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Chapter 169: Blackbeard the Bee
🕑 Added 2025-09-04 13:44:33 +0000 UTCChapter 169: Blackbeard the Bee
Slap!
Teach's right hand shot out, almost uncontrollably, and snatched the purple Devil Fruit, about to shove it into his mouth.
But unfortunately, a hand, even faster than his, clamped down on his wrist. No matter how hard Teach pulled, he couldn't move it an inch.
Who dares to stop me!
Teach's head snapped up, his face a savage mask, his eyes bloodshot!
But when he saw Shane's bewildered, confused expression, a jolt went through him, as if a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him. He instantly came to his senses and released his right hand.
No.
I can't just take it.
What am I thinking?
This guy is a terrifying monster who has defeated the Dark King, Rayleigh, and has repeatedly humiliated the Marine Admirals…
"Teach?!" Marco's stunned voice came. "What's wrong with you? What are you doing?"
"Zehahaha! My apologies! My apologies!"
A cold sweat broke out on Teach's forehead, but he quickly forced a smile and scratched his head. "I'm so sorry, Lord Shane, Commander. I… I don't know why. When I saw this fruit, it was as if I felt some kind of resonance in my blood. I had this overwhelming urge to eat it, and my heart was pounding like a drum! Zehahaha!"
He laughed, as simple-hearted as ever, and with just the right amount of confusion and embarrassment… perfectly concealing the seething hatred in his eyes.
Dammit!
Why, why did this fruit have to be in this brat's hands?!
And why did I have to run into it on Fish-Man Island, ten thousand meters under the sea, where it's not even easy to run away after a falling out!
And I'm surrounded by these meddling fools, Marco and Namur…
"Resonance?"
Marco was taken aback and stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Neptune said, a look of understanding on his face, "I've heard that a Devil Fruit will sometimes choose its destined user. Could it be that Mr. Teach and this Devil Fruit are a match made in heaven?"
I didn't realize you were so sharp, old man. Teach glanced at Neptune.
"That's the rumor. No wonder Teach suddenly lost his composure," Marco said, a look of realization on his face. He turned to Shane. "Little brother, what's the name of this Devil Fruit?"
"That, I don't know," Shane said, shaking his head and pointing to the cactus-like fruit on the table. "I was just going to take this one out, Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit. As for the other two, I confiscated them from some World Government agents a while ago. I don't know what type they are. You Whitebeard guys have seen a lot. I was actually going to ask you."
He smiled and looked at Teach. "Do you know, Teach?"
"Zehahaha…" Teach said with a dry laugh, shaking his head like a rattle. "You overestimate me, my lord. I can't even read properly. How would I know something like that?"
Marco and Namur also wracked their brains for a long time, but they both shook their heads. This was not their area of expertise.
But that wasn't important.
What was important was that Teach had taken a liking to this fruit. They were fated, weren't they?
"It's a little embarrassing to ask, but… little brother Shane, I have a favor to ask…"
Marco said, adjusting his glasses, his voice gentle. "This Devil Fruit, I wonder if you could sell it to Teach. You can name your price, but I didn't bring much money with me on this trip. I'll have to wait until I get back to—"
"What's this?! Talking about money is so vulgar!"
Shane laughed and casually tossed the fruit to Marco. "I'm not short on this kind of thing anyway. Just take it as a gift! Catch!"
SWISH!
Teach fought the urge to snatch the fruit from the air, his eyes glued to its trajectory as it flew toward Marco.
Marco subconsciously caught the fruit, a little surprised.
"Pops was right about you! You really are a generous and straightforward guy!"
Marco grinned. "I can't make any promises on behalf of Pops, but I can make one on my own. From now on, I owe you a favor. If you ever need any help, just come and find me!"
As he spoke, Marco handed the fruit directly to Teach.
"Here, Teach, take it. If you can't wait, you can eat it now."
"But I suggest you wait until we get back to the ship and ask Pops what it is. It's not too late to eat it then. Pops will definitely recognize it!"
"Commander Marco…"
Teach was so moved he was in tears. He took the fruit with trembling hands, his voice choked with emotion. "I'll just eat it now. There's no need to bother Pops with something like this… Commander, you're too good to me! I… I don't know how I can ever repay you!"
"What are you talking about, Teach?!"
Marco slapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "We're comrades! Your business is my business!"
Shane watched all of this with a grin.
