Chapter 321: Letting the Wolf into the House
"Fourth Division is back! Commander Sachi is back!"
At the port of the Whitebeard Pirates' territory, a voice rang out from the flagship Moby Dick, and then the entire ship erupted in excitement.
The Fourth Division had successfully completed its mission and returned, so those who had stayed behind on the Moby Dick naturally came to welcome him.
In truth, wiping out an enemy pirate crew like the Scarface Pirates wasn't worth much attention. With the Whitebeard Pirates' strength, any division commander could easily handle it. However, the reason Sachi's return caused such a stir was that before they came back, everyone had already learned that Sachi had obtained a Devil Fruit from the enemy ship.
Within the Whitebeard Pirates, there were quite a few Devil Fruit users with various abilities. The fact that Sachi had gotten a Devil Fruit wasn't too surprising to them, but what intrigued them was what kind of ability this particular Devil Fruit held. So when Sachi returned, many people rushed over to be spectators and watch the commotion.
When Sachi jumped onto the Moby Dick, he was greeted like a hero for once, with cheers from his Whitebeard Pirates comrades.
Sachi wasn't a flashy person, though. Faced with such a welcome, he scratched his head a bit sheepishly.
Currently on the Moby Dick were most of the core members from various divisions. Ace was there too, holding a large meat bone and eating happily. When he saw Sachi, he approached and asked the question on everyone's mind: "Sachi, did you eat the Devil Fruit you got?"
"Not yet! I haven't decided if I want to eat it!" Sachi said.
"Oh? Then bring it out for everyone to see!" Flower Sword Vista said, twirling his mustache with a smile. "We can help you take a look. If we recognize what fruit it is, that would be perfect!"
"Yeah, yeah!" the other division commanders chimed in.
Among the crowd, Teach was also there at the dining table eating, but he kept his attention on Sachi. He was curious too, wondering what Devil Fruit Sachi had obtained.
Whitebeard Old Man was also on the deck, holding a barrel of sake with one hand while drinking and watching his sons laugh and play, a happy expression on his face.
This kind of harmonious atmosphere was what Whitebeard Old Man loved most.
Pressed by everyone's demands, Sachi couldn't refuse. He had no choice but to take out the small box containing the Devil Fruit, open it, and hold the fruit in his hands for everyone to see.
"Oh, purple?" the crowd marveled at the fruit. "We've never seen a Devil Fruit with this color and shape before!"
Though they said they were helping Sachi identify it, most of the people present hadn't actually seen many Devil Fruits. They were just following along and making a fuss. Ace was one of them.
"When I ate the Flame-Flame Fruit, it was red!" Ace said, his cheeks puffed out as he ate meat and raised his hand.
"The one I ate was blue!" another person raised their hand.
Those who had eaten Devil Fruits began describing the colors and appearances of the fruits they had consumed, turning it into a chaotic mess.
But only one person stared intently at the Devil Fruit in Sachi's hand, a strange ferocity showing in his eyes.
That person was Marshall D. Teach!
When he saw the Devil Fruit in Sachi's hand, a thunderbolt seemed to strike Teach's mind!
A frantic voice roared in his head: "That's it! That's it! That's the fruit!"
How many years had it been? How many years had he been waiting on this ship? Had it finally appeared?
But... why?! Why did Sachi, that bastard, get it instead of him?!
If he had known this would happen, he should have gone on this mission with Sachi!
Teach lowered his head, afraid that others might see the look in his eyes. Only after suppressing the mad desire in his heart a little did he dare to lift his head again and look at Sachi.
At this moment, Teach felt somewhat despairing. His earlier judgment had been correct—this fruit had indeed been obtained by the Whitebeard Pirates. But after finally waiting for it to appear, the one who got it wasn't him!
For a moment, Teach felt disheartened, thinking maybe he should just stay obediently in the Whitebeard Pirates for the rest of his life...
But then, Ace and the others, who were gathered around Sachi, had been chattering for a while and realized that no one could identify the fruit. So they started urging Sachi to eat it and see what ability it gave.
In response to this request, Sachi looked troubled. He scratched his head and said, "But I haven't decided if I want to eat it yet. I don't want to become a land lubber!"
