Chapter 107

"Puru puru puru puru… puru puru puru puru…"

The baby transponder snail on Terzo's wrist woke up and rang. He was currently standing on the edge of a rooftop, looking down on another seedy bar at the north of Pucci.

That was the place the hooligan Terzo chased entered with visible relief. Terzo felt his heart beat faster at the possibility that Blackbeard was right there, a building away from him.

Terzo answered his transponder snail and, as he expected of his friend, heard Soma's good news.

"I found a boat," Soma said. The background noise Terzo heard as Soma spoke was a familiar one, the sound of wind rushing and waves crashing. Soma was sailing on the boat he found. "I'm taking it northeast of the island. Make sure I don't need to come rescue your ass."

"That was fast," Terzo said. "The fun over here hasn't even started yet."

"Just don't let your guard down."

"I hear you. Wanna listen in?"

"Sure."

Neither Terzo nor Soma put down their call. If something happens on Terzo's side, Soma will know right away. The transponder snail will hear almost everything.

With that, Terzo jumped off the building and landed on the street below. He ignored the looks he got from the people around him and walked straight towards the seedy bar he was eyeing.

Terzo entered without making a commotion. For some reason, he expected the bar to be noisy. Instead, it was quiet. Except for a few voices.

"-this! I wanna kill 'im!"

It was the hooligan Terzo tailed from the rooftops. He was currently on his knees in front of a table of pirates.

The pirates Terzo observed sat in a semi-circle by the corner of the bar. Despite being in the corner, all the attention was on them. No one dared to sit anywhere near their group.

"Let me get this straight. This… swordsman… killed your whole crew."

"Y-Yes!"

"He did it alone?"

"Yes…"

"And he had you on the ground…"

Terzo approached the group of pirates fearlessly. He stopped a few paces behind the hooligan he used to discover this place, but his eyes were glued on the table.

In the middle of the group of pirates… was a woman. Her short hair is akin to a flame, accurately matching the aura and temperament she was exuding. She sat in the middle of the group of pirates, leading Terzo to believe that she was her leader.

Blackbeard wasn't here.

"I don't suppose you're talking about the guy behind you?" the woman asked the hooligan.

"Wha-?"

The hooligan turned around and his eyes went as wide as saucers at seeing Terzo stand there nonchalantly.

"You-!"

The hooligan unsheathed his sword and charged at Terzo, seemingly encouraged by the fact that his 'new crew' had his back. But, he was bound to be disappointed. Terzo's eyes were still glued on the group of pirates in front of him and they made no movement to indicate they were gonna help the poor guy Terzo used to discover this place.

Terzo reached behind him, where his sword was sheathed. In one swift motion, he unsheathed his sword and slashed at the approaching hooligan vertically before returning the sword to its sheath.

In a flash, the hooligan died. Terzo split him down the middle from the top of his head all the way down to his groin. His two severed halves fell on both sides in front of Terzo.

Throughout the whole ordeal, Terzo didn't avert his gaze from the group of pirates he came face to face with. He used the hooligan to gauge the pirates' reaction. Only the woman, who Terzo now knew was their leader, was the only one who seemed unfazed.

Terzo smirked and the pirates surrounding the woman he was staring at shivered. Terzo now knew that he only needed to be wary of the woman, their captain.

"You're not Blackbeard," Terzo said to the woman. "Who are you?"

The woman didn't answer. She just stared at Terzo rather severely. Then, the man beside her whispered to her. Terzo's senses were enough to just barely make out what the whisper was.

"Sis… that guy…"

"I know." 

The woman said, dismissing the concern of her companion. She then stood up and the other pirates followed. Terzo felt the crowd behind him shuffle a bit. He then knew he was surrounded. Apparently, everyone in the bar was a member of the so-called 'Blackbeard Pirates' he was tracking.

"Don't you know it's rude to ask for someone's name without giving yours first?" the woman asked Terzo, not backing down from his gaze. Terzo didn't know if the woman was bluffing or not, but he decided to play along.

"Terzo."

The woman's eyes widened ever so slightly, but Terzo was sharp enough to notice it. She glared at Terzo as her shoulders tensed, her fingers twitching. Terzo smirked at the woman.

"I guess it's not the first time you heard my name?"

"Terzo of the Royal Ace Pirates," the woman said, spitting out the syllables with disgust. 

Terzo was surprised at the amount of hostility he felt from the woman he never met or heard of before. Were they that infamous already? That can't be. Hearing who he was, the pirates surrounding Terzo tensed and murmured.

"Royal Ace?"

"That crew? Isn't their captain-?"

"Yeah, the son of Roger…"

Terzo didn't pay attention to the murmurs around him. His gaze was still on the woman who was obviously their captain. But… why are they called Blackbeard Pirates?

"I'll ask again," Terzo said. "Who are you?"

"Study."

Terzo blinked. Then, he did his best not to laugh out loud. Who would name their daughter Study? 

Still, Terzo racked his brains trying to remember if he knew the name. Unfortunately, he wasn't like Vash. Terzo didn't have the habit of keeping up to date with the name of wanted pirates.

"Nope, I don't have a clue who you are," Terzo said with a chuckle. "Tell me. Why name your crew Blackbeard?"

Study was silent at Terzo's question. She just watched him walk calmly, almost leisurely, to a wooden pillar to lean on. 

Terzo's movements seemed casual, but it was anything but that. Study was perceptive enough to realize that Terzo just secured his blind side. No sudden surprise attack would hit him from behind now that he was leaning his back on a sturdy wooden pillar.

"Come now, don't pretend to be mute," Terzo said. "I heard you talking just now to… that pile of flesh."

Study said nothing. Then, she unsheathed the dagger on her hip. Instead of rushing to Terzo or throwing the dagger at him, Study did something Terzo didn't expect. She cut her palm with her dagger.

Then, Study made a throwing motion with her cut palm. Terzo's instincts told him to move, and he followed it without hesitation. He rolled away and heard something thud on the pillar he just leaned on.

Terzo looked back and was surprised to see three needle-like objects embedded in the wooden pillar, just where his head was less than a second ago. Terzo looked closer to see that the needles were colored red. As red as…

"Blood?" Terzo asked Study as he stood back up. "As far as Devil Fruits go, that's pretty unique! Is it a Logia?"

Terzo's air seemed casual, but he was more alert than ever. Dealing with Devil Fruit users can be tricky. He directly assumed that Study ate a Logia. If he guessed correctly, he'll have to use Haki to deal with the woman in front of him.

Terzo knew in his heart that he wasn't that great at using Haki yet. Still, his heart beat faster in anticipation of the coming battle.

"Kill him!" Study ordered her men, all of them, to do whatever they can to kill Terzo. She didn't humor Terzo with small talk. At that signal, Terzo unsheathed the sword on his back.

The pirates around Terzo lunged towards him with their swords, daggers, and guns out, fearlessly obeying the order of their captain. Still, Terzo wasn't fazed. He figured the only real trouble here was Study.

"Damn, you're ruthless!" Terzo said as he jumped over wild sword swings coming at him. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Shut your trap!" Study shouted. "I'll kill you! I'll kill your whole damn crew for hurting him!"

'Him?' Terzo noticed the slip of Study's tongue. A few dots connected in Terzo's head, but it was all guesswork at this point. He had too little information.

"Who the hell is she?" Terzo said to no one in particular as he fought off the pirates around him. Beheading a few of them effortlessly seemed to have intimidated them a bit.

"I remember now!" 

Soma's voice came from the baby transponder snail on Terzo's wrist. Terzo forgot that Soma was still there, listening in to what he could.

"What is it, Soma?" Terzo asked as he slashed a pirate that approached him from behind, fatally wounding him.

"You met the curly eyebrow idiot at Baratie, right?" Soma asked. "The pervert loves keeping a collection of women pirates' bounty posters."

"I'm guessing Study has one?" Terzo asked as he jumped over two pirates before beheading them.

"Yeah," Soma said. "I don't remember the exact amount, but it's pretty high. Higher than Ace's."

Terzo whistled. He was more confident with his guess now. He decided to confront Study. Right on time, his battle with the pirates went to a stalemate as they stared fearfully at him, their numbers dwindling to half of how many they were.

All around Terzo were the mutilated corpses of the Blackbeard Pirates, some headless, some with severed limbs, others had their guts spilling out of them from a deep gash on their stomach. 

They were barely more than cannon fodder, but their allegiance was still with the bearer of the name of their crew. Seeing his handiwork made a grin spread on Terzo's face.

After realizing she was just throwing her men like lambs to slaughter, Study walked up to confront Terzo. Some of her men hid behind her like cowards. Her frown was as fiery as her hair as she glared daggers at Terzo.

"So, what's a New World pirate doing here?" Terzo asked Study. "If your current bounty is higher than my captain… I don't think you belong in this part of the sea."

Surprisingly, Study gave Terzo an amused smirk. Her eyes were still as severe as ever though. It was a rather condescending look that Terzo didn't like at all.

"What the hell do you know about the seas?" Study asked. "You arrogant little shit. I've been sailing on the high seas my whole life! Your pitiful crew is far from being pirates! Your little captain is just riding his daddy's infamous dick."

That got Terzo riled up. For the first time in this encounter, the faint smile on Terzo's face disappeared as he scowled at Study. His hand gripped his sword harder. He'd rather eat shit than let someone insult his captain like that to his face.

"Calm down, Terzo," Soma said, but his voice from the transponder snail sounded infuriated as well. "She's just trying to rile you up and get your guard down."

Soma knew how Terzo would react. After all, he's the second most hotheaded person in their crew after Ace. Soma spoke immediately to make sure Terzo doesn't do something as stupid as charge head on without thinking straight.

"I know," Terzo said as he inhaled deeply. "I'm not that stupid."

"Suuuure…"

Terzo pointed his sword at Study, who looked annoyed to see Terzo calm down somewhat. It seems Soma hit the nail right on the head. Study was indeed aiming for Terzo to be infuriated and lose focus.

"What's your connection with that ungrateful traitor, Teach?" Terzo asked Study. "You his bed warmer or something?"

It was Study's turn to be infuriated. If looks could kill, Terzo would be dead a thousand times over just from the intensity of Study's stare. Although, Terzo guessed, Study's glare shouldn't be directed at him exactly, but what he represents.

Study hated the Royal Ace Pirates.

"Ungrateful traitor? You ignorant bastard! Teach is the most loyal, most loving man I know!" Study shouted at Terzo, releasing the indignation she felt in her heart. "He was never yours! Teach is a Whitebeard Pirate through and through!"

"Well, maybe he should've stayed with his daddy, then!" Terzo said before his smirk grew wide. "Maybe he wouldn't have had to lose an arm!"

Study was angered further by Terzo's visible amusement at Teach's suffering. It was clear to Terzo now, from the way Study was infuriated, that she and Teach were close friends. Maybe even more than that…

"You and your crew… you imprisoned him!" Study's men backed away further as she shouted, leaving her and Terzo in the middle of an encirclement at the surprisingly spacious bar. "You all forced him to work under you! And for what? Information on the higher echelons of the pirate world?"

"He didn't have to betray us like that!" Terzo shouted, equally annoyed at this point. "He lost a bet and joined us! Sure, Ace wanted information. But after that, he was free to leave! But he didn't! We thought he was our friend! Right before stabbing our back!"

"Because he knew what you were! He told me… your crew is a threat!" Study pointed her dagger at Terzo. "Especially that captain of yours! He's out of his mind! He should be put down before he does something bad!"

"Something bad?" Terzo was amused. "What the hell do you think we are? We're pirates! If chasing our dreams is bad, then so be it!"

"Your crew's dream is to trample on the peace of the innocents all over the world!"

"Oh, stop that little act. You're no hero!" Terzo was pissed. Study wasn't a good person, and he knew she knew it.

"Yeah, I'm not! But even I know the limits! Your crew is planning to dismantle the Marines!"

The bar was silent at what Study revealed. It was true. Terzo wasn't deluded. Ace always spoke of how he hates the Marines and especially the World Government they were protecting. He may have never said it explicitly, but the way their crew moved and did things…

Every single one of the Royal Ace Pirates knew what their crew was working towards. And they accepted it.

"They're the dogs of a corrupt government." Terzo found himself uttering Ace's words.

"Now who's acting like a hero?" It was Study's turn to be insultingly amused. "You dumb bastards have no idea what you're doing! Not even the kind old Whitebeard doesn't go against the Marines directly! And he's the greatest pirate in the world!"

"A man has his own goals! His differs from ours."

"Because he knows what going against the Marines mean! Your crew of imbeciles clearly don't! If you go through with your dream, everyone will suffer! No matter who they are!"

"If that is the cost of building a far better world, so be it."

The bar was once again silent. The heated exchange was over… for now. Terzo and Study were just silently glaring at each other. It was broken a few moments later.

"Teach was right," Study said before readying to fight. "You're all crazy. You all need to die."

"He's just a coward. Cover up his insecurities with pretty words of justice and altruism all he wants," Terzo said as he adopted a fighting stance. "Deep down, he's just scared we'll kill his dad when he becomes our enemy."

"Like a loving son would." Study instantly retorted. "Don't you see? You heartless bastards are on the wrong side of this fight."

Terzo said nothing at that. An infinitesimally small part of him considered that what Study said was right… but the larger part of him chose to believe in Ace instead.

Terzo charged towards Study with a Haki infused blade. From her bleeding palm, a sword made of blood coagulated and formed in Study's left hand. With her other hand carrying a dagger, Study fought using a Two-Sword style of blade and dagger.

Study blocked Terzo's overhead blow with her blood sword, surprised at the force behind it.

'Haki?' Study recognized the fact that Terzo was using Haki. 'Is this guy really a rookie pirate…?'

"All of you! Go! Leave us!" Study shouted at her crew.

"But, Captain-!"

"Go! Let your new Captain know the Royal Aces are here!"

The pirates wanted to protest against their captain's order, but they saw the desperation in her eyes. Begrudgingly, they obeyed their captain's order and ran.

"How noble of you," Terzo said after backing away from Study's upwards swipe with her dagger. "I wouldn't have killed them if they didn't interrupt, you know?"

"I find it difficult to believe a madman's words."

Their fight continued. Terzo had to admit that Study was a rather competent swordswoman. Still, as their exchange continued, Terzo realized he was stronger. After sparring with Ace so frequently, of course he'll become strong.

Study wasn't using her Devil Fruit to a great extent, as if she only recently received its power. Terzo's grin grew more feral as their fight continued going in his favor.

"I'm almost sad I won't get to see Teach crying over your severed head."

…

"Yes, sir. They're fighting…"

"Good. Let the pirate scum kill each other. We'll be there when it's over."