"'A hyena that hides in the shadows,' huh?"
Hearing BIG MOM's undisguised contempt for Blackbeard Teach, Gern Reginald Sigmar raised an eyebrow. A flicker of genuine surprise passed through his eyes.
This evaluation from one of the Four Emperors was worlds apart from the tone of "potential collaborator" that Charlotte Perospero had implied.
"Mamamama!" Catching the unfiltered astonishment on Gern's face, BIG MOM let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "What else would I call him?"
"Should Mama address him respectfully as 'Blackbeard'?"
Disgust twisted her features, as if merely speaking of him had soiled the air.
"A treacherous cur with no sense of honor!
A worm who betrayed the 'family' that took him in and committed the most unforgivable crime aboard that old man Whitebeard's ship!"
Her voice carried not just personal irritation, but the fierce defense of an unspoken rule of the old era—a code forged in blood and fire. And within it, absolute disdain for betrayal.
"So he schemes in the dark and steals power—does that make him a great hero? Ridiculous!
A true conqueror would never lack the courage to bear consequences, nor the magnanimity to stand in the open.
He thinks he acts like a hero of the age, yet he has none of the bearing.
He's nothing more than a stray dog skulking in the dark, waiting for his chance to pounce—tearing into the man he called 'father' and ripping away his power!"
As she spoke, her eyes never left Gern. There was vigilance there—but also something like an unspoken test, gauging whether he understood the fundamental difference she was describing.
Finally, she declared, her voice ringing like a hammer strike:
"If that's not a hyena, then what is?!
I bet Newgate only took him in because that brat's face reminded him of someone. And in the end… heh. A son not worthy of his father."
Gern listened in silence, understanding settling quietly within him.
BIG MOM's harsh condemnation was colored by her own emotions, but it revealed something undeniable.
In the present era of the seas—especially among those titans who had fought their way through the old age of monsters—Blackbeard Teach and the way he conducted himself were deeply despised. With the sole exception of the likes of Wang Zhi, few regarded him with anything but contempt.
Yes, he had clawed his way to power through schemes and ruthlessness, barely claiming a seat among the Emperors.
But in the shadow of Whitebeard's fall—and in contrast to the blazing end of the Golden Lion Shiki—his so-called "success," built upon betrayal and plunder, earned him no respect in the eyes of the true veterans.
Instead, it only cemented the image of a scavenger.
A creature that dared approach only when the old king lay dying or fallen—gnawing at the corpse once the battle was already over.
Especially after that final, earth-shattering slash Shiki had delivered to Blackbeard—burning away his own life in the process.
That blade had not only gravely wounded Teach.
It had branded him forever with the mark of a hyena.
"Oh?" Gern said lightly, picking up on her tone, a trace of amusement threading his voice. "From the way you describe him… this so-called 'cooperation' between you sounds rather hollow. Or perhaps… hollow in name only?"
"Cooperation?! Mamamama!"
BIG MOM roared with laughter as if he'd told the greatest joke in the world. Her massive frame trembled with the force of it.
"That skulking hyena simply set his sights on Mama's treasured Road Poneglyph and wants to take a rubbing!"
So she knew exactly what Blackbeard was after.
"He babbled about how they've been 'hunting' ability users, stockpiling rare Devil Fruits to trade with Mama…"
"Hmph! What a joke!"
She swung Napoleon dismissively, her voice dripping with disdain for empty promises.
"He thinks he can wave around vague talk and fool me?
Does he take me for some backwater rookie pirate who's never seen the world?!
One Devil Fruit—whose existence isn't even confirmed, whose ability isn't even specified—and he expects me to hand over the key to the final island? Dream on!"
(For context: There are roughly thirty Poneglyphs scattered across the world. Among them, the four red Road Poneglyphs are the most crucial.
By deciphering the unique information recorded on these four stones, one can accurately chart the route to the end of the Grand Line—
the legendary island Laugh Tale, where the "One Piece" lies.
Currently, one Road Poneglyph is safeguarded in the Whale Forest on Zou, on the back of the giant elephant, under the protection of the Mink Tribe.
Two others are in the possession of the Four Emperors—Charlotte Linlin and Kaido of the Beasts.
The fourth—and the one every force on the sea desperately seeks—once resided on Fish-Man Island.
Now, it is rumored to be in the hands of a man scarred by flames.)
Watching BIG MOM's attitude, a faint glimmer of understanding crossed Gern's eyes.
As in the original course of events, Blackbeard's public goal might have been turning Pirate Island into a World Government–affiliated nation.
But his true ambition had never wavered.
To gather the keys to Laugh Tale.
To ascend the throne of Pirate King.
And even in seeking "cooperation" with BIG MOM, his approach remained the same—calculated, opportunistic, reeking of an attempt to seize something for nothing.
"It seems this 'hyena' has an appetite even bigger than expected," Gern said calmly.
But his gaze sharpened as it fixed once more on BIG MOM.
"So, faced with a hyena offering empty promises in exchange for your most precious treasure… what was your answer?"
He needed clarity.
Had she truly rejected Blackbeard outright?
Or had she left even the smallest crack open?
"Rejected."
"Because… he didn't meet my conditions."
"However…"
Her eyes suddenly shifted, locking onto Gern. Something clicked in her mind. The savage fury that had burned there earlier softened—just slightly.
"Oi, Marine brat!"
She abruptly changed the subject.
"Mama almost forgot… you're holding a Road Poneglyph too."
"My Road Poneglyph?" Gern pointed at himself.
"That's right—the one on Zou!" she said with certainty.
Because of Lipo—one of Gern's "Calamities," whose ties to the Mink Tribe ran deep—the entire island of Zou and its inhabitants were already deeply aligned with Gern's forces.
For that reason, even though the existence of that Road Poneglyph was hardly the tightest secret, no one in the chaotic waters of the New World had dared test Gern's patience by touching it.
At present, the holders of Road Poneglyphs were:
Representing the Marines—"Heavenly Tremor" Gern Reginald Sigmar.
Representing the pirates—Emperor Charlotte Linlin and Emperor Kaido of the Beasts.
As for Red-Haired Shanks, he had traveled with Roger in his youth to gather all four stones—though whether he possessed a copied rubbing was unknown.
Blackbeard and the rest of the Worst Generation held nothing.
"How about it, Marine brat…"
A nearly "kind" smile—oppressive and suffocating—spread across BIG MOM's enormous face.
"Want to make a deal with Mama?"
She swayed Napoleon lightly in her hand, her tone carrying unmistakable temptation.
"What I have is exactly what you don't.
And what you have… is precisely what Mama lacks."
She lifted a gloved finger and mimed an exchange.
"Why don't we… trade rubbings?"
"Mamamama! That way, we'll each hold two Road Poneglyphs!
'One Piece'—someone like you must want to see it too, right?!"
The air seemed to freeze once more.
It was, without question, an extraordinarily tempting proposal.
No bloodshed. No plunder.
Just shared information.
And both sides would instantly gain half the keys to Laugh Tale.
For anyone aiming at the Pirate King's throne—or for someone like Gern, who sought to control the balance of power across the seas—it was dangerously close to a shortcut.
All eyes turned to him.
Even members of the Charlotte Family, peeking from afar, held their breath.
Would he accept this "mutually beneficial" offer from an Emperor?
From their perspective, the deal carried no risk.
If it succeeded—
And if the one from Fish-Man Island truly remained where rumor claimed—
Then with three Road Poneglyphs in his grasp…
Gern Reginald Sigmar would become the man closest—
Closest of anyone alive—
To the "One Piece" spoken of by Roger himself.