On a ship sailing through the New World, Teach sat inside his , uain of his destination or whom he was about to meet. The only thing he knew was that the person he was about to see had to be someoruly formidable. After all, this person was the master of Enel, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

  "I never expected Eo have someone above him. What kind of man could make someone like Enel bow his head and call him 'master'?" Teach wondered as he took a bite from an apple.

  When he first approached Enel about acquiring the Dark-Dark Fruit, he had offered him anything in exge, whatever Enel waeach would try his best to provide. Surprisingly, Enel hadn't turned him down.

  However, just as Teach was about to celebrate, Eold him that the Dark-Dark Fruit wasn't in his possession anymore. He had already given it away to someone else.

  Teach had felt a chill run down his spi that moment. But fortunately, Enel had also told him that the Dark-Dark Fruit hadn't been ed yet. If Teach still wa, he could arrange for him to meet this so-called "big shot."

  As someone who had gambled his entire life on obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, Teaaturally couldn't just walk away. At the same time, he became deeply intrigued by the man who had earned Enel's loyalty. Without hesitation, he agreed.

  Enel had then arranged for a ship to take Teaeet his master.

  That brought Teach to his current situation. It had been half a month sihey had set sail, and he had yet to reach his destination.

  With each passing day, his suspis grew stronger.

  It wasn't as if he hadn't sidered the possibility of a trap. Teach was well aware that there might be some kind of spiracy at py here. But he had no choice, if he wahe Dark-Dark Fruit, he had to take the risk.

  Finishing his apple, Teach didn't even leave behind the core, he simply swallowed what was left ie. Just as he was about to take a drink, there was a knock at the door.

  "Your Excellency Teach, we're almost there," a voice called from outside.

  Teach's eyes lit up, and then he burst into ughter. "Zehahahaha! Finally, huh? I'll be right there!"

  After tidying himself up, he stepped out of the and onto the deck. He sed the surroundings, still nothing but opehere were no isnds in sight.

  That surprised him. So they're not takio some kind of base?

  Theurned his gaze toward the waters up ahead. A massive sailing warship loomed in the distance, rge enough to rival a small isnd. Its enormous sail, which seemed to blot out the sun, bore the emblem of a celestial dragon's hoof.

  Teach's heart skipped a beat. The Celestial Dragons?!

  As the initial shock wore off, his mind raced with specutiotered to himself in astonishment, "This is the Prometheus… the ship of Cudius, the ohey call Donquixote Cudius."

  "So… Enel is actually w for him? Looks like I just stumbled upon a major secret. Enel, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, is actually part of CP-X?!"

  Teach's thoughts were in turmoil.

  Of course, he knew about CP-X, the Wover's most powerful and enigmatic anization. No one ks full structure, and no one kly who its embers were. But rumors had long suggested that some of the Seven Warlords of the Sea were involved.

  Donquixote Dofmingo is one of them. And now, even Enel?

  "Just what kind anization is the Seven Warlords of the Sea? Could the others be part of CP-X as well? If that's the case, their potential pht be on par with the old man… No, sidering their secrecy, they could be even stronger!"

  Teach muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with an unreadable light.

  As expected, his ship soon pulled up beside the Prometheus. A dder was lowered, eg the two decks.

  Teach had assumed that someone would e down to escort him, but to his surprise, the crew members on his ship shook their heads.

  "Your Excellency Teach, we are not qualified to board the Prometheus. That lord has only granted permission for you to go up alohere should be someone waiting for you there."

  Teaodded, unfazed. He had e all this way, there was n baow.

  Besides, the Prometheus was legendary. People spoke of its grandeur, but no one had ever truly set foot on it.

  "Zehahaha! Much appreciated," Teach chuckled before striding up the ship dder.

  The momeepped onto the Prometheus, his eyes widened.

  This didn't feel like a ship. It was more like a pace, a floating city, even an isnd. If he hadn't just seeerior, he would have doubted it was a ship at all.

  The deck was massive, almost like a training ground.

  You could ride horses here. There was even a swimming pool.

  The s above deck were at least four stories tall, with the middle level structed entirely of gss—an aquarium. From where he stood, Teach could see enormous sea beasts swimming inside.

  There weren't many people on board, at least not pared to the sheer size of the vessel. Atop the four-story hung a massive golden pendulum, a in design, exuding an air of history.

  At first ghe ship didn't seem to radiate the excessive arrogaypical of the Celestial Dragons. In fact, it even seemed somewhat uated and refined.

  But that illusion quickly shattered.

  As a veteran of Whitebeard's crew, Teach had seen his fair share of wealth and power. At first, this ship seemed ordinary but upon closer iion, every detail exuded an unmistakable aura of nobility.

  The erfectly manicured, without a single bde of grass out of pce. A faint, calming fragrance drifted through the air.

  Teaiffed and realized, the st was ing from the wooden pnks beh his feet.

  "Agarwood?!"

  Agarwood was a luxury one of the rarest and most expeerials in the world, often used by the most powerful elites to craft furniture or beds due to its calming properties.

  "These bastards used this stuff to build aire deck?!"

  Teach's gaze shifted to the ship's railing. He pressed against it, testing its sturdiness, but it didn't budge in the slightest. It was absurdly durable.

  "This… this is Treasure Tree Adam?!"

  His mind reeled. He had entered this wood before, back when he sailed with Whitebeard and cshed with Roger. It was one of the toughest materials in the world, used to build only the most legendary ships.

  Just as Teach rocessing all this, a group of maids approached. Leading them was a strikingly beautiful woman.

  "Marshall D. Teach?" the woman asked softly.

  Teach fshed his signature grin. "Zehahaha! That's me."

  "My name is Nia. Please, follow me—His Highness wishes to see you."

  "His Highness?" Teach raised an eyebrow. So it really is a Celestial Dragon?

  He didn't stop to dwell on it, instead following Nia toward the .

  As they he entraeach suddenly noticed that the deck beh his feet was no longer smooth. Looking down, he saath paved with bck stones.

  At first, he didn't think much of it, until he took a closer look.

  His breath caught in his throat.

  "What the hell, these aren't stohey're all bck pearls?!"

  Eae was the size of an egg, uniform in shape and color.

  "Who the hell uses bck pearls to pave a walkway?! The sheer extravagance…!"

  Meanwhile, inside a grand library, Cudius sat in a psses resting on the bridge of his nose. A cup of warm tea sat oable, inse filling the air with a calming aroma.

  Nico Robin erched on a dder, reading quietly, a book in one hand and a teacup iher.

  Adjusting his gsses, Cudius smirked. "How's my image?"

  Robin didn't even look up. "You're just putting on an act."

  "You wouldn't uand. Kids don't have a sense of aesthetics," Cudius murmured.

  "I'm not a kid!" Robin protested.

  At that moment, a knock came at the door.

  Cudius smiled. "e in..."