Chapter 167: Blackbeard, the Impostor
Ian was puzzled when he suddenly heard a strange laugh coming from outside the tavern.
"Zehahahaha! This is the place, this tavern's cherry pie is delicious... Oh ho ho! Why is there a giant outside!?"
Ian looked toward the tavern door, and before long, a group of people pushed the door open and entered.
The one at the front made Ian's entire body stiffen the moment he saw him.
It was Blackbeard!?
The man who entered was a burly, rough-looking giant. His body hair was thick, his shirt was unbuttoned, revealing a dense mat of chest hair, and he wore two strings of jeweled necklaces around his neck. His hands, which had pushed open the tavern door, were covered in gem-studded rings. On his left hip were three flintlock pistols, and on his right hip, a bottle of liquor hung from his belt. At first glance, he looked like a nouveau riche.
This man was Marshall D. Teach, known as Blackbeard!
When Ian saw him suddenly appear, his entire body tensed up, and he felt a shock of astonishment.
What is he doing here!?
But then Ian made a connection and suddenly understood. Ah, right. Earlier, when he had encountered that Ramos guy, he had said he was a member of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division. That meant the division currently stationed here was the Second Division. And if Ian remembered correctly, Blackbeard was also a member of the Second Division...
If seeing Blackbeard suddenly appear was surprising enough, then when Ian saw the person behind Blackbeard, he choked on his drink!
Following behind Blackbeard was a man dressed entirely in a black tight-fitting suit, with a black headscarf wrapped around his head and a black face mask covering his face, leaving only his eyes visible.
And the most ridiculous part? This man also had a samurai sword hanging from his waist!
Ian immediately thought of his own ninja-like outfit from when he was in Mary Geoise. Combined with the earlier discussion from the pirates at the back table, Ian instantly realized what was going on!
What the hell!? No way, an impostor!?
That was why he had choked on his drink...
When the masked man entered the tavern, he kept his right hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, scanning the patrons in the tavern with a wary gaze.
As Blackbeard and this man appeared, the entire tavern fell silent. Everyone stared at the two with dumbfounded expressions.
"Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard laughed his signature laugh, spreading his arms wide and shouting to the people in the tavern, "Everyone surprised? Let me introduce you! The man beside me is the black-clad masked man who just burned down Holy Land Mary Geoise! And now, he has joined the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Pfft! Pfft! Ian and his Dragon Hunter Pirates crew all spat out their drinks upon hearing this!
At first, when they saw the masked man, they thought his outfit looked familiar. But after hearing Blackbeard's words, they immediately understood!
Damn it! How dare he impersonate our captain!?
Two burly men beside Ian immediately slammed the table and stood up, ready to speak out in protest, but Ian grabbed them and pulled them back down.
However, the sound of them slamming the table was a bit loud, drawing the attention of Blackbeard and the masked man, as well as everyone else in the tavern.
"What's this, boys? You got a problem?" Blackbeard opened his wide mouth, revealing his toothless gums, and sneered.
"It's nothing!" Ian sat in his seat, smiled slightly, and raised his glass to Blackbeard in a toast. "My companion's had a bit too much to drink. Don't mind him!"
With Ian's words, Blackbeard let it go. He led the masked man to the bar and sat down, smiling at the owner. "Boss, bring us some cherry pie! And some rum!"
"Right away, Mr. Teach!" the tavern owner replied with a smile.
Then, Blackbeard and the masked man sat at the bar, drinking, eating, and chatting cheerfully.
"Captain, why didn't you let us speak?" the two burly men Ian had stopped whispered resentfully in his ear. "That guy is impersonating you!"
"Let him impersonate me," Ian said with a smile. "We all know the truth. Let's see what they're up to first. This is Whitebeard's territory. That guy named Teach is one of Whitebeard's men."
Hearing this, the others reluctantly held their tongues.
Ian turned his attention back to Blackbeard, using the act of drinking to secretly observe him.
Though Teach looked like a nouveau riche, covered in jewelry and accessories, that was exactly the image of most pirates. Teach's appearance was a typical representation.
In Ian's observation, Blackbeard seemed very affable. Even the tavern owner called him "Mr. Teach," not just out of fear of him being a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, but because Ian noticed he chatted casually with the owner, laughing heartily from time to time, projecting an image of being generous and approachable.
What an actor, Ian thought to himself.
Only Ian knew that Blackbeard was a schemer at heart. He had been biding his time in the Whitebeard Pirates, using Whitebeard's name as cover, playing the role of a good son to the old man. He even let Ace take the position of Second Division Commander, making himself seem harmless.
But when his goal appeared, he would reveal his vicious fangs.
To obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, he killed the Fourth Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, stole the fruit, and fled. Later, during the Summit War of Marineford, he used the Dark-Dark Fruit's special ability to steal Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit power, smoothly ascending to the position of one of the Four Emperors...
That was something that would happen two years later. For now, Blackbeard presented himself to the world as a simple, hearty pirate.
As for the masked man sitting beside him, Ian didn't need to think hard to know he was another opportunist.
There was no helping it. Ian's outfit from his time in Mary Geoise was too easy to imitate. No one had seen his true face back then, and his wanted poster only showed his masked appearance.
And yet, the Marines and the World Government had placed such a high bounty on him, with orders not to kill him but to capture him alive.
For those looking to gain fame quickly, impersonating Ian was a convenient shortcut.
Ian guessed that there were probably impostors like this all over the world by now. The only thing that made this one smarter than the others was that he had sought out the Whitebeard Pirates and seemed intent on joining them.
Once he joined the Whitebeard Pirates and gained their protection, even a fake could become real.
As for Blackbeard Teach, he had likely been sent by the Whitebeard Pirates to recruit this masked man. Judging by how smoothly things were going, Blackbeard had even taken him out for drinks at the tavern.
Ian watched this scene and found it somewhat amusing. It felt like watching two schemers putting on a show.
Impersonate him? Was Ian so easy to impersonate?
This masked man probably didn't know the full story. He thought Ian had only set fire to Mary Geoise, which wasn't a big deal, and that by joining the Whitebeard Pirates, he could be protected.
But he had no idea that Ian's high bounty was because he had stolen the Celestial Dragons' identity chip.
As long as the Celestial Dragons hadn't given up, there would be an endless stream of Marines hunting him down. Even the Whitebeard Pirates might not be able to protect him.
This made Ian wonder: Would the Whitebeard Pirates go to war with the Marines over this impostor? If they did...
A Summit War happening early? Haha, that would be hilarious.
That was why Ian had stopped his men from exposing the masked man. Having someone else take the blame was a good thing for Ian!
As Ian sat there, happily drinking and watching the two, three Marine ships were slowly approaching the outer waters of Stripe Island...
Not only that, but far behind the three ships, a strange, large vessel was also sailing.
This ship was being pulled by two massive, ferocious-looking giant snakes. On the ship's mast, a black pirate flag fluttered in the wind.
It was a skull surrounded by a ring of snake heads as hair. If you counted carefully, you would find there were nine snake heads in total...
The Kuja Pirates!