The third Zoan-type Devil Fruit was stuffed straight into Teach's mouth.
The moment it went in, the boy completely stopped resisting. It was over. His ambition, his dreams—everything was crushed the second all three fruits entered his stomach.
Sakazuki let go of the dazed Teach and tossed him to the ground, muttering, "So he really can eat three."
Looking at the motionless boy, he lifted his right foot.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking rang out as Teach was sent flying into the ship's cabin by a vicious kick.
Sakazuki's voice followed, calm and indifferent. "Come on. Show me what you can do."
The intense pain snapped Teach back to reality, his eyes becoming blood red. Rage overwhelmed all reason.
"Damn it!!!"
As he screamed in fury, the features of a horse, a sheep, and a rat emerged one by one on his body.
With horse legs, a sheep's head, and rat claws, the monstrous creature charged at the vice admiral.
Seeing this hideous form bursting out of the cabin, Carlo and Enel both looked shocked. Not only did the boy survive eating three fruits, but he could even use all of them.
Sakazuki, however, raised his finger. He had confirmed what he needed. That was enough.
Boom!
A single shot blew off Marshall D. Teach's ram head, turning it into a cloud of blood.
The headless body collapsed onto the deck, unmoving. There was no miracle, no chosen fate, just death. Final and simple.
Even if one of those fruits had been the Glint-Glint Fruit, he wouldn't have escaped. That's how real this world was.
The horse legs and rat claws slowly faded back into human form as Sakazuki walked over and picked up the corpse.
"Let's go."
While speaking, he casually threw a magma bomb on the ship.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three streaks shot through the air and in a few seconds, they had returned to the leaving warship in the distance.
Boom!
Just as they landed, the pirate vessel exploded. The flames swallowed it whole before the wreckage sank into the sea.
Sakazuki flung Teach's headless corpse onto the deck and ordered, "Find a freezer and keep it preserved. Turn the ship. We're heading for Punk Hazard."
* * *
A few days later.
The warship had just arrived at Punk Hazard.
Before it even came to a full stop, Vegapunk was already waiting at the dock with a group of eager scientists. There were also many new CP agents stationed nearby, serving as added security.
Enel and Rosinante leapt off the ship first.
"Teacher!" the former called.
Vegapunk smiled. "Enel."
The boy then pulled his friend forward for an introduction. After listening, Vegapunk showed some interest in Rosinante's Calm Calm Fruit. But his real focus was on something else.
Once the warship docked, the scientist's gaze shifted toward Sakazuki stepping down from the ship.
The man greeted him as he approached.
"Dr. Vegapunk."
Vegapunk grinned in return. "Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
Then his eyes moved past to the two marines behind him, who were carrying a large freezer.
With a gesture from Sakazuki, the soldiers stepped up and placed the freezer in front of the group.
The scientists swarmed it, pressing their faces close to the frost container, trying to peek inside.
Vegapunk himself bent down for a closer look. But just by glancing, he couldn't see anything unusual.
'Looks like we'll need to extract samples and run full tests...' He thought, then turned back to Sakazuki.
"Vice Admiral, this is the double-fruit user you mentioned?"
Sakazuki explained calmly, "That's right. When I fought him, he transformed into a hybrid beast. He had a ram's head and limbs like hooves, but his strength was too weak. I took him out in one move. Later, I realized something didn't feel right and questioned the surviving pirates.
"Someone who was apparently close to him finally confessed that this kid had eaten two Zoan-type Devil Fruits. One was the Sheep-Sheep Fruit and the other was the Horse-Horse Fruit. I figured you'd be interested in this kind of specimen, so I brought him here."
Vegapunk's eyes lit up as he listened. Hearing it directly from Sakazuki made his excitement hard to contain.
"If that's true… his value is immeasurable. Thank you, Vice Admiral. Please, go rest. I'll begin the analysis now and speak with you again afterward."
Sakazuki smiled and gave a slight nod.
Next, a group of scientists barked orders at the CP agents as they rushed the freezer toward First Research Institute. Within moments, the dock was left with only Marine soldiers.
Enel's face immediately sank. He had been cast aside…
Sakazuki walked up to him and smacked the back of his head. "Come on. Let's get something to eat. If you're not hungry, take Rosinante and explore a bit. The scenery here's not bad."
The boy looked up, regaining energy instantly as he grabbed Rosinante by the arm.
"Let's go! I'll show you the baby creatures teacher's been raising."
In a blur, the two of them dashed off.
* * *
Holy Land Mariejois.
Inside the grand palace fortress, a CP agent finished his report and was dismissed with a wave.
The Five Elders sat in silence until Nusjuro set down his teacup and spoke, "What do you all think of this?"
Leaning against the sofa, Warcury said, "We wait for results. Whether or not he really had two Devil Fruit abilities, the tests will tell."
Mars nodded. "Indeed. As for the boy's identity, we've confirmed it. Marshall D. Teach.
"One mother, deceased. Two younger sisters, whereabouts unknown. He and his sisters went missing for several years as children.
"First confirmed appearance was aboard the Jody Pirates' ship, estimated to have joined them about a year ago, and then he encountered Sakazuki. We used every resource, but that's all we could dig up."
Saturn let out a cold snort. "Another D. These damn people... have they discovered something new?"
Nusjuro replied flatly, "Doesn't matter, they're just paving the way for us. Let Vegapunk unravel it. And there's another issue, Flevance may be about to blow up. Reports of cases are already coming in."
"Is that so. It's been over a hundred years. The timing fits," Saturn responded with a nod.
Peter added, "The truth cannot go public. If it does, the government's authority will collapse. Start quietly infiltrating and sealing off the area, also, have the neighboring countries cooperate with the lockdown. And don't forget that place is home to a hidden D-lineage clan. If necessary, cleanse them."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
"Agreed."
* * *
North Blue. "White City" Flevance.
The land and trees here were as pure and white as a snow-covered fairytale kingdom, giving the place an otherworldly, dreamlike beauty. That was how it earned its name.
Inside the largest hospital in Flevance, a woman with a rounded belly was carrying a lunchbox toward one of the consultation rooms.
Knock, knock, knock.
After she knocked, a male voice answered.
"Come in."
She pushed the door open.
A man wearing glasses, sharp and composed, was scribbling rapidly on a paper without looking up.
"Have a seat. What seems to be bothering you?"
The pregnant woman giggled softly. "Your stomach's the one in trouble, not mine~"
The man froze at the familiar voice. He looked up and immediately stood. "Honey? Why are you here? Quick, sit down! Don't strain yourself!"
The woman rolled her eyes. "Hmph. If I didn't come, you'd go hungry."
He scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.
She handed him the lunchbox. "So, have you thought of our baby's name?"
The man looked a little proud. "I have."
He walked over to the door, peeked outside to make sure no one was around, then closed it.
Returning to his wife's side, he placed a hand on her belly.
"Let's call him Law. Trafalgar D. Water Law."
The woman gently stroked her stomach and whispered.
"Trafalgar Law…"
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!