Paper Paper Fruit In One Piece

"Everyone, get on!" 

As Roman controlled the Sunny to take flight, the expanded white wings were packed with Charlotte family officers. On the deck, the injured lay sprawled out, including Luffy, who had completely lost consciousness. 

Luffy's "Gear Fifth" was truly earth-shattering. Roman estimated that only Luffy's grandfather, in his younger days, could have matched him in a fistfight. But the problem was that it only lasted ten seconds, and the energy drain was terrifying. 

"Tsk, always trying to act tough," Roman muttered. 

Sanji frowned at the unconscious Luffy, who was as limp as a noodle. "Come on, we had so many people helping out—did he really think Teach could turn things around?" 

 "Not necessarily. In fact, that guy Blackbeard… never mind." 

With a rustling sound, white paper peeled off from Nami, reshaping itself into Roman. 

"I'll leave the rest to you—Nami, Zoro, San—" 

Before he could finish, someone caught the fainting Roman and laid him down next to Luffy. Though he looked unharmed, he had taken Teach's full-power attack and then single-handedly held him off after awakening his powers. Now, he was completely drained, too exhausted to even stay alert in front of "outsiders"—something he normally never let happen. 

Of course, that was also because… 

"If your Charlotte family wants to fight, I'll take you all on alone." 

Zoro, gripping Wado Ichimonji, faced the Charlotte family. Sitting on the railing with his long legs dangling over the edge, Smoothie shrugged. 

"I have no interest in fighting a battle I know I'll lose." 

On the other side, Katakuri stood up, then looked toward Luffy and Roman, who were being examined by Chopper. He bent down and lowered his head. 

"The Charlotte family owes the Straw Hat Crew a life debt. We will never forget this. If you ever need our help, I will give my life without hesitation!" 

"Brother Katakuri, this is a debt from our entire family! How can you take this responsibility alone?" 

As more and more figures, tall and short, stood up, they all turned toward the Straw Hat Crew and bowed deeply. 

"If the Straw Hat Crew ever needs anything, we will give our lives to help!!" 

Sanji instinctively reached for a cigarette but hesitated when he glanced at the two unconscious figures behind him. 

"Luffy would probably say something like, 'What does me punching Blackbeard have to do with you guys?'" 

Zoro smirked. "When our captain wakes up, the best way to repay him is to give him a feast." 

Even Katakuri, usually stern and serious, let out a fierce grin. 

"No problem. We'll throw the best banquet ever!" 

————— 

"Teach..." 

"Brother!" 

The familiar voice in his ears stirred Blackbeard awake. His bloodshot eyes opened, meeting the teary and anxious gaze of Laffitte. As he lay on the ground, the massive man slowly regained his senses. 

"I'm… not dead…?" 

"Captain, you're the man who will overthrow this world. There's no way you'd die so easily." 

Laffitte, missing his usual top hat, let out a breath of relief. Van Augur, gripping his beloved rifle, Thousand-Luck, stood watch nearby, his tattered cloak swaying as he finally relaxed his furrowed brow. 

"Laffitte… Van Augur… is it just the two of you left?" 

Still dazed from the battle, Teach slowly sat up, rubbing his temples as his mind began to clear. 

The Straw Hat Crew, the Charlotte family, the Marines… 

The awakening of Roman's abilities as the "White Dove," and that Straw Hat kid— 

Just thinking about Luffy's unstoppable ten-second rampage made Teach shudder, even though he had barely escaped death. However, he wasn't too surprised that he managed to get away because the power of the Darkness-Darkness Fruit wasn't just about trapping others—it could also be used for long-distance teleportation. The only problem was that the corrosive nature of the dark space didn't differentiate between friend or foe. Without strong Haki, using this method to escape was nothing short of suicide. 

And— 

"Where... is this?" 

"This is Fruit Wine Island, on the outskirts of Whole Cake Island. It's a retreat route I prepared in advance." 

