Chapter 447: Rash Ambition
It was precisely based on these two suggestions that Teach managed to escape death at Ian's hands.
Of course, so-called hypnotic suggestions actually have weaknesses, because suggestions act on a person's subconscious. However, when the person being suggested has a strong intention to do something, the effect of the suggestion can be partially offset.
The same was true for Ian. At that time, his killing intent toward Teach was very strong, and Teach was well aware of this. So when Ian's blade came down, the reason he shouted, "You can't kill me!" was nothing more than to reinforce this suggestion to both Ian and Ace.
As for Ace himself, his killing intent toward Teach was much weaker. From the beginning, he just wanted to arrest Teach and bring him back. So when Teach shouted those words, it prompted him to stop Ian.
Nevertheless, Teach still paid the price of losing an arm, because the suggestion couldn't completely offset Ian's killing intent.
Of course, Teach had anticipated this outcome. When Ian and the others were sucked into the Dark Passage, Lafitte had already explained it to him. And it was at that time that the Blackbeard Pirates crew had also discussed their countermeasures.
During that period, they captured an ordinary person near the port, mixed him in with the Blackbeard Pirates, pulled out his tongue, knocked him unconscious, and used him to impersonate Lafitte.
As for the real Lafitte, he flew high into the sky. Since he was the key to Teach's next plan, Teach let him escape first.
Because of the second suggestion, Ian and the others didn't notice anything suspicious. After all, although Lafitte and the others were members of the Blackbeard Pirates, in Ian's mind, their importance was certainly lower than Teach's. This second suggestion was stronger than the first.
To prevent Ian and the others from seeing through the ruse, Teach and his crew also knocked the fake Lafitte unconscious every time he woke up, disguising him as being in a severely injured state.
After Marco and the others arrived, things became even easier. Marco and his group hadn't been hypnotized, but all of Teach's crew had been recruited after his defection. At this time, the Blackbeard Pirates had no reputation yet. Marco and the others didn't know and had never seen the members of the Blackbeard Pirates. They didn't know who the members were or who was who. So when they heard Ace say that the unconscious person was Lafitte, they took it as true and didn't investigate further.
The reason Ian still felt some doubt afterward was precisely because of the hypnotic suggestion. This suggestion would only gradually wear off once the Blackbeard Pirates were no longer in his sight.
To be honest, this hypnotic suggestion was quite similar to Old K's Illusion Fruit. Ian had also fallen for Old K's trick before and been misled by illusions. However, the difference was that Old K's illusion could be corrected through Observation Haki perception, while Lafitte's suggestion could not. This was because the Psychic Field couldn't record and perceive everyone's aura and characteristics. Through this perception, he couldn't determine whether the unconscious person was really Lafitte.
In this world, everything has its counter. Just because an individual is powerful doesn't mean they are immune to certain things. For example, Matthew's Sleep Fruit—if he touched someone up close, even a Marine Admiral would be forced to fall asleep. But could you say Matthew was stronger or more powerful than a Marine Admiral?
Teach was indeed a ruthless person. He was willing to lose an arm just to get away from Ian.
Because he also knew that if he kept lingering in Ian's sight, he might end up being assassinated by Ian again, just like when he was in the Whitebeard Pirates.
The first time, Teach lost a heart at Ian's hands. The second time, he lost an arm. At this point, Teach finally confirmed that Ian was probably his true nemesis. So now, he was doing everything he could to get rid of Ian. As for his earlier thoughts of coveting Ian's Pay-to-Win Fruit ability, he didn't even dare to think about it anymore.
In Teach's mind, this so-called Pay-to-Win Fruit had now risen to the level of the strongest Paramecia fruit. However, although Teach coveted it greatly, he couldn't do anything about its current owner. He had to settle for second best—if he couldn't provoke it, he could only avoid it.
But Teach had endured for so many years and finally obtained the Dark-Dark Fruit, beginning his schemes. Of course, he wouldn't let such a setback extinguish his ambition.
Originally, according to his plan, he intended to kill some famous pirates to make a name for his Blackbeard Pirates, then seek the position of Seven Warlords from the Marines and the World Government. But now, because of Ian and Ace's appearance, this plan was no longer feasible. His schemes had been hindered, and now he was captured. So he had to change his original plan and redesign it.
How should one describe Blackbeard Teach? Perhaps because of his abnormal body, having more hearts than ordinary people, the personality Teach displayed was also very strange.
He could endure in the Whitebeard Pirates for so many years with enough patience, but at the same time, he could act recklessly and rashly. He had firm dreams but wasn't prepared to give up his life for them at any time. He revered power yet was arrogant. At the same time, he was a bold, rough, yet cruel, cunning, and greedy person. His personality often showed many contradictory traits.
And it was the same now. Although he had painstakingly schemed to escape from Ian's hands, he was bold enough to prepare for a big move.
Yes, Teach had already thought it through. Since he had been captured, he might as well follow Ace and the others back to the Whitebeard Pirates and see if he could assassinate Whitebeard!
This whimsical idea, although it sounded unbelievable, would bring Teach immense fame if successful! It would shock the world even more than killing a few or a dozen high-bounty pirate crews.
Although this matter carried huge risks, the rewards were undoubtedly enormous, naturally stimulating Teach's longing. Especially since, all along, although Teach respected Whitebeard's power, he had always looked down on Whitebeard's way of doing things. If he could step on Whitebeard to rise, the sense of achievement for Teach would be unparalleled.
Not to mention Ace and Marco, even Ian probably wouldn't have thought that Teach had such intentions. Whitebeard's health was declining day by day, but as the strongest of the Four Emperors, no one could imagine anyone daring to touch his beard. Even the Marines, with their massive power, had to be extremely cautious when facing the Whitebeard Pirates!
So it could only be said that the thoughts of an ambitious person are always beyond others' comprehension.
To others, it might seem unbelievable, but in Teach's own judgment, he felt that this plan actually had a certain success rate.
Because he had a special identity—he was once Whitebeard's adopted son!
After being captured this time, the Old Man would definitely want to see him. Teach only needed one opportunity, a chance to approach Whitebeard alone, and he would have hope of succeeding.
Of course, Teach also considered the scenario of assassination failure. At that time, he might be torn to pieces by the angry division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates. So he had to consider his escape route. Sending Lafitte to Marine Headquarters to contact the Marines was for this very purpose.
He knew very well that the Marines had been wanting to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates for a long time. As a figure from the same era as Pirate King Roger, as long as Whitebeard lived, the influence of the Roger era wouldn't completely fade.
The reason Lafitte could persuade the Marines was based on this.
If he succeeded, Teach would not only gain immense prestige but also seize Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremur Fruit power.
If he failed, he might also take advantage of the chaos in the Whitebeard Pirates to escape with the Marines' help. At that time, if the Marines wanted to support a figure to oppose the Whitebeard Pirates, they might still give him the position of Seven Warlords.
It could be said that at this point, Teach was really going all out to make a name for himself...
Ace and Marco and the others escorted the Blackbeard Pirates back. It could be said that with Ian's intervention, Teach was forced onto the path of seeking the Tremor-Tremur Fruit ahead of schedule.
As for the final outcome of this matter, no one knew yet. But it could be foreseen that the moment Teach made his move might be the moment this world began to shake...