The man who nearly killed me

Donquixote Doflamingo.

That name was now known throughout the world. He was one of the Shichibukai, as well as the king of Dressrosa in the New World.

At the same time, his identity in the underworld made countless people tremble in fear.

To many people in the world, Doflamingo was a nightmare-a dangerous, cruel, crazed villain.

But to River, his identity was quite simple.

He was the son of his old friend, Saint Homing, Void Night's Numberer 03.

That also meant he was eligible to inherit a Void Night number.

"Doflamingo?"

Beside him, Crocodile's eyes narrowed slightly when he heard the name River murmured.

He and Doflamingo shared a subtle connection. They had even conducted certain secret dealings together.

Crocodile knew something of both his character and his strength, and was wary of him.

"An old friend's son. I ought to pay him a visit."

River smiled softly.

He vaguely remembered holding both of Homing's sons back then. Doflamingo had been cold, while Corazon had been lively and gentle.

But twenty years had passed, and he wondered what Doflamingo was like now.

As they walked along the streets of Mock Town, they failed to notice a group approaching through an alley behind them.

The man in front had a rugged appearance, several missing teeth, and a burly build. A bandanna covered his tousled black hair, rings of different designs adorned all ten fingers, and a flintlock was tucked at his left hip. He held a bottle of rum.

He swayed as he walked toward them, a smile on his face.

"Zehahahaha! What a lively place! The rum here packs a punch, too!"

The man laughed loudly.

Four people of varied appearances followed behind him, each wearing a smile.

But the instant they stepped out of the alley and onto the street, the man in front caught sight of River's back ahead.

"Wait, that figure-is that...?!"

He stopped dead in his tracks. His smile vanished, and his pupils abruptly contracted.

"What's wrong, Teach?"

Van Augur's voice came from behind him, clearly puzzled.

"There's no mistake. It's definitely that man!"

"How can he still be alive?!"

Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, wore a shifting expression as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

A moment later, he darted off the street and back into the alley.

At the same time, River sensed someone watching him and abruptly turned around.

The street was crowded, and he spotted nothing unusual.

A trace of puzzlement appeared in his eyes. River scanned his surroundings, but when he still failed to find whoever had been watching him, he turned back around.

In the alley, Van Augur and the other three stared strangely at their captain, who was pressed against the wall as though his body had gone limp.

"What's gotten into you? Who was that man?"

Lafitte asked.

Clearly, their captain had seen someone who shocked him, prompting this strange behavior.

"That man... that man is still alive!"

"I thought he'd died in that great incident long ago, but he's still alive!"

"Damn it, how is he still alive? How can he possibly still be alive?!"

Marshall D. Teach kept muttering, his wary eyes filled with deep fear.

"Who is he, Teach?"

"You're not the sort to act like this for no reason!"

Van Augur demanded in a low voice.

He realized something was wrong. Anyone who could make their captain react like this was hardly an ordinary figure.

"Whew!"

Marshall D. Teach took a deep breath and calmed himself before finally uttering a name, his gaze shifting.

"River!"

"Marine Admiral, Daytime Tiger River!"

He slowly raised his head and met the eyes of his four crewmates, his voice grave and trembling.

"A man who once nearly killed me!"

Those few words made Van Augur, Lafitte, Doc Q, and Jesus Burgess's expressions change sharply, their pupils narrowing to tiny slits.

A man who nearly killed the captain?!

"Why have we never heard of a man like that?"

"There's no one like him in the Marines, either!"

Lafitte said in confusion.

"That's because you don't know what happened twenty years ago."

Blackbeard sighed softly. Then he suddenly froze, before a twisted smile spread across his face.

"Zehahahaha!"

Then he burst out laughing.

"That's right, twenty years ago!"

"Twenty years have passed since then!"

"I'm no longer that weak, helpless boy!"

As he spat out those words, Marshall D. Teach's gaze turned vicious, and he made no effort to hide his murderous intent.

A string of strange laughs escaped his mouth. Van Augur and the other three exchanged glances, then could only watch their captain's bizarre behavior helplessly.

It was clear that the man had left their captain deeply scarred.

Only after a long while did Blackbeard calm down.

"Captain, if you hate him that much, we can help you get revenge and kill the bastard!"

Burgess chuckled.

"Now isn't the time."

"Besides, that man won't be so easy to deal with!"

Blackbeard said.

"We'll stick to our plan. If we can catch Straw Hat..."

"We'll be another step closer to our goal!"

He paused, then continued with a grave expression.

"But until then, we must avoid coming face-to-face with that man!"

He took a deep breath.

"Just as I'm desperate to kill him, for some reason, he's always wanted to kill me, too!"

After saying this, Blackbeard was filled with conflicting emotions. He truly had no idea why River hated him so much.

Twenty years ago, he had been nothing more than an unremarkable young apprentice aboard a Whitebeard Pirates ship, yet that man had singled him out and tried to kill him.

And that was also something others had mocked him for.

On the streets of Mock Town.

River and Crocodile slowed to a stop outside a tavern.

"Want a few drinks?"

Looking into the bar, River suddenly smiled.

Crocodile paused, then followed his gaze. A man with a blond buzz cut sat at the counter with his back to them, raising a glass to drink.

As he drank, he loudly spouted arrogant remarks, while everyone around him seemed afraid of him.

Amid the noise inside, Crocodile faintly caught a few remarks.

"Bellamy."

"A big-time pirate with a bounty of fifty-five million!"

"What a vicious bastard. Don't even think about crossing him."

Although he had no idea what his boss was thinking, he certainly wouldn't go against his wishes.

"Sure!"

And so, the two entered the tavern, one after the other.