"Maria, Haruko, do you really think this whole thing is legitimate?" Yamato asked with a knowing smirk as they stepped outside.
"Perhaps," Maria replied thoughtfully. "If Morgans, the King of News, hadn't put his reputation behind it, I'd say it was almost certainly a fake. But with him involved, it's hard to be sure. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that Morgans is being lied to himself, or that he's simply misinformed. We'll just have to see how it plays out."
Haruko shook her head, her expression skeptical. "I'm leaning toward it being a hoax. Even if Whitebeard's fruit has been reborn, it's highly unlikely someone found it this fast. It's only been six months; no matter how you look at it, the timing is too convenient."
Whitebeard had met his end at the former Marineford, but he was buried deep within the New World. His fruit could have reappeared anywhere—the first half of the Grand Line or even the New World itself. The claim by the Pietro Pirates that they stumbled upon it in the first half of the Grand Line just didn't sit right with her.
"I agree. The whole situation feels off," Yamato mused, her golden eyes shimmering with interest. "Logically, if a small-time pirate crew actually found the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, they wouldn't go around telling the world. Unless they're completely brainless, they'd know that exposing themselves only invites disaster."
She crossed her arms, leaning against a nearby pillar. "Why would they risk their lives by letting their location be leaked? It's like their left brain isn't talking to their right. When you look at the details, this news becomes very intriguing."
Her intuition told her that this was most likely a setup. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was the ultimate bait, and with a titan like Morgans spreading the word, it was more than enough to lure plenty of fools into a deadly trap.
"In that case, we just need to wait and watch the fireworks," Yamato said, already looking forward to the chaos. After a moment, she straightened up and looked at her friends. "Anyway, back to business. Let's continue your Conqueror's Haki training. Now that you've awakened it, you can't just let it sit idle."
Maria smiled at Yamato's sudden burst of energy. "You're certainly enthusiastic today, Yamato."
"Of course I am! Didn't you say you wanted to be my wings? If you're going to hold that title, you have to master Conqueror's Haki. How else are you going to deal with the monsters we'll face in the future?" Yamato spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Mastering that power is no small feat, Young Master," Haruko said with a slight smile. "You're going to have your work cut out for you."
Yamato waved her hand dismissively. "I don't mind! In fact, I'm happy to do it. I have total faith in both of you. After all, you awakened that power for my sake, so getting stronger for me should be a walk in the park."
Seeing Yamato so confident in their potential, Maria and Haruko exchanged helpless, fond smiles. There really was no arguing with her once she set her mind to something.
Time moved quickly, and soon only three days remained before the auction. On this day, Morgans sent out special invitations to the major powers across the sea. These weren't ordinary letters; each invitation was a specialized Transponder Snail that carried a message designed to self-destruct after one viewing.
The message contained the secret coordinates for the underground auction of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Notably, the invitations were only sent to pirate crews and various underground organizations. The Marines and the World Government were pointedly excluded.
"So the invitation is a Transponder Snail?" Yamato raised an eyebrow, looking at the white snail in King's hand.
King nodded. "Indeed. It's a formal invitation from the King of News himself." He pressed a button on the snail's shell, and a holographic map flickered into life.
"That is... an unexpected location," Yamato noted, a look of surprise crossing her face. Most people would never have guessed such a spot.
"Using a place like that actually makes it seem more credible," Yamato added with a grin. "The person who designed this knows what they're doing. It'll definitely draw a crowd."
"Are you planning on going to watch the show, Young Master?" King asked.
Yamato shook her head. "Not this time. I have a feeling the Marines and the World Government are laying a trap. I'm not going to give them a reason to target me just for a bit of excitement."
King agreed with her assessment. If this was truly a Marine operation, it wouldn't be a minor skirmish. Interestingly, none of the other Four Emperors seemed to be making a move either. For those smart enough to read the signs, the silence of the Yonko was a warning. Those who ignored it could only pray for good luck.
Meanwhile, ten thousand meters above the sea, a ship sailed along the snowy White Sea. On board was the crew of Marshall D. Teach.
"Captain, the underground auction is about to kick off," Burgess chuckled, his voice echoing through the clouds.
Blackbeard scoffed, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "Let them scramble for it. The real Tremor-Tremor Fruit won't be there. I can feel it... the pull of destiny. That power belongs to me and no one else!"
"Everything is a choice of fate," Doc Q added, looking as sickly as ever atop his horse. "And right now, fate seems to be smiling on us."
Shiliew puffed on a cigar, his expression cold. "I hope you're right. We're coming up on our deadline. To be honest, I'd hate to see this alliance fall apart over a lack of results."
"Catarina Devon let out a high-pitched cackle. "We'll find out soon enough if fate is truly on our side."
Avalo Pizarro and Vasco Shot remained silent, but their thoughts were the same. Back on the reef island, they had made a deal with Teach. If he didn't secure the Tremor-Tremor Fruit by their deadline, he would have to settle for a different fruit to keep the crew together. If he failed that, the alliance would end. They couldn't afford to waste time while the world was changing so rapidly. With Whitebeard gone, the window of opportunity was narrowing, and they weren't about to let it slam shut.
