"Everyone, go get the cabins in order!"
"We're having a banquet tonight to celebrate our first independent voyage!"
"Yeah!"
"Teach, you'd better have enough booze!"
"If anyone hides the cherry pie, I'll throw him into the sea!"
The crew noisily poured into the cabins.
Teach waited until the deck was empty, and the smile slowly faded from his face.
He took out the nautical chart Vista had given him and spread it over a wooden barrel, then pulled out a route map he had hidden away long ago.
The map showed the first half of the Grand Line, with a circle drawn around Drum Island.
"I've had enough of staying in Whitebeard's territory."
Teach pressed a finger onto Drum Island and said quietly, "The Dark-Dark Fruit still hasn't appeared. I can't keep leaving my fate to luck."
"That useless Wapol has the Munch-Munch Fruit, but he can't bring out its true power at all."
"Devouring matter, modifying the body, fusing different things."
"This fruit can open a path for me too."
He grabbed the Log Pose and watched the direction its needle swung, his breathing gradually growing heavier.
"First, I'll get the Munch-Munch Fruit. Then I'll look for the Dark-Dark Fruit."
"As long as I can fuse all kinds of powers into my body, I can create the strongest body of all."
"Steel, cannons, poison, even the powers of other ability users-they can all be mine!"
"Once I've mastered the Munch-Munch Fruit, even a seat among the Four Emperors won't amount to much!"
Teach suddenly clenched the nautical chart, tearing several slits in the paper.
"If Lorne can rise through a monster's bloodline, I can reach the top through devouring!"
"Red-Haired Shanks, Kaido, Linlin, and Pops-they've occupied their thrones for too long."
"The treasure the Pirate King left behind will