Liya, with her black curly hair, answered calmly. Among Teach's sisters, she was the one who loved scheming the most. She had secretly planned an escape route long ago. Before considering victory, she had already accounted for defeat. 

"If it weren't for Lafitte and Van Augur bringing my brother here, then..." 

As someone who shared Teach's existence and controlled the eerie power of the Darkness-Darkness Fruit, she didn't have the ability to "carry herself" to safety. 

"You two did well." 

Teach wobbled as he stood up, clenching his fists. His body felt empty. The very constitution that once allowed him to bear the power of three curses now only made his expression darken. 

"Brother, don't be sad. Sister Annie's sacrifice was worth it!" 

As his sister, Liya immediately saw through Teach's thoughts and softly comforted him. 

"We're not afraid of death. If it means changing this rotten and twisted world, then what's the big deal about dying?" 

"That's right! Zehahahaha!!" 

Teach straightened his back and let out his signature laugh. Only by doing so could he reassure his only sister. Only by doing so could he keep his two remaining subordinates steady. Only by doing so—could he stop the tears from falling. 

"I am Blackbeard Teach! The man who will become the Pirate King! The man who will overthrow the Celestial Dragons' 800-year rule! How could I fall here?" 

"What doesn't destroy me will only make me stronger!" 

As the dark smoke of the Darkness-Darkness Fruit rose from Teach's body again, Lafitte and Van Augur nodded. 

This was the captain they had chosen to follow! 

Ruthless, bold, and never willing to give up... 

"That's right! As long as we have the captain's Darkness-Darkness powers, we can rise again. This is fate—" 

"That's really unfortunate." 

!? "Your fate is to end here." 

In an instant, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over them in the dead of winter! The remaining members of the Blackbeard Pirates broke into a cold sweat! As the sniper, Van Augur reacted first, spinning around in a flash—but—his hands were empty. There was nothing to pull the trigger on. 

"Hmm, not bad." 

The person behind him casually toyed with his rifle, muttering to themselves. 

"In his words, this barely counts as 'blue-tier gear.'" 

! 

"Run!" 

Van Augur suddenly pulled a dagger from his waist and lunged forward, while Lafitte, without hesitation, grabbed Teach and dashed toward the exit! But— 

"In such a hurry to die?" 

Along with a calm female voice, a gunshot rang out. 

Bang! 

The Blackbeard Pirates' third captain collapsed backward, a bloody hole in his forehead. His sniper scope rolled to the side—he died by his own gun. 

!! "Liya, take care of the captain!" 

Lafitte spun around and swung his cane. At the same time, a pair of wings spread wide from his back, shielding his captain as if trying to protect something precious. But against their enemy, Leso— 

"Pointless struggle." 

"Ahhh!!!" 

The scream from behind made Teach stop for a moment, but in the next second, he charged forward again! 

"Go, Captain!" 

"Even villains need a savior—" 

"Go, Teach!" 

His father's furious roar, mixed with screams, echoed behind him. Attacking a Celestial Dragon? Impossible. That fat pig just wanted someone to take out his anger on after missing his target. To them, anyone who wasn't a Celestial Dragon wasn't even human. 

"Don't look back!!" 

How could he look back? How dare he look back? Those people held cold steel blades, deadly firearms... Power, power, power!! 

The wind roared in his ears, and his body was freezing cold! Teach gripped two small hands tightly as he ran. His limbs felt as heavy as lead, and every breath was like swallowing knives—he couldn't even tell if the air burning his lungs was hot or cold. 

"Brother, let me go!" Annie's shaky, gasping voice broke through. "I can... buy you some time..." 

"Shut up! I'm not leaving anyone behind!!" 

Teach's desperate scream rang out as he ran. The enemies behind him glanced at his pathetic, fleeing figure, confused for a moment. Then, one of them smirked slightly but held back the laughter—the kind of mocking amusement someone might have when watching an insect struggle in vain. 

