“Huff… huff…” Dawn had only just begun to break.
In the ship’s shared training room, Teach held himself upside down in a one-handed handstand, weights still strapped to his legs.
The previous night, several of them had worked together to get Oden completely drunk.
Naturally, Teach had been the main contributor, single-handedly enduring Oden’s attempts to fight back.
After the banquet, the others carried Oden back to his cabin, where Toki looked after him.
Vista and the others had also drunk too much, while Oden alone lay in bed suffering through his hangover.
In the end, no one knew who had won the drinking contest.
Teach certainly did not feel as though he had lost.
He felt no discomfort at all.
Instead, he was as energetic as ever and had spent the entire night training.
“Teach, there’s no cherry pie this morning.
I didn’t prepare any cherries last night.” Thatch suddenly poked his head through the training room door.
“Got it.
Then make me charcoal-grilled Sea King snout, thick vegetable soup, and egg fried rice with Sea King leg meat.” Teach lay on the floor catching his breath as he listed what he wanted to eat.
Whenever he had the means, Teach would never deprive himself in the slightest.
Material comforts were essential!
“Got it.
You’re the most troublesome one here,” Thatch complained loudly.
Everyone else usually ate whatever he prepared.
Teach was different.
Not only did he need cherry pie with every meal, but he was also extremely particular about everything else he ate.
Despite his complaints, Thatch always fulfilled Teach’s demands without cutting corners.
Even within their small circle, the two of them had the closest relationship.
Thatch had been the first person Teach met aboard the ship.
Through Teach’s deliberate efforts to befriend him, their relationship had become exceptionally close.
“Hahaha!
Thanks, Thatch.” Teach thanked him politely before immediately making another demand.
“When it’s ready, bring it to the deck.
I want to eat breakfast while watching the sunrise.” “You bastard!
I’m a chef, not a waiter!” Thatch shouted.
“Got it.” “Hurry up.
The sun is about to rise,” Teach said while picking his ear, pushing his luck even further.
Thatch’s face darkened, and he walked toward the kitchen without another word.
After resting for a while, Teach took a shower.
He then walked onto the deck bare-chested and wearing long trousers.
A few scattered crew members were already moving around the deck.
They all greeted Teach first, and he responded to each of them.
He walked to the whale-shaped bow, sat cross-legged atop it, and watched the distant sun slowly rise over the horizon.
Teach activated his Observation Haki and sensed everything around him.
He could distinguish the presence of everyone aboard the ship.
The range of his Observation Haki continued to spread outward, extending far beyond the limits of his sight.
Among the many people aboard, his Observation Haki was second only to Whitebeard’s.
Teach did not need to sleep, his spirit was powerful, and his Observation Haki was unusually strong.
“Is Armament Haki really that difficult to awaken?” Teach muttered quietly.
Perhaps because his body was still developing and had so much room left to grow, his Armament Haki showed no signs of awakening.
Conqueror’s Haki was even more elusive.
However, it differed from the other two forms of Haki and might only require the proper trigger to awaken.
“Teach, your food is ready.” Thatch arrived carrying two large trays piled high with food.
Although Teach had only named a few dishes, each portion was large enough to stuff an ordinary person to death.
Thatch placed the dishes on the bow one by one before sitting cross-legged opposite Teach.
“Thatch, how did you awaken Armament Haki?” Teach asked while stuffing food into his mouth.
“Me?
I awakened it during a battle against the Marines.
Back then, they still refused to leave us alone and deliberately tracked us down so they could surround and wipe us out.” “Admiral Sengoku led the attack, accompanied by several Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals.
That battle was extremely dangerous.” “Pops was surrounded by Sengoku and several Vice Admirals, while the other Marines used their superior numbers to divide and encircle the rest of us under the command of their Rear Admirals.” “Many of us were killed or injured, and I nearly died as well.
After that battle, I awakened Armament Haki.” Thatch’s voice was low and mournful.
It had been the most devastating loss the Whitebeard Pirates had ever suffered.
“But after we recovered, Pops led us in destroying two Marine bases in the New World, one after another.
That was our revenge for everyone who died!” Relief filled his voice as he spoke.
“You don’t need to rush your Armament Haki.
You’re already extremely strong.
At your age, no one aboard can compare to you.” “Heh heh.
It’s still not enough!” Teach said with absolute seriousness.
He was not comparing himself to the people aboard the ship, but to the true monsters of the sea.
For example, Red-Haired Shanks, who was only one year younger than him and would one day become one of the Four Emperors.
Shanks was younger than most of the people aboard, yet his future strength would far surpass theirs.
Teach wondered whether Whitebeard had protected his sons too well, allowing them to live too comfortably and preventing any true top-tier powerhouses from emerging.
In the end, a group of men in their forties and fifties, none of whom were capable of taking command, would place the future of the Whitebeard Pirates in the hands of a teenager who had only been at sea for two years.
Was it simply because Ace possessed Conqueror’s Haki?
Marine Admirals did not possess it either, yet they still stood at the pinnacle of the world.
In Teach’s opinion, the real reason was that Whitebeard was too good a father.
His sons never felt any pressure.
Was Ace truly that important to Whitebeard?
For the sake of one person, Whitebeard would take his aging body and lead all his sons into a suicidal rescue attempt at Marineford.
If that was the case, then Whitebeard was an utterly unqualified father.
In Teach’s view, Whitebeard had not been trying to save Ace alone.
He had been trying to save the future of all his sons.
Only Ace possessed the ability to take Whitebeard’s place and continue leading everyone across the seas after his death.
Knowing what the future held, Teach could not be as carefree as the others aboard, believing only that Pops was invincible.
“Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.
You’re already the hardest-working person aboard.
How are the rest of us supposed to live when you’re like this?” Thatch truly could not understand what was driving Teach or why he was in such a hurry, as though something were chasing him for his life.
The others were being affected as well.
As long as they possessed even a little pride, none of them wanted to be surpassed by someone younger than themselves.
Teach placed invisible pressure on everyone aboard, and the intensity of their training continued to rise.
What frustrated them was that no matter how hard they worked, their rate of improvement could not match Teach’s.
Being surpassed was only a matter of time.
As Teach’s body gradually matured, his rate of improvement would only become faster.
“Give us a break!” The two of them quickly finished all the food between them.
Afterward, Thatch began gathering the empty dishes while sighing.
“Hahaha!
Isn’t this a good thing?
Work hard now, and later you’ll be able to control your own destiny!” Teach rose to his feet, placed his hands on his hips, and laughed heartily as he gazed at the fully risen sun.
Thatch looked at his bold figure and muttered to himself, “Perhaps the difference between us isn’t our potential, but the ambition within our hearts.” He carried the empty plates back toward the kitchen, lost in thought.
In the future, perhaps Teach would be the only person in their family capable of taking Pops’s place.
As far as Thatch could tell, no one was more suitable.
Teach possessed immense potential and strength.
He was fearless in battle and thoughtful in everything he did.
As for Teach’s idea of giving Pops grandchildren, Thatch did not fully understand the deeper meaning behind it.
Still, he understood that Teach was thinking about everyone’s future.