After victory came celebration.
Following the party, everyone on the ship went to rest except for those assigned to night watch.
Night fell, and only a bright moon hung in the sky.
Thatch held the Yami Yami no Mi in his hand, his eyes full of curiosity.
Among the division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, many were Devil Fruit users.
"I heard this thing tastes terrible. They say it is unbelievably disgusting. Is that really true?"
Thatch lifted the Devil Fruit into the air. Under the moonlight, the fruit appeared even more mysterious.
For a moment,
Thatch even wanted to take a bite just to see whether the rumors about the taste were true.
"Thatch."
At that moment,
A voice sounded behind him.
Thatch turned his head and looked over.
A look of understanding appeared on his face.
"Teach. Come take a look. This is the Devil Fruit we obtained today."
Both Thatch and Marshall D. Teach were veterans of the crew. They interacted frequently and could be considered old friends.
Although Blackbeard had never become a division commander or vice-captain, he was still somewhat famous for having once scarred one of the Four Emperors, Shanks.
Blackbeard slowly walked to Thatch's side and took the fruit into his hand.
"As for this Devil Fruit, I actually know what it is."
"Oh?"
Curiosity appeared on Thatch's face before he suddenly remembered something.
"That's right. You once told me you had seen the Devil Fruit encyclopedia."
"I must have forgotten during the day because we were busy."
As he spoke, Thatch stepped closer and placed the fruit in front of Blackbeard, his face filled with anticipation.
"Go on, tell me. What Devil Fruit is it? What kind of ability does it have?"
"If the ability is good, we will keep it and let one of our own eat it instead of selling it."
"This fruit is called the Dark-Dark Fruit."
Blackbeard looked at Thatch and showed a wide smile.
"This fruit…"
As he spoke,
A terrifying killing intent suddenly burst out from his eyes.
Seeing that Thatch had become distracted with curiosity, Blackbeard slowly raised his right hand that had been hidden in the shadows.
Even though he was on the ship and sailing across peaceful waters, his hand was equipped with a sharp claw weapon.
Slash!
The claw struck down violently.
Even if Thatch reacted quickly, there was no way he could dodge at such close distance.
Moreover, his attention was completely focused on Blackbeard's explanation of the fruit.
Caught completely off guard, Thatch was slashed by Blackbeard.
His right arm was torn straight off his body.
"Teach, what are you doing!"
Thatch staggered backward.
However, the room was not large.
Where could he possibly escape?
His eyes darted toward the place where his twin blades were resting.
Unfortunately,
Blackbeard had clearly prepared for this. There was no chance for him to reach his weapons.
"What am I doing? What do you think a pirate does?"
"Of course I am stealing something."
The killing intent and brutality in Blackbeard's eyes were completely undisguised.
His claw swung again.
The blade plunged straight into Thatch's abdomen.
"AAAAH!"
A painful scream echoed through the room.
Thatch looked at Blackbeard with disbelief.
"If you wanted this Devil Fruit, you could have just told me."
"With our relationship, if you asked for it, how could I refuse?"
"But this is no ordinary Devil Fruit."
Even after losing an arm and having his stomach torn open, Thatch still did not show anger.
However, Blackbeard ignored Thatch's sincerity completely.
He pulled his claw out of Thatch's abdomen.
"What happened here?!"
The first person to arrive was Renji, who lived closest to Thatch because of his position.
Renji had already moved very quickly.
The moment he heard the disturbance coming from Thatch's room, he rushed over.
Even so, he was still a step too late.
Thatch was lying in a pool of blood. His severed right arm lay beside him, and a terrible wound on his chest poured out blood endlessly.
Through the dim light, Renji saw a fleeing figure.
It was Blackbeard from the Second Division.
"Thatch!"
"Thatch!"
Whether it was because of blood loss or something else, Thatch had already lost consciousness. No matter how Renji called out to him, he did not respond.
"Thatch, what happened to you?!"
Panic appeared in Renji's eyes as he hurried forward to examine him.
Fortunately, although Thatch was severely wounded, he had not died.
"Ship doctor!"
Renji immediately ran out and dragged the sleeping doctor into Thatch's room to begin emergency treatment.
Very quickly,
The commotion alerted everyone on the ship.
Portgas D. Ace, along with members of the Second and Fourth Divisions, rushed over.
"Renji, what exactly happened here?"
Ace looked at the heavily bandaged Thatch. Although his life was no longer in immediate danger, he was barely holding on.
Flames began to burn across Ace's body due to his anger.
"I am not entirely sure about the exact situation."
As the one who had discovered the scene, Renji naturally had to explain.
"I heard Thatch screaming in the middle of the night and rushed over. When I arrived, I vaguely saw the figure of Blackbeard Teach from your Second Division."
Renji briefly explained what he had seen and how he had called the ship doctor.
"That is everything I know."
"I see."
Ace nodded.
His gaze turned toward the direction Blackbeard had escaped.
"Teach!"
"Attacking a crewmate and then fleeing is an unforgivable crime anywhere."
"Pursue him!"
"We must kill him!"
Hearing Ace's order,
Several sailors immediately prepared to raise the sails.
"Wait!"
At that moment, Renji stopped them.
"I also know Blackbeard must be killed."
"But now is not the time."
As he spoke,
Renji pointed toward Thatch.
His face was filled with worry.
Although Thatch was not among the strongest fighters in the crew, he had one of the best personalities.
During Renji's year on the ship, Thatch had taken good care of him.
"Captain Thatch's life is still uncertain. Our ship doctor can only keep him alive temporarily."
"The most urgent matter is returning to the ship of Pops so the main doctors can treat him."
Hearing Renji's words, Ace still spoke stubbornly.
"That makes sense."
"You take the Fourth Division ship back. I will lead the Second Division to pursue him."
"That will not work either."
Renji immediately rejected the idea again.
"This is the New World. I am only a vice-captain, and we have wounded aboard. How can we guarantee we will not be attacked?"
"Ace, I know you are angry. But the more we feel like this, the more we must stay calm."