"Hah... hah... hah~~" 

Everything in front of Teach blurred and wavered. And then, for a split second— 

*Splatter.* 

"Live on, brother." 

*Squelch.* 

"I don't want to go like this... Live on..." 

"She's coming, brother!" 

A girl with black curls seemed to "split" from Teach's body. "I'll hold them off. Brother, you *have* to survive!" 

Live on, live on, live on!!!! 

Teach ran without even noticing Leah drifting away behind him. Only those cursed words echoed in his mind. 

"Blaise, I've only seen you fuse living things into 'toys' before. What happens if your ability fuses a corpse with someone still alive?" 

"Ernst Salvatore Saint, these two girls just stopped breathing. They aren't *technically* corpses yet..." 

"I don't care! Fuse all three of them together, *now*!" 

"Tsk, it's still just *one* body in the end..." 

"Get rid of him! He's disgusting." 

... "Ha~ ha~~ I'm Blackbeard Teach! I *will* survive! I'm not dying here!!" 

Closer, closer! A massive black ship was docked at the shore. The sunlight reflected off the sea, making Teach squint—just like the bright, beaming smile of the tall man who once reached out to him. 

So dazzling. So bright it hurt. 

"Zehahaha~~ Pops! You're old now. You can't protect anyone anymore. The next era will belong to me, Blackbeard—!" 

Teach leaped onto the deck, heading straight for the ship's bow like he had done countless times before. He spread his arms wide and laughed wildly as he looked out at the endless blue sea. 

"Let's go, boys! We're going to overthrow the World Government! We're going to conquer the entire ocean!!" 

But something felt wrong. It was too quiet behind him. 

"Burgess, take the helm!" 

No response. No loud "Wehahaha" laughter. 

"Lafitte, rally the fleet!" 

Why was the ever-composed and elegant strategist so out of character? 

"What the hell are you guys doing—" 

Teach, irritated, was about to turn around when he suddenly realized there was a woman standing in front of him. 

Wait. No. Why was there a woman on *his* ship? 

She didn't look like Catarina Devon, that sly old hag. Did his crew bring in a woman to drink with? 

"Heh heh~~" 

Ahhh, even the *Pirate King* needs to relax sometimes. This was the kind of moment when Annie and Leah needed to "look away" for a bit. 

Seriously, he had spent his whole life with those two watching his every move. What a rip-off... 

Teach reached out, intending to touch the woman's face. 

But she took a step back, looking at him with nothing but disgust. 

At the same time, a pair of cold eyes appeared in Teach's vision. 

Oh, not a barmaid… 

The next second, the woman standing at the ship's figurehead, dressed in a flowing, elegant gown and wearing a pointed crown, raised a single finger. 

*Splat.* A sharp pain shot through his chest. 

Teach looked down. His chest was hollow—he could see the deck behind him through the gaping hole. 

Burgess, Van Augur, Lafitte, Doc Q… Not a single one of them was there! 

Only the empty ship remained, silently telling the truth— 

The Blackbeard Pirates no longer existed. 

"How bold… Even at death's door, you still dare to reach for me?" 

The cold voice snapped Teach back to reality. But the woman in front of him didn't even spare him a glance. Instead, she looked at her own cracking finger as if lost in thought. 

"This is the limit, huh? Oh well—" 

A gust of wind blew past. 

The mysterious woman turned into fluttering sheets of white paper, scattering into the air. 

All that remained was a pirate with a hole in his chest, waiting for death. 

*Thud.* 

His consciousness faded fast. 

Teach collapsed onto the cold deck of the warship without making a sound. 

In his final moments, his mind drifted back to a few days ago—when he had cut that little Charlotte brat in half. That kid had screamed and cried for what felt like forever… So annoying. 

This is the fate of a pirate. 

Blood. Even the blood spilling across the deck looked exactly the same. 

(End of Chapter)