"Hahahahaha!"
Laughter rang out from the sky above, causing Teach to frown. For some reason, that laughter irritated him deeply.
The figure within the clouds grew larger as the laughter continued. Suddenly, an exaggeratedly massive face burst through the clouds, grinning down at everyone below.
White, flame-like cloud ribbons wrapped around his body, and his hair burned like white fire. He laughed loudly,
"Hahaha! Hello everyone!"
Everyone present, including Teach, was startled by the sudden appearance. Their eyes bulged outward unnaturally, as if pushed by invisible springs, mirroring the bizarre distortion caused by the figure above.
The world itself seemed to twist, its usual rules bending into something absurd.
Seeing their reactions, the man in the sky laughed even harder. One hand covered his face while the other clutched his stomach as he rolled through the air in uncontrollable amusement.
Lindbergh stared upward, stunned. The moment he spotted the Straw Hat behind the figure, his expression changed.
"You, you are Luffy!?"
"Nani!?"
The Revolutionary Army cadres widened their eyes in shock. Because the timeline had shifted, Luffy had spent part of his childhood with the Revolutionary Army, meaning most of them recognized him.
However, his current appearance was so different that they struggled to confirm it.
Teach's expression darkened.
"Luffy? That Straw Hat brat?!"
Laffitte narrowed his eyes and nodded.
"It should be him. Strange… weren't the Supernovas wiped out at Sabaody Archipelago?"
Van Auger raised his rifle and aimed at the sky.
"No. I read the report. The Navy never confirmed Straw Hat's death. There were two Supernovas in his crew. The one who died was the other, Zoro."
A drop of cold sweat slid down Laffitte's face.
"Unbelievable. How did he escape the Celestial Dragons… and what exactly is that form?"
Teach stared intently at Luffy, his mind racing.
"That appearance… it resembles a Zoan awakening. But Straw Hat's fruit should be the Gum-Gum Fruit, a Paramecia. And yet… this feels familiar."
The laughter above gradually faded.
Luffy flipped mid-air and fixed his gaze on Teach, grinning widely.
"My father's comrades… I'll protect them!"
When he mentioned his father, a trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes. Even so, his smile remained, creating a strange contrast.
Teach paused briefly, then broke into laughter.
"Zehahahaha! Brat, I don't know what you've become, but you seem full of confidence. Good. I want to see what you can do… and maybe…"
He licked his lips, his expression filled with greed.
Luffy twisted his body exaggeratedly in the air.
"Woo, let's try this first!"
He grabbed his white, flame-like hair and pulled. A pair of sunglasses materialized out of nowhere, which he casually placed on his face.
Stepping onto a cloud behind him, the soft surface instantly turned elastic. With a light push, he launched forward like a cannonball, aiming straight at Teach.
As he descended, his arm stretched outward, coated in Haki crackling with red lightning.
"Gum-Gum White Rocket!"
His arm snapped back with explosive force, his fist slamming into Teach's stomach.
The impact far exceeded Teach's expectations. His eyes rolled back as his body was sent flying. When he hit the ground, he bounced violently, rebounding again and again like a rubber ball before finally slowing.
Luffy did not pursue. He floated in the air, watching Teach bounce across the ground, laughing loudly while clutching his stomach.
Gritting his teeth, Teach slammed his fist downward.
The quake punch distorted the ground, sending ripples through it. The surface dented under the force.
Seizing the moment before the ground rebounded, Teach planted himself at the center of the depression, his feet sinking deep as he stabilized his body.
Shock lingered on his face.
"There's no mistake… this is a Paramecia awakening…"
Suddenly, his eyes widened as realization struck.
He stared at Luffy and shouted,
"This is Roger's Devil Fruit! Where did you get it?!"
Not just Teach, everyone present had seen the global broadcast from over twenty years ago.
The clash between Lloyd and Roger had shaken the world, leaving behind an unforgettable image and an unsolved mystery.
Due to the World Government's suppression, no one knew the exact name of Roger's Devil Fruit. They only knew it possessed overwhelming power, strong enough to rival Lloyd's Dark-Dark Fruit.
After Roger's death, countless people searched for it.
Teach was one of them.
Even after studying the Devil Fruit encyclopedia extensively, he had never found its name.
Now, it had appeared again.
All eyes were fixed on Luffy's white-clad figure floating in the sky.
The Straw Hat once worn by the Pirate King, and the mysterious, god-tier Devil Fruit that had belonged to him, were now united in a single person.
A sense of fate hung heavily in the air.
But Teach did not care about such things.
His eyes burned with greed.
There was only one thought in his mind.
He wanted Luffy's power.
How could such a fruit belong to someone who acted like a fool?
The thought alone made his skin crawl with impatience.
Without hesitation, Teach activated the power of his Devil Fruit. His mouth opened wide as he charged forward toward Luffy.
"You too… become part of me! Zehahaha!"
===
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