At the same time — Blackbeard Pirates' Territory, Pirate Island (Hachinosu)
Though Blackbeard and Shamrock clearly found each other insufferable—
one viewing the other as a base, despicable pirate,the other regarding him as an arrogant "noble"—
both understood something far more important:
The forces they represented…and this very meeting…
were driven by clear, mutual purpose.
Personal disdain did not preclude negotiation.
Nor did it eliminate the possibility of cooperation.
With a casual wave of his hand, Blackbeard dismissed everyone present—his tone brooking no argument. Kuzan, Samuel, Shiryu… all of them withdrew without protest.
Van Augur remained stationed at the doorway, silent as a statue.
Soon—
only Blackbeard and Shamrock remained in the vast hall.
Shamrock didn't even bother to sit.
He stood upright at the center of the room, posture rigid, his eyes filled with undisguised distaste—as if even breathing the air here offended him.
He had no intention of lingering in what he considered a den of filth and chaos.
So he cut straight to the point.
"State your terms."
"Oh?" Blackbeard leaned back against his repaired throne, letting out a cold chuckle.
Instead of answering, he tapped his fingers against the armrest and shot back with mocking curiosity:
"Rather than my terms…"
"I'm more interested in what the World Government—"
"or the rats hiding up on the Red Line behind you—"
"want me to do."
He grinned, baring his missing teeth.
"Things are getting pretty heated for you, aren't they?"
"The seas are in chaos. Two Emperors are gone. Red-Hair's fallen. The Revolutionary leader's been captured."
"And now the Marines have gone independent—and they're gaining momentum fast."
His eyes gleamed with sharp cunning.
"You need a piece on the board with enough weight to stir things up…"
"…or someone willing to do the dirty work for you."
"Am I wrong?"
Shamrock didn't react.
Not even a flicker.
He didn't rise to the bait, didn't argue, didn't explain.
He simply stated, flat and precise:
"Two weeks from now."
He met Blackbeard's gaze directly.
"In two weeks, the World Government requires you—and sufficient forces under your command—to appear at Egghead Island."
"Egghead?" Blackbeard's brows furrowed.
He knew that place.
The island of Dr. Vegapunk.
The core of the World Government's scientific research.
One of the most heavily guarded facilities in the world.
"What the hell for? Stealing tech? Kidnapping Vegapunk?"
He snorted.
"If you're looking for mercenaries, go hire the Cross Guild, damn it!"
His instinctive reaction—
was rejection.
Attacking a critical Marine research facility?
That wasn't a simple raid.
That was striking directly at the Marines' lifeline—
right when they had just demonstrated overwhelming strength and were at the peak of their influence.
He had no intention of becoming cannon fodder—
a pawn to draw Marine fire for the World Government.
More importantly—
he had no desire to provoke the now-independent Marines.
If they turned their full attention on him—
they could kill him.
Shamrock seemed to have expected this reaction.
He didn't explain the mission.
Didn't reassure.
Instead—
he placed a far more tempting weight onto the scales.
"When this is over…"
"The World Government will formally recognize this pirate island—Hachinosu—and the surrounding waters under your control…"
"…as an official member nation."
"—!!!"
Blackbeard's pupils shrank violently.
A member nation?!
That meant—
his territory would be legitimized.
No longer an illegal pirate stronghold—
but a recognized country.
He could participate in the World Conference.
Gain trade privileges.
Receive diplomatic recognition.
Perhaps even access certain World Government resources.
For a man who dreamed of building a pirate empire—
yet was constantly constrained by the stigma of piracy—
this was an enormous temptation.
But he didn't agree immediately.
Because such a reward came with a condition:
He had to survive Egghead.
And avoid triggering annihilation at the hands of the Marines.
The cost…
required careful calculation.
Seeing through his hesitation, Shamrock spoke again.
His tone remained calm.
But there was something else now—
something heavier.
"Furthermore…"
"Mm?" Blackbeard leaned forward slightly, interest sharpening.
