Teach nonchalantly stuffed a cannon-sized gun barrel into his stomach under everyone's shocked gazes.
After swallowing it, he smacked his lips and let out a loud, satisfying belch. A large plume of white frost burst from his mouth.
Teach grinned widely and said,
"Ah... this beats an ice-cold beer any day! Zehahaha!"
Lindbergh's eyes widened in disbelief as he stammered,
"How is a human capable of doing such a thing?"
Gildeo's face turned grim as he muttered,
"That guy... he might have a second Devil Fruit. What a monster!"
The moment he said this, the Revolutionary Army officers around him were struck dumb with shock. Gritting his teeth, Gildeo cursed,
"Unbelievable! Aside from the Celestial Dragons, someone else has managed to wield the power of multiple Devil Fruits! Damn it, what is happening to this world!?"
Teach now appeared more unfathomable in their eyes. Lindbergh hesitated to act rashly, sensing the danger.
Teach, noticing their apprehension, burst into another fit of laughter. His mouth stretched wider and wider, to an almost inhuman degree.
The cannon barrel he had swallowed earlier emerged from his mouth, now aimed directly at Lindbergh and the others.
Lindbergh's expression shifted. He shouted,
"Not good! Scatter!"
With a flash, Lindbergh vanished from his position.
Unfortunately, not everyone had his speed. A pale blue freezing beam shot from Teach's mouth as he swung his head in an arc, spreading it in a fan-shaped sweep. A surge of frost filled the air.
When the cold mist cleared, countless lifelike ice sculptures stood in place. Among them were the two female Revolutionary officers, Ahiru and Koala.
Though Lindbergh had evaded the attack, seeing this scene sent a chill down his spine.
"Zehahaha!"
Teach's wild laughter echoed again. Lindbergh clenched his fists, gritting his teeth in frustration. The sound of crackling electricity sparked from his hands as he prepared to attack.
Teach, however, raised a hand coated in vibrations and waved it nonchalantly. He smirked and said,
"Hey, are you sure you want to keep fighting? In your current situation, all I need is a little smash, and your comrades will shatter into a thousand pieces of ice."
Lindbergh trembled violently, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He glanced at Ahiru and Koala, frozen behind him.
Although Dubbo and a few other strong officers hadn't been caught, they also understood the situation. Holding their weapons, they stood frozen in hesitation.
Ahiru and Koala, being Revolutionary officers, had strong physiques. While they weren't dead, they couldn't break free on their own. They needed time for someone to thaw them out.
If Lindbergh couldn't defeat Teach in an instant, the latter would have more than enough time to shatter the frozen officers into pieces.
But that was impossible. And leaving Ahiru and Koala to their fate was out of the question.
A stalemate had formed.
Realizing this, Lindbergh's arms fell to his sides in defeat.
Ahead, Teach folded his arms with a wicked grin. He clearly enjoyed toying with his opponents.
After a moment, Lindbergh raised his head, glaring at Teach with frustration. He asked,
"What do you want from us?"
Teach's grin stretched even wider, almost to his ears.
"Now that's more like it, Lindbergh. I never wanted things to get messy, you see. But your attitude forced my hand. Trust me, I'm just as troubled by this outcome as you are."
Lindbergh's lips twitched, cursing Teach's shamelessness internally. But with no options left, he nodded reluctantly.
Teach lowered his arms and leisurely strolled toward Lindbergh, speaking as he walked,
"I came here to renegotiate our partnership, that's all. No need to get so tense. Just look at this mess, Lindbergh. If I may be blunt, this is entirely your fault."
Lindbergh was utterly speechless, silently nodding again. Behind him, Dubbo and the others had expressions of barely-contained fury, wishing they could crush Teach's smug face with one punch.
Teach stopped a few steps away, the grin on his face growing sinister.
"That said, I think it's time to redefine the terms of our relationship," he declared.
Lindbergh's brow furrowed. He looked up and asked,
"What do you mean?"
Teach slapped his chest proudly and grinned.
"Simple. From now on, your leader is me!"
"What!?"
Lindbergh's eyes widened in fury. He shouted,
"Are you joking? You, a pirate, as our leader!?"
Teach narrowed his eyes and raised a hand shimmering with vibrations.
"Oh? Does that mean you look down on pirates? Then why did Dragon seek an alliance with Whitebeard's crew?"
Lindbergh froze, momentarily speechless. Gritting his teeth, he argued,
"Pirates vary. Dragon believed Whitebeard to be a noble man, a worthy ally—"
Before he could finish, Teach burst out laughing again.
"Zehahaha! That's hilarious! You sought an alliance because you feared the Marines, but you dress it up so nobly. Lindbergh, you're unfit to lead. If this Revolutionary Army stays under you, they'll only perish faster!"
Shaking with rage, Lindbergh clenched his fists, ready to attack. Gildeo, however, held him back, shaking his head solemnly.
Teach smirked, continuing,
"Come now, join me. Don't you want revenge?"
Lindbergh remained silent, but Gildeo sneered and said,
"Revenge? Against who? The Marines? And who's supposed to stand against the Celestial Dragons? You?"
Teach growled, his face darkening,
"That's right. One day, I'll kill the Celestial Dragons myself and take back what's mine!"
Gildeo scoffed at the bold claim. Though the Celestial Dragons were their sworn enemies, even the Revolutionary Army considered them untouchable, almost invincible.
Could someone like Teach truly take them down? It sounded laughable.
Gildeo leaned closer to Lindbergh and whispered something. Lindbergh's eyes widened in surprise, and he hesitated, muttering,
"Is that... really okay?"
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+240 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg