Cudius had no idea about the fight that had erupted between Enel, Shanks, Marco, and Tea Versailles Isnd.

  After all, it wasn't that big of a deal.

  Other major fas on the seas hadn't even paid attention to it. Small-scale flicts happened all the time, Kaido's men stantly cshed with Whitebeard's anders, and those kinds of battles were just part of life in the New World.

  As long as a skirmish dide into a full-scale war, no one really cared.

  And the Dark-Dark Fruit?

  At the end of the day, it was just a Logia-type Devil Fruit. Sure, it was rare and valuable, but it wasn't world-ging on its own.

  So, to most people, the i was a trivial matter, something not even worth rep to Cudius.

  If every minor scuffle in the sea required his attention, he would have burned out long ago.

  That's why, when Cudius saw the Dark-Dark Fruit sitting before him, sent to him by Enel, he was pletely stunned.

  "Enel… did you actually just screw over Teach that badly?"

  "What's with the shocked face?" Gion asked, watg Cudius bnkly stare at the fruit in his hands.

  "It's just a Devil Fruit, right? I heard Enel gives you these kinds of gifts all the time."

  Cudius ignored her, turning io Nia.

  "How exactly did Enel get this fruit? Did he tell you anything?"

  Nia nodded. "Of course, Yhness. There was actually quite a story behind it. It all started with a small-time pirate…"

  She proceeded to ret the entire sequence of events, how the fruit had been stolen, how Teach had tried to cim it, and how Enel had stepped in and crushed any attempts to take it from him.

  As he listened, a flicker of intrigue passed through Cudius' eyes.

  When he heard Teach had been after the Dark-Dark Fruit, a thought formed in his mind, a very iing and dangerous thought.

  "Fasating," he murmured to himself.

  The Dark-Dark Fruit was incredibly useful.

  If the rumors were true, it had the power to steal the abilities of other Devil Fruit users.

  That alone made it potentially one of the most dangerous fruits ience.

  Cudius couldn't deny it—he wa.

  There were so many powerful criminals locked up in Impel Down.

  If he could use the Dark-Dark Fruit to strip their abilities… that would be a game-ger.

  But there was one problem.

  Before Teach appeared, the Dark-Dark Fruit had already been doted in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.

  That meant someone else had eaten it in the past.

  A, no records existed of anyone using it to steal abilities before Teach.

  Which meant there was a ce that only Teach himself could unlock its true power.

  Without that ability, the Dark-Dark Fruit was still a strong Logia, but it wouldn't be game-breaking.

  And for Cudius, that made it far less important.

  Cudius already had a Devil Fruit of his own.

  He wasn't about to risk his life gambling oher the Dark-Dark Fruit was worth switg to.

  For someone in his position, it was just ara asset—useful, but not necessary.

  However…

  What was important was the chaos this fruit could cause.

  Cudius wasn't just thinking about power.

  He was thinking about strategy.

  For the past few years, the power bance of the sea had remaiable.

  The Four Emperors had solidified their positions. No matter how many ambitious pirates fought for dominanone of them had mao disrupt the status quo.

  But Cudius knew, stability was the enemy of opportunity.

  He needed chaos.

  Chaos would create openings.

  And in Marshall D. Teach, he saw the perfect agent of chaos.

  Gion noticed the subtle shift in his expression.

  She had spent enough time around Cudius that look.

  It was the look he always got when he was about to start trouble.

  "Aha… this is good stuff," Cudius finally said, ughing.

  He turned back to Nia.

  "Tell Ehat I love this gift."

  Nia tilted her head slightly. "Do you truly like this fruit, Yhness? Is it powerful?"

  In the past, Enel had sent him Devil Fruits before, but Cudius had barely paid attention to them. He usually just hahem off to Spandine and thanked Enel out of politeness.

  But this time…

  This time, somethi different.

  "Oh, I love it," Cudius said with a smirk. "Not because of what it does… but because of what I do with it."

  Nia didn't quite uand, but she didn't question it.

  Then, Cudius gave a final order.

  "Tell Eo keep an eye on Teach. I have pns for him."

  Cudius kly what kind of man Teach was.

  Oeach had set his eyes on the Dark-Dark Fruit, there was no way he would give up.

  He would tael.

  And the moment he did, Cudius would be ready.

  Teach was ruthless.

  Ambitious.

  Dangerous.

  And desperate.

  All the perfegredients for a useful pawn.

  As long as Teach made his move, Cudius could pull the strings, guiding him toward the perfect storm.

  Theuro Gion.

  "tact Sengoku. Tell him I want a meeting."

  Gion raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

  Cudius grinned.

  "Tell him I might have a way to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates."

  Teach alone wasn't enough.

  To truly shake the power bance, Marine o be involved.

  A war between Whitebeard and Marine would ge the entire world.

  And in that chaos…

  Cudius would seize his opportunity.

  Gion sighed, already sensing that whatever Cudius nning, it was going to be big.

  "You really just 't stay out of trouble, you?"

  Cudius just chuckled.

  "Just trust me. This is only the beginning."

  ---

  Teach had finally made his way to Enel's territory in the New World.

  Enel had already been warned by Cudius about Teach's arrival.

  He didn't know why Cudius was ied in Teach, but orders were orders.

  So when Teach walked in, Enel observed him carefully.

  "Will this guy end up being one of my new pawns?"

  Teach, oher hand, was his usual self.

  "Zehahahaha! Lord Enel, we meet again!" Teach ughed as if nothing had happened between them before.

  Enel sat ba his sofa, nodding as he gestured for Teach to sit.

  "Marshall D. Teach, right?"

  "That's me! I see your reputation precedes you, Lord Enel!" Teach grinned.

  Enel smirked. "You're strong. I respect strength."

  Not really, he thought.

  In truth, he was only hum Teach because Cudius had told him to.

  Teach, of course, had no idea.

  Instead, he eagerly leaned forward.

  "I came here for one reason," Teach said, his eyes gleaming with greed.

  Enel already khe answer.

  "Dark-Dark Fruit?" he asked.

  Teach grinned.

  "That's right," he said without hesitation. His eyes burned with ambition.

  ***

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