Chapter 268 Don't Believe Rumors, Don't Spread Rumors
A few days later, in a certain tavern.
"Cherry pie is so delicious..."
Teach was in a tavern, wolfing down his favorite cherry pie.
But his mood wasn't happy at all.
Even if he forced a grin, his heart remained heavy.
After reading the relevant reports in the World Economic News, how could Teach not understand what had actually happened that day on Sabaody Archipelago?
The Sig he encountered that day was likely a fake!
And the so-called Angel Fruit in that Sig's hand... Sig said he couldn't judge the authenticity of the Angel Fruit either!
"Could it be... that so-called Angel Fruit was really just disguised with an apple?"
Crack.
A crack appeared on the wine glass Teach held in his hand.
The mere thought of this possibility made Teach's mentality completely explode.
If even the Angel Fruit was fake, then... could his ambition ever be realized in this lifetime?
"No... no! The Angel Fruit must exist! And I've already eaten it."
Teach's breathing grew slightly heavier as he murmured to himself.
He had long decided to stake everything, betting his life on Whitebeard's ship. If he couldn't get the Dark Dark Fruit, he planned to spend his life on the ship.
But after the series of sensational news from the Forum Tabloid, Teach's mind gradually became active, entertaining other thoughts.
The result of this Angel Fruit gamble seemed to be that he had completely lost everything....
While Teach was somewhat dazed, someone walked in with a stack of wanted posters.
"The new batch of wanted posters is here? Let me see."
Immediately, a crowd-loving drinker turned his head to look and read out the name on the first wanted poster.
"Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, bounty... five hundred million."
"Five hundred million for a first bounty? Another great pirate..."
"It's not about strength. I heard the Angel Fruit on Sabaody Archipelago sold for a high price of six hundred million, that's why Blackbeard Teach is worth five hundred million."
"But... wasn't the Angel Fruit already eaten by Teach? That shouldn't be related to his five-hundred-million bounty, right?"
"Hehe, it seems you know nothing about the Angel Fruit."
Immediately, a drinker started speaking with great authority.
"The Angel Fruit possesses characteristics similar to Devil Fruits. After the user dies, it will reappear."
"The difference is, the Angel Fruit will reappear directly on the user's corpse!"
"What? The Angel Fruit has such a characteristic?"
"Is that true?"
This drinker's boasting immediately attracted the attention of many people, who looked over one after another.
Teach, chewing cherry pie in the corner, felt his eye twitch.
"Of course, it's true!" Seeing so many people looking over, the drinker's voice suddenly became much louder. He continued:
"I have a friend, he's Blackbeard Teach's... sworn brother, Bluebeard Jill! I heard it from him, it absolutely can't be wrong!"
"Nonsense! What I heard is that Blackbeard's body has already received the blessing of an angel. Just eating a bite of his flesh can immediately lift the curse of the Devil Fruit!"
Pfft...
Teach in the corner almost spat out his pie.
"The rumors have escalated again?"
Teach's eyes almost popped out. His face darkened somewhat, and he put down the cherry pie in his hand, quickly walking towards the door.
His figure was already tall, with bandages wrapped around multiple parts of his body, some still continuously seeping blood. Although covered by a robe, he was still somewhat conspicuous.
Admiral Sengoku's fists weren't so easy to take.
"It's Teach! Blackbeard Teach!"
Someone with sharp eyes immediately shouted Teach's name.
Instantly, the atmosphere in the tavern changed. Many people looked up, and some had already drawn their swords and stood up.
"Teach? You must die!"
"Damn it.. spotted again!"
Teach's expression changed slightly. He quickly ran out of the tavern, his figure flashing repeatedly as he fled into the distance.
While running, he could still hear the continuous clamor from behind.
It wasn't that Teach was afraid of these ordinary pirates, but dealing with these small fries was endless.
If delayed even slightly, a large wave of Marines would arrive.
Teach had seen this scenario many times; it was his daily routine during this period of escape.
"What the hell has my life become?"
While fleeing, Teach felt a stifling tightness in his chest, almost wanting to vomit blood from frustration.
...........
Somewhere in the mountains of the Red Line.
The exclusive interview report from the World Economic News also fell into the hands of Doflamingo, who was still treasure hunting.
Others focused on Teach and the Angel Fruit, but Doflamingo cared more about the One Piece mentioned in the newspaper.
"Now, Sig actually says his treasure has a total of five parts? The treasure map I obtained is only the first part?"
Doflamingo gritted his teeth secretly, veins bulging on his forehead.
He had been away from the Grand Line for so long, diligently digging for treasure, only to end up with this result.
"Young Master, what should we do now? Should we send officers to the second round of the treasure map auction on Whole Cake Island?"
Top executive Pica asked in his sharp voice.
Doflamingo's face darkened.
After searching for treasure for so long, Doflamingo wasn't entirely empty-handed. They had already deduced the general area of the first treasure.
At most five or six days... he would be able to find the first treasure!
"Continue searching for the treasure. Other matters can be discussed later."
Doflamingo said in a deep voice, but his expression remained uncertain.
Sig hadn't said which of the five treasures contained the secret of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure... Doflamingo had a bad feeling.
.......
While the matters of the Angel Fruit and the One Piece captivated people's hearts.
Sig's side continued sailing on the sea, finally approaching the Florian Triangle sea area.
"Finally arrived."
Sig stood on the deck, looking out.
As far as the eye could see, a vast, boundless fog drifted over the sea surface.
Most ships that entered the dense fog would lose their direction and be forever buried in this sea area.
This was undoubtedly a sea of death.
However, Sig had come prepared.
His gaze fell on the island whale Laboon beside the ironclad ship, who seemed somewhat excited.
"Laboon, this time it's up to you."
Sig said loudly.
The visibility in this sea was very low, and ordinary ships would get lost.
But whale Laboon was different. Whales navigate the ocean primarily using echolocation, similar to bats.
In other words, the fog of the Florian Triangle sea area had little effect on whale Laboon.
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