He wanted to know—
what else could possibly be worth risking his life.
And then—
without warning—
Shamrock moved.
A flash of killing intent exploded from his eyes.
His right hand drew his blade in a lightning-fast motion—
A streak of steel tore through the air, slicing straight toward Blackbeard's face!
Fast.
Precise.
Ruthless.
"You bastard!!" Blackbeard's expression twisted in shock and fury.
He had never expected an attack mid-negotiation.
But he was still an Emperor.
His reaction was instantaneous.
His left hand surged with violent white energy—
a sphere of quake power forming in an instant—
and he hurled a punch forward without hesitation!
"BOOM!!—CRACK!!"
The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit erupted.
The air shattered.
Fractures spread through space itself—
and a devastating shockwave surged outward, crushing toward Shamrock.
And yet—
faced with an attack capable of reducing warships to scrap—
Shamrock did not dodge.
Did not defend.
In fact—
he withdrew his Haki entirely.
"—!!"
"CRACK—SPLAT!"
His body—
like fragile porcelain—
shattered under the combined force of Blackbeard's quake and his own forward momentum.
Bones.
Flesh.
Organs—
all exploded into fragments, bursting into a cloud of blood and ruin across the hall.
"…?!"
Even Blackbeard froze.
That… made no sense.
No defense?
No resistance?
A trap…?
And then—
the next moment—
his scalp tingled, cold sweat breaking across his forehead.
Because—
the scattered fragments in the air—
began to move.
As if drawn by an invisible force—
they reversed direction.
Reassembled.
Bones snapped back into place.
Muscle fibers rewove themselves.
Skin spread and sealed over the surface—
all at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In just a few breaths—
Shamrock stood there once more.
Perfectly intact.
Even his clothes appeared untouched.
He casually rolled his wrist, loosening his joints—
his expression as cold and arrogant as ever—
as he looked at Blackbeard's stunned face.
"Captain! You—"
"What's happening in there?!"
Outside the hall, sensing the violent tremors and energy surge, Van Augur and the "Plague Doctor" Samuel shouted anxiously, clearly about to rush in.
"Don't come in!!"
Blackbeard roared, stopping them cold.
His eyes locked onto Shamrock—
the initial shock rapidly transforming—
into something far more intense.
Greed.
Frenzy.
"Immortal…?!"
His voice trembled slightly with excitement as he licked his dry lips.
His eyes blazed with terrifying light.
Shamrock seemed satisfied with that reaction.
He slowly sheathed his blade.
"That's right."
"You endured humiliation to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit—power that nullifies all Devil Fruit abilities."
"And through betrayal of your 'father'… you seized the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—the strongest Paramecia."
He paused—
meeting Blackbeard's burning gaze.
"So tell me…"
"What if you added this—"
"—the power of 'undying immortality'—to your arsenal?"
"How would that be?"
Blackbeard didn't answer immediately.
He lowered his head slowly—
staring at his hands.
In his left palm—
darkness swirled silently, devouring light itself.
In his right—
white tremor energy pulsed like a heartbeat.
Then—
he looked up.
All hesitation—
all calculation—
all caution—
were gone.
Only raw, unrestrained ambition remained.
"Zehahahahahahaha!!!"
His laughter erupted like thunder, shaking the ruined fortress—echoing across the entire island.
Darkness and tremor surged simultaneously from his hands—
intertwining, colliding—
forming a catastrophic field of destruction that tore apart dust and debris within the hall.
"Zehahahahahahaha!!!"
He didn't need to answer.
That laughter said everything.
Immortality—
combined with two supreme Devil Fruits—
what in this world could possibly stop Marshall D. Teach from reaching the very summit?!
Egghead?
The Marines?
The World Government?
Nothing more than stepping stones—
on his path to the ultimate throne.
Outside the hall—
Van Augur and Samuel exchanged a glance as that manic, ambition-filled laughter echoed outward.
And in each other's eyes—
they saw the same thing.
A deep, growing unease.