment had been discovered just like that, Teach instantly looked as though his parents had died. He felt that disaster was unavoidable today, but remembering how Whitebeard