He had been sincere. This fruit was just something he was going to get rid of anyway, and to get a favor from Marco out of it was a pleasant surprise.
Speaking of which, he had always wondered about something.
Why had Blackbeard killed Thatch to get the fruit?
They had been comrades for so many years. Even if Blackbeard had just said that he was very interested in the fruit, Thatch probably wouldn't have hesitated to just hand it over.
And now, he knew.
"Tsk, in the end, it's because he's not strong enough…"
Shane thought to himself, his gaze sweeping over Teach's seemingly simple-hearted face.
If, in the other timeline, a powerhouse like Marco had found the Dark-Dark Fruit, would Blackbeard have dared to just kill him and take it?
Of course not.
He would have just continued to play the fool, just like now, and would have used his tears and his acting to get the fruit. He would have never dared to tear off his mask.
Because Marco was strong enough, so strong that Blackbeard couldn't be sure if he could take him down before anyone else was alerted. In fact, before he had eaten the fruit, it was doubtful if he could have even beaten Marco.
But Thatch… was too weak.
So weak that in Blackbeard's eyes, he was no different from an ant. So he hadn't even bothered to act and had chosen the simplest method.
—To kill him and take the fruit, and then to flee.
…
At this moment, Teach's act was finally over. He wiped away his tears with his sleeve and, with trembling hands, he brought the purple fruit to his lips.
Finally… finally, it's mine!
The Dark-Dark Fruit!
The fruit that can swallow everything, like a black hole! The fruit that can take away others' abilities! The fruit that will help him to achieve his ambitions!
I've waited for over twenty years! Twenty years! And now, the moment is finally here!
CRUNCH!
He took a bite.
In an instant, his expression froze, and his face turned a little green.
So it's true…
Marco seemed to have expected this. He rested his chin on his hand and watched with a grin.
But to his surprise, Teach's chewing only slowed for a moment, and then he began to eat with great gusto, a look of enjoyment on his face.
"Huh?"
Namur was surprised. "Why does Teach look so happy? Aren't Devil Fruits supposed to be disgusting?"
"That's strange,"
Marco also scratched his head, bewildered. "When I ate my fruit, it was like eating rotten, smelly meat. It was so disgusting."
"Is that so?"
Teach grinned, revealing his missing teeth, and laughed heartily. "Zehahaha! Is that what happened?! I didn't feel a thing!"
He suddenly rubbed his hands together and continued to eat, faster and faster.
In a few bites, he had swallowed the entire Devil Fruit, not even leaving the stem or the leaves. He even licked the corners of his mouth clean, afraid of missing even a single drop.
Delicious!
Delicious, so delicious!!!
Is there anything more delicious in this world?
Teach then rubbed his feet.
It's coming! That strange feeling, as if the entire world is becoming clearer, slower…
"Hey, Teach,"
Marco's voice came. "Hurry up and try out your new ability! Let's see what kind of fruit it is!"
"Alright, Commander!"
Teach grinned and spread his arms, a savage glint in his eyes. "Then let's all see it together! Zehahaha!"
Although he had obtained the ability he had dreamed of, it would still be difficult to defeat all of these guys at once. He had no intention of taking that risk.
But now that he was being asked to show off, that was a different story. Perhaps he really did have a chance…
He suddenly activated his ability!
BUZZ, BUZZ!
A pair of giant, transparent wings suddenly sprouted from Teach's back. They beat at an incredible speed, creating a buzzing sound that was almost too fast for the naked eye.
Everyone was taken aback.
"A-A bee?"
Marco said, puzzled. "It doesn't look like it. It looks more like…"
Before he could finish his sentence, Teach's body suddenly began to shrink rapidly. Fine hairs sprouted on the surface of his body, and his back took on a bluish-green, oily sheen.
His head swelled into a ball, and his red compound eyes split and multiplied, instantly taking up most of his face. His mouth also became a pair of mandibles that opened in the middle…
In just two or three seconds, Teach had completely transformed into his beast form, a giant, ball-sized, iridescent green fly.
"Zeha…?!"
Teach's laugh was cut short.
He stiffly touched his mouthparts and then, in disbelief, he raised his hairy front legs and waved them in front of his face.
And then he looked at his reflection on the ground.
He finally realized what he had become.
…
In the massive banquet hall, a dead silence fell.
Shane, the Whitebeard crew, Neptune, and the Ryugu guards at the door all stared at the comical, ugly, giant fly.
