"How do we get up there?"
Blackbeard was troubled too.
A mountain of gold was right in front of them—who could resist such temptation? But the key problem was that none of them had the ability to fly. If Lafitte were here, maybe he could scout it out from the sky.
For a while, the group fell silent, each lost in thought, growing more frustrated by the minute.
"Zeke, do you have any ideas?"
Blackbeard finally asked, hoping for a miracle as he looked at Zeke's calm expression.
"I do. One method has a ninety-nine percent chance of death. The other has a one hundred percent chance of survival. But both require us to wait two or three days."
"What?"
"You actually have a way?"
All four of them were shocked again.
Blackbeard hadn't been this surprised this many times in over ten years. His heart was pounding in his chest.
"There's an upward sea current near the waters around Mock Town. You've probably heard of it. Riding the knock-up stream can take you to the sky island—that's where the golden city is."
"But the mortality rate for that method is nearly one hundred percent."
"Tell us the method with a one hundred percent survival rate!" Burgess interrupted before Zeke could finish, desperate to hear the safer alternative.
Blackbeard, Van Augur, and Doc Q all stared at Zeke.
"Wait for a pirate with a halo."
Zeke crossed his legs, hands resting calmly in front of him.
The safest route, of course, was to follow the Straw Hat Pirates. That was the simplest and most secure method.
A long time ago, Zeke had also considered approaching Luffy and building a connection. But the more he thought about it, the more unreliable it seemed. Getting close to Luffy was far more difficult than getting close to Blackbeard.
There was no guarantee he'd even meet Luffy before dying.
Mock Town might not be that big, but running into Blackbeard had already been a miracle.
More importantly, Luffy couldn't give him what he wanted.
Like a powerful Devil Fruit—or the ability to consume two.
After enduring the brutal reality of this world, Zeke understood clearly that something was wrong with how it operated. He would never fit into the Straw Hat Pirates' world of friendship and camaraderie.
Their values and his were worlds apart.
He and Blackbeard—now *they* were the same kind of people.
So after weighing all the options, Blackbeard was simply easier to use. He was the better bet. The path to power and changing fate lay with him.
"Wait for a pirate with a halo?"
"What do you mean?"
The four of them wore matching expressions of confusion.
"From now on, all you have to do is follow my lead. Whether I can get you to the sky island, or whether I'm lying—will be proven soon enough."
Zeke teased them with a hint of mystery.
"Zehahaha! Then I'll leave it all to you."
Blackbeard responded with complete trust. Zeke had already spoken with such confidence—if he still hesitated or doubted now, he'd have no ambition. And men with no ambition couldn't achieve greatness.
Burgess, Van Augur, and Doc Q had no objections either. They would find out soon enough.
The next two days passed.
Everyone got to know each other better.
Zeke learned a few things: Burgess had yet to acquire the Strong-Strong Fruit, Van Augur didn't have the Warp-Warp Fruit, and only Doc Q had eaten a Devil Fruit—the Sick-Sick Fruit.
His constantly dying appearance was due to its side effects. Stronger, who was always with him, looked just as sickly and lifeless.
"Buru-buru—"
A new day.
At the docks of Mock Town.
Through a monocular scope, Van Augur spotted a pirate ship far out at sea. The jolly roger with the straw hat skull was exactly as Zeke had described.
Zooming in—
The appearance and clothing of several pirates on board matched Zeke's descriptions as well.
Without hesitation—
Van Augur pulled out a Den Den Mushi and made a call.
At the same time—
Inside the tavern.
Blackbeard was coaching Zeke through a basic physical training session when the call came in. Van Augur's excited voice rang out immediately.
"Captain, it's a match. Everything matches!"
"The pirate Zeke spoke of has appeared."
"Really? Zehahaha—!"
Blackbeard's pupils gleamed with ambition, and excitement surged in his chest. The appearance of the haloed pirate meant they had a way to safely reach the sky island.
Just imagining the gold that could buy half the world, and the Poneglyph that held the clues to Pluton, made Blackbeard feel like the world was stripping for him.
"Wahaha!"
Burgess and Doc Q turned to look at Zeke, who was drenched in sweat from push-ups, his expression one of calm confidence.
Two to three days—just as he said.
"Zeke, the target has appeared. What do we do next?"
"We're all listening to you now. Including me."
Blackbeard held the Den Den Mushi in his left hand and personally poured Zeke a glass of rum with his right. The smile on his face hadn't faded once.
"It's simple."
"I'll need some money. Then you all keep your tempers in check. Follow my lead. And above all—don't speak unnecessarily. Be patient."
Zeke wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel, took the rum from Blackbeard, and downed it in one gulp. Then he made a zipping motion across his lips.
"No problem!"
"Wahaha—"
"This is fate!"
Blackbeard pledged first, while Burgess and Doc Q nodded excitedly.
"Van Augur, just keep an eye on the target from a distance. Don't be seen. We need to wait for the perfect moment."
"Understood."
Van Augur's voice came through the still-connected line.
"Captain Teach, get ready. We're about to obtain gold that can buy half the world, a Poneglyph, and clues to Ancient Weapons!"
"We're one step closer to conquering the world and becoming its king!"
Zeke decided it was time to give Blackbeard another dose of motivation.
His value had already begun to show. From here on, he would only become more important to the Blackbeard Pirates.
Even if he was physically weak, as long as his value stayed high, the crew couldn't afford to lose him.
Zeke had now positioned himself as the strategist and brain of the Blackbeard Pirates. With his knowledge of the story, securing his place wouldn't be difficult.
"Zehahaha!!!"
"I can't wait!"
Blackbeard burst out laughing.
He made a decision in his heart.
If Zeke really helped him find the golden city, he would become one of his most trusted men—and he'd give Zeke whatever he wanted.
"Let's wait and see, then."
And so—
The crew waited.
The plot progressed unchanged.
The Straw Hat Pirates landed at Mock Town and clashed with Bellamy, the user of the Spring-Spring Fruit. The two sides began their confrontation.
Meanwhile—
Zeke led Blackbeard, Van Augur, Burgess, and Lafitte to the Straw Hats' docked ship.
The setup was simple.
Zeke posed as a young master from a merchant guild. Blackbeard's group acted as his bodyguards. After a shipwreck, they had washed up in Mock Town and were now hoping for passage to the next island aboard the Straw Hats' ship.
They prepared a reward of fifty million berries.
Whether the other Straw Hats agreed didn't matter. Zeke was certain the greedy Nami would never refuse. As long as she was convinced, the others' opinions wouldn't matter.
For this—
Zeke fixed himself up.
His body was still recovering—thin and frail as ever—but his complexion had improved, showing signs of life.
Dressed in a white dress shirt and slacks, his hair neatly slicked back, and with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, Zeke managed to look somewhat refined. A touch of elegance, a hint of charm, and an air of intelligence.
Blackbeard's group also cleaned up, at least enough to avoid looking like the villains they truly were.