Teach certainly had many flaws.
He was greedy, lecherous, and easily became conceited.
But he had one most prominent advantage: an extraordinary capacity for tolerance.
It was one thing to recruit the monsters confined in Impel Down's Level 6, but in the original story, he even tried to recruit Ace, who was pursuing him.
After encountering the renegade Marine Aokiji, his first reaction was also to immediately draw that man into his ranks.
For Teach, as long as he could recruit someone useful, abandoning dignity was irrelevant.
One might say, in this regard, he was a bit like his deceased old man.
"Zehahahahaha!"
Although Doflamingo had broken his right arm with a punch, and now his entire arm hung limply as if boneless, the intense pain even made Teach sweat enough to soak his bandages.
However, his laughter remained hearty. "Remarkable strength! Doffy, I acknowledge you! Even I would get a headache fighting an opponent like you! Indeed, it's better to shake hands and make peace!"
Doflamingo, already heavily wounded to the point of near unconsciousness, was genuinely stunned for a moment, then immediately overjoyed. "Good! Shaking hands and making peace is excellent! Teach, we were partners all along!"
Beside them, Bege's mouth twitched.
Seriously, if you two make up like this, my position becomes very awkward.
However, Teach wasn't someone who couldn't read the atmosphere. He raised his uninjured left hand and patted Bege's shoulder, laughing, "From now on, let's get along well! Zehahahahaha!"
"Fufufu, fufufu..."
Doflamingo also managed a strained laugh.
Although he didn't know what Teach was thinking, at least, he should be safe now.
On the rooftop.
"Interesting kid."
Kaido commented with amusement.
He was very good at assessing the situation.
Knowing that the blond kid had the power to threaten him, he decisively gave up on continued hostility.
Such decisiveness was not something everyone could achieve.
"This kid is indeed interesting."
Roa nodded in agreement.
This already showed the difference.
This was why Doflamingo was only a Warlord, and Kaido and Akainu looked down on him, while Teach would be a Yonko and a strong contender for the final boss.
It wasn't just a difference in talent, but more so in character, or rather, spirit.
Doflamingo was a fool who constantly spoke of avenging the World Government but always imitated the Celestial Dragons.
Teach, however, was a truly ruthless character who would stop at nothing for his dream, even abandoning his dignity and pride. During the Marineford War, he even begged Whitebeard for mercy, having no bottom line yet not caring at all.
From the very beginning, they weren't on the same level.
"Also,"
Roa suddenly said with interest, "Big Brother Kaido, when you see Teach's face, you'll find it very amusing too."
Suddenly, he looked forward to the upcoming class reunion even more.
"Huh? What do you mean, brat?"
"Hahahaha! You'll find out soon enough!"
That's why he really hated Roa's penchant for being mysterious.
He really wanted to punch him, but he couldn't beat him anymore.
That night.
Roa's private quarters.
Having finished his night talk with Kaido, Roa leaned back in the spacious bathtub, a look of pure pleasure on his face. The hot water, which would be too scalding for ordinary people, was just right for Roa.
"Indeed, a good bath before bed is the ultimate enjoyment."
Roa closed his eyes comfortably, leaning languidly against the smooth tub wall. Steam permeated the air, blurring his outline.
"What are you standing around for? Toki, come give me a scrub."
At the edge of the tub, Amatsuki Toki bit her lower lip, her face flushed crimson like dripping blood.
Her gaze was fixed intently on the misty tiles in the distance, as if there was something incredibly captivating there. She simply dared not, nor could she, cast her eyes towards Roa in the bathtub.
"To...to thus force a lady,"
Her voice held an imperceptible tremor, each word seemingly squeezed through gritted teeth. "Is...is certainly not the proper conduct for a strong person..."
Although she dared not disobey Roa's command, it didn't mean that Amatsuki Toki had lost her own will.
A strong sense of shame coiled around her heart like a vine, mixed with unvented anger, burning in her chest.
That's why Roa found it even more interesting.
"Proper conduct for a strong person?"
Roa didn't even lift an eyelid, just said lazily, "If I can't do as I please, then what's the point of being strong?"
"Toki, hmm, you don't want to..."
A wave of humiliation, cold as a tide, washed over her entire body, but Amatsuki Toki moved uncontrollably.
She couldn't defy Roa.
She slowly moved to the side of the bathtub, hesitantly, with a look of going to her death.
Her thin clothes slipped off. Amatsuki Toki stepped into the tub, gently lifting Roa's smoothly muscled right arm.
The warm bathwater enveloped her body. The moment her fingertips touched the youth's skin, a subtle electric current made her almost recoil.
She could only use all her strength to steady herself, carefully, beginning to wipe the arm, which held terrifying power, with a soft cloth.
