บท 49: CHAPTER 49

Whitebeard's ship, the Moby Dick.

This pirate ship, which has weathered countless storms alongside Whitebeard, now floats quietly on the sea, bathed in the soft glow of the moonlight, creating an unusually peaceful scene.

"Toot~"

A light knock sounded at the door, and two figures entered the room of Sage, the captain of the fourth division.

"Thatch, Teach and I came to see you."

The visitors were Fire Fist Ace and Teach from the second division.

Ace and Thatch shared a strong bond, and Ace addressed him while holding Alastor's bounty poster.

"It was this guy who hurt you. Luckily, Dad didn't kill him, or I wouldn't have been able to get revenge for you!"

Thatch propped himself up, wincing from the pain. Alastor's injury to him had been severe, and the wound on his chest still throbbed.

"Ace, don't underestimate him. That man was given a 660 million Berries bounty by the Navy. He's not easy to deal with."

Ace threw out a flame to light up the room, his usual confident smile on his face.

"I'm Fire Fist Ace, don't worry, Thatch, I know what to do."

Thatch could only shake his head helplessly. Ace was good at everything, except for being occasionally overconfident and reckless.

Blackbeard, chimed in with a reassuring tone, "Even if that guy is tough, our captain won't lose to him."

Thatch, growing increasingly helpless, changed the subject.

"By the way, Ace, I found something interesting on my recent adventure—a Devil Fruit."

Thatch took out a strangely shaped fruit from behind and showed it to Ace.

"I haven't figured out what kind of Devil Fruit it is yet. Once I do, if it suits me, I'll eat it and gain its ability."

"After all, I don't want to be a burden to Dad and you like I was this time."

Ace stepped closer and examined the fruit.

"Well, this Devil Fruit looks interesting, and it should be a good ability. Thatch, I'll wait for you to recover. Then we'll take revenge together."

As they spoke, neither noticed Teach behind them. The moment he saw the Devil Fruit, his expression shifted from simple and honest to dull, then excited, strange, and finally, crazed.

After Ace finished talking with Thatch, the two said their goodbyes and left.

The room fell silent again.

Thatch lay back on the bed, ready to rest.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been lying there when a sudden shadow fell over him.

"Who?!"

Thatch jerked awake and opened his eyes to find Teach standing over him—who had just left with Ace.

"Teach, why are you…?"

Before he could finish, a sharp dagger was driven into his throat, blood spurting out and staining the sheets and Blackbeard's hands.

"Thief hahahaha, Thatch, you're too alert. Don't you know I don't need sleep?"

"Ah, that's right, you treated me like a companion, just like the captain, who said nice things to me and thought they were true—just like the second fool."

"It's a pity that I, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach, am not as naive as you!"

"The only reason I stayed on this ship was to get my hands on the Dark-Dark Fruit you found, Thatch!"

Blackbeard snatched the fruit from behind Thatch, his eyes flashing with manic excitement.

"I finally got you, the most mysterious and vicious fruit of nature! I've been waiting for decades for this!"

Blackbeard eagerly shoved the entire fruit into his mouth, swallowing it whole, leaving no trace behind.

Thatch, lying in bed, stared at Blackbeard with bloodshot eyes.

If it weren't for the fear of waking the others, Blackbeard would have laughed maniacally.

He lowered his voice and shouted at Thatch:

"What are you looking at me like that for? Are you celebrating my victory?"

"Thief hahaha, of course, we should celebrate! I don't have to pretend to be a good person anymore!"

"I'm finally free!"

"Understand, Thatch?"

Blackbeard jumped off the bed and walked toward the door.

"Thatch, your death is the starting point of my freedom."

"Watch carefully from hell, and soon, it will be the era of Blackbeard! Zehahahaha!"

Blackbeard's figure vanished, merging with the darkness.

Yamato's freedom was a stark contrast to Blackbeard's.

For Yamato, the removal of her handcuffs meant she could finally leave the cursed Onigashima.

She cheered and jumped up like a child, running outside the cave to breathe in the fresh air. The once hateful and oppressive island now seemed strangely attractive.

People in chains and people who are free see the same place in entirely different ways.

Kaido had been a terrible educator in this regard. He only used restraint and oppression to force Yamato to listen, but it only made her rebel.

Alastor watched her with a smile, knowing that this was likely the happiest day of her life.

