"Captain! When are you going to get rid of my Devil Fruit ability?"
Jesus Burgess genuinely admires Devil Fruit users and is quite proactive and picky about abilities, as evidenced by his later participation in the Flame-Flame Fruit contest held by Doflamingo at the Dressrosa Colosseum.
At that time, Blackbeard was already one of the Four Emperors, so it should have been easy for him to obtain Devil Fruit abilities. However, Jesus Burgess never did. Perhaps he was waiting for Ace's ability to be reborn, or perhaps he was picky about abilities and hadn't found one he liked. Whatever the reason, he definitely wanted to obtain powerful abilities. Now that Blackbeard can no longer be one of the Four Emperors, his options are even fewer.
" Teach! Your plan seems to have gone terribly wrong. Is it really possible to achieve our ambitions now?"
Shiryu also spoke up, saying that he had been persuaded by Blackbeard's long-term plan back in Impel Down, but now that the plan had gone astray, he could no longer see any hope of realizing his ambitions and was already considering disbanding the group.
However, before leaving, they still wanted to get some benefits from Blackbeard, such as obtaining the Devil Fruit power they longed for. They had never seen the ability to steal Devil Fruit powers that Blackbeard had mentioned.
The people on Level 6 of Impel Down were also looking at Blackbeard, wanting to see what he was thinking. They had originally gathered together because of their own ambitions, and now that their future was uncertain, they naturally wanted to see Blackbeard's next plan.
" Whitebeard's territory has already been taken over by Thunder God, and the other territories have long since been occupied by other people. None of them are places we can afford to mess with right now. Let's not think too much about the territories and just take it one step at a time!"
What we need to do next is accumulate strength and become powerful. On the next island, I'll show you the miracle of how I seize Devil Fruit powers. Give us time, and those territories will be ours sooner or later, as will the final One Piece!
Blackbeard also understood what the group meant. This was how it was with people who weren't his original crew; it was hard to trust them. As soon as they saw he was weak, they wanted to break up. So he had no choice but to give them any guarantees.
Once these people see his ability to seize Devil Fruit, they will naturally settle down. With such an ability, how large a force could he build? It's unimaginable. It would truly snowball and grow bigger and bigger, and the entire ocean would tremble in fear of him!
All Devil Fruit users are in grave danger; even Tony Chopper worries about having his powers stolen. This is indeed the case in the original story two years later, when the Blackbeard Pirates have become infamous.
"Fine! Let us witness your so-called miracle."
Shiryu also a smart man. If Blackbeard really had that ability, it would be easy for him to build a large force, but because of Vic's interference, they had never witnessed it.
Shiryu had previously asked Blackbeard to use that ability, since they had encountered some Devil Fruit users along the way. However, Blackbeard had always refused to plunder those Devil Fruit abilities because they were too weak, so he had never used it.
Now, regardless of their strength, Blackbeard has to come and show them what he's made of. Territory is lost, and if the promise of acquiring his powers is just empty talk, then there's really no point in staying any longer.
The Blackbeard Pirates have experienced a crisis of trust due to Vic's repeated interference. However, Blackbeard wasn't lying; without Vic, all his plans would have been realized, and Blackbeard would have led them to become one of the Four Emperors.
Achieving these goals now will be much more difficult and time-consuming, but with Blackbeard's intelligence and Devil Fruit abilities, the success rate is still quite high, as long as he avoids Vic and his crew later on!
On a Calm Belt island in the first half of the Grand Line, Luffy is battling a giant elephant. Although he has begun to Awakening Haki, it is only working intermittently, so Luffy is constantly at a disadvantage in the fight.
" Roger! The new era you spoke of seems to have arrived, Shanks! Vic! Will you be next?"
Rayleigh, holding a newspaper, looked up in Luffy's direction. A flash of white light appeared behind his glasses. Although Luffy had been sent flying by an elephant's trunk, Rayleigh's gaze behind his glasses was exceptionally intense!
"Lord Vic! You're still as powerful as ever, becoming emperor so quietly! Ah! Seeing your bounty makes me want to go..."
