Three days had passed since Wright and Dragon's secret conversation.
No one knew what kind of impact this meeting between these two major figures would have on the world.
Wright had returned to Marine Headquarters, continuing his close surveillance of "Blackbeard" Teach's movements. Recently, Teach seemed to be moving sluggishly, lingering near the first few islands of the Grand Line.
Yet, despite this, he had repeatedly managed to escape Marco's pursuit. It seemed that among Blackbeard's crew, there was someone with exceptional skill in reconnaissance, mobility, and navigation.
"Laffitte, former West Blue security officer, now the navigator of the Blackbeard Pirates..."
Flipping through the limited intelligence reports, Wright noted that Laffitte was an exceptional talent in every aspect—intelligence, courage, combat ability, hypnosis, and navigation.
"Suspected to be a Zoan-type Bird-Bird Fruit user… This guy is essentially Teach's right-hand man. No doubt he played a key role in evading Marco's pursuit."
Tapping his fingers unconsciously on his desk, Wright carefully considered the situation.
In the original timeline, Blackbeard had first attacked Drum Kingdom before heading to Alabasta.
However, based on the Log Pose's guidance, the usual route after passing through Drum Kingdom should not lead to Alabasta.
When Blackbeard stopped in Alabasta, Crocodile's schemes had yet to be exposed, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea were still at full strength. So why had Blackbeard insisted on going to Alabasta after gathering his crew?
The only explanation Wright could think of was that Teach had his sights set on Crocodile's position as a Warlord of the Sea.
His original plan must have been to eliminate a Warlord and take their place.
At the time, the Seven Warlords and their original bounties were as follows:
"Desert King" Sir Crocodile – 81 million berries
"Pirate Empress" Boa Hancock – 80 million berries (thirteen years ago)
Gecko Moria – 320 million berries
"Knight of the Sea" Jinbe – 250 million berries
"Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma – 296 million berries
"Heavenly Yaksha" Donquixote Doflamingo – 340 million berries
And then there was "Hawk-Eye" Dracule Mihawk…
...Yeah, best not to even consider Mihawk. That guy was someone who had once fought Red-Haired Shanks to a standstill before Shanks lost his arm.
At first glance, Hancock had the lowest original bounty. But her Haki was formidable, and her Devil Fruit ability was particularly dangerous—especially for a pirate crew full of men like Blackbeard's. Against them, she could wield the so-called "beauty suppression"—or simply put, "face value dominance."
Teach probably wouldn't even get the chance to activate his Devil Fruit before Hancock turned him to stone. And given that Amazon Lily was located in the Calm Belt, there was no way Blackbeard's makeshift raft would even reach the island in the first place.
So Crocodile, with his 81-million bounty, must have seemed like the easier target.
As a Logia user, overconfidence in one's abilities was a common flaw. And for someone like Blackbeard, who preyed on such arrogance, Crocodile must have seemed like the perfect victim.
But when he actually reached Alabasta, Blackbeard likely realized something—Crocodile's strength aside, the man was a master manipulator.
Using Alabasta as his base, Crocodile had built himself up as a "national hero" with an entire army of subordinates.
If Blackbeard had assassinated this "hero," it would have caused massive political turmoil. The World Government might have overlooked it, but Alabasta itself would have protested, completely ruining Teach's chance to take the Warlord position.
After "surveying" Alabasta, Teach must have abandoned the plan and continued onward, waiting for another opportunity—until the news broke that Crocodile's coup had failed and he had been stripped of his Warlord title.
"Now that Crocodile has been taken down, Enel is far too powerful and located in the New World, and the same goes for Doflamingo. Blackbeard won't risk going after them so soon."
"Kuma is with the Marine Science Division and rarely appears in public. Jinbe is under Marine protection and holds a special status, making him an unlikely target."
"That leaves only one Warlord still in 'Paradise'—Gecko Moria..."
Wright frowned. Could Teach really be planning to go after Moria? That bloated recluse might be a mess now, but he once dared to challenge Kaido head-on. Even though he was crushed, he wasn't weak by any means.
"But at Blackbeard's current pace, he's moving too slowly. Does that mean he hasn't decided on a target yet? With Crocodile out of the picture, he might be struggling to gauge Moria's strength."
"Still, it's only a matter of time. Otherwise, there's no way he could get close to Impel Down later on."
...
Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates had just bid farewell to the two giant pirate captains, "Blue Ogre" Dorry and "Red Ogre" Brogy, on the ancient island of Little Garden.
Despite their best efforts, they were forced to make their next stop at the Sakura Kingdom… because Nami had fallen victim to an unknown prehistoric virus on Little Garden, leaving her with a raging fever.
Aside from Sanji, who could provide some relief through food, the rest of the crew was powerless.
The Grand Line's bizarre climate could change from a clear blue sky to a snowstorm in an instant. Islands existed in self-contained ecosystems—one could be a winter island while its neighbor was a summer island.
In this harsh environment, the only person struggling was Nami. Usopp wasn't as resilient as the others, but at least he had grown up running around and had decent endurance. Compared to Nami, a delicate young woman, he was far more resistant.
Though Vivi wasn't with them this time, Nami recalled the books Wright had given her, which provided general information on key locations in the Grand Line.
Among them were the Medical Kingdom of Sakura, the Desert Kingdom of Alabasta, and the Shipbuilding Sanctuary of Water 7.
So, when she fell ill, her first thought was to look up a cure in those books.
"Without a doctor on board, this is a huge risk… The Medical Kingdom… Hopefully, we can find someone there…"
Guiding the Going Merry toward the snow-covered Drum Rockies, Nami finally collapsed.
"Nami-chan! Hold on! We're almost there! We'll definitely find a doctor!"
Sanji was pacing in frustration. As a skilled chef, he could prepare energy-boosting meals to keep Nami going, but that wasn't medicine—it wasn't a real solution.
"Maybe throwing cold water on her would lower her temperature?"
Luffy tilted his head in thought.
"Are you an idiot?!"
Zoro and Sanji immediately knocked him flat.
"I can see the harbor! We're almost there!"
Usopp burst into the room, breathless. His high-powered goggles had allowed him to spot their destination from a distance.
"But… but there's someone fishing at the port… No, wait—a white bear is fishing, and there's a guy leaning against it, reading a book…"
"A white bear?!"
Luffy leaped up excitedly.
"Where?! Where?! Sanji, I'm hungry!"
At the harbor, Trafalgar Law lounged against Bepo, whose thick fur made for a luxurious, warm cushion.
"Haaah~"
Yawning, Law perked up at the approaching sound. Glancing up, he spotted a small, sheep-headed ship steadily sailing into port.
"Pirates?"
Slightly intrigued, he closed his medical textbook and reached for his nodachi, Kikoku.
Giving Bepo, who was snoring loudly and blowing an enormous snot bubble, a lazy tap on the head, he muttered:
"Bepo, the fish are gone… Wake up. Looks like we've got business."
-------
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanPiece [remove the parenthesis ( )]
Note: This fanfic has been completely translated and is available on my Patreon.