One Piece : Rise of Thunder King

You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04

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Arthur wasn't sure if he should lead Blackbeard to betray the Whitebeard Pirates.

His hesitation wasn't because of anything else, but because of a letter from eighteen years ago, sent by Light and Moon.

Although the letter only contained part of some very important information for Arthur, it was enough to make him pause.

For instance, it predicted major events that would take place in certain locations at specific times, or when powerful Devil Fruits would appear.

The few key events mentioned were turning points that would drastically change the future. The Devil Fruits listed were incredibly powerful, and Arthur knew he needed to get his hands on them. He would be willing to pay any price for such fruits.

For example, the Space-Time Fruit that was eaten by someone from the Kozuki family.

The letter even listed the time and place where the fruit would appear, though the fruit's appearance was still a little while away.

It also mentioned Blackbeard's eventual betrayal of the Whitebeard Pirates. However, the details were vague, only indicating roughly when the betrayal would occur.

This left Arthur in a dilemma.

He already knew that Blackbeard would betray Whitebeard in the near future. But the real question was: Would his actions change that future?

If Arthur's intervention could influence it, he might be able to control the situation. But if the betrayal was destined to happen, his interference might just create an entirely different outcome.

On the Island of Gods, Arthur sat alone in an empty hall. His Observation Haki spread across most of the island, allowing him to feel as though everything was under his control, as if he were watching over everything from the sky.

Eventually, Arthur relaxed his furrowed brow and used his powers to send a message to a specific location on Sky Island.

Moments later, a faint presence appeared in the hall.

A shadow-like figure began to take shape, gradually solidifying into a human form. Even in the bright light, it seemed to go unnoticed, as though it didn't exist. Of course, in front of someone as powerful as Arthur, no one could remain truly invisible if he wished to perceive them.

This figure was one of the Dark Angel Captains from the Shadow Stream Legion.

"God..." The figure knelt respectfully, gazing up at Arthur with admiration before lowering their head, waiting for orders.

Arthur, sitting on his throne, glanced down at the figure. With a subtle movement of his hand, a Devil Fruit appeared in his palm.

He then spoke: "This is the Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire. I want you to take it to the New World. Work with the intelligence network in Whitebeard's territory..."

Arthur then explained his plan to the kneeling figure.

The plan to intervene in Blackbeard's betrayal would continue, but the Devil Fruit couldn't be revealed openly.

Arthur would wait for Blackbeard's response. If, by a certain time, Blackbeard still hadn't betrayed Whitebeard, then Arthur would know that his interference had changed the future.

But if Blackbeard did betray Whitebeard, it would mean that the betrayal was always destined to happen, and there would be no need to waste such a rare Devil Fruit on the situation.

When the Dark Angel Captain understood Arthur's instructions, he gave a respectful nod and left.

Arthur now had to wait for the changes to unfold.

One month later, in the New World:

On the enormous Moby Dick, the Whitebeard Pirates were celebrating with a lively banquet. Some of the pirates performed crude, over-the-top shows, making the whole crew roar with laughter. The atmosphere was full of joy and energy.

Ace had returned with Luffy a couple of days ago, after spending a long time training. Luffy didn't mind; his strength was still lacking, but he had plenty of room to grow. Especially with the constant sparring sessions against Admiral-level fighters like Ace, who was a quasi-Admiral and a deputy of one of the Yonko.

But Ace's situation was different. After reaching the strength of a quasi-Admiral and a Yonko's lieutenant, his progress had slowed down considerably.

To continue improving at that level, only extreme, relentless training could bring any gains. And the opponent? Luffy, still too weak to match Ace in combat.

Despite his rapid progress, which was nothing short of earth-shaking compared to where he was six months ago, Luffy was still far from being a real match for Ace.

Ace's own growth had stagnated a bit, especially since he'd been stuck training alone on a deserted island with only occasional supplies.

His friends had visited from time to time, but the one person he really missed was Whitebeard, whom he hadn't seen in over half a year. For Ace, who regarded Whitebeard as a father, it was starting to feel like a long absence.

At the banquet, Blackbeard seemed a little distracted. He sat off to the side, detached from the festivities, his mind elsewhere as he focused on his ambitions and plans.

Then, a loud noise suddenly grabbed his attention.

