Davy Jones?
"Which Davy Jones?"
The burly Burgess shot to his feet, blurting out a pointless question.
The pirate who had come to report shrank back under all the murderous gazes. His voice was dry and hoarse as he stammered:
"Th—the 'New Three Emperors'… the 'Deep Sea King' Davy Jones…"
"Him?!"
Burgess's face was full of confusion and disbelief. "Why would it be him? Why is he here?"
That was the question echoing in everyone's mind.
No one doubted that Weevil died at Davy Jones's hands—because that was the only reasonable outcome.
Could Weevil possibly be stronger than 'Akainu' Sakazuki or 'Big Mom' Charlotte Linlin?
Shiryu no longer felt like smoking. He flicked his cigar into the ashtray and let it extinguish on its own.
"It seems our little 'good boy'—the Whitebeard remnants—have finally wised up. They've formed an alliance with the Deep-Sea King. Smart choice. But for us, it's a complete disaster."
Burgess suddenly remembered a rumor he heard yesterday. His massive arms waved in agitation.
"Didn't they say the Navy Headquarters sent that 'Admiral Candidate,' 'Green Bull' Aramaki, to invite Weevil to become a 'new Shichibukai'? Did he just stand there and watch Weevil get killed?"
"What else could it be? An admiral candidate is still just an admiral candidate. If even Akainu can't defeat Davy Jones, what makes you think Aramaki could?"
"Shiryu, you mean Aramaki was killed by Davy Jones too?"
"I wouldn't be surprised. That's exactly the kind of man Davy Jones is. He's already killed one admiral—what difference does another candidate make? Though, it's also possible he ran away."
Teach finally snapped out of his shock.
He glanced at the bewildered Burgess, the icy-eyed Shiryu, and the rest of the silent crew. Then he purposely cleared his throat.
"Cough, cough."
The exaggerated coughing immediately drew everyone's attention.
"You may go," he added to the pirate who had brought the report.
The pirate bowed and left.
"Van Augur."
Teach turned to the man wearing the black horned hat and carrying a long sniper rifle. "You can teleport. Go confirm whether this information is real."
"Understood."
Van Augur stood, adjusting the monocle he used for aiming.
"If it truly is Davy Jones, then it is our fated encounter."
He slung his rifle over his shoulder, stepped sideways—
—and vanished completely.
Members of the Blackbeard Pirates were used to this. But Diamante, who had only seen it a few times, watched with interest.
Shiryu's cold eyes shifted toward Teach.
"The chances that it's really Davy Jones are high. Back during the Summit War, he even intervened to save the Whitebeard remnants once—because of Buggy 'the Star Clown.'"
"So, my dear Admiral Teach… if it IS him, what exactly do you plan to do?"
This was the dilemma that made Teach grimace. It was already in front of him; ignoring it was not an option.
If he chose to confront Davy Jones head-on, then he would be inviting the wrath of a "New Emperor's" entire force.
Judging from what had happened to Davy Jones's enemies so far, the Blackbeard Pirates had little chance of victory.
Teach sometimes took risks, but he would never throw his life away for something meaningless. That wasn't his style, nor was it the style of anyone in his crew.
But if he retreated now, his authority as captain would take a huge hit, and keeping the ambitions of his violent crew in check would become nearly impossible.
Even now, he could see the mocking faces of Shiryu, the horn-rubbing "Corrupt King" Pizarro, the heavily-painted "Crescent Hunter" Catarina Devon, and the drunken "Heavy Drinker" Vasco.
He also couldn't show weakness in front of Diamante, Doflamingo's envoy. That wasn't something a "perfect ally" should do.
I may retreat—but I will not lose.
Teach scratched the hair on his chest and forced a relaxed grin.
"I told you already, didn't I? Don't rush. Let Van Augur confirm first—then we'll decide."
He picked up the last piece of cherry pie on his plate and wiggled it in front of everyone.
"This is the last one. Anyone want it? No? Then I'll enjoy it myself! Zehahahaha—"
Marshal D. Teach looked calm—
At least on the surface.
——
Davy Jones had just finished speaking with "Crocodile" Crocodile. His pale, damp tentacles carefully tucked the pitiful Den-Den Mushi back beneath his cloak.
Kuro and Buggy stood guard nearby, though he hardly needed protection.
A burst of brilliant blue-green flames descended upon the edge of the platform. As the flames dispersed, the long-faced, solemn figure of Marco the Phoenix emerged.
"Captain Davy Jones, Ace, Jozu, and Vista have already summoned all the nearby forces. Everyone is gathered."
Davy Jones looked down from the high platform at the wide plaza below. He saw a dense crowd—but even a rough count was only a bit over three hundred.
The Whitebeard remnants were nothing like their former glory. Their "blood" had been replaced again and again. Having three hundred left at all was only thanks to Whitebeard's lingering prestige.
The old Yonko and Shichibukai were less like pirates and more like regional warlords.
When a pirate crew grows strong enough to absorb entire nations, its nature changes.
They no longer rely on unstable plunder to survive—they begin collecting "protection fees."
The smart ones, like Doflamingo, even used gray markets and war profiteering to become kings of the underworld.
Many pirates joked that the World Government, which collected massive "Heavenly Tribute" from its member nations, was actually the world's largest pirate syndicate—far worse than any of the Yonko.
Countless nations, unable to afford the tribute yet terrified of government retaliation, had no choice but to seek shelter under Newgate and other pirate emperors.
Whitebeard took tribute too, but far more fairly. He truly protected those under him, and demanded less than the World Government—earning genuine loyalty.
Now, by the alliance between the Davy Jones Pirates and Whitebeard's remnants, all of Whitebeard's territories would be turned over to Davy Jones.
Their taxes, weapons, manpower, population, mines—all were now his.
The three hundred Whitebeard pirates had originally stood scattered. But the moment they felt Davy Jones's gaze, they nervously huddled together and formed tidy rows.
No one wanted to offend one of the New Three Emperors, the Deep-Sea King, the man who would soon lead them on their path of vengeance.
When they finally quieted, Davy Jones spoke. His voice wasn't loud, but it resonated unnaturally far through sheer force of Haki.
"Are you prepared?"
The Whitebeard remnants exchanged looks, then roared together with all the fury and hope in their chests:
"WE'RE READY!"
Their voices carried their hatred for the Blackbeard Pirates—and their hope in Davy Jones.
Davy Jones nodded, smiling faintly.
"In that case… before this grand feast of revenge begins—allow me to serve you a little appetizer."
He flicked his black cloak.
The Whitebeard remnants blinked in confusion—
Then a scream rang out.
A great flock of crows erupted skyward like a wave of black cloth.
They were swarming around a man holding a long sniper rifle, wearing a monocle.
He was desperately swinging the rifle to drive the birds off, but his face was covered in blood, and his clothes were torn open in several places.
"It's 'Soundless' Van Augur!"
Recognizing one of the culprits who had killed three of their division commanders, the Whitebeard remnants surged forward.
Sensing danger, Van Augur spun around—
—and vanished.
Unable to catch their enemy, the remnants groaned in frustration.
The crows returned to Davy Jones in a blink. One of them carried a trophy in its talons.
A small eyeball dropped from the bird's claws into Davy Jones's palm.
Marco's eyes went wide. He immediately realized it must belong to Van Augur.
Davy Jones held up the eyeball as though examining a gemstone, letting eerie green light flow into it.
Then he produced an old, yellowed sea chart from his cloak and unfolded it.
A tiny black point appeared on the map—
flickering, fleeing at high speed away from the point labeled "Davy Jones."
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