#15 New Title?

After Carlo's reminder, Blackbeard quickly moved forward and read the descriptions of the remaining three Devil Fruits. The more he read, the more his expression changed, until he began to tremble with excitement.

As Carlo had said, the abilities of these Devil Fruits were terrifying! Having them would significantly boost their future strength.

If it weren't for already having the Dark-Dark Fruit, and having a clear plan that matched his abilities and the fruit's characteristics, Blackbeard might have been tempted to eat two of these fruits himself.

Any one of these fruits could cause a huge stir in the outside world, let alone four appearing at once!

"Brother, you really are my lucky charm! Good thing I listened to you and kidnapped this fool..."

"Imagine how powerful our crew will be with a few more of these abilities!"

"Zehahaha, I can't even picture it!"

"From now on, any suggestion or decision you make, I won't argue. You're officially our chief strategist!"

Blackbeard was ecstatic. Though Carlo had previously come up with many shocking plans, this was the first time they had yielded such significant results.

Regardless of how brilliant a plan is, it's all talk until there's actual progress. Even though Blackbeard was impressed by Carlo's past ideas, he hadn't fully trusted them. His naturally suspicious nature was something Carlo understood, so he didn't try to prove himself to Blackbeard.

Now, with such rich rewards, Blackbeard's last bit of doubt vanished. From this point forward, he would completely follow Carlo's lead.

However, Carlo hadn't expected the haul to be this impressive. He knew the Celestial Dragons would have Devil Fruits, but he didn't imagine they would be this numerous and powerful.

On the ground, semi-conscious Saint Larcher heard their conversation, and a look of bitterness appeared on his swollen face.

All of this used to be his!

These high-level Devil Fruits were so valuable that his family wouldn't even let their strongest warriors eat them, keeping them as collectibles instead. And now, they were all gone, taken by the very people who had beaten him senseless.

Apart from Saint Larcher, Carlo's expression wasn't too happy either.

'What's with calling me a 'chief strategist'?'

Hearing this title, Carlo almost kicked Blackbeard in the face.

"Enough talk, Teach. Hurry up. Dawn is almost here."

Rolling his eyes, Carlo opened the crystal display case and scooped up the four Devil Fruits. Then, they took Larcher and raided the nearby weapon collection room.

When they emerged, Blackbeard had a new sword at his side, far superior to the trashy one he had before. Carlo also had something new—a black and red bag at his waist.

Their expressions showed they had scored big in the weapon room too.

After Blackbeard grabbed a few treasures as a token, they left the underground vault with Larcher in tow.

Their main haul was the four Devil Fruits and two weapons, leaving most of the treasure behind. Carrying that much loot would attract too much attention and lead to their discovery. Carlo knew that for now, it was best to keep a low profile and avoid the wrath of the World Government and the Navy.

Money could come later. What mattered most now was enhancing their strength with the Devil Fruits.

Even with Carlo's reasoning, Blackbeard couldn't resist taking a small portion of the treasure. Now, he sported a flashy gold chain and rings, looking like a wealthy fool.

With Carlo's disgusted scorn, they left the vault. After covering their tracks, they headed to Groove One, blending into the night.

By dawn, the Sabaody Archipelago would be in an uproar.

A Celestial Dragon vanished, and his family's treasure vault was looted! Both were events that would shock the world.

No one would suspect that two unknown "small-time pirates" were responsible.

Back in their hotel on Groove One, Carlo went straight to his room without a word and slammed the door. Blackbeard was left puzzled, but Carlo ignored him.

Inside, Carlo sat on the bed, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "System, open the warehouse!"

"Use the Douglas Bullet Physique Card!"