"A 'Hyena' skulking in the shadows?"
When Gern heard Big Mom's openly contemptuous name for Blackbeard, his brow rose slightly, and unmistakable surprise flashed through his eyes.
This Emperor's assessment was a world away from the attitude he had expected toward the "potential partner" Charlotte Perospero had described!
"Mamamama!" Seeing the undisguised surprise on Gern's face, Big Mom laughed mockingly. "What else?"
"Should Mama respectfully call him 'Blackbeard'?"
Open disgust appeared on Big Mom's face, as though she had mentioned something filthy.
"A faithless, dishonorable little bastard!
Scum who betrayed the 'family' that took him in and committed the most unforgivable crime aboard that old fool Whitebeard's ship!"
Her words defended an unspoken code of the old era and expressed utter contempt for betrayal.
"Plotting in secret and stealing power makes him a mighty conqueror? Laughable!
What true conqueror lacks even a shred of responsibility or magnanimity?
He thinks he acts like a conqueror, but he has none of a conqueror's bearing.
He's nothing but a... wild dog lurking in the darkness, waiting for a chance to pounce, tear into the man he called his 'father,' and steal his power!"
As she spoke, Big Mom stared fixedly at Gern, wary and seemingly trying to confirm whether he understood that fundamental distinction. Finally, she declared with absolute certainty,
"If that sort of trash isn't a 'Hyena,' what is he?!
I imagine Newgate took him in because he saw that face of his. Who would have thought... hah. Like father, unlike son."
Gern listened in silence, understanding dawning within him.
Though Big Mom's merciless condemnation was colored by her personal feelings, it clearly reflected one fact.
On the seas today, especially among the strongest figures who had fought their way through the old era,
Blackbeard and his methods were viewed with extreme