One Piece: Chronicles of Darkness

In the year 1494 of the Sea Circle Calendar, in the New World, lay an island called Arcas.

Deep within its forests, a giant tiger, eight meters long, eyed its prey with anticipation. The scent of blood in the air had drawn it to a scrawny human and the lifeless body of a bear beside him. Instinct told the beast that the young human posed a slight threat, but nothing more. Circling its prey cautiously, the tiger gradually closed in. The boy remained still, seemingly drained from his battle with the bear. The tiger's guard lowered. In a moment of opportunity, it let out an excited roar and lunged at the boy.

"Ha! Finally making your move?" The boy had been watching the tiger intently, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. With a gleam in his eye, he leapt up, using his powerful legs to propel himself at an incredible speed. The ground beneath him cracked and debris flew as he appeared in front of the tiger, smirking wickedly. His hands transformed into claws, muscles swelling as ten blood-red shadows flashed through the air.

The boy landed back on the ground as the tiger's massive body crashed down behind him, lifeless. Blood soaked the boy's hands, dripping to the ground as the tiger's abdomen revealed ten gruesome gashes, reminiscent of the wounds on the bear.

As night fell, a fire blazed in a clearing, with the boy roasting a giant bear paw. Staring at the flames, he became lost in thought. "I'm already twelve years old. It's about time," he mused, seemingly waiting for something.

He never imagined he'd end up in the world of One Piece, becoming the future notorious pirate Marshall D. Teach, known as Blackbeard. There were no accidental electrocutions or system-based cheats; he had simply woken up as a six-year-old Teach after a good night's sleep. As an avid fan of One Piece, he knew that Teach had joined Whitebeard's crew at twelve, an ordinary fisherman with no exceptional abilities.

Wasting his innate talent, Teach had only realized his true potential after the boy's consciousness merged with his memories. Gifted with monstrous strength and vitality, Teach could not sleep, but this had no adverse effects. Instead, he had plenty of energy to train and hone his skills.

For six years, Teach had trained rigorously, aware of the dangers this world presented. Unable to learn Haki, he focused on physical training and swordsmanship. He had stolen swordsmanship scrolls and the memoirs of a great swordsman from a now-dilapidated dojo on the island. Once famous, the dojo had fallen into disrepair after the death of its founder.

The scrolls contained the secrets of the Thunderclap Sword Style, a complete and unblemished guide to this prestigious school of swordsmanship. Renowned alongside the Blazing Sword Style, it allowed practitioners to unleash powerful, elemental slashes of lightning or fire. At the heart of the style was a unique breathing technique, which the boy dubbed "Thunder Breathing." Breathing techniques were common in the world of One Piece, often complementing powerful martial arts like the Eight-Impact Fist (Hasshoken) of the Happo Navy and Lao G's Geo Fist (Jio-Ken).

The art of Thunder Breathing lay at the heart of this Thunderclap Sword Style, generating electricity within the body through controlled breathing. The side effects of this technique were potent, leading its practitioners to often have short lives. However, this method was ideal for Teach, whose monstrous constitution and extraordinary vitality rendered the side effects insignificant. The technique even strengthened his body, particularly through the rigorous training of his internal organs.

Teach was a rare prodigy when it came to mastering the art of the blade, an aptitude that resulted from the merging of two souls. Although it was never explored in the original work, perhaps Teach had this innate talent all along. Hindered by his young age and physical limitations, he focused on honing his swordsmanship. After four years of diligent practice, Teach continued his training at another dojo on Arcas Island, under the tutelage of a Flame Swordmaster. It was here that he learned the fundamentals of swordsmanship.

Having devoured his meal, Teach left only clean bones behind, bones larger than his own body. With eyes closed, he sat cross-legged on the ground, inhaling and exhaling in harmony with nature. Arcs of electricity danced across his skin, heating the surrounding air and raising the temperature—a product of the Thunderclap Sword Style and the Blazing Sword Style taught to him by his mentor, Master Hael. This was Teach's initiation into the world of swordsmanship. Recognizing his prodigious talent, Master Hael had instructed him without reservation, helping him lay a solid foundation in swordsmanship within just two years.

A wave of heat enveloped Teach's body, the ground beneath him scorching hot as though it were on the verge of bursting into flames. Lightning and heat intertwined, tempering his physique. To unleash even more powerful lightning and hotter flames, Teach had to ensure his body could withstand the intensity.

Of course, there were other methods to achieve this, such as generating flames via air friction and then delivering a fiery strike. This was the mainstream method used by seafaring warriors, exemplified by the Wano samurai, Kinemon. Teach's approach was more extreme and demanded a stronger constitution. His goal was to combine swordsmanship and martial arts, using his hands as blades.

Physical prowess was the foundation of Teach's technique, and as a result, his claw attacks were formidable. If an energy-measuring device were available, it would reveal that the temperature and electrical intensity on Teach's hands exceeded those of his body. As Teach submerged his hands into a burning fire, he experienced a searing pain. Initially, the pain had been excruciating, but he had gradually grown accustomed to it.

In the small town of Arcas, a young girl scolded Teach in the local doctor's office, "Teach, I told you to be more careful last time! How did you get injured again?" The girl continued to wrap Teach's burned arm with white bandages, her anger evident on her face.

Teach laughed boisterously, "Hahaha, Monica, I accidentally set a tree on fire while having a barbecue outdoors. I managed to put it out, or the whole mountain would've been gone! I nearly got burned alive! Hahaha!"

Seeing Teach's reckless disregard for his own life, Monica tightened the bandage in frustration, causing him to wince in pain. "Ouch! Easy there, Monica!" Teach grimaced, his eyes wide with pain.

Monica stifled her laughter, her hands covering her mouth. She then gently applied herbal medicine to Teach's hand and continued wrapping the bandage.

"Hahaha, thank you so much, Monica! If it weren't for you, my hands would've been ruined. And if my hands were ruined, I wouldn't be able to set sail and become a great pirate!" Teach stood up from his chair, gazing out the window at the vast, blue ocean. He couldn't help but spread his arms wide and shout towards the open sea, "A man's dream will never end!"

Monica couldn't help but become entranced by the sight of the young boy standing before her, his strong frame and outstretched arms seeming as if he was embracing the entire ocean. Her heart began to race without her realizing it.

Turning around, Teach winced in pain, "Ah, that hurts!" His sudden movement had torn his wound. "Idiot, I just bandaged it," Monica scolded, grabbing Teach's ear with one hand.

"Monica! Be gentle. You can't be so violent. You'll never get married like that," Teach teased. Monica released her grip, crossed her arms, and huffed, "Hmph! That'll teach you." She turned her head away, pretending to be angry.

"Alright, alright, it's my fault. It won't happen again," Teach said, trying to console her. He gripped Monica's shoulders and turned her to face him. Although he was only twelve years old, Teach stood at an impressive height of 1.7 meters. His curly black hair was neatly combed, and his well-exercised body exuded strength. His face retained a youthful innocence, but it was tempered with a confident, masculine air. A hint of a mischievous smile danced at the corner of his mouth, and he radiated a mysterious allure.

Faced with Teach's intense gaze, Monica's resolve wavered. Being just a fifteen-year-old girl, her cheeks flushed, and she forcefully pushed Teach away.

"Fine, I forgive you," she said. She had always looked after Teach like a little brother, but lately, her feelings for him had begun to change, especially after he had changed himself.

Teach knew Monica well—a gentle, lively girl. Seeing her like this, Teach couldn't help but chuckle, "Hahaha, Monica, medicines are expensive these days, and I can't afford to pay for them. If Uncle Modi finds out, he'll probably hang me out to dry."

"You shouldn't speak ill of my father like that. He's very gentle," Monica defended, shaking her head.

"I owe you more and more. How can I repay you?" Teach grinned, admiring Monica's delicate features and her beautiful golden hair. "I guess I'll have to sell myself to you. I have nothing else to offer."

Monica's ears turned red at the unexpected proposal, and her heart pounded. But suddenly, Teach's face changed as he sensed danger.

"Damn, Teach! How dare you tease my daughter! Die!" A distant voice echoed from the stairs, followed by a terrifying presence. It was too fast for Teach to react. He squinted to see better, catching a glimpse of a faint shadow darting past the staircase.

Instinctively, Teach raised his arms in a cross to defend himself. The next moment, a figure appeared before him, landing a powerful punch that evaded Teach's defense and struck him in the chest. "Ugh!" Teach's eyes bulged, and he spat out a mouthful of air as he was sent flying backward in a straight line, crashing through the door and slamming into the courtyard wall. The impact created a deafening boom and left the solid wall cratered, with cracks spreading like a spider's web, and chunks of rubble falling to the ground.

"Teach!" Monica cried out in alarm. She turned to face the man who had appeared in Teach's previous spot—a tall, blond man with short hair, wearing a white coat and square glasses. His 2.4-meter frame towered over her, and his coat billowed behind him.

"Dad, you hit him too hard! Teach is still injured!" Monica protested.

"Hmph! Monica, you underestimate that kid," Modi, Monica's father, grumbled, glaring in Teach's direction. Seeing the concern on his daughter's face, he felt a pang of jealousy, as if the girl he had raised and protected for years was being taken away from him.