A Villain's Journey Begins in the Type-Moon World

"The host needs to understand that in the One Piece world, Marshall D. Teach's character is based on the real-life legendary pirate Edward Teach."

"In the world of Type-Moon, existence is justified. Characters created based on historical or legendary figures and possessing fan fiction characteristics are also qualified to be summoned as Heroic Spirits."

The system elaborates on the logical connections within it:

"The most typical examples are Lancelot, the Knight of the Round Table, and Diarmuid, the Celtic hero. Essentially, the latter inspired the creation of the legend of the former."

"However, due to the enormous influence and high popularity of Lancelot's story, this 'creation' has, in turn, anchored Lancelot as a real existence in the original history within the timeline of the Arthurian legend."

"Similarly, when the Dark-Dark Fruit ability possessed by the host truly descends into this FGO singularity world, its characteristics, the story setting behind it, and even the associated destiny trajectory will all be interpreted and accepted by the rules of this world."

"Once the story of the Dark-Dark Fruit and its 'Blackbeard' user spreads in this world, then theoretically, the 'Blackbeard' of the One Piece world could be born in this world in accordance with the rules."

"At present, although the story has not been widely circulated, the existence of the Dark-Dark Fruit itself has already created a substantial connection with this singularity world."

"As a power closely tied to the title 'Blackbeard,' it naturally developed a special connection with Edward Teach, the Heroic Spirit who also bears this name."

Wang Chong listened carefully to the system's analysis, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the ship's side. He then raised a crucial question: "According to this logic, does that mean that Blackbeard Edward Teach in this singularity may also have been affected by this connection and undergone some kind of mutation?"

"It's not impossible. The system speculates that this is precisely the root cause of the Dark-Dark Fruit's warning to the host." As Wang Chong asked his question, a detailed analysis report quickly popped up on the system interface, concluding with a summary:

"Based on existing data and rule deductions, the conclusion is as follows: There is a very high probability that Edward Teach, the Blackbeard in this singularity, has been subjected to unknown disturbances due to the Dark-Dark Fruit. He is very likely to have awakened or acquired some kind of ability similar to the characteristics of the Dark-Dark Fruit."

"Therefore, the Dark Fruits held by the host will sense each other and so eagerly drive the host to devour them in order to absorb the same or complementary power and achieve further evolution or morphological completion."

After reading the system's rigorous summary and analysis, Wang Chong nodded slightly, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes. This gave him an additional, significant reason to lead his fleet to attack the Blackbeard Pirates, besides rescuing Artemis and expanding his own strength: a crucial factor in increasing his own power.

When the group successfully returned to their ship under Wang Chong's guidance, it was nearly dusk. To celebrate the successful rescue of their ally and the large amount of supplies they had captured, Wang Chong ordered all the fine wines and delicacies from the spoils to be taken out and a grand open-air banquet to be held on the deck to reward all those who had contributed.

For a moment, the deck was bustling with noise. The campfire leaped, the aroma of roasted meat filled the air, and the clinking of glasses mingled with hearty laughter, a scene brimming with the joy of surviving a disaster and the acceptance of new allies.

Even Orion, the peculiarly shaped rag doll who had just joined the team, was quickly infected by the enthusiastic atmosphere. He hugged a huge roasted leg and ate heartily, temporarily forgetting his worries.

"Hehehe, this is what life is all about! Finally, I can drink and eat to my heart's content, how wonderful!" Orion was clearly drunk and slurring his words while hugging the wine barrel. Judging from his posture, he seemed to have long forgotten his anxiety about Artemis and was completely immersed in the enjoyment of the senses.

"Damn it! One-Eyed Dragon! You bastard, are you cheating?! How come your luck is always so weird in crucial games?!"

At another table not far away, several pirates were gathered together, engaging in their favorite pastime—gambling with dice.

One pirate, his eyes bloodshot from losing, stared intently at the four, five, and six points lying prominently in the one-eyed man's bowl. He slapped his thigh in regret and, cursing, pushed his doubled bet over.

"Hmph! Enough nonsense! If you're not as skilled, just admit defeat! If you have the guts, keep gambling, it's your turn to be the dealer this round! If you're chickening out, get the hell out of here and let someone else take your place!"

The one-eyed man smugly swept his winnings into the pile of money in front of him, his tone arrogant and domineering. Under the combined influence of alcohol and the excitement of winning at the gambling table, the usually mild-mannered and cautious man seemed like a different person, appearing exceptionally flamboyant.

Just then, a steady and powerful hand suddenly landed on the one-eyed man's shoulder, which was trembling slightly with excitement, and patted it twice, neither too hard nor too soft.

"What are you doing?! Can't you see I'm on a winning streak? Get out of my way, I'm about to dominate!" The one-eyed dragon, engrossed in his gambling, didn't even turn around. He impatiently shrugged his shoulders, trying to shake off the hand, displaying the madness of a gambler in a frenzy.

"Oh? Is that so?" A calm yet penetrating voice sounded behind him. "Well... how about playing a couple of rounds with me?"

The sound was like ice water poured over his head, instantly freezing the one-eyed man in place. The smug smile on his face vanished in the blink of an eye, replaced by uncontrollable terror and trembling.

He turned around cautiously, and when he saw that the person behind him was Wang Chong, his knees buckled and he almost knelt down on the deck.

"Old... Old... Old Master! I... I didn't know it was you! I was blind! I deserve to die!" The one-eyed man stammered, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He actually responded to the boss with that attitude! At this moment, he could only pray that Wang Chong was in a good mood and would be magnanimous enough not to pursue his fatal rudeness.

"Oh, it's fine. Since you're so interested, let's settle this at the gambling table. Let your skill and luck speak for themselves." Wang Chong's tone was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger. He walked straight to the seat opposite the one-eyed man and sat down, clearly intending to gamble with him for a few rounds.

One-Eyed Dragon's face immediately fell, and he inwardly groaned. His boss was clearly holding a grudge against him for his earlier insolence; he feared he would have to go bankrupt to appease his boss's anger today.

Chapter 556 The Gamble Prepared for Orion

So the one-eyed man subconsciously considered whether he should deliberately lose a few games to please his boss.

"You'd better not have any intention of deliberately letting them win."

Wang Chong seemed to see right through his inner thoughts, his eyes sharp as knives: "If your gambling skills aren't up to par and you end up losing everything... I don't mind letting you spend the night at sea 'night cruise' with a boat to pay off your debts. Do you understand? I want you to show your true abilities, go all out to win, and earn your own chance."

Upon hearing this, One-Eyed Dragon felt his throat go dry and swallowed hard. He didn't understand why Wang Chong suddenly wanted to test his gambling skills, but now he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go all out with his best abilities.

……

"Ha...hahaha...It's...it's a draw! It's finally a draw!!"

After an unknown amount of time, the game finally ended. One-Eyed Dragon was drenched in sweat, as if he had just been pulled out of the water. He was panting heavily, his eyes fixed on the dice bowl—there were three dots at the bottom.

Finally, I managed to tie with Wang Chong's roll! The heart that had been in my throat finally settled down.

Not only the one-eyed dragon, but also the pirates who had been watching in suspense all along burst into unbelievable amazement.

The strangeness of this betting game far exceeded their expectations! From beginning to end, One-Eyed Dragon didn't win a single round!

This could perhaps be attributed to his boss's superb gambling skills, but what is even more chilling is Wang Chong's terrifyingly precise ability to control the game.

Every time a winner was decided, Wang Chong's score was always perfectly balanced, just a tiny, insignificant difference from the score rolled by the one-eyed dragon.

If Wang Chong's ability to precisely suppress One-Eyed Dragon by a single point when going second could be explained by his extraordinary control over the force of the dice, then his ability to predict the future and consistently land the exact same number that One-Eyed Dragon might roll by just one point when going first is incredibly mysterious and unfathomable.

It was this cat-and-mouse game of winning, always betting only a little bit, that brought immense mental pressure to One-Eyed Dragon.

He felt like a small boat in a storm, completely manipulated by an invisible hand at the gambling table, utterly powerless to resist. It was as if the other party could see through his every intention and every roll of the dice. His only way out was to escape the gambling table; otherwise, he would be at the mercy of the other party.

Even though he managed to tie the last round by luck with three ones, One-Eyed Dragon suspected deep down that his boss had let him off the hook because he had shown some dice control skills at the end.

"Alright... you're lucky. Come with me, One-Eyed Dragon." After winning almost all of One-Eyed Dragon's savings, Wang Chong seemed disheartened. He casually picked up the heavy money bag and gestured for One-Eyed Dragon to follow him away from the noisy deck.

One-Eyed Dragon immediately understood, realizing that his boss had an important task to give him privately. Recalling the clearly purposeful "test" at the gambling table earlier, he roughly guessed what Wang Chong wanted him to do.

The two walked to the relatively quiet entrance to the cabin. Wang Chong, with his back to the one-eyed man, asked in a low voice, "Do you understand what I want you to do?"

"Boss... are you planning to have me use this gambling skill to 'greet' a specific target?" One-Eyed Dragon cautiously voiced his guess.

“Not bad.” Wang Chong confirmed the one-eyed man’s judgment, his tone turning cold. “Since this is your old profession, then put it to use. I want you to set a trap, to make that person…”

As he spoke, Wang Chong raised his hand and pointed to the teddy bear on the deck, who was drunkenly burping while hugging a wine barrel—Orion.

"Completely addicted to gambling, unable to extricate yourself. Are you confident you can do it?" A cold glint flashed in Wang Chong's eyes as he asked.

The one-eyed man looked in the direction Wang Chong pointed, his gaze locking onto Orion. A knowing glint flashed in his eyes, and he immediately patted his chest to assure him:

"Don't worry, boss! This is definitely my specialty! I swear I can make that stupid bear addicted to gambling and lose everything, down to his last shred of dignity!"

"Heh, don't rush to let him lose." Wang Chong's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "He's hiding a 'treasure,' very well hidden. But... I've got my eye on it. So, you need to learn to 'cast a long line to catch a big fish.' Do you understand what I mean?"

Wang Chong slowly turned around, his gaze fixed intently on the one-eyed dragon:

"In the days to come, what you need to do is not to let him lose, but to let him keep winning small wins, to let him taste the sweetness, to let him feel extremely good about himself, and to let him become complacent and forget himself."

"When I find out he brought his treasure to this ship... that's your chance to pull in the strings and recoup everything, principal and interest. Do you understand now?"

One-Eyed Dragon carefully studied every word Wang Chong spoke, his eyes gleaming as he instantly grasped the essence of the plan. He nodded vigorously, his voice tinged with excitement: "I understand everything, boss! I guarantee it will be flawless!"

"Go." Wang Chong waved his hand, indicating that the one-eyed dragon could leave. He had great confidence in the one-eyed dragon's gambling skills among mortals; dealing with a simple-minded servant like Orion, who lacked significant strength, would be a piece of cake.

Furthermore, Orion himself had a weakness for impulsiveness, and he was destined to be trapped in the very snare he had carefully laid.

Watching the one-eyed man's departing figure, Wang Chong stood alone in the shadows of the cabin, letting out a barely audible chuckle:

"Orion, Orion, blame yourself for not cherishing that love. Since you cannot bear the heavy love brought by the gods... then I will take it on for you."

……

Over the next two days, Orion did indeed begin to mingle with the pirates, just as Wang Chong had planned, indulging in various pirate-related entertainment activities.

Gambling was just one of the most inconspicuous forms of entertainment. That's why Orion was completely unaware that he had developed a gambling addiction.

Wang Chong couldn't help but nod in approval of the one-eyed man's talent. The other party had concealed his true purpose in this way, leading Orion to believe it was simply a common practice among the "men" of the sea.

In this way, Orion unknowingly and willingly degenerated.

In addition, Wang Chong also kept an eye on the sea chart. In the past two days, they finally arrived at the Sea of ​​the Eye of the Tide, which is the main base of the Blackbeard Pirates.

In the past two days, they have encountered a number of pirate ships that came to investigate, but since there were no Servants present, they were all easily defeated.

Of course, Wang Chong also deliberately let some people escape so that they could go back and inform Blackbeard's side, so that Blackbeard could lead his fleet to encounter them.

He just wanted to take care of the Blackbeard Pirates as quickly as possible so he could bring Artemis to his ship.

"Aigo, maintain the magic barrier and be careful of the enemy's ranged attacks. You must know that Artemis has the authority of the goddess of the hunt, so her archery skills are beyond question. We might just catch a glimpse of their ship on the horizon before their attack arrives."

Wang Chong said in a deep voice.

"Don't worry, Prince... cough cough... Master, my magic barrier isn't so easy to break. I'll also determine the direction of the incoming attacks so we can pinpoint the enemy's location as soon as possible."

Sajo Aika coughed lightly and changed how she addressed Wang Chong in front of everyone.

"Circle, I'll continue to entrust the task of propelling the ship forward to you... Be sure to watch out for the tidal currents in this area, and don't get dragged into the eye of the tide."

Wang Chong then looked at Circe and said.

