Whoosh—whoosh—
The air went still.
Only the sounds of Burgess, Van Augur, and Doc Q's breathing remained.
All three of them stared nervously at the closed door of the bedroom, worried that Zeke might suddenly vanish.
"Captain, you don't think you've been tricked, do you?"
Even calm, composed Van Augur couldn't suppress his anxiety and voiced his doubts.
"No."
If Blackbeard had been doubtful at first, he wasn't anymore. After thinking it over carefully, he felt confident—Zeke had been telling the truth.
It was a simple matter.
He could take Zeke's life at any time.
The other three seemed to grasp the same thought after a moment.
Even if they had been tricked, all they would lose was a bit of time. But if Zeke was telling the truth—
"Doc Q, are you really unable to treat Zeke? He's important to us."
Blackbeard downed his glass of rum in one swig.
Four or five years… that was far too short.
Just the fact that Zeke could read the ancient script meant he was worth protecting. After all, Blackbeard also wanted to reach the final island and claim the treasure Roger had left behind.
"Cough… I've done all I can."
Doc Q calmed the excitement in his chest and gave a weak cough, looking even worse than Zeke himself. He then spoke feebly.
"That beggar's body is completely burnt out. No medicine will help. Maybe once I further develop my Sick-Sick Fruit, I might find a way."
"Wahaha—then what do we do?"
Burgess was getting anxious.
It was an Ancient Weapon they were talking about!
Could they find it in just four or five years?
"This is fate."
Van Augur continued polishing his sniper rifle.
"What if we give him a Devil Fruit?"
Blackbeard suddenly thought of it. Since Zeke's body was already nearing collapse, perhaps a Zoan-type Devil Fruit could strengthen him, give him a few more years.
Even one more day would help.
At least, they needed him to locate Pluton and Raftel.
"It won't help much. That beggar's physical condition and potential are just too poor. Even with a Devil Fruit, he wouldn't gain anything from it."
Doc Q had done a thorough check. Thanks to his Sick-Sick Fruit, he could easily evaluate Zeke's potential—and it was utterly mediocre.
Across the entire sea—
Even slightly famous fighters had strength and potential far beyond ordinary people. The top-tier ones were absolute monsters.
By comparison, Zeke's body wasn't even on par with a regular civilian.
A person like that wouldn't get much from eating a Devil Fruit. As for awakening Haki? Forget it.
Inside the room—
Zeke lay still, eyes closed and breathing steady. But he had heard every word clearly—the hotel's soundproofing was poor, after all.
He hadn't been asleep. He was thinking.
Doc Q's words didn't stir any emotional response. What he said was true. Zeke was indeed very ordinary, and compared to people in this world, he was a certified waste.
Especially since he came here with nothing but a pair of underwear.
Back in his own world, he had been a regular lower-class citizen. A middle school graduate with limited knowledge, limited vision. Living off processed food and cheap thrills.
Every day was a struggle to survive.
How could someone like that possibly have hidden potential? The fact that he didn't have cancer already was a miracle.
Truth be told—
Without some kind of cheat, a waste remains a waste, even in another world. The past half-year had already shown Zeke that.
Now, he had four or five years at most. He needed to plan carefully.
Weak potential?
Poor health?
Limited time?
In the world of pirates, that didn't necessarily matter. Because there were Devil Fruits.
So Zeke wasn't panicked.
He already had a plan. Holding out in Mock Town until Blackbeard appeared had only been the first phase.
Now that Blackbeard had arrived, it was time to carry out the next step of his "Usurp Plan."
As for the second plan—the "Devour Plan"—he'd have to shelve that for now.
At some point, Zeke drifted into a deep sleep.
And slept for two full days.
That day—
Zeke woke up from hunger. The moment he opened the door, the light dimmed suddenly.
"Wahaha, finally awake!"
"Now hurry up and tell us where Pluton is."
Burgess's massive frame stood in front of Zeke. His arms were thicker than Zeke's waist, and the pressure rolling off him made Zeke feel suffocated.
A sharp pain shot through his skull.
Burgess's giant hand grabbed Zeke by the head like a chick and lifted him off the ground with ease.
In the world of pirates, Zeke's body was weak and crippled.
He stood at only one-seventy-five centimeters—just one more than Luffy.
Years of malnutrition had left him skeletal and pale, like a gust of wind could knock him down.
Absolutely frail.
Only his dark eyes carried a cold sharpness.
"Burgess!!!"
From behind—
Blackbeard's voice rang out, tinged with disapproval. Zeke was key to Pluton. If Burgess scared him off or caused any harm, there would be no second chance.
Still suspended in the air—
Zeke remained calm, simply staring down at Burgess from above, devoid of any fear or anger.
So what if he was discontent?
So what if he was furious?
He was nothing but an ant. Without power, all resistance was meaningless. And until Pluton was found, he knew he was safe.
"Wahaha—got some guts!"
Burgess laughed heartily. The fact that this guy didn't wet himself under pressure? Not bad!
He placed Zeke back on the ground.
Zeke rubbed his throbbing temples where red marks were forming, straightened his messy hair, and without saying a word to Burgess, sat down opposite Blackbeard on the couch.
Without hesitation, he began eating the fruit and pizza laid out on the table.
In a den of monsters, confidence and composure were essential.
"Zehahaha—"
"Zeke, let me introduce you. This is Burgess, our helmsman. This is Van Augur, our sniper. No need to introduce Doc Q again!"
"Nice to meet you!"
Puffed cheeks full of food, Zeke nodded to Van Augur and Burgess one after another. When the table was cleared, he let out a satisfied burp.
His appetite was small.
Even when starving, he ate no more than a normal person—nothing like the endless hunger of those sea monsters.
"Captain Teach, I've got a plan I'd like you to hear."
Under the scrutinizing gaze of everyone present, Zeke looked directly at Blackbeard without flinching.
It was time to show what little intellect he had. He needed Blackbeard and the others to realize he had value beyond just knowing where Pluton was. And since the idea was already out there, he just needed to borrow it.
Out here in the world, you had to provide your own sense of security.
"Oh? Let's hear it."
Blackbeard raised an eyebrow in interest.
Doc Q and the others perked up.
"From the moment I saw you in the papers, Captain Teach, I felt—without a doubt—you were destined to conquer the world and become its king."
"And to that end, I want to offer what little help I can."
"To take the world, one must have fame, wealth, power, and strength—all of them!"
"So the first step of my plan is to hunt pirates with bounties over one hundred million, and use that to connect with the Marines. That way, you can become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Once you're a Warlord, we move to phase two—recruiting more ruthless and powerful pirates."
"Impel Down is the perfect source."
"But invading Impel Down requires the Navy headquarters to be distracted. Otherwise, it would be suicide. So how do we keep the Navy occupied?"
"Through war."
"All we need to do is capture a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and turn him over to the Navy. That alone would trigger a war between the Navy and one of the Four Emperors."
"With the Navy preoccupied, we'll use your Warlord privileges to enter Impel Down without resistance."
"When two tigers fight, one will be wounded."
"I predict Whitebeard will fall. At that moment, we'll seize the Whitebeard Pirates' territory and rise as a new Emperor."
"Along the way, we'll use the Poneglyphs to locate Pluton."
"And then—"
"The world will be ours. And you, Captain, will become its king!"