Chapter 174: Fourth Phantom Beast Devil Fruit
Teach knew from an early age that he was different from ordinary people.
While everyone else needed sleep, he never did—not once had he slept or even felt tired. From birth until now, Teach had been wide awake, which effectively gave him twice the time in his life compared to others.
This meant he had double the hours to practice and train his body, and his untiring stamina allowed him to sharpen his skills even further. Despite being only a year older than Shanks, Teach's abilities grew at an extraordinary rate. The two crossed paths for a second time when Shanks returned to the New World from East Blue after their first encounter during the clash between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Roger Pirates in their youth.
During that second meeting, Teach left a permanent scar on Shanks, who was still adjusting to life after losing his dominant arm. This scar later became a symbol on the Red Hair Pirates' flag. The incident demonstrated that Teach's strength wasn't far behind Shanks, even among the three prominent young members of the Whitebeard and Roger Pirates.
If Teach's full strength were ever revealed, he'd undoubtedly be a prime candidate for the position of second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, which had remained vacant for years.
However, Teach's ambitions went far beyond leading the second division. Having witnessed the greatness of both Whitebeard and Roger firsthand, Teach longed to be a dominant force like them. For years, he had sailed with Whitebeard, witnessing his captain's immense power over the pirate world. In his dreams, Teach often saw himself as Whitebeard, wielding the destructive power of the Paramecia Quake-Quake Fruit, becoming the strongest man in the world.
Though he admired Whitebeard for taking him in, it was Whitebeard's power that Teach truly revered the most. So when Teach stumbled upon the "Devil Fruit Encyclopedia" and read about the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit, an audacious idea formed in his mind.
This bold notion was the reason why Teach, who had previously been active in front-line battles, began to lay low as more pirates joined the Whitebeard Pirates, eventually becoming part of the world's strongest pirate crew. He transformed into a seemingly simple and unassuming man, patiently waiting for the perfect opportunity.
There was no better chance of obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit than while being a part of the top pirate crew in the world. If he could get his hands on that fruit, his grand, dangerous ambitions could finally be realized. And if not, Teach planned to stay with the Whitebeard Pirates until Whitebeard passed away. Once that happened, he'd try to seize the reborn Quake-Quake Fruit and resume chasing his dream.
This was Teach's original plan.
But a few years ago, his plan changed slightly—after hearing about one of Kahn's bounties.
"Could it be that someone else has the same idea as me? Or maybe they've also figured out the hidden power of the Dark-Dark Fruit?" Teach wondered.
Over the years, Teach had continued sailing with the Whitebeard Pirates, travelling alongside Marco and the others while secretly investigating the person who had placed the bounty on the Dark-Dark Fruit.
Teach's suspicion had narrowed down to two main factions offering the bounty: one was the World Government, with its 800-year history, and the other was the Cross Family—besides the World Government, the wealthiest force in the world.
Those who had once offered a bounty for the Paramecia Op-Op Fruit might also be the same two forces: the World Government and the Cross Family.
Because of this, Teach felt an overwhelming sense of urgency. During battles, he was particularly active in looting enemy treasure hoards, always hoping to find a Devil Fruit hidden among the spoils. However, when it came to directly confronting the World Government or the Cross Family, even Teach—bold as he was—didn't dare entertain the thought. His strength, though hidden, was only that of a top cadre at best, and compared to the likes of the world's strongest overlords or creatures, he was no more than an ant.
Teach knew that unless he could abandon his ambitions, acquire two powerful Devil Fruits, and become the unprecedented user of two abilities, he would never be strong enough to challenge those titans. His ultimate goal was to obtain the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit and the Paramecia Quake-Quake Fruit. As long as there was a sliver of hope, Teach was unwilling to give up—that was his tenacity.
However, with the recent news that the sky-high bounty for the Dark-Dark Fruit had been withdrawn, indicating that the fruit had been claimed, Teach's dreams were shattered. Whether it was the World Government or the Cross Family who had acquired it, Teach knew he didn't stand a chance of taking it from either.
Teach could only hope and pray now that the World Government hadn't claimed the Dark-Dark Fruit. If it were placed in Mariejois, his chances of getting it would be nonexistent. On the other hand, if the Cross Family had obtained it, Teach desperately wished that Kahn wouldn't allow his maid to eat the fruit—otherwise, his hopes would vanish entirely.
Unfortunately for Teach, his prayers went unanswered.
The new user of the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit had already been born, signalling the rise of a sixth powerhouse within the Cross Family. After Carina ate the Dark-Dark Fruit, Kahn wasted no time in testing its most unique ability—capturing a Devil Fruit.
The target of this test was none other than the unlucky Kurozumi Orochi.
It had been several years since the Cross Family had occupied Wano Country, wiping out all threats on the island. The skilled warriors had either been killed or turned into dolls by Sugar's powers. Even the Red Scabbards had been transformed into dolls due to the Perennial Youth Operation, effectively erasing them from the memories of everyone who knew them.
Now, the "Red Scabbards" present on the island were actually the Kuja Warriors—women who aspired to be men.
With the island's threats neutralized, Wano was left with only ordinary civilians. Kahn, uninterested in offering special treatment to these people, replaced the gruel from Kaido's reign with regular meals. After all, mining required strength, and these civilians were useful as labourers to extract Wano's mineral resources.
Once Wano had been mined dry, Kahn planned to relocate these labourers to another mineral-rich island to continue their work.
With no remaining threats on the island, Kurozumi Orochi had lost all value, making him expendable. Thus, Kahn decided to end his life.
He instructed Monet to return the souls of Kurozumi Orochi and the Kuja Warriors to their original bodies. Grabbing the terrified Orochi by the neck, Kahn swiftly killed him without giving him a chance to plead for mercy.
Following Kahn's instructions, Carina then used her newly acquired Dark-Dark Fruit powers, holding a fruit in one hand while releasing a thick black mist from the other. The mist enveloped both her and Kurozumi's corpse. After several minutes, the mist cleared, revealing Carina and Kurozumi's body.
At first glance, it seemed like nothing had changed. But upon closer inspection, the fruit in Carina's hand had transformed—it now bore the distinctive spiral pattern of a Devil Fruit.
That fruit was none other than the Zoan-type Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: Yamata no Orochi, a Mythical Zoan even rarer than a Logia-type fruit. This marked the Cross Family's acquisition of their fourth Devil Fruit.
As for the third? It had been claimed by Yamato, who had eaten the Mythical Zoan Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Okuchi no Makami.
------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone