Chapter 81 – Blackbeard's True Intentions
"Wait… that old man was a former Marine admiral?"
"Who is he?!"
The pirates in the auction hall erupted into confusion.
On the second floor, Ariel raised his prosthetic arm to block the incoming tremor shockwave.
The impact spread outward from his palm, the force tearing through the building. The roof of the exchange shattered, fragments raining down into the hall below.
"Blackbeard!" Ariel roared.
"I don't know how you infiltrated Riel Callander… but if you think you can challenge us here—"
Before he could finish speaking—
A bullet struck him.
Ariel tried to dodge, but he was half a step too late.
An armor-piercing round tore through his ribs.
The shot was so silent that most pirates didn't even hear it. They only saw Ariel, standing on the balcony, slowly collapse to one knee.
Across the hall, smoke drifted from a rifle barrel.
The sniper of the Blackbeard Pirates—Van Augur.
"Zehahaha!" Blackbeard burst into wild laughter.
"You really are outdated."
"Leftovers from the previous generation."
He raised both hands high.
"Now then… show yourselves!"
Suddenly—
Nearly half of the armored soldiers guarding the trade fair began walking toward Blackbeard.
The remaining soldiers attempted to attack him, but before they could move—
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Their armor exploded one after another.
The Pirates Watching
Among the spectators, the masked man wearing a gentleman's hat chuckled.
"Heh…"
"I thought it would be disappointing if the Flame-Flame Fruit didn't show up."
"But I didn't expect something this interesting instead."
Law, Itachi, and Freys also stood.
"Lord Itachi," Law said quietly, "should we leave?"
"The situation is unclear," Itachi replied calmly.
"We withdraw first."
They were about to slip away when—
One of the armored soldiers behind Blackbeard suddenly removed his helmet.
Black wings unfolded from his back.
He flew directly to the entrance and blocked the exit.
"Ah, sorry… sorry."
"Please remain where you are for now."
"Our captain… still has something to say."
The man removed his mask.
Several pirates immediately recognized him.
"That's—!"
"The Fifth Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates!"
"'Demon Sheriff' Lafitte!"
Lafitte smiled politely. He adjusted his black top hat and leaned lightly on his elegant cane.
Ariel's Rage
On the balcony above, Ariel—half kneeling and bleeding—glared down.
"Blackbeard…!"
"You've infiltrated Riel Callander?!"
"Didn't you just see it?" Blackbeard laughed.
"Zehahaha!"
He waved his hand casually.
The entire auction hall shattered further, debris crashing everywhere.
Outside, soldiers wearing red armbands were already fighting the original armored troops.
"They know very well," Blackbeard continued mockingly,
"That following an outdated relic like Riel Callander has no future!"
"You're nothing but the ashes of the old era."
"You should sink into the sea along with it!"
"You bastard!!"
Ariel roared.
More than a dozen purple beams of energy erupted from his body and shot toward Blackbeard.
But Blackbeard simply opened his other hand.
The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit appeared.
"Black Hole!"
A swirling vortex of darkness formed instantly.
The beams were swallowed and erased.
Then Blackbeard swung his arm again—
Another tremor shockwave blasted toward Ariel.
Ariel tried to dodge.
But—
BANG!
Another shot rang out.
Van Augur's bullet pierced Ariel's calf.
"Boom!"
The shockwave struck him directly.
Sniper's Precision
Several armored soldiers rushed toward Van Augur.
The sniper calmly turned.
Three shots.
Three soldiers collapsed.
"These armor-piercing rounds were specially prepared for you."
Van Augur smiled coldly.
"Oh, and by the way…"
"These bullets were manufactured by Riel Callander itself."
"You bastards!!"
Ariel roared in fury.
At that moment he deeply regretted one decision.
He had allowed Dragon to leave earlier.
Dragon had wanted to stay, but Ariel insisted he conserve his strength and focus on expanding the Revolutionary Army during the upcoming World Conference.
But now—
The exchange had descended into chaos.
Outside the city, the armored troops were already fighting the Blackbeard Pirates.
When the soldiers attempted to activate the city wall weapons—
Another betrayal occurred.
The captain hidden among them—
Avalo Pizarro, the "Evil King."
He launched a surprise attack from within.
Blackbeard's Speech
Seeing the pirates in the hall growing restless, Blackbeard suddenly shouted:
"QUIET!"
The entire hall fell silent.
He looked around at the masked pirates.
"Relax."
"My plan isn't to kill everyone here."
"Yes, we are ambitious pirates…"
"But we are not mindless butchers."
He pointed at Ariel.
"Let me ask you something simple."
"Don't you think…"
"…that the transaction fees in Riel Callander are far too expensive?"
The pirates immediately began murmuring.
"He's not wrong…"
"Yeah, the fees here are ridiculous."
"If it weren't the only stable black market, I wouldn't come here."
"That's exactly the problem!" Blackbeard roared with laughter.
"Zehahaha!"
"I came here to build a new Riel Callander."
"A new order for the black market."
He raised his hand.
"I now declare an iron rule."
"Once the transformation is complete—"
"All miscellaneous fees will be abolished."
"Every pirate trading here will pay only 3% commission per transaction."
"What do you think?"
The pirates looked at each other.
"That's… actually reasonable."
"As expected of a Yonko!"
Blackbeard grinned wider.
"Zehahaha!"
"Furthermore—"
"Our battle today is only against the rebels of Riel Callander."
"It has nothing to do with you."
"We will not harm anyone who stays out of it."
He continued.
"And if anyone here wishes to join the Blackbeard Pirates…"
"You will share the spoils of Riel Callander's treasury!"
"Of course, those who refuse may leave once we seize the city."
The hall erupted in cheers.
Even Freys began to waver.
"Wait… why do I feel like he's actually a pretty decent pirate?"
Lafitte's Trap
At the entrance, Lafitte smiled slyly.
"Of course…"
"Before that, we have a small request."
"A request?" someone asked.
Lafitte twirled his cane.
"To ensure the safety of everyone's traded goods…"
"All merchandise you brought will be redeemed at 30% of its gold value."
"The rest will be converted into new trading currency issued by us."
"When the market reopens, you can use it for future auctions."
A nearby pirate exploded in anger.
"You're confiscating our treasure?!"
"No, no, no."
Lafitte smiled politely.
"We're simply ensuring your safety."
"However…"
"If you join the Blackbeard Pirates, there's no need for such guarantees."
"Your people and your treasure will be protected by us."
The pirates immediately began arguing again.
Itachi Acts
In the crowd, Itachi finally spoke.
"When can we leave?"
"Right now," Lafitte replied calmly.
"But only if you follow the rules I just explained."
Freys panicked.
"Brothers, what do we do?!"
"I don't want them confiscating my treasure!"
Lafitte opened a passage toward the exit.
"But remember," he warned,
"If you choose to oppose the Blackbeard Pirates…"
"…consider the consequences."
At that moment—
Law quietly activated his ROOM.
A spatial field spread across the hall.
"Shambles."
In an instant—
Law and Lafitte switched places.
Lafitte's eyes widened.
Before he could react—
A blade was already resting against his neck.
Itachi's sword.
Fūrin Kazan.
"Don't move."
The entire hall froze.
Pirates.
Soldiers.
Everyone stared in shock.
Even Blackbeard—who had been beating Ariel into the ground—paused and turned his head.
"Huh?"
"What's this supposed to mean?"
Then he saw the cat-face mask on Itachi's face.
Blackbeard suddenly remembered.
This was the man he had noticed earlier…
At the Fried Restaurant.
(End of Chapter)
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