I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

"This news needs to be spread quickly, before Teach returns to the Whitebeard Pirates!"

..........

The meeting at Naval Headquarters has concluded.

With the marshal making the decision, Sengoku's strategy quickly spread to naval territories and branches around the world.

Grand Line Naval Branch G-2.

"Marshall D. Teach, how scary!"

Lieutenant General Borsalino, then serving as the head of the G-2 branch, glanced at the order that had just come from headquarters and scratched his head.

"It's not just Teach, Mr. Sengoku also wants us to spread rumors quickly... What a hassle."

After muttering a few lazy words, Borsalino's gaze fell on the branch officers in front of him.

"This task is entrusted to you."

"So... what exactly should we do, Lieutenant General Borsalino?"

"Who knows?"

Borsalino drawled out his words, sounding somewhat languid:

"Perhaps... go to the tavern in a nearby town? Pirates like to go to taverns, so using the power of pirates might be very useful."

The sergeants looked at each other, all wiping away sweat.

An hour later, in the town's bar.

Several naval officers changed into civilian clothes and gathered at the bar.

They were somewhat unaccustomed to the noise and loud boasting of the other drinkers around them.

Bars are places pirates frequent, but these officers come less often.

In particular, their professional instincts as naval personnel make them subconsciously observe the appearance of the patrons around them to determine whether they are pirates, always keeping a watchful eye on them.

“We need to have a drink or two. It would be too conspicuous not to drink in a bar, and it would give us away.”

"I said in a low voice, taking a sip of my drink," an officer said.

"That's right."

The others' eyes lit up, and they all nodded and smiled.

After a few drinks, they gradually relaxed and started chatting idly with the other drinkers around them.

"So, what are we doing here at the bar again?"

An officer, hiccuping from alcohol, asked in a low voice.

"Oh right, it's a rumor. I remember it said something like... if you kill that pirate Teach, the Angel-Angel Fruit will reappear?" another officer replied, somewhat confused.

"Nonsense! I remember it was like this... as long as you kill Teach, a Devil Fruit will suddenly appear..."

"You're talking nonsense! I remember it like this... After killing Teach, you'll usually get the Roasted Gluten Fruit. If you're lucky, you'll get the Angel Fruit!"

Before they knew it, the other drinkers were all looking over, listening to the drunken officers' conversation.

The Angel Fruit and Teach's story have been a hot topic lately, and they've been listening with great interest.

"Are you guys drunk? How could an Angel Fruit regenerate on the corpse of a Devil Fruit user? That's utter nonsense!"

Some drinkers joined the discussion.

The drunken officer's eyes widened immediately.

"You're the one who's drunk! I'm talking about a secret circulating within the Navy, the kind that can't be leaked!"

"The Navy?" The patrons were all astonished.

"Uh..." one of the drunken officers, still retaining some semblance of reason, quickly stammered:

"Yes, my third aunt's second uncle's cousin is a colonel in the Navy Headquarters. This is important information that only officers and colonels in the Navy would know!"

Chapter 268 Don't believe rumors, don't spread rumors

A few days later, at a tavern.

"The cherry pie is so delicious..."

In a pub, Teach was eating his favorite cherry pie.

But he couldn't feel happy at all.

Even if I manage a forced smile, my heart is still heavy.

After reading the relevant report in the World Economic Herald, Teach immediately understood what had happened in the Sabaody Archipelago that day.

The Sieg he met that day was probably a fake!

As for the so-called Angel Fruit in Sigurd's possession... Sigurd said he couldn't determine whether the Angel Fruit was real or fake!

"Could it be... that so-called angel fruit was actually just an apple in disguise?"

Click.

A crack appeared in the wine glass that Teach was holding.

The mere thought of this possibility completely shattered Teach's composure.

If even the Angel Fruit is fake, then... will he still be able to realize his ambitions in this lifetime?

"No...no! The Angel Fruit definitely exists! And I've already eaten it."

Teach's breathing was slightly heavy as he muttered to himself.

He had already decided to go all in, betting his entire life on Whitebeard's ship. If he failed to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, he planned to spend his entire life on the ship.

But after a series of incredible news stories circulated on online forums and tabloids, Teach's mind began to wander, and he started having other ideas.

As it turns out, this gamble on the Angel Fruit seems to have completely ruined him...

While Teach was somewhat dazed, someone walked in with a stack of bounty posters.

"A new batch of bounty posters has arrived? Let me see."

Immediately, some curious drinkers turned around and read out the name on the first wanted poster.

"Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, bounty... 500 million."

"A bounty of 500 million on the first try? Another notorious pirate..."

"It's not a matter of strength or weakness. I heard that the Angel Fruit from the Sabaody Archipelago sold for a whopping 600 million, which is why Blackbeard Teach's net worth is only 500 million."

"But...didn't Teach already eat the Angel Fruit? That has nothing to do with his 500 million bounty, right?"

"Hehe, it seems you know nothing about the Angel Fruit."

Immediately, a customer began to speak with great seriousness.

"Angel Fruits possess characteristics similar to Devil Fruits; they reappear after the user dies."

"The difference is that the Angel Fruit will directly reappear on the user's corpse!"

"What? The Angel Fruit has this kind of property?"

"real or fake?"

The drinker's boasting immediately attracted the attention of many people, who all looked over.

Teach, who was munching on cherry pie in the corner, twitched at the corner of his eye.

"Of course it's true!" Seeing so many people looking over, the drinker's voice suddenly rose considerably, and he continued:

"I have a friend, he's Blackbeard Teach's sworn brother, Bluebeard Gil! I heard it from him, there's no mistake!"

"Nonsense! I've heard that Blackbeard's body has been blessed by angels. Just one bite of his flesh will immediately break the curse of the Devil Fruit!"

puff...

Teach, who was in the corner, almost spat out his drink.

"The rumors have escalated again?"

Teach's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. His face darkened, and he put down the cherry pie in his hand, quickly walking towards the door.

He was already tall, and his body was wrapped in bandages in many places, some of which were still oozing blood. Although he was covered by a robe, he was still quite conspicuous.

The punches of the great general Sengoku are not so easy to withstand.

"It's Teach! Blackbeard Teach!"

Some sharp-eyed people immediately called out Teach's name.

Instantly, the atmosphere in the tavern changed. Many people looked up, and some even drew their swords and stood up.

"Teach? You must die!"

"Damn it...we've been discovered again!"

Teach's expression changed slightly. He quickly ran out of the tavern, his figure flashing as he fled into the distance.

As he ran, he could hear a constant commotion coming from behind him.

It wasn't that Teach was afraid of these ordinary pirates, it's just that dealing with these lackeys would never end.

If there is even a slight delay, a large wave of navy will arrive.

Teach had seen this kind of development many times before, because it had been his daily routine during his time on the run.

"What the hell has my life become?"

During his escape, Teach felt a tightness in his chest, so intense that he almost felt like he was going to vomit blood.

.................

A mountain range in the red earth continent.

The interview report by the World Economic Herald also ended up in the hands of Doflamingo, who was still searching for treasure.

While others were focused on Teach and the Angel Fruit, Doflamingo was more concerned with the "Another Piece" mentioned in the newspaper.

"Now that things have come to this, Sieg is actually saying that his treasure has five parts? The treasure map I have is only the first part of it?"