Teach knew better than to overstay his welco. The man in front of him was clearly a pragmatist, one who valued results over empty words. If Teach wanted benefits, he had to prove his worth first.
Still, this trip hadn't been a loss. He had secured a connection with a Celestial Dragon.
In his mind, Teach had already outlined three key benefits from this encounter:
First, the Dark-Dark Fruit. This was the imdiate prize he was after.
Second,the Road Poneglyph housed in Claudius's library. If he could find a way to obtain that, he would be one step closer to Laugh Tale.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, an opportunity. Strength alone wouldn't make him the next Emperor of the Sea timing and positioning mattered just as much.
And right now, Claudius seed to be interested in Whitebeard's downfall.
If Claudius truly intended to shake the foundations of the Whitebeard Pirates, then the stability of the seas would be shattered. And for Teach, chaos ant opportunity.
No matter the ans, Whitebeard had to die. Only then would Teach have a chance to take his place.
But could he do it alone? No—not yet. Even if he gathered so allies, taking on Whitebeard was still a near-impossible task. As soone who had spent decades by Whitebeard's side, Teach understood that better than anyone.
That ant he needed powerful allies.
And Claudius? There was no doubt in Teach's mind, this was a man with the power to kill Whitebeard.
"Once I obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit… and when the ti is right, I'll get my hands on the Tremor-Tremor Fruit as well. Then, I'll be the strongest man in the world… and my true ambitions can finally begin!"
Teach was certain of one thing, Claudius wanted Whitebeard dead for the sake of the World Governnt. That much was obvious. From his perspective, it was only natural to eliminate a pirate.
But Teach's goals were different.
He didn't care about the governnt's agenda. He wanted Whitebeard's power.
And since their imdiate interests aligned, it only made sense for him to work under Claudius… for now.
"Looks like I'll be serving this Highness for a while," Teach mused. "But that's fine. It's a mutually beneficial arrangent, he wants to use , but I also want to use him! Zehahahaha!"
With those thoughts in mind, Teach left the library.
---
Inside the Library
After Teach departed, Claudius calmly picked up his book and resud reading, as if nothing had happened.
Robin, however, continued staring at him curiously.
After a long pause, she could no longer hold back her thoughts.
"Do you really trust that guy Teach?" she asked.
Claudius blinked, then turned to her with a puzzled look.
"Trust?" he repeated. Then he chuckled. "When did I ever say I trusted him?"
Robin frowned. "Didn't you just send him to kill Moria? You believe he's capable of doing it, don't you? Isn't that trust?"
Claudius laughed.
"Hahaha… What is trust?" he said playfully.
He leaned back slightly, then added, "Did I give him anything?"
Robin hesitated, then said, "The Dark-Dark Fruit?"
Claudius shook his head. "He only gets it after he kills Moria."
"Then what about the Seven Warlords of the Sea position?" she asked.
"That too, he only gets if he completes the task."
Robin pondered this for a mont, then nodded. "I see your point."
Claudius smirked. "Exactly. I haven't given him anything yet. He has to kill Moria first. So where's the 'trust' in that?"
Robin narrowed her eyes slightly. "What if he fails?"
"Then he fails," Claudius said casually. "That would just an he wasn't worth my ti. And in that case, I wouldn't have lost anything, would I?"
Robin remained silent for a mont before asking, "But what if this provokes Moria?"
Claudius waved a hand dismissively. "And? What's Moria going to do about it? If Teach fails, I'll just send soone else to kill him. It's that simple."
He then smirked and added, "Besides, Teach isn't officially under . He has no mark tying him to . So even if he fails, no one can prove I had anything to do with it. Maybe Moria will think it was Whitebeard's doing… which could spark even more chaos. Either way, it has nothing to do with ."
Robin lightly tapped her fingers against her book, then sighed.
"You people are so calculating."
Claudius smiled. "What's so sinister about this? It's just common sense."
Robin was quiet for a mont, then asked, "But what if Teach actually kills Moria? Will you really give him the Dark-Dark Fruit? Will you trust him then?"
Claudius grinned.
"I, Claudius, always keep my word," he said. "If Teach really kills Moria and proves his worth, I'll give him the fruit."
He then chuckled and added, "But trust? Hahaha… You think I'd trust a pirate? Especially one who's willing to betray his own 'father'?"
Robin thought about it and realized he was right.
There was no way Claudius would be that naive.
But then another thought crossed her mind.
"In that case… why even give him the Dark-Dark Fruit at all? Why not just kill him after he completes the job? If you don't say anything, no one will even know this deal existed. It wouldn't affect your reputation."
Claudius looked at her in surprise.
After a brief mont, he let out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha! I knew it! You're just as ruthless as the rest of us!" he teased. "You were calling 'sinister' earlier, and now look at you!"
Robin's face flushed slightly, and she glared at him.
Claudius, still grinning, waved a hand dismissively.
"There's no need for that," he said. "Once Teach proves his worth, I can simply give him more tasks."
"Like what?" Robin asked, tilting her head.
"Like killing Whitebeard."
Robin sighed and rolled her eyes. "You really do have high expectations for this guy."
Claudius smirked. "Ahahahaha, of course, I'm not expecting him to do it alone. But he is Whitebeard's 'son.' A knife to the back always cuts deeper."
Robin wasn't entirely convinced. But for so reason… she felt like this plan could actually work.
If Claudius really managed to orchestrate Whitebeard's downfall, the entire balance of power in the world would shift once again.
And when she thought about it…
In every major event that had reshaped the world over the past two decades, Claudius's influence had always been lurking in the background.
When Golden Lion Shiki clashed with Roger at Edd War, Claudius had been the one to capture Shiki. That had been the first major upheaval of the era.
When Roger was captured, it was Claudius's forces that had ensured his execution. That had been the second major shift, marking the beginning of the Great Pirate Era.
When the Seven Warlords of the Sea system was introduced, it was Claudius who helped shape it—dividing the pirates into factions and fundantally altering the era.
When the Four Emperors system was beginning to take shape, Claudius had shattered Big Mom's forces, preventing her from consolidating power.
And now, he was targeting Whitebeard.
If he succeeded… it would be another monuntal shift.
Realizing this, Robin found herself stunned.
"This guy… How many tis has he rewritten history?"
For a brief mont, she wondered—could even Whitebeard fall at this man's hands?
anwhile, Claudius glanced at his gold pocket watch, checked the ti, and muttered,
"Sengoku should be arriving soon."
At the sa ti, a Marine warship was approaching Protheus.
Standing on its deck was Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
***
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