One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

Gildeo wore a grim expression as he whispered to Lindbergh,

"Lind, it was Teach, that bastard, who first threatened us by targeting our comrades. Doing this isn't wrong. Do you really want the Revolutionary Army to fall into the hands of someone like him? Or are you ready to abandon Ahiru and the others?"

Hearing these words, determination gradually returned to Lindbergh's face. Clenching his fists, he gritted his teeth and said,

"Alright! I understand!"

Seeing this, Gildeo nodded with satisfaction and continued,

"Make sure to grab that woman over there. From my observation, she should be Teach's wife. He seems to care about her, and she's clearly the weakest among them. With your speed, capturing her should be easy!"

Lindbergh didn't respond further but simply nodded slightly.

On the other side, Teach thought Lindbergh had relented. He grinned, spreading his arms wide and saying,

"Come on! Let's—"

Swish!

Lindbergh's figure disappeared from Teach's sight in an instant, leaving only faint traces of electricity in the air.

Frowning, Teach looked around but couldn't spot him anywhere. He muttered,

"Tch, such a wild little cat. Let's see if I can't tame you!"

Just as he finished speaking, a familiar scream came from behind him. His face changed as he quickly turned around.

There, Lindbergh was perched on Chiffon's back, one arm wrapped around her neck and the sharp claws of his other hand pressing against her throat. Burgess and Lafitte reacted in shock.

The hot-headed Burgess roared and was about to charge forward, but Teach quickly shouted,

"Stop!"

When it came to Teach, Burgess always obeyed. He immediately skidded to a halt right in front of Chiffon, barely stopping in time.

Lindbergh's cold gaze locked on them, and the moment Burgess had moved, his claws had already pierced Chiffon's skin. A thin stream of crimson blood began to trickle down, and Chiffon let out a soft groan of pain.

Seeing this, Teach's face darkened further. He glared at Lindbergh and said,

"I didn't expect you to resort to such tactics. It seems we really do have a lot in common."

Lindbergh sneered. "Cut the nonsense! Take your people and get out of here! I swear on the Revolutionary Army's honor that I'll release this woman unharmed after you leave."

Even as he said this, Lindbergh felt his face flush with shame. Holding someone's wife hostage was far from honorable, and he couldn't take pride in such an act.

But Teach didn't show any disdain. On the contrary, he seemed to admire Lindbergh a little.

Still, admiration or not, Teach had no intention of leaving. He remained rooted in place, unmoving.

Lindbergh, already disgusted by his own actions, found the position he was in unbearable, even more so than Chiffon, the hostage herself. His patience soon wore thin, and he barked angrily,

"Get lost already! Or do you want your wife to die?!"

As he spoke, he applied slightly more pressure, causing his claws to sink deeper into Chiffon's neck.

Chiffon, though pained, clenched her teeth and shouted,

"Husband! Don't worry about me! I don't want to be your burden!"

Startled, Lindbergh watched as Chiffon tilted her head, causing his claws to pierce even deeper. Blood began to flow more freely, staining his entire hand red.

Thankfully, Chiffon's neck was sturdy, and the wound didn't sever any major arteries. Still, it was enough to give Lindbergh a scare.

He quickly moved his arm to block Chiffon's mouth, covering it with Armament Haki to prevent her from biting him.

After doing this, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and growled into Chiffon's ear,

"Are you insane?! Stay still! If you want to die, now's not the time!"

Chiffon, her mouth covered, could only make muffled sounds as she glared defiantly at Lindbergh.

Meanwhile, seeing the blood staining Chiffon's neck, Teach's heart skipped a beat. For a brief moment, a look of pain flashed across his face. It was fleeting, but it was there.

After a moment of silence, Teach raised his head, his usual cocky grin returning.

"Zehahahaha! Did you all see that? This is the kind of woman worthy of Blackbeard!"

His behavior confused Lindbergh, while Gildeo, observing from a distance, frowned deeply.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Teach slowly raised one arm. A faint, transparent tremor began to radiate from his fist, growing stronger by the second.

Lindbergh's pupils shrank as he shouted in panic,

"What are you doing?! Your wife is still in my hands!"

Teach smirked.

"To chase your dreams, you have to be willing to sacrifice some things, even those most important to you. Go ahead, do it. Trade my woman's life for the lives of your comrades. It's a fair deal."

The Revolutionary Army members erupted in curses, calling Teach shameless and despicable.

Lindbergh, however, was too stunned to join in. His lips trembled as he watched Teach's quake-covered fist inch closer.

Chiffon showed no signs of blame. Instead, she looked at Teach with pride in her eyes.

Teach, too, gazed at her with a rare gentleness, though his hand didn't stop. He looked at Lindbergh and said,

"Well, Lind, what are you waiting for? How about this—I'll count to three, and we'll act together. Ready?"

Without waiting for a response, he began counting,

"One!"

"Wait!" Lindbergh shouted, panicked.

"Two!"

"Damn it! I..."

"Three—"

Before the word was fully out of Teach's mouth, Lindbergh released Chiffon and screamed,

"Stop! You win!"

The Revolutionary Army members sighed in relief, while Gildeo's face darkened.

As soon as Lindbergh let go, Burgess and the others rushed forward, grabbing Chiffon and carrying her off like a prized trophy.

Teach, now relaxed, dispersed the tremor on his fist. He chuckled and said,

"Lind, don't play games like this again. It was a bit much, don't you think?"

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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg