Chapter 412: Reclaiming the Meaning of Going to Sea

The fact that his archenemy had become the King of the World once plunged Blackbeard into utter despair.

He even gave up on himself.

After all, after all these years at sea, apart from his first mate Lafitte, he had almost nothing.

Viper—better not mention him.

Blackbeard had no doubt: once Viper got the chance, this sole intern of the Blackbeard Crew would flee again, just like last time, baggage and all.

True loyalty reveals itself in times of crisis.

Lafitte’s unwavering loyalty gave Blackbeard the courage and determination to raise sail once more, to grow and strengthen the Blackbeard Crew, and to reclaim its glory.

Who cares? It’s just death.

Blackbeard had come to sea with nothing, and had spent every moment enduring persecution from the World Government and the Five Elders.

Now the World Government has been overthrown by Whitehair, the Five Elders publicly executed, and Vegapunk absorbed...

It’s as if they’ve solved his biggest problems for him.

As long as he stays careful and never gives Whitehair a reason to rage, with this vast ocean, isn’t it all open for Blackbeard to ride the winds and waves?

“Lafitte, you’re right.”

“Barzab Seven climbed to the throne of the World in seven years. If we can’t do it in seven, we’ll take seventeen, twenty-seven, thirty-seven!”

Blackbeard finally regained the meaning of going to sea.

“As long as we never give up, never abandon.”

“One day.”

“We will stand atop the world!”

Lafitte nodded firmly: “Captain, I believe you can do it—but right now, our ship is short of a doctor, a shipwright, a cook, a navigator, a helmsman, and intelligence agents...”

“First, build the framework, then expand our grand vision.”

Blackbeard suddenly felt a pounding headache.

Since leaving the Whitebeard Crew and setting sail again, he had invited three crew members and intern Viper aboard: A Long, Lu Bianyi, and Lafitte.

But A Long is now imprisoned in Impel Down, and Lu Bianyi has vanished without a trace.

With the Blackbeard Crew’s current manpower, storming Impel Down is impossible—and doing so just for A Long goes against the crew’s interests.

Seeing Blackbeard fall silent, Lafitte spoke up.

“Captain, you spent so many years in the Whitebeard Crew—do you have any close brothers, or any pirate crews under Whitebeard, we could recruit?”

Hearing this, Blackbeard shook his head.

“It might be difficult.”

Two and a half months ago, Blackbeard and Lafitte specifically cruised near Impel Down and Enies Lobby, trying to snatch crew members during the chaos while the United Kingdom hadn’t yet stabilized.

But Whitebeard and Gold Lion showed up.

If Blackbeard hadn’t knelt fast enough and shouted to Whitebeard before Gold Lion moved: “Old Man, they’re here!”—they’d likely have been captured by Gold Lion already.

All the goodwill he had left in the Whitebeard Crew was spent.

“Old Man is preparing to retire and will spend his days in Sky City. The rest of the Whitebeard Crew will probably take positions in the United Kingdom.”

Blackbeard was filled with regret.

If he’d known this earlier, why had he ever left the Whitebeard Crew? Staying there, slipping into the United Kingdom, would’ve been so much better.

With Whitebeard’s relationship to Whitehair, he could’ve held a key post in a major department of the United Kingdom—and used his power to search for the Dark-Dark Fruit.

“Huh?” Lafitte was stunned.

“Is the Whitebeard Pirates disbanding?”

“Not exactly disbanding,” Blackbeard muttered, troubled. “They turned it into the Whitebeard Club. They won’t be pirates anymore.”

Following the Morning Star Crew’s redemption and going ashore.

Everyone who followed Whitehair into Mary Geoise—pirates, revolutionaries, rebels—all transformed overnight into founding heroes who overthrew the World Government and established the United Kingdom.

So tell me—

Who would still want to be a pirate?

Only people like us, with no connections, no power, would keep chasing dreams on the sea...

Both fell silent.

Blackbeard had no choice but to remain a pirate.

Lafitte had to stay by Blackbeard’s side to fulfill the captain’s mission: find the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit and bring it back.

Only then could he return to the Morning Star Crew.

With the achievement of finding the Dark-Dark Fruit, he could shed his intern status, become a full crew member of the Morning Star Crew, and secure a key post in the United Kingdom.

Precisely because of this.

Whenever Blackbeard sank into despair and considered giving up, Lafitte would push him to the brink, spurring him to fight for his dream until he choked on it.

At least until they found the Dark-Dark Fruit, Blackbeard absolutely could not stop moving forward.

After all, it concerned Lafitte’s future.

“Captain, I have a great idea.”

Hearing this, Blackbeard’s eyes lit up instantly.

“Go on.”

Throughout this period, Lafitte had proven himself the Blackbeard Crew’s idea master, always finding a way out at critical moments.

“Here’s the plan, Captain.”

Under Blackbeard’s expectant gaze, Lafitte slowly revealed the other mission the captain had entrusted to him.

“The United Kingdom has abolished all former World Government member and non-member states, and unified all nations on the sea into provinces.”

“Think about it,” Lafitte continued to persuade.

“Good kings suddenly vanished—those people, used to wielding power and privilege, how could they possibly accept it?”

“They dare not resist only because they fear Saint Seven’s supreme authority.”

Blackbeard’s eyes instantly gleamed.

“You mean...?”

“We go talk to them,” Lafitte shifted tone. “We act as the vanguard; they only need to provide funding, manpower, and Devil Fruits for the Blackbeard Crew.”

“Hss.” Blackbeard sucked in a sharp breath.

Though he had no desire to directly oppose Whitehair—at least not until he had sufficient strength—he absolutely must not provoke Whitehair.

But those people didn’t know that.

By tricking those remnants of the old era to gain profit and grow the Blackbeard Crew... this might just be a brilliant move.

“This idea is good.”

At that moment, Blackbeard’s heart cleared—his own Mihawk had always been beside him, never gone.

“Lafitte, how do we proceed?”

Lafitte smiled faintly, flipped open the newspaper, and pointed to an inconspicuous corner.

“Besides Morgans and Umit, who defected to Saint Seven, all other underworld kings were executed by the United Kingdom—but one man escaped.”

Blackbeard’s breath quickened.

“Who?”

“The new queen of the Pleasure Street, Stussy.”

Lafitte continued.

“Captain, if we contact Stussy and convince her to trust us, we can gain the trust of those old-era remnants.”

“Then we’ll have money, we’ll have people.”

“The Blackbeard Crew will grow strong and reclaim its glory.”

Thinking of the life path the captain had laid out for Blackbeard, Lafitte felt nothing but admiration—and deep confusion.

Lafitte understood the captain’s goal: to completely eradicate the old-era remnants. Those decaying aristocrats truly hindered the new era’s progress.

But why had Blackbeard angered the captain?

Why had the captain set up such a vast net, waiting for Blackbeard to lead the old-era remnants into a death trap?

The captain meant to wipe them all out in one stroke.

But most importantly—

Never, never, never anger the captain. The life path assigned to Blackbeard was the best proof.