“Teach, you really are a monster!” Several people gathered around Teach on the deck, staring at him in astonishment.
“It’s just not sleeping.
There’s nothing to make such a fuss about.” Teach remained calm; he genuinely did not think it was unusual.
In this strange and colorful world, his little abnormality was hardly worth mentioning.
Big Mom had been able to tear wild beasts apart at the age of five, and even the giants feared her.
“Pops, do you know why Teach doesn’t need to sleep?” Marco asked.
Whitebeard stood nearby, holding Murakumogiri, one of the Supreme Grade Blades, as he gazed intently at the sea.
Without warning, he raised the weapon and swung it.
The fierce slash split the sea ahead, and blood-red water surged up from below.
A dismembered Sea King several times larger than the one that had chased Teach floated to the surface.
If Whitebeard had not dealt with it, the others aboard would have struggled immensely, and the Moby Dick itself might have been damaged.
Whitebeard lowered Murakumogiri and laughed heartily.
“Gurararara!
I don’t know either.
But this vast sea contains all kinds of wonders, so there’s nothing strange about it.” “This is Teach’s unique gift.
It gives him twice as much time as an ordinary person.” “Teach, how about taking every night watch from now on?” Marco asked with a sly wink.
Marco, Jozu, and Teach were all still apprentices, though Marco would soon leave that status behind.
Teach and Jozu were the same age and would likely remain apprentices for several more years.
Most of the others aboard were older and had already become full crew members.
Apprentices were responsible for the ship’s chores, which was why Marco made the suggestion.
He was eager to leave that kind of work behind.
“I don’t have time for anything that boring,” Teach replied with a pout.
He had already been aboard for more than half a month, yet he had never done any chores.
The honest Jozu was extremely envious, while Marco was nearly green with jealousy.
Some of the older crewmates were even looking for an opportunity to beat Teach up.
Anyone too young to become a full crew member had to handle chores until coming of age, unless they earned an exemption through an outstanding achievement.
Teach was still underage, and surviving against a five-hundred-meter Sea King was not quite enough to qualify.
Even so, he stubbornly refused to work.
If he said he would not do something, no punishment could change his mind.
Whitebeard never truly blamed him.
His so-called punishment was merely an increase in training.
As a top-tier powerhouse, Whitebeard could always find Teach’s physical limits and push him to them.
There were nearly three hundred people aboard the ship.
Although they were all Whitebeard’s sons, he was still only one man.
He could not divide his attention perfectly among three hundred children.
He cherished every son, but those with greater talent and better performances naturally received more attention.
To manage Teach’s willful behavior without appearing overly partial, Whitebeard gave him punishments that were not really punishments at all—increasing his training load.
Teach could feel himself improving a little every day.
It was far more effective than the crude training methods he had devised on his own.
“Teach, you brat, you’re too damn annoying!” Vista shouted.
“Get him!” The others immediately responded.
Punches and kicks came from every direction, leaving Teach surrounded and struggling to defend himself.
“Hey, Whitey Bay!
Don’t use your ability indiscriminately!” Marco yelled.
Whitey Bay possessed the Paramecia-type Ice-Ice Fruit.
Her ability was inferior in every respect to the power the future Admiral Kuzan would possess, but it was more than enough to deal with the people aboard the ship.
Marco’s arm stiffened from the cold air she released.
Several others attacking Teach were also slowed by the freezing chill.
Teach endured the cold affecting his own body and took advantage of their sluggish movements.
He mercilessly landed several solid punches, leaving black eyes across the group.
“Hahaha!
You’re all too weak!” Laughing, Teach broke through the encirclement and ran to Whitebeard’s side.
He placed his hands on Whitebeard’s knee and shouted at the others, “Come on!
Let’s keep fighting!” His hands suddenly met empty air.
Whitebeard had moved away, and Teach stumbled after losing his support.
“Gurararara!
I won’t interfere in a brawl between my sons.” Whitebeard laughed from a distance as he watched Teach.
Seeing his sons so full of energy put him in an excellent mood.
Teach’s great escape across the enormous deck of the Moby Dick began soon afterward.
His role was to flee, while everyone else chased him.
Marco, Vista, Thatch, Rakuyo, and Whitey Bay were all at least five years older than him, and each was somewhat stronger.
Teach ran until nightfall, though the older members still managed to land several blows.
As for the others, he ambushed and knocked down quite a few while escaping.
Thatch, who chased him most closely, even ended up with two black eyes.
At the evening banquet, Teach sat close to Whitebeard and laughed at the battered group.
“Hahaha!
You all look ridiculous!” Teach himself was covered in bruises, but none appeared on his face.
He had protected it desperately, preferring to take several extra punches to the body rather than allow anyone to hit him there.
“Heh.
How useless,” Whitey Bay mocked.
“All of you fought him together, and he still taught you a lesson.” Teach had deliberately avoided attacking her.
He feared that if he truly angered the witch, she would freeze him in place and leave him helpless before the others.
“Hmph.
If you hadn’t interfered, we would’ve beaten him long ago,” Jozu muttered.
“What did you say?” Whitey Bay asked with a glare.
Jozu silently lowered his head and continued drinking.
“Hahaha!
Whitey Bay, chill my beer for me.” Teach handed her a large mug.
“Call me Big Sis!” Whitey Bay swept a hand over the mug, instantly chilling the beer inside.
She liked Teach as a younger brother.
Although he had been with the Whitebeard Pirates for only half a month, she found him surprisingly agreeable.
She had repeatedly tried to make him call her Big Sis, but she had never succeeded.
“Hahaha!
Thanks, Whitey Bay!” “You damn brat!” Whitey Bay swept her hand over the mug again, freezing the beer into a solid block.
“Crunch, crunch…” Teach did not care.
He tossed the ice into his mouth and began chewing.
“Pops, where are we heading next?” he asked Whitebeard, who sat at the head of the banquet.
“Teach, don’t ask where we’re going,” Marco said cheerfully.
“Pirates make the sea their home.
What fun would an adventure be if we fixed our destination beforehand?” They were still young, and the New World was filled with unfamiliar places waiting to be explored.
Only a few years had passed since Rocks’s death.
The great pirates of the era were still developing their power, and the New World had not yet been fully divided into territories.
For the Whitebeard Pirates, almost everywhere remained unclaimed.
As long as they avoided the Marines, they could roam freely without worrying about accidentally entering another great pirate’s territory and starting a war.
Not that they were afraid.
The crew was still young and had yet to reach its full strength, but they had Whitebeard.
Apart from a select few people in the world, no one could confidently claim they were capable of enduring his devastating attacks.
The Whitebeard Pirates only needed to wait a few more years for the younger members to mature.
When that happened, they would truly deserve the title of the strongest pirate crew.
Even now, they were already considered one of the three greatest pirate crews.
Against the overwhelming power of Whitebeard’s Tremor-Tremor Fruit, numbers meant nothing.