The pinnacle of pirates begins with deceiving fate!

"Jing Shou!"

With a sudden roar from Somaz, several thorns covered in jagged spikes appeared out of thin air from the deck, growing rapidly like snakes and winding their way towards Pete.

Pete's face changed drastically in fright. He quickly jumped back to dodge and activated the power of the Reaction Fruit again.

Instantly, the ferocious thorns that had been chasing after them froze in mid-air, no longer moving.

As Pete stared at the thorns frozen in his face, his heart pounded wildly, and an unknown fear began to spread.

"What kind of monster is this?!"

Although he experienced the God Valley incident, he was preoccupied with how to betray John throughout the entire process and was completely unaware of the existence of the "immortal body".

Hunger, thirst, and the unknown pushed Pete to the brink of breaking.

Pete dared not approach, so he drew the flintlock pistol from his waist and repeatedly pulled the trigger, firing bullets coated with Armament Haki.

The bullets whizzed through the gaps in the thorns, striking Somaz and Mafi and tearing fist-sized holes in their bodies.

"Hahaha! This time he's finally going to die..."

Before Pete could finish his triumphant words, he watched in disbelief as the shattered body gradually healed, becoming perfectly intact in just a few breaths.

"How...how could this happen?!"

"Damn it! What kind of monster is the World Government raising?!"

Pete was so frightened that he took several steps back and then fled towards the cabin.

His strength was almost exhausted, and he could no longer maintain the ability of the reaction fruit for long. He had to find food and water to replenish his strength.

As Pete ventured deeper into the cabin and the distance increased, Somaz and Maffei, who had escaped the range of the Reaction-Reaction Fruit's power, were able to move again.

"Not bad, no wonder you were able to kill that bastard John. I'm going to put a seastone collar on you and keep you as a slave by my side!"

Somaz felt no fear of the unknown fruit, only excitement at the prospect of obtaining a rare slave.

The pirate who killed John became his slave, which indirectly means that John became his slave.

The thrill of revenge flushed Somaz's face, and he began to tremble uncontrollably.

"Don't do anything reckless."

Seeing that Somaz was almost losing his mind, Mafi calmly reminded him.

"Since it's a Devil Fruit ability, we can just use Armament Haki to defend against it. Otherwise, it would be troublesome if we were immobilized again and pushed into the sea."

Chapter 31 You must use truth, goodness, and beauty to influence them.

Paradise in the First Half of the Grand Line

Drum Island

Due to its magnetic field and topography, this island is in a perpetually snowy winter, making its living environment exceptionally harsh.

The snow that had been falling for more than a month stopped today. Men went into the mountains to hunt, women went out to work, and children were finally able to come out of their homes and play with their friends.

In a corner of the village, three boys grabbed a handful of snow, rolled it into a ball in their palms, and threw it at the curly-haired boy wrapped in a down jacket.

Teach was hit on the ground by the first snowball and sat down. Ignoring the cold from the thick snow, he forced a smile.

"Let's not play around like this, okay?"

"Snowball fights are our way of playing here. If you want to be our friend, you have to accept all of this."

The three boys laughed strangely and continued to grab snow and throw it at Teach.

Teach was accidentally hit by snow, and his isolated and helpless situation plunged him, who was already homeless, into a deep depression.

Overwhelmed with grievances, warm tears welled up in Teach's eyes, only to be chilled by the cold wind as they slid down her cheeks, freezing into ice on her skin.

"Huh? Is she crying?"

"We were just joking with you. If you can't even take a joke, how can you be our friend?"

"Teach, smile!"

"Ha... Zhehahahaha..."

Teach suppressed his grievances and forced a smile.

However, he did not notice that his laughter was very similar to that of the man he had met in God Valley.

"That's more like it, that's how we can become friends."

Seeing Teach smile, the smiles on the three boys' faces became even more sinister, and they continued to bend down, grab the snow, and throw more snowballs.

Just as the three boys were about to throw the newly made snowball, they discovered that a figure in a long black trench coat had appeared behind Teach.

The newcomer was tall and handsome, but his eyes held an endless chill, colder than the snowstorms that swept across the island year-round.

Under the gaze of those eyes, the three boys felt inexplicably afraid and quickly turned and ran away.

Teach noticed something was wrong, turned to the side and looked back, and saw a face that was both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar.

Why didn't you fight back?

John raised his hand, took a swig of rum, and then handed the bottle to Teach.

The man's familiar voice made Teach's dull pupils light up, and he excitedly stood up as he took the bottle.

"godfather!"

"Huh? What did you call me?"

John was startled, his eyebrows twitching as he inexplicably felt a sharp knife stabbing towards his lower back.

Feeling like a thorn in my side!

"Kid, when did I become your godfather? Don't call me that!"

It's important to know that Teach had a biological father and a godfather in his life. His godfather was stabbed to death by Teach himself, and his biological father didn't have a good ending either.

Being the father of this brat will most likely end badly!

“But Mom said…” Teach hugged the bottle, pouting with a wronged expression.

It was clearly his mother who said that the man who sent them to Ohara was his godfather.

But why doesn't the Godfather acknowledge him?

Is it because, like those "friends," she dislikes his appearance?

"No buts, wipe your face clean with the wine."

John, impatient, interrupted and took a silk handkerchief from his pocket, throwing it at Teach's head.

Teach pulled the silk scarf off her head, obediently poured wine on it to soak it, and then clumsily wiped her cheeks.

As the alcohol mingled with the frozen tears, a slight warmth returned to Teach's numb skin, gradually bringing a rosy glow to his deathly pale face.

"You haven't answered my question yet, so why aren't you fighting back?"

John took the bottle from Teach's hand and stared intently into his eyes, looking down at him.

Under his intense gaze, Teach swallowed hard and spoke in a barely audible voice:

“I…I want to be friends with them, I can’t lay a hand on my friends.”

"whispering sound!"

Upon hearing this, John couldn't help but scoff.

“Teach, you have to remember that friends are considerate of each other, not people who embarrass each other.”

"They're just bullying you, they're not your friends."

"If you encounter this situation again, you must fight back fiercely!"

"godfather!"

Tichy's eyes sparkled, and he nodded solemnly and earnestly.

"I've got it!"

"and many more!"

John's eyes flashed, and he suddenly realized something very important.

If we take advantage of Teach's youth and guide him in a positive direction, will his personality change later on?

“I misspoke. It’s wrong to retaliate. You should understand and be considerate of them.”

"Huh? Why?" Teach tilted his head, looking puzzled.

"Um……"

John frowned, hesitated for a moment, then squatted down and put his hand on Teach's shoulder, speaking softly.

“Hatred can have a chain reaction, and revenge will only lead to more revenge. You should use your kindness and beauty to influence them.”

You must believe that human nature is inherently good!

"The sun will eventually shine on the earth, and all hatred will melt away like ice and snow, ushering in a peaceful and beautiful era where people love each other and we love each other."

"But Godfather, didn't you just say you were going to retaliate..."

"No buts!"

Teach opened her mouth as if to say something, but John forcibly interrupted her.

"Hate cannot solve problems; we must use love, for love is boundless!"

"Oh, I understand." Although Teach still didn't quite understand, he nodded seriously in agreement.

"Good boy!"

John smiled with satisfaction and reached out to ruffle Teach's naturally curly hair.

He rubbed out some hair oil, then quietly withdrew his hand, grabbed a handful of snow and rubbed it in his palm, before hugging Teach's back again.

I used Teach's down jacket to wipe my hands clean.

"Come on, take me to your mother."

"it is good!"