Inside the palace on Amazon Lily, Hancock sat on a throne made of coiled pythons, staring at the wanted poster in her hand with a look of fascination. She placed her other hand on her face, trying to cool down her burning cheeks, lest her brain explode!
" Granny Nyon! What's wrong with Lady Snake Princess? Why are you making such a gesture just from looking at a bounty poster?"
Watching the Empress slowly twist her body on the throne, her face flushed, the Kuja Pirates ' combatant was puzzled. She really didn't understand these things, so she asked the wise Granny Nyon next to her.
" Snake Princess has contracted a terminal illness! A terminal illness of love! It's incurable! Alas!"
Granny Nyon was a sensible woman; she immediately understood what was going on. She shook her head, sighed, and, leaning on her cane, left the main hall!
"A terminal illness? A terminal illness of love? Is Lady Snake Princess going to die? Lady Snake Princess! Please don't die, you absolutely can't die!..."
In Dressrosa, in the New World, Doflamingo is also reading today's newspaper, which features news that has shocked the world.
"Another Red-Hair? He became an emperor without a sound! How did he do it? He's so much younger than me! Is it because of his Devil Fruit ability or his team? What am I lacking?"
After reading the newspaper and the bounty in his hand, Doflamingo looked up at the group of misfit family members below and fell into deep thought. He suspected that his Devil Fruit ability was too weak. Although he had tried his best to develop it, the upper limit of the String-String Fruit was still there, and it was still inferior to Logia and Mythical Zoan.
However, his ability was given to him by his family members when he was a child, when they pledged their loyalty to him. At that time, he didn't have many choices and didn't really understand the ins and outs. He just ate it without really knowing what it was about. In terms of Devil Fruit power, it is indeed a weakness. He was completely tricked by his family.
Moreover, his family and Vic's companions are incomparable. Rebecca's Devil Fruit ability alone is beyond his reach. Her predecessor Golden Lion Shiki, who rivaled the Pirate King. Doflamingo truly envies Rebecca!
Moreover, he couldn't beat his opponent. Last time, he was chased and beaten up and almost died. Look at his partner and then look at his own ugly and deformed self—the difference is like heaven and earth!
"Is this the foundation required for Four Emperors crew? No wonder they can become Four Emperors! I've been dragged down by you guys since I was a kid, sigh! Now all I can do is try to please Kaido and maintain our relationship! In this world, you have to face reality!"
Although Doflamingo thought the clan's executives were all incompetent, he didn't intend to give up on them. After all, they had lived and struggled together for so many years, and they called him "Young Master" so loyally. Even a dog would develop feelings after being raised for so many years, let alone the one who was raised in the beginning!
The name Red-Hair only flashed through Doflamingo's mind for a moment before disappearing. Perhaps he didn't want to face this person. In fact, Red-Haired Shanks is a few years younger Doflamingo, and he's a one-armed non-Devil Fruit user, yet he still became Four Emperors. With examples like Vic and Red-Hair, it's clear that it's not because of Devil Fruit. Doflamingo should know the real reason, but he's simply unwilling to uncover the truth and face himself!
On Kuraigana Island, Hawk-Eye hadn't started instructing Zoro yet, but Zoro had gotten up early and was fighting with the baboons. The clanging of metal could be heard from time to time, but it didn't stop Hawk-Eye from reading the newspaper.
" Red-Hair! Vic! You're both emperors now! Have I been too low-key? Or have I been too complacent all these years?"
Crocodile and Daz Bones arrived at an obscure island in the New World after their adventures during the Paramount War.
The shrewd Crocodile was smoking a cigar, sitting on a wooden crate reading a newspaper like a mob boss, while Daz Bones stood straight beside him with his arms crossed, his eyes occasionally scanning the surroundings like a responsible bodyguard.
"He became an emperor so quickly, and his bounty has skyrocketed. Befriending him back then was definitely the right thing to do. I could tell from our first meeting that he wasn't on the same level as us! Being a pirate really requires a good brain; those without brains don't survive long!"
Crocodile looked at the news in the newspaper with a sigh. Daz Bones, who was listening to Crocodile's sigh, just glanced at the photos in the newspaper and didn't say anything. He had already made his own choice in his heart.