"Trust me," Blackbeard swore, his voice thick with confidence. "This time, there will be no mistakes. Zehahaha!"
Three days later, the day of the auction arrived. As Yamato had suspected, the entire event was a massive deception. The Marines and the World Government had meticulously orchestrated the trap, using pirate proxies to lure in the underground brokers. Even Morgans had been kept in the dark, his network used as the perfect delivery system for the lie.
When the auction began, a massive Marine fleet, supported by World Government agents, launched a surprise assault. The pirates and underground forces were caught completely off guard, suffering devastating losses.
"How dare they! The World Government actually used me!" Morgans screamed in his office when he realized he'd been played. He was furious, but he knew he couldn't take on the Government in a direct fight.
"I'll eat this loss for now," Morgans hissed, his feathers ruffled. "But there won't be a next time."
He immediately ordered his staff to print the truth. He might have been tricked, but he would make sure the world knew exactly how the Government had manipulated the events. For the Marines, however, the fallout didn't matter. They had achieved their goal: a massive blow to the criminal underworld. They were the "Justice" of the world, and they felt no guilt for the methods used to take down evil.
"What a show! I wish I could have seen their faces when the Marines showed up," Yamato laughed, tossing the morning paper onto the table.
"The King of News certainly sounds bitter," Maria noted, scanning the sharp rhetoric in the articles.
Haruko shook her head. "Those people got what they deserved. They ran off chasing a rumor without stopping to think if it was too good to be true. If you can't think for yourself, at least look at what the big players are doing."
"You can't entirely blame them," Maria argued. "The Marines and the Government made it look very real. Plus, people assumed that since the Marines have two Admiral vacancies right now, they wouldn't be capable of such a large-scale operation. The Government played on that weakness perfectly."
"True," Yamato said, rubbing her chin. "But now the real question remains: where actually is the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?"
A strange feeling gnawed at her. She had a nagging premonition that despite everything, the fruit would still find its way to Blackbeard. Was he really that lucky? Even after she had blasted his crew into the sea and killed San Juan Wolf, was his destiny still on track? If he managed to pull this off after everything he'd been through, she'd have to admit the man was favored by the heavens.
"Yamato, what's on your mind?" Maria asked, sensing her friend's distraction.
Yamato looked up. "Remember Blackbeard? The guy I told you about from Marineford? I killed one of his men and sent the rest of them to the bottom of the ocean."
"We remember," Maria said. "You think he's still out there?"
"I know he is," Yamato replied. "He's not the type to die easily. His obsession with that fruit is insane. I'm just wondering if he's going to get his hands on it after all."
"We almost forgot about him," Haruko admitted. "He hasn't been heard from in six months. Most people think he's dead."
"In this world, someone who disappears is either dead or preparing something big," Yamato mused. "And Teach is definitely the latter. I'm sure the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates are looking for him too."
"But the sea is vast," Haruko countered. "Does he really have the patience to look for one fruit for years? That's a massive gamble."
"He's a special kind of person," Maria said, tapping her pipe. "He has ambition, patience, and the means to follow through. A man like that is dangerous."
"I call him the 'Hero of Patience,'" Yamato corrected. "He isn't a hero in the traditional sense; he doesn't have the grandeur for it. He just waits and strikes when people are weak."
Maria and Haruko thought about the term. It fit him perfectly.
"Oh, by the way," Yamato asked, changing the subject. "It's been six months since the Supernovas entered the New World. Have any of those rookies done anything interesting?"
"Nothing major yet," Haruko replied. "The Kid Pirates seem to be the fastest. They've already entered Red Hair's territory. They'll probably clash with Shanks before long."
"Already going after a Yonko?" Yamato laughed. "Those guys have some nerve. Or maybe they're just in a hurry to reach the afterlife."
Maria and Haruko chuckled at the description. It was certainly a bold, if not suicidal, move.
"There's also one rookie heading toward our territory," Haruko added. "He's an Ancient Zoan user—the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Tyrannosaurus. That was Hana Fuda's old ability."
"Hana Fuda's fruit, huh?" Maria said. "And he's coming here? Maybe he wants to join the crew."
"We'll find out soon enough," Yamato said, a mysterious glint in her eyes.
In the first half of the Grand Line, on a secluded Sky Island, the silence was broken by a booming laugh.
"Zehahaha! Fate still smiles on me! The Tremor-Tremor Fruit... it's finally mine!"
Blackbeard stood on the white sand, staring at the fruit in his hands with pure greed. The ambition he had suppressed for decades was finally boiling over.
"That's amazing, Captain!" Burgess roared. "The alliance stays together, and our dream is back on track!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Teach," Shiliew said coldly, looking at the fruit with an unimpressed gaze. "Let's see if you can actually use it. It's not a celebration until the job is done."
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