One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 281: Blackbeard – Is Knocking Also Addictive?

The Holy Land, Mariejois.

The sun shone brightly over the pristine city, casting its golden glow upon the sacred grounds. Everything seemed as tranquil and routine as ever.

However, deep within one of the grand palaces, the figure of Marshall D. Teach stood outside a lavish courtyard. He appeared somewhat anxious, shifting uneasily as if nervous but anyone who truly knew him would recognize that this was all an act. Unfortunately, no one here could see through his performance.

Back when he was aboard the Prometheus, Teach had thought he had witnessed true luxury. But stepping into Claudius' palace made him realize he had been a frog at the bottom of a well, this was opulence beyond his wildest imagination.

On the way here, he had seen enough to understand the sheer magnitude of Claudius' power, and what shocked him even more was the manner of his escort. The one sent to pick him up at the port wasn't a knight or a noble retainer just a maid. But this maid walked through Mariejois as if she owned the place.

They had encountered two different groups of Celestial Dragons on the way. Teach had seen them from afar and, out of instinct, had already prepared to abandon his dignity and grovel before them.

Yet, much to his surprise, the maid leading him didn't even slow down.

The scene that unfolded was completely beyond Teach's expectations. He had assumed that even as a servant of Claudius, the maid would still show deference to the Celestial Dragons. But no—the woman, named Nia, walked forward arrogantly, not even bothering to acknowledge their presence.

Teach had braced himself for a confrontation. After all, a mere maid ignoring the Celestial Dragons? That was a death sentence.

And yet, to his utter shock, the two Celestial Dragons reacted as if they had just seen a ghost. Instead of expressing outrage, they stepped aside, avoiding her gaze entirely, as if she were the true aristocrat and they were the untouchables.

At that moment, Teach became even more convinced, he had truly latched onto an untouchable golden thigh. One thicker than he could have ever dreamed of.

A vague memory from years ago surfaced in his mind...

"Wait a minute... Mariejois' Demon King..."

Teach's eyes gleamed as he finally pieced it together.

"So, His Highness Claudius is really a force to be reckoned with in Mariejois." He muttered under his breath.

And it was true.

As Claudius' influence grew, even the Five Elders had begun to rely on him more and more. His power had reached such heights that most of the Celestial Dragons no longer dared to provoke him many even carried a deep-seated fear of him.

There had been those who tried, of course. Some Celestial Dragons thought that while they couldn't touch Claudius directly, they could at least bully his subordinates.

One particular fool had tested this theory when Claudius was away from Mariejois. The target? None other than his head maid, Nia.

The result? Nia suffered some humiliation, taking a few slaps to the face.

But when Claudius returned and heard about it...

He stormed into that Celestial Dragon's estate and, without hesitation, beat the entire family men, women, children, elderly, into hospital beds for over four months.

The Five Elders? They merely fined him a few hundred million Berries and called it a day.

From that moment on, no one in Mariejois dared to challenge Claudius again. Even his servants, including Nia, were now untouchable.

The last time he had prostrated himself before Claudius, the man had barely acknowledged his existence, too absorbed in his book to even glance at him.

This time, though Claudius was fishing, he at least responded.

"Does this mean he's starting to value me more?"

Teach felt a strange sense of excitement at the thought.

Then he froze.

"Wait... Am I... getting addicted to knocking my head on the ground? What the hell is wrong with me?"

Claudius, of course, had no idea what was running through Teach's mind. Nor did he know that Teach had nearly died at the hands of Moria during his mission.

"Your Highness," Teach said, keeping his voice steady, "thank you for your generosity."

Claudius still didn't reply. He simply reeled in his fishing rod, pulling a flailing fish out of the water.

Teach's eyes gleamed.

"Your Highness, impressive technique!" he praised shamelessly.

Feeling that wasn't enough, he quickly stepped forward, plucked the fish off the hook, and held it up respectfully as if presenting some rare treasure.

Claudius chuckled. "You're quite something, Teach. Here, the fish is yours."

Teach acted as if he had just received the greatest gift in the world. "Thank you, Your Highness! I swear, I'll savor every bite, without leaving a single bone behind!"

Claudius laughed, shaking his head.

Setting his fishing rod aside, he took a sip of tea before finally speaking.

"You did well this time," he said. "Moria has been locked away in Impel Down. No one will hear from him again. From now on, he'll simply be considered another casualty of the Devil's Triangle."

Teach bowed his head. "Yes, Your Highness. I will follow your will."

"You've proven your worth." Claudius smiled faintly. "And I appreciate valuable people."

At his signal, Nia stepped forward and opened the small box.

Teach's eyes burned with greed.

Inside, the Dark-Dark Fruit gleamed.

***

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