Teaew better than to overstay his wele. The man in front of him was clearly a pragmatist, one who valued results over empty words. If Teach wanted bes, he had to prove his worth first.

  Still, this trip hadn't been a loss. He had secured a e with a Celestial Dragon.

  In his mind, Teach had already outlihree key bes from this enter:

  First, the Dark-Dark Fruit. This was the immediate prize he was after.

  Sed,the Road Poneglyph housed in Cudius's library. If he could find a way to obtain that, he would be oep closer to Laugh Tale.

  Third, and perhaps most importantly, an opportunity. Strength alone wouldn't make him the Emperor of the Sea timing and positioning mattered just as much.

  And right now, Cudius seemed to be ied in Whitebeard's downfall.

  If Cudius truly inteo shake the foundations of the Whitebeard Pirates, theability of the seas would be shattered. And for Teach, eant opportunity.

  No matter the means, Whitebeard had to die. Only then would Teach have a ce to take his pbsp;

  But could he do it alone? No—not yet. Even if he gathered some allies, taking on Whitebeard was still a near-impossible task. As someone who had spent decades by Whitebeard's side, Teaderstood that better than anyone.

  That meant he needed powerful allies.

  And Cudius? There was no doubt in Teach's mind, this was a man with the power to kill Whitebeard.

  "Once I obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit… and wheime is right, I'll get my hands oremor-Tremor Fruit as well. Then, I'll be the stro man in the world… and my true ambitions finally begin!"

  Teach was certain of ohing, Cudius wanted Whitebeard dead for the sake of the Wover. That much was obvious. From his perspective, it was only natural to eliminate a pirate.

  But Teach's goals were different.

  He didn't care about the gover's agenda. He wanted Whitebeard's power.

  And siheir immediate is aligned, it only made sense for him to work under Cudius… for now.

  "Looks like I'll be serving this Highness for a while," Teach mused. "But that's fi's a mutually beneficial arra, he wants to use me, but I also want to use him! Zehahahaha!"

  With those thoughts in mind, Teach left the library.

  ---

  Ihe Library

  After Teach departed, Cudius calmly picked up his book and resumed reading, as if nothing had happened.

  Robin, however, tiaring at him curiously.

  After a long pause, she could no longer hold back her thoughts.

  "Do you really trust that guy Teach?" she asked.

  Cudius blihen turo her with a puzzled look.

  "Trust?" he repeated. Then he chuckled. "When did I ever say I trusted him?"

  Robin frowned. "Didn't you just send him to kill Moria? You believe he's capable of doing it, don't you? Isn't that trust?"

  Cudius ughed.

  "Hahaha… What is trust?" he said pyfully.

  He leaned back slightly, then added, "Did I give him anything?"

  Robiated, then said, "The Dark-Dark Fruit?"

  Cudius shook his head. "He only gets it after he kills Moria."

  "Then what about the Seven Warlords of the Sea position?" she asked.

  "That too, he only gets if he pletes the task."

  Robin pohis for a moment, then nodded. "I see your point."

  Cudius smirked. "Exactly. I haven't given him anythi. He has to kill Moria first. So where's the 'trust' in that?"

  Robin narrowed her eyes slightly. "What if he fails?"

  "Then he fails," Cudius said casually. "That would just mean he wasn't worth my time. And in that case, I wouldn't have lost anything, would I?"

  Robin remained silent for a moment before asking, "But what if this provokes Moria?"

  Cudius waved a hand dismissively. "And? What's Moing to do about it? If Teach fails, I'll just send someone else to kill him. It's that simple."

  He then smirked and added, "Besides, Teach isn't officially under me. He has no mark tying him to me. So even if he fails, no one prove I had anything to do with it. Maybe Moria will think it was Whitebeard's doing… which could spark even more chaos. Either way, it has nothing to do with me."

  Robin lightly tapped her fingers against her book, then sighed.

  "You people are so calg."

  Cudius smiled. "What's so sinister about this? It's just on sense."

  Robin was quiet for a moment, then asked, "But what if Teach actually kills Moria? Will you really give him the Dark-Dark Fruit? Will you trust him then?"

  Cudius grinned.

  "I, Cudius, always keep my word," he said. "If Teach really kills Moria and proves his worth, I'll give him the fruit."

  He then chuckled and added, "But trust? Hahaha… You think I'd trust a pirate? Especially one who's willing to betray his own 'father'?"

  Robin thought about it and realized he was right.

  There was no way Cudius would be that naive.

  But then ahought crossed her mind.

  "In that case… why even give him the Dark-Dark Fruit at all? Why not just kill him after he pletes the job? If you don't say anything, no one will even know this deal existed. It wouldn't affect your reputation."

  Cudius looked at her in surprise.

  After a brief moment, he let out a hearty ugh.

  "Hahaha! I k! You're just as ruthless as the rest of us!" he teased. "You were calling me 'sinister' earlier, and now look at you!"

  Robin's face flushed slightly, and she gred at him.

  Cudius, still grinning, waved a hand dismissively.

  "There's no need for that," he said. "Oeach proves his worth, I simply give him more tasks."

  "Like what?" Robin asked, tilting her head.

  "Like killing Whitebeard."

  Robin sighed and rolled her eyes. "You really do have high expectations for this guy."

  Cudius smirked. "Ahahahaha, of course, I'm not expeg him to do it alone. But he is Whitebeard's 'son.' A ko the back always cuts deeper."

  Robin wasirely vinced. But for some reason… she felt like this pn could actually work.

  If Cudius really mao orchestrate Whitebeard's downfall, the entire bance of power in the world would shift once again.

  And whehought about it…

  In every major event that had reshaped the world over the past two decades, Cudius's influence had always been lurking in the background.

  When Golden Lion Shiki cshed with Roger at Edd War, Cudius had been the oo capture Shiki. That had been the first major upheaval of the era.

  When Roger was captured, it was Cudius's forces that had ensured his execution. That had been the seajor shift, marking the beginning of the Great Pirate Era.

  When the Seven Warlords of the Sea system was introduced, it was Cudius who helped shape it—dividing the pirates into fas and fually altering the era.

  When the Four Emperors system was beginning to take shape, Cudius had shattered Big Mom's forces, preventing her from solidating power.

  And now, he was targeting Whitebeard.

  If he succeeded… it would be another moal shift.

  Realizing this, Robin found herself stunned.

  "This guy… How many times has he rewritten history?"

  For a brief moment, she wondered—could even Whitebeard fall at this man's hands?

  Meanwhile, Cudius g his gold pocket watch, checked the time, and muttered,

  "Sengoku should be arriving soon."

  At the same time, a Marine warship roag Prometheus.

  Standing on its deck was Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

  ***

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