What a vile man!
Hidden beneath that handsome exterior, what a twisted and malicious soul!
But,
"Roa, why?"
Amatsuki Toki couldn't understand and finally couldn't help but ask, "Why do you do such things?"
Roa clearly already possessed unmatched power, was the ruler of a country, and even half of Wano Country belonged to him.
Power, wealth, authority, and even beautiful women—he lacked nothing.
He already possessed everything a normal person could dream of! He already stood at the pinnacle of the world!
Why did he still use such pure, unparalleled malice to trample this world?
Roa opened his eyes, his gaze shifting to rest on Amatsuki Toki's delicate face.
He scratched his head a bit awkwardly, looking surprisingly guileless. "It's embarrassing to say, but it's actually because... of appetite."
"..."
Amatsuki Toki's fair face instantly drained of color.
She remembered what Kaido had said earlier: Roa fed on human suffering.
So, it was because of this?
Because of such an inexplicable reason?!
She suddenly felt like throwing up.
Just because of this, Roa was even going to set his sights on this entire sea region next?
A cold despair suddenly gushed from the deepest part of her heart. Amatsuki Toki's shoulders suddenly slumped, and without warning, scalding tears suddenly streamed from her eyes.
She, perhaps, was crying for this world.
How could there be such a monster in the world!
What would this world become because of him?
Perhaps, she could try to send him into the future?
No!
There was no meaning to that at all. A monster would still be a monster in the future, and people in the future would still suffer disaster.
Roa, why, why do you exist like this?
Amatsuki Toki's shoulders trembled slightly, her emotions indescribable.
Roa, however, let out a comfortable hum.
Having dessert while bathing, not bad!
The next day, the Snail Grand Fleet set sail again.
However, this time, the Beasts Pirates also left Wano Country.
Roa and his aunts and uncles had agreed upon a meeting place, and now they had to hurry there.
As for why the meeting place wasn't set in Wano Country, there were two main reasons.
Firstly, the distance for everyone to get there varied, making it impossible to synchronize arrival times.
Secondly, Kaido was concerned that if talks broke down and a fight ensued, Wano Country, as the meeting place, would suffer.
When monsters unleashed their full fury, the entire island might suffer irreversible damage.
So, they simply found a deserted island that was relatively close to everyone and uninhabited. It wouldn't take much effort.
At this moment, on a platform atop the snail.
"Muhahahaha! Judge! This old man hasn't been idle all these years!"
Queen twisted his neck, making cracking sounds. "This time, I'll let you know! Who among us is the superior scientist!"
Opposite him, Calamity Company's chief scientist Judge scoffed, a sneer twisting his lips. "More meaningless words. If you truly want to impress me, show me results!"
"Muhahaha! Then you idiot better open your eyes wide and watch! Ahhhhh!"
Queen suddenly began to shriek.
His body began to swell at that instant.
Thick scales began to emerge from the surface of his body, and a thick tail with a heavy hammer at its end grew from his backside.
"Oh?"
On one side of the platform, Roa, who was holding and teasing Yamato, brightened his eyes. "Ancient Zoan?"
Kaido, sitting cross-legged beside him, casually replied while taking a swig from his sake gourd, "Hanafuda has been collecting Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits. There happened to be one suitable for this guy."
Speaking of which, Kaido was quite unwilling.
Roa himself was one thing, but now his subordinates even had two Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit users!
Who exactly was the Beast Pirates?!
"Oh, this is,"
Roa clearly saw Queen's current form. "The Armored Allosaurus form of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit?"
Clad in heavy armor, with a thick tail ending in a heavy hammer.
Undoubtedly, this was the famous Ankylosaurus among dinosaurs.
The Brachiosaurus form was eaten by Crank Green, and after getting a different fruit, it was still a dinosaur?
"Muhahaha! Judge! Look!"
The massive dinosaur, over twenty meters long, laughed heartily. "This is my achievement!"
His body showed many signs of modification, his armor almost completely metalized. It was clear at a glance that his defense was extraordinary.
The heavy hammer at the end of his tail was also a key point of modification; not only had it become a large iron hammer, but it also had a thick muzzle.
"How about it, Judge! My Devil Fruit ability modification!"
How interesting.
Roa thought.
Queen wasn't just simply modifying his body!
If it was just body modification, where would he hide such a huge metal war hammer in his body?
His research proved one thing: Devil Fruit abilities could also be modified.
He was essentially adding some DLCs on top of the game's main body.
However, Judge simply crossed his arms, an arrogant expression on his face. "Is that all? Only an idiot like you would find such meager results impressive!"