“Leave it to me~” Circe said, giving an OK sign.

"One-Eyed Dragon, you lead the pirates to deal with the enemy pirates. Don't fight those enemy characters who look intimidating. You can't beat those heroes."

Then, Wang Chong looked at One-Eyed Dragon and Elizabeth, who were in charge of the main battle, and gave them instructions:

"As for dealing with those Servants, it's up to you, Elizabeth. I'll also have Ayaka and Circe support you in the Servant battles against the enemy."

“Understood!” One-Eyed Dragon and Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

“Orion, your role is to protect yourself while getting Artemis to find you as soon as possible… Once Artemis knows you’ve been rescued safely, she’ll likely switch sides with Blackbeard’s pirate crew immediately,” Wang Chong said in a deep voice, looking at the absent-minded Orion.

"...Huh!? Oh! Don't worry, leave it to me! I'll shout Artemis's name loudly!"

Upon hearing Wang Chong call his name, Orion snapped out of his reverie and answered repeatedly.

"Hey, this is clearly your own business, why are you acting so nonchalant? Don't you even want to rescue your wife?"

Elizabeth looked at Orion's expression and said with some displeasure.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. After all, this day has finally come. I've been so worried about Artemis that I can't sleep at night, so my mental state has been a bit off."

Orion said apologetically.

"This guy has the nerve to say he's so worried he can't sleep at night... He was clearly partying with One-Eyed and the others all night... Does he think I didn't see anything while I was on night watch yesterday..." Circe muttered to Medea beside her.

Medea didn't even look at Orion upon hearing this. What she was more concerned about at the moment was why Wang Chong had unexpectedly brought her to the meeting today, since he usually wouldn't invite her to these kinds of war meetings.

She knew very well that Wang Chong wouldn't do anything unnecessary, so she guessed that he must have something to do himself if he had invited her to this meeting.

As expected, after arranging everyone except Medea, Wang Chong turned his gaze to Medea and said, "Medea, I also have a small task for you, but I don't know if you are willing to take it on."

"I...I do!" Medea nodded in agreement almost without thinking.

Chapter 557 Shot from the Moon Goddess

"……Why."

At this moment, Medea stood at the ship's helm, sighed softly, and looked down at the pirates who were constantly busy on the deck.

"Hoo hoo hoo, my pirate captain, what's got you all sighing like that?" A teasing voice came from behind Medea. The newcomer was none other than Circe.

"Don't make fun of me, Aunt..." Medea said with a hint of helplessness.

"I'm just worried about your condition. You know, this is a big responsibility that the man you like entrusted to you after a long time. I guess you don't want to mess up this hard-won task, right?"

Circe put his hands behind his back, bent down, and laughed, "You should play the role of the apparent leader of this pirate crew to deceive the enemy, especially Hector."

It turned out that Wang Chong's task for Medea was to have her take his place and become the nominal leader of the pirate crew.

And one of its purposes was to mislead Hector and get him to bring the news back to the Agor.

"But speaking of which, our Master could have easily led us to wipe out all the Servants in this pirate crew... so why did he deliberately let Hector escape and even let Hector bring the news that you were still alive back to the Agor?"

Circe muttered to herself, seemingly reasoning, but actually guiding Medea toward a certain possibility:

"You know... is our Master deliberately testing you to see if you'll risk continuing to associate with the people of the Agor? If that's the case, it seems he still doesn't really trust you, my poor Medea~"

"Or, to put it more positively, he deliberately created the illusion that you had broken with Jason, letting Jason know that you had betrayed him. Oh, if that's the case, it means that our Master has already set his sights on you and wants to possess you completely... Which possibility do you think it is?"

"Auntie, all you ever do is try to provoke me, can't you think of anything else?!"

Medea was clearly annoyed by Circe's two diametrically opposed predictions. She knew perfectly well that Circe was deliberately trying to make a fool of herself.

"Alright, alright, I'm not teasing you anymore. At least now you won't overthink this, right?"

Circe smiled and shook his head, continuing, "There are only two possible outcomes. Anyway, regardless of his mindset, you've already prepared to cut ties with Jason and his ilk, haven't you?"

Medea was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. She looked in a certain direction and slowly said, "It's coming. I can sense that contractual relationship... The enemy is about to appear."

"Is that so? It's finally starting. Perfect timing, I still have a score to settle with Hector—"

"boom!!"

Before Circe could finish speaking, a massive impact slammed directly into the magical barrier set up by Sajou Aika.