A bright smile lit up Yamato's face, and the red dragon horns on her forehead swayed with her long white hair. Her fair skin, bathed in moonlight, appeared almost translucent.

As she stretched, Alastor noticed that Yamato had tucked his life card into her chest.

His curiosity piqued, he walked closer to her.

"Yamato, I heard you had an intense fight with Kaido yesterday and destroyed all the palaces there."

The smile on Yamato's face froze; she wouldn't admit it had anything to do with Alastor.

She turned away, snorting.

"I, Joy Boy, went to fight Kaido. Do I need a reason?"

"Is there no other reason?"

"Is there… any other reason?"

"Then how do you explain the life card on your chest?"

"Ah, where are you looking, you—ugh!"

Yamato's eyes widened in shock as her lips were suddenly silenced by a kiss. At the same time, a large hand pressed gently against the back of her head, and her nose was filled with Alastor's strong masculine scent.

Yamato clenched her fists, trying to push him away. But to her surprise, the immense strength that had once rivaled Kaido's seemed to vanish completely.

To Alastor, her strikes felt like mere tickling.

"How so...?" Yamato was utterly confused. Her head was spinning, as what had just happened was something she had never experienced before, nor had she ever imagined it.

In her dazed state, not only were her lips occupied, but she felt an intrusion deep within her.

Yamato's strength suddenly left her body. Taking advantage of this, Alastor reached out with his other hand to wrap around Yamato's slender waist.

The two were pressed closely together.

The moonlight bathed the scene, and Onigashima remained silent.

Kaido, snoring loudly, would probably never have imagined that his rebellious daughter—who always fought him fiercely whenever they met—would have such a submissive moment.

Five minutes later, Alastor pulled away from Yamato.

But Yamato, weak and limp, still leaned against him.

Alastor simply wrapped both arms around her waist, cherishing the warmest and most beautiful moment since his time travel.

However, Yamato didn't share his sentiments.

Only ten seconds later, Yamato regained her strength, suddenly pushing Alastor away. She grabbed her mace and swung it at him, shouting angrily:

"You bad guy, how dare you… hmph, I'm going to beat you up!"

Alastor quickly jumped back. "Hey, Yamato, with that much force, are you really trying to murder your husband?"

"Obviously, you just worked harder!" Yamato snapped.

As soon as the words left her mouth, her dimples deepened with a blush, and embarrassment overtook her. She tightened her grip on the mace.

Alastor was genuinely startled. He could feel the full force of Yamato's strike, and even with his current defensive power, it would cause him moderate damage if he let it land.

"Forget it," he thought. "Let's just endure it and let Yamato vent."

Alastor stopped avoiding her and allowed her to hit him.

[The host receives moderate damage, defense +15]

Moderate injuries were nothing to Alastor, who had been seriously injured multiple times, including once nearly dying. Yet, he still exaggerated the pain on his face.

To his surprise, Yamato wasn't fooled. She pouted and said:

"What are you pretending for? I've noticed that your body is harder than the last time we met. I really don't get what's going on with your physique. Did you eat the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan form?"

"Forget it," she muttered, "I can't be bothered to figure it out. It doesn't matter how tough your body gets, I'll just use more strength to teach you a lesson. Take this!"

She swung the mace again.

Alastor froze, surprised by how much Yamato had grown. Her IQ seemed to have increased as well.

It seemed that Yamato's growth wasn't just physical—it was intellectual, too.

"Forget it," he thought. "As a man, I have to give in to my woman. It's only fair to put up some defense while letting her vent."

Alastor faced Yamato's mace with his bare hands.

[The host receives moderate damage, defense +10]

[The host receives slight damage, defense +5]

[The host receives moderate damage, defense +15]

…

Throughout the second half of the night, the system's notifications didn't stop.

As dawn approached, Yamato finally stopped.

Alastor looked at his bruised body and smiled at Yamato. "Have you calmed down?"

"No!" Yamato seemed angrier than before. She pouted and said:

"Did you do this on purpose? Let me injure you without even pulling out your knife? I can understand that your body has gotten tougher after being injured and heals faster than my Zoan form. It's outrageous!"

Alastor scratched his head. Yamato's IQ had risen too much—how could he continue fooling around with her?

He shrugged and said:

"I'm not as powerful as you think. If I lost an arm, a leg, or had my head chopped off, I'd still die. And if I die, you'll be a widow."

"YOU!" Yamato glared at him angrily.