His proudly developed research was scorned, and Queen instantly flew into a rage. "Damn Judge! Then you come personally experience my technology! I'll stomp you into a meat patty right now!"
"Idiot, scientists don't go to the battlefield!"
Judge, the former mercenary leader, naturally said,
"Don't you want to see my technology? Then let them be your opponents!"
Judge clapped his hands.
Five figures instantly shot out, landing neatly in front of him.
"Hm?"
Queen was slightly startled, then subconsciously fixed his gaze.
"Muhahahahaha! Are you trying to make me die of laughter, Judge? Aren't these just those boring artificial humans you idiots created? Do you think I haven't seen them before?!"
They were completely just younger versions of the clone soldiers!
"You actually want to fight me with these guys? I could stand here and let them hit me, and they wouldn't even scratch me!"
"You said it!"
Judge's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Then don't hold back. Go, Calamity Knights!"
No sooner had the words fallen than the attack arrived!
Spark Red's flung colossal fireball whistled in, Electric Blue's dazzling lightning tore through the air, and Storm Yellow's fiercely swung wind blades shrieked through the void.
Three destructive forces, almost simultaneously, charged towards the target.
"Ah?! What the—"
Queen's confused expression didn't even have time to turn into astonishment before his massive body was thoroughly plastered by the violent energy!
Boom—!
Thunder boomed, flames churned, and strong winds roared! The three violent elemental forces surged and merged, instantly engulfing the colossal Ankylosaurus!
"Waaahhh—!!!"
A piercing scream instantly ripped through the smoke, soaring into the sky.
It seemed that the current Queen was still far from his future strength.
Roa narrowed his eyes with interest.
Kaido's eyes, even more, brightened.
"Ju—dge——!!"
Accompanied by a roar filled with furious rage, the huge Ankylosaurus figure suddenly burst out from the smoke.
However, he was in a wretched state at the moment. His proudly sturdy metal scales were blasted scorched black and curled, with multiple damages. His huge body was unstable, staggering, as if it would collapse at any second.
His furious question hadn't even left his mouth when Toxic Pink's ghostly figure already closed in!
A purple, ominously sweet-smelling poisonous mist sprayed out directly into his face!
"Woah! Cough, cough! What, what the hell is this thing!"
Queen was caught off guard, taking a few sharp breaths, and instantly choked into violent coughs. His massive body involuntarily stumbled backward!
Moreover, as an expert in poison, just a few breaths of it made him instantly understand his predicament from the bone-deep numbness and burning sensation.
"Poison?! You actually used poison, damn Judge! I didn't even get to use mine yet!"
Queen was enraged and shocked. Enduring the discomfort, his massive tail suddenly swung up. The cannon muzzle, like a heavy hammer at its end, instantly glowed with dangerous light. "Then you taste this too!"
Energy wildly converged in the muzzle. Queen's counterattack was poised to strike!
Only.
Boom!!!
Another equally massive, yet violently impactful black shadow, like an out-of-control battering ram, slammed fiercely into Queen's scarred, massive body from the side at an astonishing speed!
"Waaahhh—!!!"
Queen, already heavily damaged and unstable, couldn't withstand this long-planned, brutal charge!
His colossal Ankylosaurus body, now like a clumsy rag doll, let out an even more miserable wail. It was completely knocked off balance, its four feet leaving the ground, tumbling disgracefully through the air!
It was Crank Green, transformed into a massive dinosaur. Among the five brothers, he possessed overwhelming strength.
"This is—"
Kaido's eyes lit up as he watched the Five-Colored Squadron's performance.
"An upgraded version of the clone soldiers, also a product of the Lineage Factor technology."
Roa shrugged, his expression calm and unconcerned.
"Then—"
Kaido's burning gaze immediately swept over.
But.
"Sorry, Big Brother Kaido,"
Roa smiled. "Because of low production capacity, it's not for sale to outsiders for now."
Speaking of which, expanding the production capacity of the Calamity Knights would require more funds.
Where could he get a large amount of funds at once?
Hmm, it seems there really is such a place, where gold is practically as abundant as dirt. And, if he's lucky, he might even get a powerful Logia Devil Fruit!
It's decided. After this plan, he'll make a trip there!
"Tch."
Kaido clicked his tongue in displeasure.
Seeing it but not being able to get it—there was nothing more annoying than that.
Lineage Factor warriors?
I want them too!
That bastard Roa was not only progressing rapidly himself, but his subordinates' forces were also expanding at an incredible speed!
Two days after this small interlude, the Snail Grand Fleet had already reached the agreed-upon meeting point.
Some people had already arrived early.
"Gahahahaha! Brat! If your so-called grand plan doesn't satisfy me, then don't blame me for going berserk!!"