In the darkness of the night.

Teach fled in a panic. His seemingly stout and bloated body displayed astonishing speed during the escape, almost disappearing into the distance, leaving the pursuing Marines far behind.

Only the golden giant Buddha transformed by Admiral Sengoku could keep up behind him, occasionally firing golden shockwaves.

"How did things turn out like this?"

Teach's heart was currently filled with despair.

After calming down, he gradually sensed that something was wrong.

Teach hadn't witnessed the battle between Sengoku and the fake Sig earlier and didn't know the specifics, only seeing from afar Sengoku ending Sig with a final, imposing blow.

Teach was quite far away at the time and didn't notice anything amiss, until now...

"What I ate shouldn't be Sig's Grilled Skewer Fruit..."

"It was probably one of the ability users among those pirates who died in the auction house..."

Teach tried to recall, but couldn't remember any useful information.

That ability user probably died in the chaotic battle before even starting to display their ability..

Teach was already on the verge of tears.

To think that after obtaining the Angel Fruit, he was overwhelmed by joy, believing he had obtained Sig's Grilled Skewer Fruit!

At that time, he even thought he was extremely lucky, having Sig's fruit regenerate into his bag from such a great distance.

"I... what kind of fruit user am I now?"

Teach's face was gloomy, almost stupefied.

Only the fear of death and his years of ambition still supported him to continue fleeing, preventing him from collapsing on the spot.

And at this moment, more dazzling golden lights flashed from behind.

Teach's face instantly turned ashen. With a stomp of his foot, his bloated body's speed surged again.

But he couldn't dodge Sengoku's attack this time. The giant fist shining with golden light struck him squarely in the back.

Pfft--

Teach's eyes widened, and he vomited another large mouthful of blood. His vision went black, and he nearly fainted.

Admiral Sengoku's attacks weren't so easy to block. He was among the world's top combatants, representing the Marines' highest combat power.

How was this the greatest opportunity of his life?

This was simply the darkest, most dangerous moment of his life!

"Fortunately, before attending the auction, I familiarized myself with the surrounding terrain and planned escape routes beforehand.... I still have a chance to live, I absolutely won't die here!"

Teach roared inwardly, appearing almost frenzied, swallowing the blood in his mouth, and continuing his mad dash.

While fleeing, Teach didn't forget to shout:

"Sengoku, you're chasing the wrong person."

"I'm just an unknown nobody. By chasing me, you let Sig escape. Isn't that losing the greater for the lesser?"

"An unknown nobody couldn't possibly snatch the Angel Fruit. Besides, Sig already died at my hands."

Sengoku continued the pursuit expressionlessly while speaking.

"I..."

Regret surged in Teach's heart.

I'm such an idiot... really, I shouldn't have gotten carried away and eaten those two fruits in front of Sengoku!

He had endured for many years, thinking he had finally reached the moment to step onto the world stage, only to find it was an illusion!

Not only that, but he had also encountered a life-threatening crisis because of it!

He forced himself to rally his spirits and continued:

"Do you really think Sig died so easily?"

"Sengoku, you've already fallen for Sig's treacherous plan!"

As soon as these words came out, Admiral Sengoku, who already had doubts in his heart, paused slightly, his movements hesitating.

Even without Blackbeard's reminder, he also felt that Sig's death earlier was too easy, too strange.

He initially thought it was related to Teach observing secretly from afar, so Sengoku rushed over directly. Now, thinking about it carefully...

And while Sengoku's movements paused slightly.

Teach quickly seized the opportunity. With a low roar, he stomped fiercely, directly creating small craters in the pavement bricks of the street. His figure became a blur, shooting out into the night.

At that moment, Teach's body seemed to undergo a subtle change, appearing slightly larger, with a faint black luster under the moonlight.

"Damn it."

Sengoku came back to his senses in time, transformed into the giant Buddha, and strode past the street corner.

However, under the night sky, Teach's figure had vanished without a trace.

"He escaped?"

Sengoku's face turned ugly. His body reverted to its normal human size. He looked around, but couldn't find any trace of Teach.

What he didn't know was that Teach was currently beneath his feet.

To be precise, in the sewer beneath the street manhole cover.

At this moment, Teach stared blankly at the murky water surface in the sewer.

There was only very faint light in the sewer, and the murky water surface only reflected a large, blurry black shadow.

But Teach could see clearly.

"Does this fruit also come with night vision?"

Teach felt slightly relieved. This was already much better than the trash ability he had anticipated.

For some reason, upon entering the sewer, he felt a sense of security, as if he had returned home.

"Is it because I escaped Sengoku's pursuit? Does my subconscious feel very safe?"

Teach didn't think much, concentrating on the reflection on the water surface, trying to figure out his ability.

In the reflection, his entire body seemed clad in漆黑 (qī hēi - pitch-black) armor. The armor faintly gleamed, majestic like a black-armored general.

Reaching towards his back, Teach felt a thick, hard black shell growing on his body, instantly giving him a sense of security.

"Seems like it's not that bad?"

"This seems to be some kind of beetle-type Zoan Devil Fruit?"

Teach muttered to himself, comforting himself.

He hid in the sewer for a long time.

Only when there was no more commotion above did he carefully open the manhole cover and return to the surface.

Looking around, there was no sign of the Marines.

While slightly relieved, Teach quickly took off running.

Soon, he arrived at a small boat he had prepared beforehand.

However, when he saw his reflection clearly from the sea surface, he was slightly stunned.

"Scarab beetle? It really is a Zoan Devil Fruit."

"This isn't Sig's ability at all!"

Teach's emotions were somewhat complex.

Regardless, this Devil Fruit had indeed taken up one of his fruit slots.

"Although I ate a Zoan Devil Fruit, at least I also ate the Angel Fruit!"

"In other words, I gained a Zoan Devil Fruit for free. Although it's not as good as expected, it's not a loss..."

Blackbeard comforted himself inwardly.

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