"Absolute nonsense!"
Judge's face twisted into a cold sneer: "Many creatures in this world have multiple hearts. Take octopuses - the octopus fish-men are born with three hearts. If your theory held, wouldn't all octopus fish-men be able to eat three Devil Fruits? Those inferior fish-men would have ruled the world by now."
"Ahem." Dottore's face flushed with embarrassment.
Judge left the room and returned to where Teach lay.
He gazed at the peculiar child with keen interest, wishing this extraordinary boy would grow up as quickly as possible to validate his theories.
Dottore was well aware of Judge's research ambitions and watched his retreating figure anxiously, fearing he might directly use his child for experiments.
Seemingly sensing Dottore's concern, Judge said, "Don't worry. He's still too young to withstand the energy of multiple Devil Fruits."
....
Time flew by, and two years later—38 years ago.
"Dad, Dad, look! I caught a little kitty! Hahaha, Jorna and Bella both love it!"
In the family courtyard of the research institute near the mountains, Dottore, dressed in a junior researcher's uniform, gaped as his two-year-old son dragged a tiger as tall as a man into the yard, grinning from ear to ear.
Two-year-old Teach stood one meter tall, wearing shorts and a floral shirt, with a slightly protruding belly and unusually thick limbs.
The tiger, as tall as a person, had several large bumps on its head, tears in its eyes, and lay trembling on the ground.
Dottore swallowed hard, cautiously approached, patted his son's head, and glanced at the cowering tiger, its eyes filled with terror.
His lips twitched.
How could such a large beast be casually left in the courtyard?
His own body couldn't withstand a tiger's attack, and the family quarters housed other researchers—many of higher rank than him.
If the tiger accidentally killed someone—say, that elderly top researcher Vegapunk—he and his son would likely be dissected on the spot.
"Ahem, Teach, uh... the little kitty looks so pitiful. Its dad will be heartbroken if it doesn't come home on time. Let it go, okay?"
"Let the kitty go? But Jorna said she wants to sleep with it." Teach sniffled, wiping his nose with a grubby hand before scratching his head.
Dottore's eye twitched.
His son, though only two, was indeed as extraordinary as Judge had predicted years ago.
Over the past two years, Teach's appetite had grown exponentially.
His stomach seemed like a bottomless pit leading to another world—the food Dottore could eat in a month wasn't enough to last Teach a single day.
This terrifying appetite and freakish digestion had given Teach a body of outrageous strength.
The institute's ordinary guards fell like dominoes under his tiny fists.
"Uh, Teach, if you, Jorna, and Bella let the kitty go home, I'll tell you a pirate story. How about that?"
Seeing his son's reluctance, Dottore played his trump card.
Though young, Teach was intelligent—both physically and mentally far beyond his two years.
His favorite thing was sitting in his father's lap listening to pirate tales.
Sure enough, Teach's eyes lit up at the offer.
He stood motionless, lips moving as if consulting someone.
Soon, he grinned goofily. "Dad, my sisters want to hear pirate stories too! I'll let the kitty go home and play with it tomorrow!"
Dottore forced a laugh, silently mourning the tiger's fate.
Teach walked up to the tiger and smacked the cowering beast's head, sending it rolling several meters with a pitiful whimper.
"Little kitty, pat pat. You go home first, and I'll come play with you tomorrow."
Teach chuckled as he waved at the fierce beast before him.
The tiger seemed quite intelligent too, immediately understanding Teach's meaning.
Its feline eyes showed human-like delight as it let out an "rawr" cry before leaping over the courtyard wall and disappearing into the mountain forest.
"Papa! What story will you tell me today? Is it about Rocks again? Is Rocks your favorite pirate?"
Teach approached Dottore, who struggled to pick up his two-year-old son.
Dottore lovingly pinched the boy's chubby cheeks and wiped away his runny nose.
"Ah, Teach... what I need to tell you is that the great pirate Rocks... was defeated a few days ago. The Rocks Pirates who once ruled the seas no longer exist."
"Huh? Rocks is gone? But he was so strong! Who could possibly defeat him?" Teach's face fell with disappointment.
Dottore had been telling him pirate stories since childhood, especially about the great pirate Rocks.
Teach knew that although his father was a doctor now, he had once dreamed of going to sea as a pirate.
But because he was too weak, he was severely beaten before even setting sail.
It was through this incident that he met and fell in love with Teach's mother, Sally.
Though his father never became a pirate, he remained fascinated by pirate news.
The pirate his father admired most was Rocks D. Xebec, the great pirate who had dominated the New World for over a decade.
In his father's stories, Rocks was practically omnipotent, with power enough to destroy the world.
His crew were all monstrously powerful - any single one could easily destroy an entire country.
Through Dottore's frequent tales, young Teach's heart had grown to worship Rocks, dreaming of one day becoming a great pirate who could stand tall like him.
"The news says it was a Marine hero named Garp who defeated the Rocks Pirates at God Valley."
Dottore's face showed a trace of sorrow as he sighed.
Teach immediately pouted, tears welling in his eyes.
"I don't believe it! Rocks was too strong to be beaten by just one person! That Garp guy must have used some dirty trick! Maybe it was a whole group against Rocks alone! Papa, when I grow up, I'll become a great pirate like Rocks! And I'll be a pirate no one can ever defeat! I'll build the greatest ship in the world and name it Saber of Xebec's !"
Dottore laughed as he ruffled his son's hair: "Haha, I believe you can do it, Teach. You're not alone - you have your two sisters inside you too. With all three of your powers combined, you'll definitely create miracles! Sally would be so proud of you!"
Clapping his hands, Dottore stood up energetically.
"Teach! If you want to become a man like Rocks, you must train hard from now on! Come! Show me what I've taught you. Only by working harder than anyone else can you surpass them all!"
"Yes, Papa! I'll definitely do it!"
Teach puffed out his chest, grabbed a large iron block in the yard, and began training his strength.
"Train well! Papa will go make you some cherry pie!"
"Great! I love the cherry pie papa makes the most!"