After the battle ended, Portgas D. Ace finally saw who the enemy captain was when he entered the captain's cabin.
The opponent was a well-known pirate with a bounty as high as 350 million.
There were also nearly five hundred pirates on the enemy ship.
That number was even greater than the combined crews of Ace and Thatch.
"No wonder the fight was so difficult."
Ace sighed helplessly.
At this moment, he felt fortunate that he had not acted recklessly and had followed the arrangements of Edward Newgate.
"Sometimes you are just too confident. There are still plenty of strong people in this world."
Thatch looked at Ace with a smile on his face.
"I heard before that on a certain island there was a civilian expert with strength comparable to an Admiral. Not to mention pirate crews that can reach the New World."
Ace nodded in agreement.
However, judging from his expression, he had not truly taken Thatch's words to heart.
Outside the captain's cabin, Renji was directing the others to move the treasures from the ship, and he felt somewhat disappointed.
"The battle ended too quickly."
It had been three years since he arrived in the world of One Piece.
He had also joined the Whitebeard Pirates for more than a year.
Through collecting attributes, Renji had already reached the threshold of a Yonko commander level fighter.
Observation Haki, Armament Haki, and Conqueror's Haki were all abilities he could use skillfully.
He originally thought this naval battle would allow him to break through to the true level of a Yonko commander, but in the end he was still just one step short.
"What ended too quickly?"
A passing pirate looked at Renji with confusion.
"Of course the battle."
Renji did not hide his thoughts.
Of course, he would never say that it was because the battle ended too quickly and he did not have enough time to collect attributes to push his strength to the next level.
"Our brothers are growing stronger too quickly."
Hearing Renji's words, the pirate smiled shyly.
"That is all thanks to the training you give us every day, Vice-Captain."
Naval battles like this were actually quite rare.
Although the New World did not have much control from the World Government, it was ruled by the Four Emperors.
Even though the Four Emperors had differences in strength, the gap between them was not overwhelming. If they truly fought each other, the most likely result would be mutual destruction, so everyone tried their best to avoid conflict.
This created a strange situation.
Although pirates ruled the New World, the balance between the Four Emperors kept everyone from acting too recklessly, which made the seas appear surprisingly peaceful.
Because of this, Renji used his position as the Fourth Division Vice-Captain to train the pirates so that he could create opportunities to collect attributes.
"You sure know how to flatter."
Renji replied casually and looked behind the pirate.
"Is there no one left back there?"
The pirate nodded.
"Yes. The treasure on this ship has already been completely moved. The chest in my hands is the last one."
"Good."
Renji answered and followed him back to Thatch's ship.
At this moment, several high ranking members were gathered on the deck.
These included Ace, Thatch, the vice-captain of the Second Division, as well as other officers from the Second and Fourth Divisions.
The Whitebeard Pirates had an unwritten rule. When gathering spoils of war, whoever found something first could keep it.
"Hm? A Devil Fruit?"
Hearing Thatch's voice, everyone turned to look in his direction.
After confirming that Thatch was not joking, envy immediately appeared in everyone's eyes.
"What kind of fruit is it?"
"I do not know. Do any of you recognize it?"
"This Devil Fruit looks quite unique."
"Which Devil Fruit does not look unique?"
A group of people stared blankly at the fruit.
None of them had ever seen a Devil Fruit encyclopedia, so they had no way to identify it.
Everyone spoke one after another. The discussion was lively, but there was no real progress, and certainly no answer.
"Renji, good work."
When Thatch saw Renji return, he quickly called him over.
"Do you know what Devil Fruit this is?"
Hearing Thatch's question, Renji stepped forward with curiosity.
After observing the Devil Fruit carefully, he hesitated and shook his head.
He had started watching One Piece out of curiosity because of its fame.
Although the story and characters were exciting, the series had too many episodes. When Renji transmigrated into this world, he had only watched a little over two hundred episodes. He had not even reached halfway through the story.
Devil Fruits were one of the most iconic powers in the series, but many had not appeared yet in the part he had seen. The fruit before him was one that had been foreshadowed for a major turning point later in the story.
"I do not know," Renji replied frankly. "Whatever kind of Devil Fruit it is, why worry about it? Ask around the ship and see if anyone wants it. If someone wants it, give it to them. If no one wants it, we can just sell it for money."
Thatch nodded.
"That is what I was thinking too."
"But you know the value of Devil Fruits fluctuates a lot."
"If we could identify which Devil Fruit it is, we might earn more from it."
At the same time,
A pirate who had been chatting with others nearby glanced over after hearing the discussion.
That pirate was Marshall D. Teach.
He had seen a Devil Fruit encyclopedia before. If he could help identify it, he would not refuse.
That single glance caused him to freeze completely.
The swirling patterns that resembled auspicious clouds or tomoe.
The dark purple fruit skin.
Was this not the Devil Fruit he had dreamed about for years?
The Yami Yami no Mi.
"Twenty years. Twenty years…"
Blackbeard's breathing grew heavier, and his eyes filled with greed and burning desire.
The world was vast. Vast enough that many people could spend their entire lives without leaving the island where they were born.
At the same time, the world was also small.
So small that there was only one Devil Fruit capable of stirring Blackbeard's heart.
It was precisely because of this Dark-Dark Fruit that Blackbeard had joined the Whitebeard Pirates. After the death of Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard was recognized as the strongest man on the seas and was often called the uncrowned Pirate King.
By staying aboard Whitebeard's ship, the chances of obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit or hearing information about it were the highest.
Originally,
After more than twenty years had passed, even Blackbeard himself no longer believed he would ever encounter the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Yet today, it had appeared.
Joy.
Madness.
He wanted to rush forward and seize it immediately.
But he suppressed that insane impulse.
Whether it was Ace or Thatch, both were opponents not much weaker than him.
Not to mention the more than two hundred pirates from the Second and Fourth Divisions standing nearby.
Blackbeard barely suppressed the urge to grab the fruit, but madness and killing intent filled his eyes.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit! The Dark-Dark Fruit! The Dark-Dark Fruit!"
At this moment, Blackbeard's mind had already become somewhat twisted.
In his eyes, Thatch was no longer a companion who had spent more than twenty years beside him.
Instead, he had become an obstacle standing in the way of his path forward.
"Kill him. Kill him and take back the Dark-Dark Fruit. That was always meant to be mine."