And then…
Someone couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a snort. And then everyone else also couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
"PUHAHAHA!!!"
Namur slammed the table, laughing so hard he couldn't open his eyes. "A fly! It's a fly! What's the deal, Teach?! So the fruit that resonated with you was the Fly-Fly Fruit?! Is there really a fruit like that in this world?!"
"Teach, you idiot!"
Marco was already on the floor, clutching his stomach and rolling with laughter.
"Didn't I tell you?! It's better to wait until we get back and ask Pops what it is before you eat it! You just had to be so impatient!"
Even the Ryugu guards were laughing and whispering among themselves. "So gross, such a big fly…"
"You think he'll start liking to eat poop now that he's a fly?"
"Shh! Be polite! Don't say that about a subordinate of Whitebeard… puhahahahahahaha!!"
…
At the head of the banquet table, Shane was also laughing so hard he was bent over, without a care for his image.
It couldn't be helped. The scene, the image, anyone who could not laugh at this could probably be diagnosed with depression.
A fat, big, Chopper-sized Fly-beard, it was just too funny.
The only thing that could have been more eye-searing would have been a "Love-Love" version of Sweet-beard.
…
Teach stood there, frozen, listening to the laughter from all around him.
He stared at his reflection on the ground, his breathing growing heavier and heavier, his wings still beating mechanically.
It's not the Dark-Dark Fruit.
It's not the Dark-Dark Fruit…
How could this be!
Twenty years of waiting…
Twenty years of forbearance…
…and all for this ugly, disgusting form, for this pair of constantly buzzing fly wings?!
And he looked around, at all these laughing bastards.
Killing intent!
A cold, murderous intent, accompanied by an infinite rage, welled up from the bottom of Teach's heart, almost swallowing his reason, and he wanted to just kill them all, to twist the necks of everyone who was laughing.
But in the end, the killing intent quickly dissipated.
"AAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Teach suddenly let out an inhuman howl. He frantically clawed at his back, trying to tear off his wings. "This isn't real! Disappear! Disappear!!!"
However, the more agitated he became, the more frantically his wings beat, even sending him spinning in the air.
This time, he really did look like a headless fly that had been sprayed with insecticide, crashing into the pillars and walls, a comical and ridiculous sight.
"Teach! Come down! Calm down!"
Marco stopped laughing and looked up, his voice full of concern.
He stood up and went into the air, trying to grab the out-of-control Teach, but he was pushed back by the strong wind from his frantically beating wings.
"Stay away from me!"
Teach's red eyes were blazing, or rather, his countless compound eyes were already red. "Laugh! Laugh! Laugh! Is it that funny?! What are you pretending to comfort me for?! I've turned into a fly! If it were you, could you calm down?!"
"What, the legendary phoenix is going to show off in front of a fly now, is that it?!"
"Zehahaha!! You, Neptune, and that Shane, you were all in on it! You were all just trying to trick me, to make me turn into a fly and embarrass myself, weren't you!"
"Teach!"
Marco frowned. He could understand Teach's despair at this moment, but… "You're going too far. Don't be like this."
"Who cares?! I'm a fly! Is there anything worth caring about anymore?! I'm a fly!!!"
Seeing the giant fly still frantically crashing around, and cracking the ceiling and pillars of the banquet hall, Marco sighed.
He flashed behind him and kicked him hard.
"Sorry, Teach."
Teach's body went stiff, and he fell from the sky, unconscious.
His body reverted to his human form, but there were still some residual bestial features, like the oily sheen of his skin, and his hands and feet, which were curled up like tentacles…
Shane just glanced at him and then looked away. He was afraid he would burst out laughing again.
But speaking of which…
This guy was a really good actor.
He had been kicked by Marco, and he had just passed out?
How could that be?
Even without relying on the power of his fruit, this guy's physique was close to the highest level in the world.
And that mad, rambling act from before was also probably just an act.
It was just the huge letdown after his lifelong ambition had been so close, and then had been snatched away, that had made Blackbeard's emotions collapse, and he had even wanted to kill everyone in the room.
But his deep cunning had made him realize that he couldn't just start his own crew and pursue his dream just yet. He still had to go back to the Whitebeard ship and continue to bide his time. He couldn't really tear off his mask.
So, he had just gone with it, pretending that he couldn't accept reality, and had just waited for Marco to knock him out.
This way, he could both vent his emotions and not let his anger get the better of him, and he could also save a little face.
