"So Teach beat Thatch nearly to death for the sake of a Devil Fruit?"
On the deck of the Moby Dick, Edward Newgate spoke with quiet authority.
Below him stood all sixteen division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, including Marco, Portgas D. Ace, and Jozu. The only one missing was Thatch, who was still undergoing surgery.
"Damn it! That bastard Teach must be severely punished!"
The sea was full of dangers. Just changes in the natural environment could easily take a life, not to mention pirates, Marines, and other unexpected threats.
Once someone went out to sea, the brothers on the same ship were like family who entrusted their lives to each other.
The one thing that was absolutely forbidden and unforgivable was betrayal.
This had always been a core belief of the Whitebeard Pirates.
What made it worse was that Blackbeard had not only stolen the Devil Fruit. He had even tried to kill Thatch to silence him.
"That animal! Sneaking up on a friend of more than twenty years. How does someone like that even have the nerve to live in this world?"
"Pops, that bastard Teach dared to break the rules. We must capture him and execute him as a warning to others!"
"Who would have thought there was such a traitor within the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Teach has been on the ship for more than twenty years. What kind of Devil Fruit could make him betray brothers he has sailed with for so long?"
"It does not matter what Devil Fruit it was. Everyone knows Thatch's personality. He was the most easygoing among us. If Teach had simply asked, Thatch would have given the fruit to him without hesitation."
"Damn it. Why should someone like Thatch have to walk the line between life and death because of a man like that?"
"Enough."
As the discussion grew louder, Whitebeard spoke again.
The moment he opened his mouth, the entire deck fell silent.
Everyone turned their eyes toward him.
"Anyone who dares attack a comrade cannot be allowed to live."
Whitebeard's words made his stance clear.
Ace stepped forward.
"Pops, Teach belonged to my Second Division. It is only right that I bring him back myself!"
Marco shook his head.
"Teach broke the rules of the Whitebeard Pirates. Ace, do not try to handle this alone."
Jozu nodded.
"Marco is right. This concerns the entire Whitebeard Pirates."
Hearing the voices below him,
Whitebeard slowly stood up.
His nearly seven meter tall figure looked like a god under the sunlight.
"Marco and Jozu are right."
Whitebeard spoke firmly.
"This matter concerns the entire Whitebeard Pirates. Ace, do not think you can solve it alone."
"Now hear my order."
"From today onward, the Whitebeard Pirates will add a new command. Wherever we go, we will search for Blackbeard Teach."
"Blackbeard Teach is now an enemy of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"No matter the cost, he must be killed on this sea."
Outside the infirmary on the Moby Dick.
The sign reading 'Surgery in Progress' made Ace restless.
He sighed heavily.
"I thought… it would be something good. I never expected it to end like this."
Ace had originally wanted to say that Thatch had obtained a Devil Fruit.
However, the investigation showed that none of Thatch's belongings were missing except for that single fruit.
Considering that Teach had once read the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, it was easy to guess that he must have known exactly what kind of fruit it was. That was why he had chosen to attack his companion and even his friend of more than twenty years.
This Devil Fruit was not something to celebrate.
Instead, it was the root cause of this entire tragedy.
Because of that, Ace swallowed the words he had been about to say.
"How is Thatch doing?"
At that moment,
A nurse walked out of the infirmary.
Ace immediately stepped forward with concern.
"A few minutes ago the doctor told me that Captain Thatch's life should be saved."
"But he is still in surgery, so the final situation is not certain yet."
"Captain Ace, I know you care about your companion, but there is no need to rush. I have to get back to work."
"Oh. Right."
Ace nodded quickly and stepped aside to let the nurse pass.
At that moment, Ace had never felt so guilty.
He blamed himself for failing to keep a closer watch on his subordinate.
If he had realized Teach's intentions earlier, or if he had visited Thatch's room that night, Teach would never have had the chance to strike.
Pain and torment filled his mind.
Staring at the words 'Surgery in Progress' made it even worse.
For a moment,
His unstable emotions made it difficult for him to control his Devil Fruit power.
Flames gradually began to burn around him.
Fortunately, even without direct control, the flames did not spread to the ship itself.
Creak.
At that moment, the light above the operating room went out and the door slowly opened.
Doctors and nurses walked out.
"Doctor, how is Thatch?"
Ace immediately rushed over.
"Relax."
"Captain Thatch is out of danger. I even managed to reattach his arm."
"Of course, the flexibility of the arm will be affected in the future. But that is still better than permanently losing an arm, right?"
"Thank you, doctor!"
Ace immediately expressed his gratitude.
Originally, Ace's greatest hope for the surgery had simply been that Thatch would survive.
Not only had the doctor accomplished that, he had even reattached Thatch's arm.
As for the arm losing some flexibility,
That hardly mattered at all.
"It is nothing. It is my duty."
The doctor shook his head.
"Are you planning to stay here?"
"I wanted to wait until Thatch wakes up before seeing him. Is that not allowed?"
Ace's face was still filled with worry.
"No."
The doctor refused decisively.
It was not because Thatch's condition was too fragile to allow visitors.
The real reason was that pirates tended to be reckless.
If he allowed one exception, it would be difficult to maintain rules later.
If someone entered and accidentally introduced infection or bacteria, causing the Whitebeard Pirates to lose one of their elites, Whitebeard might smash his head in anger.
"Captain Thatch cannot receive visitors for at least a month."
"He needs rest and recovery."
Ace, who knew nothing about medicine, could only nod in agreement.
After watching the doctors and nurses leave,
Ace slowly spoke after learning Thatch's condition.
"That bastard Teach. In the end, I still have to be the one to capture him with my own hands."