Saatchi had always respected his comrades.
Never in his life could he believe that Teach would kill him over a Devil Fruit.
He was a swordsman by training; Devil Fruits were never essential to him. If Teach had wanted it, all he had to do was ask—Saatchi would never have refused.
But the one who warned him was "Dad." And if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that Dad would never lie to him, not about this.
Everyone knew how deeply Whitebeard valued bonds.
So with half belief and half doubt in his heart, Saatchi carried on drinking at the banquet with his brothers, until it finally ended and he returned to his quarters. That was when Teach truly came.
Inside the cabin, Saatchi and Teach raised their cups. After they'd drunk their fill, Teach suddenly seemed to grow restless, his curiosity piqued.
"Captain Saatchi," he asked, eyes gleaming, "I heard you captured a Devil Fruit. Mind letting me take a look at it?"
On the surface, Saatchi looked drunk out of his mind. But inside, Whitebeard's warning weighed heavily on him, and he dared not relax for even a moment. The moment Teach shifted the topic toward the Devil Fruit, Saatchi's heart tightened.
This… this was exactly what Dad had said. Would the next moment really be the sneak attack?
Thinking that, Saatchi feigned nonchalance and picked up the fruit from the cabinet beside him.
"Hahaha! I never thought I'd be so lucky this time, to stumble across a Devil Fruit."
"But I don't even know which one it is. I was planning to check the catalog later."
"Hopefully it's a strong one. Otherwise, as a swordsman, I really don't have much interest in eating it."
Still laughing, Saatchi tipped back another cup of wine, his eyes darting to Teach. Teach, meanwhile, was already fixated on the fruit in his hands. His grin widened, twisted into something savage.
"I've found it. Finally, I've found it."
"It's really this one! Hahahahaha!"
Muttering to himself, Teach's gaze lost every shred of affection. From who-knew-where, he produced a gleaming dagger.
"Sorry, Captain Saatchi, but I can't just stand by and watch someone else eat this fruit!"
Saying so, he lunged, driving the dagger straight toward Saatchi's heart. Saatchi, whether from shock or disbelief, didn't move at all.
Only sorrow and grief deepened in his eyes.
But Teach, blinded by the Dark-Dark Fruit, ignored it completely.
Closer. Closer. Almost his. Soon the Dark-Dark Fruit would be his.
Then he'd flee the Whitebeard Pirates and—
Boom!
A violent, thunderous blast of Conqueror's Haki erupted. The heavens roared, the world itself quaked. The very air seemed to shatter beneath its crushing weight.
Everyone aboard was jolted awake by the suffocating pressure.
The sea surged. The ocean trembled violently, as towering waves soared skyward, forming massive waterspouts around the Moby Dick. The sight was apocalyptic.
"Teach!"
The furious, icy voice rolled beneath the weight of that overwhelming Haki. Teach froze, sweat pouring in rivers down his face.
He wanted to drive the dagger home, to kill Saatchi and seize the Dark-Dark Fruit—but under Whitebeard's terrifying aura, his body wouldn't move.
What the hell?!
Hadn't Dad already grown old and frail? How could he still wield such monstrous Conqueror's Haki?
No—it wasn't just as strong as before. This aura felt even more powerful than at Whitebeard's peak!
"I heard Dad's voice! What happened?"
"Why is Dad so angry…? And this scene—it's like twenty years ago all over again!"
"Wait—he called Teach's name. Did Teach do something to enrage him?!"
All over the ship, crewmates stirred, alarmed, shaken from their drunken slumber by Whitebeard's voice and his terrifying Haki. They scrambled from their cabins and rushed to their father's side.
Following his gaze, they saw it: Teach, dagger in hand, his face twisted with rage. And before him, Saatchi, holding the Devil Fruit.
"Teach," Whitebeard's voice rumbled like thunder, "you know the rules of this crew. You never harm your brothers."
"What were you trying to do just now? Kill Saatchi?!"
His eyes locked on Teach, radiating a pressure that made every man present quake.
Teach trembled uncontrollably. Of course he knew what he'd been about to do. Of course he knew the cost of breaking Whitebeard's code. And yet, everything had seemed perfect.
The Dark-Dark Fruit had appeared. He would seize it, kill Saatchi, flee the crew, and form his own pirate band.
It was flawless. So why—why had Whitebeard appeared now?
It made no sense!
This wasn't how it was supposed to go!
"Teach! You were really about to kill Saatchi! Do you even realize what you're doing?!"
"This is unforgivable! Of all things, this is the one crime that can never be tolerated!"
Ace, Marco, and the others stared in shock at Teach. None of them could believe it. The same Teach who had always seemed simple and honest, who laughed and drank with them daily, had tried to kill Saatchi?
The rest of the crew glared daggers. In Whitebeard's crew, many things could be overlooked. But not this. Never this.
Sweat poured from Teach as panic gnawed at him. He needed to say something, anything, to reverse the situation. At the very least, he couldn't admit it—not here. Not now. If he did, he wouldn't just lose the Dark-Dark Fruit. He'd lose his life.
"When Dad told me earlier, I didn't believe it."
It was Saatchi who spoke then, his voice heavy with disappointment as he looked at Teach.
"I couldn't imagine that someone I saw as family, as my brother, would try to kill me over a Devil Fruit."
"But Teach… you've let me down."
"It's just a Devil Fruit. If you had asked, do you think I would've refused?"
"I'm a swordsman. Whether I eat a Devil Fruit or not doesn't matter much to me. If you could make better use of it, I'd have gladly given it to you. But you… you wanted to kill me!"
"Tell me—have you ever really seen me, or any of us, as your brothers?"
Just a Devil Fruit. Nothing more than a Devil Fruit.
Saatchi's words were heartfelt, but Teach had no ear for them. All he could think of now was survival.
Escape.
He had to escape!
Biting down hard on his tongue, he forced himself through the agony, wrenching his body free of Whitebeard's pressure for a brief instant. Without hesitation, he rammed the dagger into Saatchi's abdomen, snatched up the Dark-Dark Fruit, and smashed through the cabin wall into the sea.
"Teach!!!"
Whitebeard's roar shook the night.
(End of Chapter)
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