Aside from those who unknowingly ate Devil Fruits by accident, many people hesitated when faced with one. Sachi, having seen many people eat Devil Fruits in the Whitebeard Pirates, knew this better than anyone.
First, because they tasted terrible—and it wasn't just one person saying that; everyone said it! Ace had even described the taste of the Flame-Flame Fruit that Ian had tricked him into eating. The description of "grilled excrement" made many Devil Fruit users feel a pang of sympathy.
Second, because of the side effect of Devil Fruits: becoming a land lubber and being affected by Seastone. As pirates who spent their lives at sea, not being able to swim was a worrying prospect.
As for the last concern, it was the ability itself. Since they couldn't identify the fruit, eating it came with risks. It was entirely possible that after eating it, they'd discover they got a useless ability. There were plenty of examples of that.
That was what Sachi was hesitating about now.
Hearing this, Ace and the others immediately looked disappointed, like they wanted to see a good show but couldn't get their wish.
Only Teach, who was at the back, perked up at these words!
Ace wasn't willing to give up and said to Sachi, "Just eat it! What's the big deal? Look at me—I'm a Devil Fruit user too, and I'm doing just fine!"
Hearing Ace's persuasion, Teach was startled. Afraid that Sachi might change his mind and eat the Devil Fruit on the spot, he rolled his eyes and opened his gap-toothed mouth with a hearty laugh. "Commander Ace, that fruit belongs to Sachi. Don't make trouble. Whether he wants to eat it or not, let him think it over first!"
Ace said gloomily, "Teach, aren't you curious about what fruit this is?"
"Curious, of course!" Teach took a bite of meat and said, "But when you think about it, it's just one of three types. I figure even if it's a Logia, it probably won't be stronger than your Flame-Flame Fruit. If it's a Paramecia, it definitely can't compare to Old Man's Tremor-Tremor Fruit. But if it's a Zoan, you'd better think carefully. What if it's a Rat Fruit or something? Then we'd have to call Commander Sachi 'Sachi the Rat' from now on!"
As he spoke, Teach pretended to find himself funny, clutching his stomach and laughing until he bent over.
He said this as if joking, but no one found it jarring or rude. After all, Teach had been with Old Man for over twenty years and was an old friend of all the division commanders. They often joked around with each other.
So not only did no one suspect his words, but they also joined in the laughter.
Moreover, everyone thought Teach had a point. Within the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit was considered a top-tier Logia fruit. As for Paramecia, with Old Man's Tremor-Tremor Fruit here, who could claim any other Paramecia ability surpassed it? Misled by Teach, everyone began to think that this fruit probably wasn't a particularly powerful ability either.
Only Whitebeard Old Man glanced at Teach a bit strangely. He felt there was something off about Teach's words.
But when he heard everyone calling his Tremor-Tremor Fruit the strongest Paramecia fruit, Old Man's thoughts were also led astray. He suddenly thought of Ian's ability. After Ian left, the name of his fruit had gradually spread. That Pay-to-Win Fruit, which Ian had named himself, was clearly a Paramecia ability. Yet it could use the power of Logia lightning and fire. This made Whitebeard Old Man wonder if the strongest Paramecia ability might not be his Tremor-Tremor Fruit, but Ian's Pay-to-Win Fruit...
Because of this distraction, he didn't dwell on Teach's words.
After Teach's interference, everyone stopped pressing Sachi. They gathered together for a while, laughing and teasing Sachi, before dispersing.
Sachi had just returned from a mission, so he naturally needed some rest. After the crowd left, he planned to go back to his own ship to relax. But to his surprise, not long after he entered his cabin, there was a knock at the door.
Opening it, he found Teach standing outside, looking harmless and grinning foolishly, carrying a large barrel of sake on his shoulder.
"Sachi! I'm here to drink with you!" Teach raised his hand in greeting. "Anyway, that Devil Fruit you got must be worth a lot of money, right? It's worth celebrating!"
Sachi laughed and said, "You're not wrong. Come on in!"
Sachi stepped aside to let Teach in. But what he didn't know was that this simple gesture would teach him the true meaning of "letting the wolf into the house"...