Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

When Shen Qing watched One Piece, he was deeply impressed by Blackbeard. Compared to Luffy, who was born into a privileged family and was a prodigy, Blackbeard was just like most ordinary people, with a very humble background.

As the chosen one, Luffy befriended Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, even before setting sail. His grandfather, Garp, is a legendary hero in the Navy with disciples and former subordinates all over the world. His father, Dragon, is the leader of the Revolutionary Army, whose influence is pervasive. His brother, Ace, is the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. His family background is so powerful that it is almost invincible.

With such a powerful background, even if Luffy were just a useless person like a Celestial Dragon, he would still be able to make a great name for himself. His background and status as the chosen one meant that anyone else could reach the same heights as him.

On the other hand, Blackbeard is a true reflection of an ordinary person. He had no strength or background at the beginning and could only rely on opportunism to enter the Whitebeard Pirates. He endured for more than 20 years in order to find the Dark-Dark Fruit he desired. How many people can achieve such perseverance?

How many twenty-odd years does one have in a lifetime? Once you miss it, it's gone forever. And over the years, Blackbeard must have encountered other pretty good Devil Fruits, but who else would gamble their future and prospects on tomorrow like he did? If he had gambled wrong, the result would have been a lifetime of obscurity. Fortunately, he finally got the Dark-Dark Fruit.

For over twenty long years, through countless moments of uncertainty about the future, Blackbeard persevered through those years of seemingly hopeless days with sheer willpower. No one's success comes easily.

Both are striving for their dreams, but compared to Luffy, a prodigy, Shen Qing, after putting himself in Luffy's shoes, naturally has more respect for Blackbeard, a grassroots hero who rises to power.

“Mr. Teach, first of all, I want to thank you for helping me obtain the Door-Door Fruit. This glass of wine is a token of my respect.” Shen Qing picked up the wine glass in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

He then gestured with his left hand toward Hawkeye and said, "I believe Mr. Teach has guessed something after seeing Mr. Mihawk here. That's right, we've formed an alliance."

As Shen Qing finished speaking, Blackbeard, despite having already guessed everything, couldn't help but narrow his eyes sharply. The fact that the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk, had formed an alliance with Doflamingo would be earth-shattering headline news if it were to spread, enough to cause a huge uproar in the pirate world.

One is the strongest Shichibukai whose individual combat strength rivals that of the Four Emperors, and the other is the most powerful Shichibukai with connections spanning both the legitimate and criminal worlds. Once the two are combined, they can immediately create a powerful crew comparable to the Blackbeard Pirates, and their overall strength may even be greater than that of the Blackbeard Pirates at present.

Moreover, there's Shen Qing, this guy with a very mysterious background. The one-armed old man next to him is obviously not weak. Even without thinking, Teach can guess that someone who can ally with Hawkeye and Doflamingo must be something special and must have some unknown methods.

"The landscape of the ocean is about to undergo another change." This thought immediately popped into Teach's mind, but soon his eyes revealed an indomitable fighting spirit. No matter how the landscape of the ocean might change in the future, he, Teach, would definitely lead the Black Group to gain a place.

Shen Qing watched as Blackbeard's expression shifted from shock to calm, and nodded secretly. He then said again, "Mr. Teach, since I invited you to the party, I don't consider you an outsider. I'll get straight to the point."

Teach raised an eyebrow, knowing the main event was about to begin, and his expression turned serious. He said in a deep voice, "Mr. Shen Qing, please speak."

Shen Qing glanced at Teach and continued, "Mr. Teach, we want to obtain a channel from you to purchase Devil Fruits. Any kind of Devil Fruit, Paramecia, Logia, Zoan, it doesn't matter. As long as Mr. Teach is willing to trade, we will pay a high price to buy it. Settlement can also be done without Berries. Food, weapons, ships, and other supplies can be used for settlement."

Although it was only Shen Qing who spoke, Doflamingo and Hawkeye nodded in agreement, proving that they all shared the same opinion.

Upon hearing this, Blackbeard's face turned extremely ugly, and his eyes flashed with cold light. The Dark-Dark Fruit's ability to hunt Devil Fruits was a bottom line that Blackbeard was unwilling to let anyone cross. Shen Qing's words had undoubtedly touched his sore spot. If possible, Blackbeard would not hesitate to kill Shen Qing and the others.

If Blackbeard had known that Shen Qing would make such a request, he would never have agreed to stay for the meeting.

But when Teach saw Hawkeye's expressionless face and Doflamingo's ambiguous smile, he was startled and immediately suppressed his killing intent.

If it were just Doflamingo, Teach wouldn't take him seriously. Even if the entire Donquixote Family were to come out, he was confident he could break through. But with Hawkeye and the mysterious Shen Qing added to the mix, Teach wasn't so sure.

Based on his previous fight with Hawkeye, they were evenly matched. If they were to actually fight, there was a very high probability that he and Van Augur would be left alive, so a direct confrontation would only lead to their deaths. Therefore, aside from the option of overturning the table, Teach was left with only two choices: agree or refuse.

What would happen if he agreed? What would happen if he refused? Just as Teach was weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Shen Qing's voice rang out again. He chuckled, guessing Blackbeard's thoughts, and said calmly, "Mr. Teach, you don't need to think too much. Whether you agree or refuse, nothing will happen."

Upon hearing this, Teach looked at Shen Qing with suspicion, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his words.

Seeing this, Shen Qing smiled and continued, "As the saying goes, even if a deal falls through, goodwill remains. Today, I invited Mr. Teach to be a guest and to express my gratitude, so naturally I won't resort to coercion or bribery. Mr. Teach, just decide according to your true feelings. After all, there's a long road ahead. Even if I force Mr. Teach to agree to a deal like Devil Fruits now, can't you back out once you go back?"

Teach's eyes lit up when he heard this. He hadn't known how to refuse before, but Shen Qing's suggestion had provided him with a solution.

“Therefore, business must be based on mutual consent. What I want is a long-term trade with Mr. Teach, not a one-off deal. So Mr. Teach doesn’t need to consider other factors, or you can go back and think it over before giving us an answer.” Shen Qing said gently and unhurriedly.