"That is!" Blackbeard's eyes widened as he saw a Devil Fruit in the hands of the Fourth Division Captain, Shachi "No way! It's here!"

Blackbeard could hardly believe his eyes. The fruit he had long dreamed of had finally appeared.

Yes! The Devil Fruit in Shachi's hands was the one Blackbeard had always wanted—the Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit).

"Is this destiny?" Blackbeard muttered to himself, his heart racing with excitement. "It appears just when I was about to give up and leave the Whitebeard Pirates…"

Shachi, the ship's cook, was a powerful fighter and one of the best at using Haki in the Whitebeard Pirates. However, he had never used a Devil Fruit, and he wasn't particularly focused on it.

"Hey, Shachi," Ace, the Second Division Captain, called out while munching on a piece of roasted meat, "where did you get that fruit?"

"Haha, this is crazy! I found it while I was cooking," Shachi replied, surprised. "It was just sitting there in the fruit basket! Maybe it somehow regenerated when we weren't paying attention."

The crew wasn't completely ignorant of how Devil Fruits appeared in the New World. So, Shachi didn't think much of it and just assumed it was a stroke of luck, a Devil Fruit that had randomly regenerated in the basket.

When others heard the story, they more or less agreed with that idea.

"What are you going to do with it?" Blackbeard asked, forcing himself to sound calm despite his growing excitement.

As Shachi's close friend, Blackbeard knew Shachi didn't eat Devil Fruits, which made him very hopeful about the fruit's future. After all, of all the people close to Shachi, only a few didn't have Devil Fruit powers.

If you asked for it, this Dark Fruit seemed like a pretty stable option.

However, what Blackbeard didn't expect was that Shachi's response was completely different from what he had hoped for.

"This fruit…" Shachi hesitated, staring at the fruit in his hand with uncertainty on his face.

Devil Fruit guides were commonly sold in the New World, and many pirates had seen them. But these guides usually only listed the more common and weaker Devil Fruits. Rare and powerful Devil Fruits weren't included. The really exceptional fruits were kept secret.

Top-tier organizations were always on the lookout for Devil Fruits. If a fruit appeared in a public guide, it could be targeted by enemies, so the powerful factions had a silent agreement to keep these fruits hidden.

That was why Shachi hesitated. He didn't know what kind of power the fruit in his hand would grant. At first glance, it looked a bit like a Logia-type Devil Fruit, but the appearance of a Devil Fruit didn't always indicate its true nature. It could turn out to be a weak or useless fruit.

In cases like this, it was often a gamble on luck and personal instincts.

"I think…" Shachi started, then paused for a moment, "I'll eat this Devil Fruit myself. I don't want to give it to my brothers."

He made his decision, speaking lightly as if it was no big deal.

But this choice struck Blackbeard like a bolt of lightning.

Blackbeard's heart filled with anger and urgency.

He was furious that Shachi's sudden decision had ruined his plan. But he was also terrified—he feared that if Shachi ate the fruit right away, he would lose any chance to acquire the Dark Fruit for himself.

At that moment, Whitebeard was right there with them. If Blackbeard tried to do anything under Whitebeard's nose, there was no way he'd escape unscathed.

Blackbeard knew Whitebeard's strength all too well. If he made a move now, he would likely be crushed by the World's Strongest Man.

'What should I do? What should I do?!' Blackbeard's mind raced in panic, overwhelmed by the fear of losing his opportunity.

Just as Blackbeard sank into despair, Shachi suddenly pocketed the fruit, leaving Blackbeard stunned. Is there still a chance?

"But I won't eat it just yet," Shachi continued, his voice cheerful. "I'll wait until the banquet is over. The fruit's power is unknown, and I want to take a chance with it. I'll need a bath first, though—don't want to eat it without cleaning up first! Hahaha!"

Shachi laughed and walked off toward the kitchen.

"Great!" Blackbeard muttered to himself in relief. All his previous anxiety disappeared in an instant. As long as Shachi didn't eat the fruit on the spot, there was still hope.

As for Blackbeard, he was truly impressive.

In such a short time, his emotions had swung drastically, yet his face betrayed none of his inner turmoil. No one around him seemed to notice a thing.

It was clear—this man had been hiding his true nature for over 20 years within the Whitebeard Pirates.