"Quite the haul this time..."
After bidding farewell to Brook, Wright returned to Marine Headquarters.
"Admiral Wright!"
A Marine quickly approached with a report.
"Latest intelligence, sir! Fleet Admiral Sengoku has instructed that you review this immediately before heading to see him."
"Alright, hand it over."
The Marine saluted and withdrew, leaving Wright to open the intelligence report that Sengoku had personally marked as urgent. During his absence, all movements of Blackbeard had been directly reported to Sengoku.
"Oh? Marco has finally managed to catch up with Teach and engaged him in battle for the first time..."
Wright raised an eyebrow. Marco had suffered quite the setback.
Teach was a cunning and devious opponent, further aided by the equally treacherous Lafitte. Despite Marco's superior mobility, Teach had continuously led him on a wild chase, evading capture time and time again.
However, this time, Marco had finally found an opportunity. Before Teach could relocate, Marco intercepted him, and a fierce battle ensued.
Needless to say, the other four members of the Blackbeard Pirates were of no help—despite Marco not going all out, they were practically annihilated in an instant.
After half a year of simmering rage, Marco unleashed his full fury upon Teach. Yet, it was during this battle that he truly came to understand why Teach had been willing to kill a crewmate to obtain that Devil Fruit—
The Logia-type Yami Yami no Mi, the "Dark-Dark Fruit," infamous as "the most wicked power in history."
For the first time, Marco realized that the seemingly unremarkable Teach, who had spent decades aboard Whitebeard's ship without drawing much attention, was actually this powerful!
With the power of darkness, Teach could generate an irresistible gravitational pull, dragging Devil Fruit users towards him and nullifying their abilities upon contact.
In close combat, Teach fought Marco to a standstill. Accustomed to instantly healing from injuries, Marco suffered multiple serious wounds when his regenerative powers were neutralized. Fortunately, whenever he managed to create distance, he could rely on his Phoenix Flames to recover.
This put Marco in a frustrating predicament—
In melee combat, his abilities were nullified, and Teach's Darkness could even absorb damage, significantly weakening Marco's attacks.
At a distance, Teach's Logia abilities gave him an overwhelming advantage in large-scale and ranged attacks.
If Marco let his guard down for even a moment, Teach's Dark Vortex would pull him in. Even with the Phoenix's speed, he barely escaped its grasp!
Their battle left an entire town in ruins. According to reconnaissance reports from nearby Marines, at its peak, the terrifying darkness had nearly swallowed half an island.
However, Marco was still the strongest member of the Whitebeard Pirates aside from Whitebeard himself. His combat awareness was razor-sharp, and even in his blind rage, he remained calm and methodical.
At this stage, Teach—despite his monstrous abilities—was still only a single Devil Fruit user. He had yet to gain the power to truly defeat Marco.
The other members of the Blackbeard Pirates finally understood the true strength of Whitebeard's First Division Commander.
Even without transforming into his full Phoenix form, Marco's raw combat prowess alone was enough to suppress Teach!
Yet, Marco was unable to decisively overpower Teach and capture him for Whitebeard. As the battle progressed, even staying within close range became a challenge.
Ultimately, Marco was forced to retreat. With the fight drawing attention, nearby Marine forces were already closing in. In the first half of the Grand Line, Marco had no desire for a confrontation with the Navy.
So, he made the strategic choice to withdraw.
Though Marco had arrived consumed by fury, he remained a pragmatic and composed leader. Having vented his pent-up anger, he now saw the situation clearly—
On his own, he could not fulfill the task Whitebeard had entrusted to him.
Thus, Marco made his way back to the New World. His reputation meant little compared to upholding Whitebeard's legacy. If he had to gather allies to take down Teach, then so be it.
That bastard even had the audacity to call himself "Blackbeard"?
Teach had made his intentions clear—he was openly challenging Whitebeard's name. If that was his choice, then he should be prepared to be hunted down for the rest of his life!
Sengoku and Wright both understood that Marco would never let this go. As long as Teach remained alive, the Whitebeard Pirates would relentlessly pursue him.
This clash between Marco and Teach gave Marine Headquarters its first real insight into the man who had gone unnoticed for years on Whitebeard's crew, a pirate who had never even been given a bounty—"Blackbeard" Marshall D. Teach.
"Cunning, ruthless, greedy, utterly without scruples... and above all, extraordinarily patient."
In Sengoku's office, Wright listened as the Fleet Admiral summarized Teach's nature, then added,
"And one more thing—he harbors immense ambition. He waited over twenty years for the Yami Yami no Mi... Whatever his next move is, I suspect it will be on the same scale as openly declaring war on Whitebeard."
Wright deliberately refrained from mentioning the most terrifying aspect of the Yami Yami no Mi—the ability to steal other Devil Fruits.
In fact, he hoped Teach himself would keep that secret under wraps until it was too late for him to use it.
Just like the Nagi Nagi no Mi, the Yami Yami no Mi was a fruit so powerful that if its true abilities were widely known, even if Teach were killed, another "Blackbeard" would inevitably rise in his place.
"You may be right. At the very least, we now have a clearer picture of him... Marco may not have been able to stop him this time, but he will return. And when he does, that will be the moment for us to act."
Sengoku furrowed his brow.
"But this 'Blackbeard' Teach… I can't shake the feeling that he's plotting something. Even after revealing his power against Marco, he's been strangely quiet."
Wright smirked and handed Sengoku a report.
"This is my analysis. I've compiled all of Teach's movements from the moment he appeared in the first half of the Grand Line up until now."
Sengoku adjusted his glasses and carefully examined the report as Wright continued,
"He's deliberately avoiding World Government-affiliated nations and keeping a low profile. It seems he doesn't want to draw our attention just yet."
"In other words, he doesn't want—or isn't ready—to make an enemy of the Marines and the World Government. He's moving slowly, staying in places with a high concentration of pirate activity, and taking down other pirates along the way."
"But that changed after his battle with Marco—he's no longer hunting small-time pirates."
"And I refuse to believe he formed a crew just to leisurely sightsee the Grand Line."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed.
"You mean…?"
Wright nodded.
"Exactly. I believe his goal has shifted. He needs to defeat a powerful target to make a name for himself. Right now, he's merely conserving his strength, using his fight with Marco to assess his next move."
"And that next target will almost certainly be a Devil Fruit user—after all, the Yami Yami no Mi is designed to counter them."
"And given that he doesn't want to provoke us just yet… his target is likely one of the 'Seven Warlords of the Sea.'"
-------
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.